Three 91亚色 faculty members will be recognized during the 2024 Spring Convocation ceremonies with President鈥檚 University-Wide Teaching Awards for enhancing quality of learning and demonstrating innovation and excellence in teaching.

This year鈥檚 President鈥檚 University-Wide Teaching Award recipients 鈥� selected by the 91亚色 Senate 鈥� are representative of three categories: full-time faculty with 10 or more years of teaching experience; full-time faculty with less than 10 years of experience; and contract and adjunct faculty.

Each winner will not only be recognized during a convocation ceremony this spring but will have their name engraved on the University-Wide Teaching Awards plaques displayed in Vari Hall on the Keele Campus.

This year鈥檚 recipients are:

Full-time tenured faculty with 10 or more years of full-time teaching experience

Danielle Robinson, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD)

Robinson received the award in recognition of her ability to create an interdisciplinary learning environment where students from diverse academic backgrounds can work collaboratively and approach problems from contrasting directions. That ability has, in part, been channelled into her leadership around the Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom (C4) initiative, an experiential education opportunity for students that allows them approach real-world challenges with social impact in interdisciplinary ways. 

鈥淚n my collaboration with Danielle, I find her a passionate advocate for our students, excellent at organization, caring and interested in those she works with and one of the most hard-working colleagues I know,鈥� said Robinson鈥檚 nominator, Professor Franz Newland, a C4 co-founder and co-academic lead. 鈥淪he achieves this with a sense of fun, recognizing its importance when doing hard work. I believe she is an irreplaceable asset to 91亚色.鈥�

Robinson has been the recipient of several other awards, including the Dean鈥檚 Teaching Award for Junior Faculty (from AMPD), and the Airbus and Global Engineering Dean鈥檚 Council鈥檚 Diversity Award.

Full-time faculty with less than 10 years of teaching experience

Vidya Shah, Faculty of Education

Shah received the award for her collaborative approach to pedagogy, which looks to honour students鈥� voices and recognize their needs, interests and agency 鈥� often by incorporating their views into the content of her courses. The award also acknowledges Shah鈥檚 ongoing efforts to address inequities within the larger academic community, often through inspiring a rethinking of practices in the areas of racial and social justice, as well as teaching and learning.

Her nominator, Myrtle Sodhi, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education, said of Shah, 鈥淗er ability to support a large number of students who are under-represented through various stages of their academic career speaks to Dr. Shah鈥檚 commitment to student learning, mentorship and social change.鈥� She added: 鈥淒r. Shah鈥檚 research, teaching, collaboration and mentorship has changed the landscape of the 91亚色 academic community in profound ways. She continues to inspire leadership, social justice action and academic pathways.鈥�

Shah is also the recipient of the Faculty of Education Graduate Teaching Award. In 2022, she was awarded the Leaders and Legends Award for Mentor of the Year by the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education.

Contract and adjunct faculty

Heather Lynn Garrett, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Garrett was honoured in recognition of her her ability to engage with and motivate her students, incorporating story, anecdote, music and various media to bring course material to life. She has provided valuable mentorship to students in her program, notably through her support of the Sociology Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA). She has served as a faculty mentor of SUSA鈥檚 annual Falling in Love with Research project, guiding students in conduction sociological research on a topic chosen by SUSA members.

Garrett has twice received the John O鈥橬eill Award for Teaching Excellence by the Department of Sociology, and has been nominated for the Ian Greene Award for Teaching Excellence.

Article originally published in the June 18, 2024 issue of

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91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton issues the following announcement to the community: 

La version fran莽aise suit la version anglaise.

Dear 91亚色 community,

Please join me in congratulating Alice Pitt on her appointment as the interim vice-president equity, people and culture for a term beginning April 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.

A long-serving and dedicated member of the 91亚色 community, Alice joined 91亚色 as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education in 1995, where she demonstrated outstanding leadership and advocacy for accessible post-secondary education in various capacities including as associate dean (2002-07) and dean (2008-12) of the Faculty of Education.

In her role as vice-provost academic, which she held from 2012 to 2020, she paved the way for the creation of innovative and accessible student programs. She was integral in facilitating the development of the University鈥檚 Indigenous Framework, which identifies 10 core principles for action in advancing reconciliation, and to this day, continues to inform and shape the University鈥檚 ongoing commitment to advancing decolonization and Indigenous teaching, research and scholarship.

