91��ɫ’s Department of Dance is spearheading an innovative health initiative that sends students into the community to lead weekly dance activity classes for older adults at partner institutions in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

The program, supported by the Government of Ontario’s Healthy Communities Fund, focuses on the positive and preventative effects that dance can have for seniors. Drawing on the specialized training the student instructors bring to the project, injury prevention and health promotion are at the core of the program. It features carefully designed movement exercises that build strength, encourage flexibility and full range of motion, proper alignment and coordination, and cardiovascular conditioning.

“The benefits of dance and music for physical and mental health cannot be overestimated,” says��Department of Dance���ʰ��Ǵڱ�����ǰ� Mary Jane Warner (right), the project manager. “Blending fitness and recreation through dance with the opportunity for creative expression is powerful motivation. Fitness strategies like this can help seniors stay active, in their homes and out of hospital beds.”

According to the Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care, the number of seniors in Ontario is expected to double in the next 16 years. In 2009, 18 local hospitals reported that community services such as recreational and exercise classes, along with facilities for the elderly, are hugely insufficient to meet their referral and discharge needs.

91��ɫ’s Dance Department launched the project last fall with one-hour weekly dance classes held in the community. Over the course of eight to 10 weeks, more than 190 seniors at 10 facilities across the GTA took part. Three additional locations and five more classes were added last month to accommodate the growing demand from enthusiastic participants.

Current community partners include North 91��ɫ’s Bernard Betel Centre, Black Creek Community Health Centre, Downsview Services to Seniors, Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women at two locations in North 91��ɫ and one in Woodbridge, North 91��ɫ Seniors Centre, Toronto Heliconian Club, St. Clair West Service for Seniors, three Unison Health and Community Services in North 91��ɫ, and Vaughan Community Health Centre. Feedback from the seniors and student-teachers – as well as the institutions hosting the sessions – is overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s incredibly satisfying when you hear how much these classes mean to the participants. You really feel like you’re making a difference in people’s lives,” says project coordinator and research associate April Nakaima. “One woman, a diabetic, was congratulated by her doctor for the drop in her blood sugar; she credited the class for this good outcome. Several other women credited the class with helping them lose inches from their waistlines. Another participant says she found the dance class more beneficial in combating her depression than other programs. Getting responses like this after just eight weeks has been both astounding and deeply gratifying.”

Nakaima, a former research coordinator at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, serves as adviser and guest lecturer to the program. She brings extensive expertise and experience to the project, having previously developed a highly successful dance program for older adults living in government-assisted housing.

The participants are incredibly diverse, and so the project delivery must be too, Nakaima says. “One of the most fascinating aspects is accommodating such a wide range of fitness, mobility, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Some classes are done with people mostly seated. A couple of groups need translators. We even take music requests from the participants.”

Rhea Bowman, one of 16 student teachers, leads seniors in a dance class

Sixteen student teachers from 91��ɫ’s Dance Department are taking part in the program, earning course credit for their third-year pedagogy class. With a range of teaching experience under their belts and a targeted orientation program, they bring a solid foundation to their training to lead the dance activity classes. The pedagogy classes prepare them to teach in dance studio settings, recreation and community centres, and the public school system. The course covers teaching participants of all ages and abilities, with a strong emphasis on creative movement as a form appropriate for everyone, including the elderly. There are also courses in kinesiology, conditioning, somatics and injury prevention that prepare the students to work safely with participants.

Some students are planning to teach dance in community settings or within the school system. Others bring a particular interest in dance therapy or rehabilitation, looking to serve clients with special needs, such as the elderly or people recovering from illness or injury.

‘The experience has been amazing,” says fourth-year dance major Rhea Bowman, who is teaching her second group of predominately Spanish-speaking participants at the Black Creek Community Health Centre. “We dance to Spanish, soca and calypso music, and some of the ladies have taught me more intricate Spanish dance steps. They are teaching me Spanish words too!

“I feel very passionate about fitness for older adults after seeing how beneficial this dance class is for them,” says Bowman. “I would love to continue to do this work after the year is done.”

Bowman’s classmate, Candace Calarco, who is teaching at the Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women located near 91��ɫ’s Keele campus, is equally enthusiastic. “So far, this placement has been a totally positive and exciting experience,” she says. “Working with seniors has really expanded my knowledge about movement and the human body, and how to teach a group with a wide range of physical abilities.”

The student teachers come together each week to share their experiences and strategies on solving the challenges they encounter in the course of their teaching. Input is also invited from the participating seniors and community partners. This ongoing feedback loop strengthens the experience for everyone involved.

“The student teachers from 91��ɫ’s Dance Department are professional, knowledgeable instructors who address the physical exercise needs of our clients while taking their medical conditions into consideration,” says Rukhsana Naheed Cheema, the seniors coordinator at the Elspeth Heyworth satellite location in Vaughan’s Blue Willow Activity Centre. “The pleasant personalities of these skilled instructors add to the seniors’ love for the program. It has not only improved their health, but their mood and spirits as well. They hope it can go on forever.”

