“Jerzy brings a broad range of experience to the position. He has chaired the Hispanic studies department for several years now. Beyond that, he has been chair of a wide range of committees, from faculty council committees to tenure and promotion adjudication committees,” says Glendon Principal Kenneth McRoberts.

Right: Jerzy Kowal

Kowal, who joined the Department of Hispanic Studies as a professor in 2003 and assumed the role of coordinator of the Spanish Language Program, will .

Kowal was acting chair of Hispanic Studies from 2005 to 2006, becoming chair in 2007, working closely with Mougeon, then acting associate principal academic & research. In his new position, Kowal hopes to make a contribution to Glendon’s academic development, in particular to the , a designation received by Glendon from the Ontario government in 2008.

“Building on the outstanding achievements of the Glendon Faculty, I will work to further expand the college’s bilingual reality and enhance the offerings in Spanish. I also hope to make this campus more prominent on the local, national and international levels,” says Kowal. “We need to raise awareness of the research accomplished here, as well as to promote specializations which could attract the media, the francophone milieu and future students.”

Kowal’s vision includes a re-examination of Glendon’s electronic public image to enhance the college’s branding. He is also planning to review the content of Glendon’s BA degree programs with a view to evaluating Glendon’s place in Canada’s academic setting, including its level of technology.

By Marika Kemeny, Glendon communications officer

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“Françoise Mougeon has made a signal contribution to Glendon through her two tenures as associate principal academic & research,” said Glendon Principal Kenneth McRoberts. “Over these several years, Françoise could always be counted on to discharge her responsibilities with a clear sense of purpose, with a concern with rigour and fairness, and with close attention to detail. Through it all, she managed to maintain an active research program, to which she soon can give her full attention with a well-deserved sabbatical.”

Right: Françoise Mougeon

Mougeon is completing her second term as associate principal academic & research, having also served from 2003 to 2004. She will be on sabbatical starting July 1, and will return to teaching in 2012.

Mougeon’s research focused on the progress of students in their second language with funding through a Social Science & Humanities Research Council of Canada grant, from 2005 to 2008, and it continues still, in collaboration with a professor at the University of Toronto.

“My hope is to establish a French-as-a-second-language institute at Glendon, enlarging our research to studying students who are not specializing in languages,” said Mougeon, an active member of Glendon’s . “I have always tried to project linguistics and language studies as more than a support subject, but rather an important academic subject on its own.”

Other future projects on her agenda include establishing a centre for advanced studies on francophonies, which she considers a natural development for Glendon, given that relating projects are already in progress and there are a significant number of fellow faculty members on campus – a core group – who are interested in participating.

She has several ongoing projects to hand over with the position. These include an innovative program for francophone students choosing public relations as their future profession. The four-year program, still to be approved, would provide graduates with a Glendon BA and a Cité Collégiale diploma, completed at the same time.

Submitted by Glendon communications officer Marika Kemeny

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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“This is an historic moment for Glendon,” said McRoberts. "We are deeply honoured to welcome such a large delegation of important dignitaries from Romania.”

Right: Teodor Baconschi (left) and Kenneth McRoberts

The Romanian lectureship was created when a collaboration agreement between Glendon and the Institute of Romanian Language, part of the Romanian Ministry of Education & Research in Bucharest, was signed on July 12, 2010.

Valentin Naumescu, consul-general of Romania in Toronto, first contacted Glendon’s French studies Professor Dorin Uritescu and Professor Françoise Mougeon, Glendon’s associate principal academic & research, who then guided the project to a successful start-up.

“As this is the first Romanian university program in Canada, we hope that in the future Glendon will become a centre which attracts students interested in pursuing in-depth studies in fields such as Romance and Balkan linguistics,” said Uritescu.

The first holder of the lectureship is linguistics Professor Ioana-Cristina Pîrvu (right), who comes to Glendon from the Romanian Language Department of the University of Bucharest. Currently, she is teaching two 2000-level courses as part of the Program of Linguistics & Language Studies in Glendon’s Multidisciplinary Studies Department – Romanian Language: A Linguistic Introduction and Romanian Culture from a Semiotic Perspective. Professor Pîrvu’s term runs for three years with a possibility of renewal.

"The new courses are an excellent fit with our language programs […] and there is an obvious interest in these courses. Professor Pîrvu’s contribution is very significant in motivating students. We hope to continue the program for many years to come," says McRoberts.

Before coming to Glendon, Pîrvu taught the courses in Zagreb, Croatia, to students from first year to the master’s level. “I am eager to promote the culture and language of my country and its significance in Europe and the world,” she said. “My teaching interests extend beyond language learning to geography, history, literature, music, the cinema and sports. There is so much that can be done.”

From left, front row: Professor Jerzy Kowal, chair of the Glendon Hispanic Studies Department; Uritescu; 91��ɫ film Professor Tereza Barta; Mougeon; Pîrvu; Glendon linguistics and language Professor Ian Martin. Back row: 91��ɫ information technology Professor Radu Campeanu; McRoberts; Baconschi; Romanian ambassador to Canada Elena Stefoi; Adrian Papahagi, cabinet adviser to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Romanian is the fifth major language of the Italic language family taught at Glendon – where courses in French, Spanish, Catalan and Latin already exist, continuing the linguistics program’s objective of offering courses in all the major Romance languages. In addition, growth potential for the lectureship can be found among first- and second-generation Romanian-speaking students, who are an increasing presence at Glendon and 91��ɫ, since the Romanian-speaking community in the GTA is estimated at around 70,000.

Right: Dorin Uritescu, McRoberts, 91��ɫ information technology Professor Radu Campeanu and Elena Stefoi, Romanian ambassador to Canada

The Romanian ambassador to Canada, Elena Stefoi, Doru Liciu, vice-consul of the Consulate General of Romania in Toronto, and Adrian Papahagi, advisor to Romania’s minister of foreign affairs, were also at the launch.

“We hope that this added presence of Romanian language and culture will strengthen the links between our two societies, which have many commonalities, as well as a long history of immigration and participation in the Francophonie,” said Baconschi.

For more information on the courses for the Romanian lectureship, contact Glendon’s .

By Marika Kemeny, Glendon communications officer

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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