Alice has also played a prominent role in supporting the development of Markham Campus through her work as the senior advisor of the Markham Academic Strategic Planning Committee, where she led the creation of inclusive and accessible spaces and programming for students.

And, as a researcher, she has contributed significantly to feminist education particularly in regard to teacher education, classroom dynamics and curriculum. I am delighted to welcome Alice to this role where she will continue to provide exemplary leadership in advancing and advocating for equity, diversity and inclusion while enhancing the culture of 91亚色.

We will have an opportunity to properly acknowledge Sheila Cote-Meek and wish her well as she transitions to Brock University but for now, let me take this opportunity to express my appreciation and gratitude to her for the outstanding contributions she has made to 91亚色 as our inaugural vice-president equity, people and culture. 

Sincerely,

Rhonda Lenton
President & Vice Chancellor

Annonce de nomination : Vice-pr茅sidente int茅rimaire de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, des personnes et de la culture

Ch猫re communaut茅 de 91亚色,

Veuillez vous joindre 脿 moi pour f茅liciter Alice Pitt pour sa nomination au poste de vice-pr茅sidente int茅rimaire de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, des personnes et de la culture pour un mandat allant du 1^er avril au 31 d茅cembre 2023.

Membre d茅vou茅e et de longue date de la communaut茅 de 91亚色, Mme Pitt est entr茅e en 1995 脿 la Facult茅 d鈥櫭ヾucation en tant que professeure adjointe. Dans le cadre de ses fonctions, elle a fait preuve d鈥檜n leadership exceptionnel et a d茅fendu l鈥檃ccessibilit茅 de l鈥櫭ヾucation postsecondaire d鈥檃bord 脿 titre de doyenne associ茅e (de 2002 脿 2007) puis de doyenne (de 2008 脿 2012).

Elle a ensuite occup茅 le poste de vice-rectrice aux affaires acad茅miques de 2012 脿 2020 et a ouvert la voie 脿 la cr茅ation de programmes 茅tudiants innovants et accessibles. Mme Pitt a jou茅 un r么le essentiel dans l鈥櫭﹍aboration du Cadre strat茅gique autochtone pour l鈥橴niversit茅, qui d茅finit 10 principes de base pour l鈥檃ction envers la r茅conciliation. Ce cadre continue d鈥檕rienter et de fa莽onner l鈥檈ngagement de l鈥橴niversit茅 en faveur de la d茅colonisation et de l鈥檈nseignement, de la recherche et de l鈥櫭﹔udition autochtones.

Elle a 茅galement jou茅 un r么le d茅terminant dans le d茅veloppement du campus Markham en tant que conseill猫re principale du comit茅 de planification strat茅gique de Markham au sein duquel elle a dirig茅 la cr茅ation d鈥檈spaces et de programmes inclusifs et accessibles pour la population 茅tudiante.

Par ailleurs, elle a contribu茅 de fa莽on notable aux recherches sur l鈥櫭ヾucation f茅ministe, notamment en ce qui concerne la formation des enseignants, les dynamiques en salle de classe et le programme d鈥櫭﹖udes. Je suis ravie de l鈥檃ccueillir dans ce r么le o霉 elle continuera 脿 fournir un leadership exemplaire pour faire avancer et revendiquer l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, la diversit茅 et l鈥檌nclusion tout en renfor莽ant la culture de l鈥橴niversit茅 91亚色.

Nous aurons bient么t l鈥檕ccasion de rendre hommage 脿 Sheila Cote-Meek et de lui souhaiter bonne chance lors de sa transition vers l鈥橴niversit茅 Brock. Pour l鈥檌nstant, permettez-moi de saisir cette occasion pour lui exprimer mon appr茅ciation et ma gratitude pour ses contributions exceptionnelles 脿 91亚色 en tant que toute premi猫re vice-pr茅sidente de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, des personnes et de la culture. 

Veuillez agr茅er mes sinc猫res salutations,

Rhonda Lenton
Pr茅sidente et vice-chanceli猫re

Announcement originally published in the March 3, 2023 issue of

The post Announcement of interim vice-president equity, people and culture appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Dear colleagues,聽

On the second annual we recognize the legacies of residential schools, honour survivors, their families, intergenerational survivors and the children who never came home. We acknowledge the severity of the legacy of residential schools and how it contributed to a loss of loved ones, and a disruption of family and way of life, cultural traditions and language retention. At 91亚色 we are taking time to engage with and reflect on the truths of residential schools and the impact of colonialism.  

