The Canada Council for the Arts recently announced the winners of the 2022 Killam Prizes, a distinguished program recognizing the work of active researchers who devote their careers to pushing the boundaries of knowledge and finding solutions to the issues we face every day.

The  honour eminent Canadian researchers in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering. The work of these researchers has and continues to have an outstanding impact on the lives of Canadians and people around the world. A prize of $100,000 is awarded to each researcher.

James was recognized in the category of Social Sciences. He holds the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora in the Faculty of Education at 91��ɫ and is the senior advisor on equity and representation in the Office of the Vice-President of Equity, People and Culture. He is a professor in the Faculty of Education and holds cross-appointments in the graduate programs in sociology, social and political thought, and social work. He is also served as affirmative action, equity and inclusivity officer (2006-20); was the director of the 91��ɫ Centre on Education & Community (2008-16) which he founded; and was director of the Graduate Program in Sociology (2007-08).

“We in the Faculty of Education are delighted for Carl, as he receives the Killam Prize. It is richly deserved,” said Faculty of Education Dean Robert Savage. “Carl’s sustained and genuinely groundbreaking work is both of the highest scholarly quality, and directly impactful in the wider community. His work drives our conceptions of diversity and of the methods needed to explore it. His impact through this work on more equitable outcomes continues to grow. Carl’s work as pure and applied scholar represents so much one might aspire to achieve as a leading 21st century intellectual in education. We are extraordinarily proud of him.”

James is widely recognized for his research contributions in the areas of intersectionality of race with ethnicity, gender, class and citizenship as they shape identification/identity; the ways in which accessible and equitable opportunities in education and employment account for the lived experiences of marginalized community members; and the complementary and contradictory nature of sports in the schooling and educational attainments of racialized students. In advocating on education for change, James documents the struggles, contradictions and paradoxes in the experiences of racialized students at all levels of the education system. In doing so, he seeks to address and move us beyond the essentialist, generalized and homogenizing discourses that account for the representation and achievements of racialized people – particularly Black Canadians – in educational institutions, workplaces, and society generally.

He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada – Academy of Social Sciences (2012), and his work and leadership in equity and social justice is also demonstrated in the number of distinguished visiting lecturer positions he has held in universities in Canada, Australia and Sweden.

His contributions to social equity and anti-racism education have been recognized through his many awards – including the Outstanding Contribution Award, Canadian Sociological Association (CSA, 2020),Research Leadership, 91��ɫ; and an honorary doctorate (2006) from Uppsala University, Sweden, where he was a visiting course director from 1997-2013 in the Teacher Training Department.

Read more about James’ work and achievements on his .

Article originally published in the March 28, 2022 issue of

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91��ɫ Professors Don Dippo and Dawn Bazely are among 30 recipients of the Minister of Colleges and Universities’ Awards of Excellence.

The awards, which were launched in 2020, recognize the leading work of Ontario’s faculty and staff during the pandemic. More than 675 nominations were received.

Don Dippo

Dippo is a professor in the Faculty of Education and a former elementary school teacher. In 2011, Dippo received the title of University Professor by 91��ɫ in recognition of his leadership in teaching, learning and the student experience.

Dippo is the recipient of the Minister’s Award of Excellence in the Equality of Opportunity category, which recognizes faculty and staff who have excelled at opening post-secondary education to marginalized and underrepresented groups. His nomination for the Minister’s Award of Excellence recognizes Dippo’s instrumental and visionary roles in developing programs with a focus on eliminating systemic barriers to university access.

Dippo spearheaded the Advanced Credit Experience, a partnership between the two Toronto School Boards, the 91��ɫ Faculty Association (YUFA) and the Faculty of Education. The partnership aims to enhance access to university to students from local high schools in the Jane and Finch community in Toronto. During Grade 12, students take a university course at 91��ɫ, upon successful completion of the program they receive a university credit that can be applied at any university. Students participate in on-campus cooperative placements to build academic and life skills. Based on their grades, they automatically receive a scholarship to 91��ɫ. Dippo has played a key role in this program both as the Faculty of Education champion and as an ambassador to the program with YUFA.

His unwavering focus on accessibility is also evident through his work with Success Beyond Limits, an organization with a focus on reducing the impact of external factors that negatively affect the educational success of youth in the Jane and Finch community. Success Beyond Limits takes the form of a summer program and is sponsored by the Faculty of Education and housed at 91��ɫ.

The award also recognizes Dippo’s instrumental role as one of the co-founders and the current director of the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees program, a project that aims to make educational programs available where refugees need them. Under his direction, students in the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya participating in the program are awarded degrees from 91��ɫ through courses delivered onsite and through camp-based university education. One of the cornerstones for this program has been the pursuit of gender equity and inclusivity by taking all necessary measures to ensure the participation in all of the academic programs by women, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and students with disabilities.

Dawn Bazely

Bazely is a professor in the Department of Biology in the Faculty of Science and the former director of the Institute for Research in Innovation in Sustainability at 91��ɫ. In 2015, Bazely was accorded the title of University Professor by 91��ɫ in recognition of her leadership in research, teaching and service to the institution.

A field biologist and accomplished science communicator, she is the recipient of the Minister’s Award of Excellence in the Future Proofing category, which recognizes faculty and staff who are leading the way in adapting programming that supports new ways of learning for Ontario students.

Her nomination for the Minister’s Award of Excellence recognizes her work in “future proofing” students enrolled in her Applied Plant Ecology course and students working in her research lab. Her future-proofing activities began in January 2020. Drawing on her expertise in science communication, policy and citizen science, she incorporated media coverage of the emerging threat of the SARS-CoV2 virus and other zoonotic diseases into her teaching in relation to biodiversity loss. In February 2020, she began preparing all students to end their term through online synchronous classes and meetings. Recognizing the dilemma of international students in the face of a pandemic and the impending travel restrictions, Bazely also worked to support them to either return to their home countries or seek accommodation on 91��ɫ’s Keele Campus.

Her tremendous foresight into the impending pandemic restrictions propelled Bazley to also act as to future proof students enrolled in the Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology (OUPFB) involving 17 partner institutions. Through her role as the 91��ɫ representative on the OUPFB (which encompassed 30 shared courses that were eventually cancelled due to the pandemic), Bazely designed an online field course, Biodiversity & Watershed Management, to meet the summer field course requirement for 40 students so they could complete their degrees. The course was one of only two courses to run early in the pandemic, with no other Canadian University launching a virtual field course.  

In 2021, Bazely continued her activities and actively mentored international professors on transitioning laboratories online. She also expanded the virtual field course to five Ontario universities, to ensure that students could meet their field course requirements virtually and inexpensively. Ethics-approved surveys on Bazely’s field courses found that much of the pandemic student learning mirrored the in-person field course experience.

Dippo, Bazely and the 28 other award recipients will be featured on the social media channels of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities over a two-week period starting the end of January and continuing into February. The 30 recipients were announced by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities on Jan. 24.

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