This day is a reminder of our responsibility to learn the history, to reflect on our goals of decolonization and our commitments made in the . While we have made progress, we acknowledge that there is still much work to be done.

This year at 91亚色, we are paying specific attention to the voices of Indigenous students by listening to and learning from their perspectives. We have an opportunity to come together as a community to better understand the legacies of residential schools, how Indigenous families survived, and the lingering implications for Indigenous students who have been living with the repercussions to today. Indigenous students have much to teach us about what this history, this day, this learning means to them and what they hope for their future, their families, communities, and nations.

Truth and Reconciliation Day panel

We encourage everyone to join us for a panel event:  鈥淩eflecting on the Legacies of Residential Schools: What it means for our present and our futures,鈥� on Friday, Sept. 30, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The discussion will be moderated by Associate Vice-President Indigenous Initiatives Susan D. Dion. Hearing the voices of Indigenous students are central to understanding the actions that students would like to see at 91亚色 as we continue towards the journey of reconciliation and decolonization. The panel will also include non-Indigenous students who have stepped up to share their stories of what Truth and Reconciliation means to them. We will be able to discuss what this day of learning means and to reflect on how to engage as individuals, communities, and institutions in the path to reconciliation. These discussions are important for Canada, and for other nations around the world, as we strive to create an inclusive and equitable future for everyone.

We know that this day, as well as its events and messages, may be emotional for many Indigenous members of our community, especially those who are survivors or with close personal or family ties to experiences in the residential schools, and we encourage all of our community members to please be kind to one another. Support is available for survivors and those affected through the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society at 1-800-721-0066 or on the 24-hour crisis line at 1-866-925-4419. There are also a variety of supports available to the 91亚色 community, which are listed on the  and through the . 

For those who may be unable to join we encourage you reflect, acknowledge and better understand the harms done and history of the past, we invite you to review the resources on 91亚色鈥檚 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation website to learn more.

Thank you. Merci. Miigwech, Anushiik.

Rhonda Lenton
President and Vice-Chancellor

Sheila Cote-Meek
Vice-President Equity, People & Culture

Susan D. Dion
Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Initiatives

Message 脿 l鈥檕ccasion de la Journ茅e nationale de la v茅rit茅 et de la r茅conciliation

Chers coll猫gues, ch猫res coll猫gues, 

En cette deuxi猫me , nous reconnaissons l鈥檋茅ritage des pensionnats autochtones et nous rendons hommage aux survivants et aux survivantes, 脿 leurs familles, aux survivants interg茅n茅rationnels et aux enfants qui ne sont jamais rentr茅s 脿 la maison. Nous reconnaissons le lourd h茅ritage du syst猫me des pensionnats et la fa莽on dont il a contribu茅 脿 la perte d鈥櫭猼res chers et 脿 la perturbation du mode de vie familiale, des traditions culturelles et du maintien de la langue. 脌 l鈥橴niversit茅 91亚色, nous prenons le temps de nous engager et de r茅fl茅chir aux v茅rit茅s des pensionnats et 脿 l鈥檌mpact du colonialisme. 

Ce jour, il nous incombe d鈥檃pprendre l鈥檋istoire, de r茅fl茅chir 脿 nos objectifs de d茅colonisation et aux engagements pris dans le . Nous avons fait des 辫谤辞驳谤猫蝉, mais nous reconnaissons qu鈥檌l reste encore beaucoup 脿 faire.

Cette ann茅e, 脿 91亚色, nous accordons une attention particuli猫re aux voix 茅tudiantes autochtones en les 茅coutant et en apprenant de leurs points de vue. Nous avons l鈥檕ccasion de nous rassembler en tant que communaut茅 afin de mieux comprendre les r茅percussions des pensionnats, la fa莽on dont les familles autochtones ont surv茅cu et leurs implications profondes sur la population 茅tudiante autochtone jusqu鈥櫭� aujourd鈥檋ui. Les membres de la communaut茅 茅tudiante autochtone ont beaucoup 脿 nous apprendre sur la signification de cette histoire, de cette journ茅e et sur cet apprentissage pour eux ainsi que sur leurs espoirs pour l鈥檃venir, leurs familles, leurs communaut茅s et leurs nations.

Panel de discussion de la Journ茅e de la v茅rit茅 et de la r茅conciliation

Nous incitons tout le monde 脿 se joindre 脿 nous pour un panel de discussion sur le th猫me : Reflecting on the Legacies of Residential Schools: What it means for our present and our futures, le vendredi 30 septembre, de 11 h 脿 12 h 30. La discussion sera anim茅e par Susan D. Dion, Vice-pr茅sidente associ茅e aux initiatives autochtones. Il est essentiel d鈥檈ntendre les voix de la population 茅tudiante autochtone pour comprendre les actions qu鈥檈lle aimerait voir mises en 艙uvre 脿 91亚色, tandis que nous poursuivons le chemin vers la r茅conciliation et la d茅colonisation. Le panel inclura aussi des 茅tudiants et 茅tudiantes non autochtones qui ont accept茅 de parler de la signification du terme V茅rit茅 et R茅conciliation pour eux. Nous pourrons discuter de la signification de cette journ茅e d鈥檃pprentissage et r茅fl茅chir 脿 la mani猫re de nous engager, en tant qu鈥檌ndividus, communaut茅s et institutions, sur la voie de la r茅conciliation. Ces discussions sont importantes pour le Canada, et pour d鈥檃utres nations dans le monde, car nous nous effor莽ons de cr茅er un avenir inclusif et 茅quitable pour tous.

Nous savons que cette journ茅e ainsi que ses 茅v茅nements et ses messages peuvent 锚tre charg茅s d鈥櫭﹎otions pour de nombreux membres autochtones de notre communaut茅, tout particuli猫rement les personnes survivantes ou celles qui ont des liens personnels ou familiaux 茅troits avec les exp茅riences v茅cues dans les pensionnats. Nous encourageons tous les membres de notre communaut茅 脿 faire preuve de bienveillance les uns envers les autres. Les survivants et les personnes concern茅es peuvent obtenir du soutien aupr猫s de la Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society en composant le 1-800-721-0066 ou le 1-866-925-4419 pour la ligne d鈥櫭ヽoute t茅l茅phonique 24 heures sur 24. Il existe aussi de nombreuses possibilit茅s de soutien pour la communaut茅 de 91亚色 : vous trouverez notamment une liste sur le site Sant茅 mentale et bien-锚tre 脿 91亚色 et dans le cadre du . 

Si vous ne pouvez pas vous joindre 脿 nous, nous vous encourageons 脿 r茅fl茅chir, 脿 reconna卯tre et 脿 mieux comprendre les pr茅judices subis et l鈥檋istoire. Nous vous invitons 脿 consulter les ressources sur le site Journ茅e nationale de la v茅rit茅 et de la r茅conciliation pour en savoir plus.

Thank you. Merci. Miigwech, Anushiik.

Rhonda Lenton
Pr茅sidente et vice-chanceli猫re

Sheila Cote-Meek
Vice-pr茅sidente de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, des personnes et de la culture

Susan D. Dion
Vice-pr茅sidente associ茅e aux initiatives autochtones

Article republished from the September 28, 2022 issue of

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Five individuals who have considerably enhanced the quality of learning for 91亚色 students are recipients of the 2022 President鈥檚 University-wide Teaching Awards. 

The faculty members who will receive an award at the 2022 Spring Convocation Ceremonies include: Faculty of Health Professor Michael Connor, recipient in the senior full-time category; Faculty of Education Professor Susan D. Dion, recipient of the senior-full-time category; Lassonde School of Engineering Professor Andrew Maxwell, recipient of the full-time faculty category; Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) Professor Carolyn Steele, recipient of the contract and adjunct faculty category; and Janice Anderson of LA&PS, recipient of the teaching assistant category. 

The purpose of the awards is to provide significant recognition for excellence in teaching, to encourage its pursuit, to publicize such excellence when achieved across the University and in the wider community, and to promote informed discussion of teaching and its improvement.  

鈥�91亚色 has a well-established reputation for high quality teaching,鈥� says 91亚色 President and Vice Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. 鈥淭his past year was no exception, despite on-going challenges associated with the pandemic, as evident in the foundational work of our five extraordinary award recipients who found innovative ways to incorporate international activities, experiential education and technology-enhanced learning to inspire another generation of students to drive positive change in their communities and in the world. We are deeply grateful for the superb contributions of this year鈥檚 recipients as well as of all our course directors.鈥� 

The awards demonstrate the value 91亚色 attaches to teaching and recognizes individuals who, through innovation and commitment, have significantly enhanced the quality of learning for 91亚色 students. The recipients are selected by the Senate Committee on Awards. Recipients receive $3,000, have their names engraved on the University-Wide Teaching Award plaques in Vari Hall and are recognized at convocation ceremonies. 

The President鈥檚 University-Wide Teaching Award recipients are:

Full-time tenured faculty with 10 or more years full-time teaching experience 

Professor Susan D. Dion was selected as a recipient in the senior full-time category. The nomination file prepared by Professor Sean Hillier describes Dion as a shining example as an educator, scholar and community advocate. Dion is also an internationally recognized Indigenous educational scholar at the cutting edge of the field. The letters of support for her nomination consistently referred to Dion鈥檚 teaching style as clear, respectful, kind and supportive, always asking the best of her students and making accommodations for those who need time to develop their thoughts allowing all to think deeply and authentically. Dion is noted for thinking and writing about her scholarship, teaching and service contributions as inextricably interwoven, and works to embody her life as a University professor through the themes of community, story, cultural practice and ceremony.  

Dion sees cultivating relationships between the University and Indigenous Peoples is part of her responsibility. She has a particular focus on both what and how teachers teach and ways that systems operate regarding Indigenous education and on hearing and learning from the voices of Indigenous Peoples and their encounters within systems of education. During her 19 years at 91亚色, she has worked with colleagues in the Faculty of Education, across the University and at universities across the country sharing stories of land, history and Indigenous perspectives. While she is committed to teaching non-Indigenous educators how to represent the humanity and diversity of Indigenous people鈥檚 experiences and perspectives, she is equally committed to creating opportunities for Indigenous students to access postsecondary education, and specifically to access programs that are relevant to their experiences, perspectives and needs. 

Full-time tenured faculty with 10 or more years full-time teaching experience 

Professor Michael Connor was selected as a recipient in the senior full-time category. The nomination file prepared by Professor Angelo Belcastro speaks eloquently to Connor鈥檚 achievements in providing excellence towards student learning, in supporting teaching development, and in his dedication to program and curricular development as undergraduate program director (UPD) in the School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences. Connor has been influential in his role as UPD in ensuring excellence, quality, and exemplary service in leading the undergraduate program. Maintaining the quality of such a large program is time intensive, and yet Connor is noted to tirelessly make himself available to listen to, and address each student鈥檚 concern, no matter the request. A core feature to Connor鈥檚 teaching strategies has been to employ multiple teaching approaches such as technology-enhanced learning, critical thinking assignments, and experiential education which are all complemented by his clear passion for teaching.  

Connor also strives to make course content relatable and meaningful to students, and to make each student鈥檚 voice heard by creating a safe and inclusive environment to ask questions. In addition to his role as course director for two demanding courses, and his responsibilities as UPD, Connor has been recognized as an outstanding mentor to undergraduate and graduate students, having taken the time to supervise 23 undergraduate students for independent research studies (including two summer Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC USRA) students) and 17 MSc and PhD graduate students thus far. Connor serves as Chair on the Faculty of Health Committee on Examinations and Academic Standards, and as a member of the Faculty of Health Committee on General Education Requirements where he has been on the task force for developing effective teaching and learning practices at the faculty level.  

Full-time faculty (tenured/tenure stream/CLA) with less than 10 years teaching experience 

Professor Andrew Maxwell was selected as the recipient in the full-time faculty category. The nomination file prepared by Professor Alex Czekanski highlights Maxwell has played an active role on the undergraduate curriculum committee since joining Lassonde and has worked with many colleagues to enhance their course proposals and design. He is a leader in the deployment of new technologies in the classroom and online, including using TopHat, iClicker, PolleV, and Peer Scholar. His deep links in the community, both locally and internationally, have enabled him to invite multiple guests to the school, to stimulate student engagement, and inspire the next generation of engineers. In addition to mentoring undergraduate students and supporting graduate students, Maxwell鈥檚 role in the Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science and Techology (BEST) Lab allows him to mentor and support over 20 budding technology entrepreneurs from Lassonde, the Faculty of Science and Schulich School of Business. He is also the mentor for Lassonde Engineering Society, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), Lassonde Renaissance Engineering, and several other student activities.  

Maxwell pioneers new approaches to student learning, such as encouraging first-year engineering students to participate in non-engineering activities across campus, and through active promotion of, and participation in activities such as StartUp Weekend, Engineering Competition, ElleHacks and Engineers Without Borders. Specifically, he has transformed the annual Mercier lecture to a bi-monthly Mercier seminar, so that over 1,000 students a year can meet with visiting guests. This activity is complimented by his active role in the community, where he has videotaped 500 guest lectures, which he not only shows in his classes, but shares with the broader academic community. Maxwell is a member of the evaluation committee for the Academy of Management鈥檚 Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award, where he provides feedback and guidance to those developing new entrepreneurship pedagogies. He is also a member of the Entrepreneurial Engineering Consortium, focusing on integrating aspects of the engineering and entrepreneurship curriculum. 

Contract and adjunct faculty

Professor Carolyn Steele is the recipient in the contract and adjunct faculty category. The nomination file prepared by Professor Bridget Cauthery speaks to Steele鈥檚 many achievements including developing new courses, consulting on curricular change, mentoring hundreds of students and stewarding numerous projects that have fundamentally shifted and reinvigorated teaching and learning at 91亚色. She is also the recipient of many faculty teaching awards. In 2020, Steele received the Dean鈥檚 Award for Excellence in Teaching for LA&PS and the Department of Humanities Award for Teaching Excellence. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Research and Innovation in Teaching and Learning Subcommittee convened by the associate dean as part of the Teaching and Learning Council. Currently, Steele is part of the leadership team on a proposed three-year University-wide Academic Innovation Fund project to embed Sustainable Development Goals into 91亚色鈥檚 curricular vision at all levels. In each of these capacities, Steele is recognized as a pioneering educator with a strong vision for curricular change. It is Steele鈥檚 commitment to teaching boldly, to supporting students in developing a growth mindset, to championing work-integrated learning, and to developing innovative yet sound teaching and pedagogical practice through her scholarship of teaching and learning and greater University service that distinguishes her as an innovative faculty member.  

This is further demonstrated in a letter of support provided by student Carolyn White which states, 鈥淧rofessor Steele鈥檚 approach to teaching and learning has contributed to my development in essential skills that will positively influence my future career, qualities such as critical reasoning, problem-solving and daring to take creative approaches to problems鈥� In my view, she is exceptional as a teacher and a mentor in every aspect.鈥�  

Teaching assistants

Janice Anderson was selected as the recipient in the teaching assistant category. The nomination file, prepared by 91亚色 alumnus Zamani Ra speaks to Anderson鈥檚 impactful and innovative practices which directly contribute to the enhancement of student success. Anderson listens to the immediate needs of her students through one-on-one and office hour sessions, advocates for necessary support, and develops individual plans of action for student success. Anderson鈥檚 practices informed skills development in student writing, the implementation of course-wide critical reading sheets, and support for colleagues and students navigating university systems during the emergence of major institutional changes due to COVID-19. Recognizing the different learning abilities of students, Anderson pivoted to uncommon methods of engagement to maintain student interest and support critical thinking to the students鈥� own amazement. 

In a letter of support, student Chantelle Afriyie describes Anderson鈥檚 teaching approach as follows: 鈥淐are [is] an integral part of her teaching pedagogy. Students are encouraged to see themselves as valuable contributors to humanity first and foremost who have been afforded the privilege to share communal space in a university classroom and participate with their 鈥榳hole self.鈥欌�� Anderson created a recycling course material program that connected former students with new students. At the beginning of the semester, she held a raffle for new books and set students on a path to pay the learning forward by opting into a shared book/give back program which demonstrates true community building with other equity-seeking groups across intersectional lines. Highlighted in the letters of support in the nomination file is Anderson鈥檚 innate ability to safely engage emergent ideas from students and ensure they know their value in world-making practices. 

In previous years, four awards are offered each year in the noted categories. Following on past practice, the Committee came to the decision that two professors would share the award for full-time tenured faculty this year. The Committee found the nomination files for this category to be particularly strong and determined that both nominees are equally deserving of the award. 

In keeping with the committee鈥檚 commitment to valuing diversity and equity within the 91亚色 community, the committee made sure to discuss these values during the adjudication process.聽

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