Plans are in the works to create a dedicated course to keep the program running in the future.

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

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playGround, the annual juried fringe festival of 91��ɫ’s Department of Theatre, celebrates its 20th season with two dynamic programs running Feb. 14 to 17 in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre,��139 Centre for Film & Theatre at91��ɫ’s Keele campus.

Well-known for its uncurbed spirit and risk-taking mindset, playGround is a student-produced seedbed for the next generation of theatre artists. It showcases original works conceived, written, performed and produced by up-and-coming playwrights, directors, designers and actors from all levels of91��ɫ’s undergraduate theatre program.

Meg Moran and Meara Tubman-Broeren, both fourth-year students studying devised theatre in the Department of Theatre’s Creative Ensemble, are the co-artistic directors of this year’s edition of playGround. With the help of a peer jury, they selected the most promising ideas from the almost four dozen proposals submitted.

“Not only does the festival showcase the work of emerging artists of our generation and community, it also deals with what’s important to us as students right now,” said Tubman-Broeren. “What unifies all the pieces is our mandate, which is to foster innovative and experimental theatrical work which engages its audience and ignites thought and discussion.”

“Producing the festival has been a challenging and lengthy process, with its share of ups and downs, but overall it’s been very rewarding,” said Moran. “This is a unique opportunity for us as students to work so independently. It’s been a real learning experience for Meara and me.”

The old adage:, “when you want a job done well, give it to a busy person”, rings true for this duo. In addition to their work with playGround, they are collaborating with other members of the fourth-year Creative Ensemble on a show slated to run March 27 to 30.�� Moran is also assistant-directing the upcoming Theatre @ 91��ɫ production of Edward Bond’s Restoration, which will run March 18 to 24.�� And Tubman-Broeren is performing in a physical theatre adaptation of Shakespeare’s King John, which will be playing downtown this summer.

playGround 2012 ranges from light comedies to dark dramas, and from staunch realism to dance theatre.��Here’s an overview of the featured productions:

Series A��

Meat is a dystopic romance in which a young doctor’s morality is put to the test when his work forces him to explore, sacrifice and examine what it truly means to be human.��

Belly Doll is imagined and choreographed as a unique melding of traditional belly dance and theatrical performance.��

The Doorstep – In every relationship, there are conversations. These conversations are intimate, emotionally driven, and personal, and have the potential to be the beginning, or the end, of something beautiful.��

Old Town explores the nature of familial responsibility and sibling dynamics framed within the question: When is it time to grow up?��

The Watching Game is a raunchy comedy revolving around people watching.��

A Working Woman follows the story of a prostitute on the precipice of a life-changing decision.��

Emerging Artists Collective – “A lowbrow commentary on highbrow art”, exploring the challenges and pitfalls faced by the current generation of young artists.��

Womb - What if we weren’t told the whole story? Before there was Adam and his wife, Eve, there was Adam and his equal, Lilith. Womb explores the possibilities of a world where Lilith was the first mother.��

Series B��

Danny and Annie looks at the different ways love comes in and out of our lives.��

Drafts - Everybody is looking, but is anybody really seeing?��

Wonder’s Lost Where Wonder’s Found – A woman winds her way through the ridiculous annals of compulsion and the heart-aching longings of loneliness while seeking to remember the miracle of life.����

The Abstraction – Two men in a gallery contemplate an abstract work of art and decide what it means to each of them.��

The Vagina Dialogues is a verbatim piece composed of interviews with91��ɫUniversity students about the misconceptions and mysteries surrounding the vagina.��

Da Capo explores a composer, his muse and the various layers of their relationship through movement.��

Cracked - At the end of her life, Ida Hookman must finally face the consequences of her self-obsessed lifestyle and defend her autonomy in the process.��

Emerging Artists Collective presents a new devised work that examines the artist’s place in the city of Toronto.��

Each program is presented three times over playGround’s four-day run. Series A plays Tuesday, Feb. 14 and Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30pm, with a matinee Friday, Feb. 17 at 1pm. Series B has a matinee Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 1pm, and runs Thursday, Feb. 17 and Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:30pm.

Moran and Tubman-Broeren encourage patrons to purchase their tickets in advance, as performances do sell out. Tickets are $7 per show and are available through the 91��ɫ Box Office website or by calling 416-736-5888.

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

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The Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation��will be hosting a series of research celebrations throughout the year to showcase and recognize innovative research��underway in each of 91��ɫ's Faculties.��

Monday's celebration titled,��"Innovation in Space Science & Engineering", will feature presentations by Professors Mike Daly,��Jim Whiteway and Regina Lee. The event will take place from 1 to 2:30pm in��519 91��ɫ Research��Tower.����

“91��ɫ offers a vibrant and dynamic research community,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research and innovation.��“These research celebrations provide an opportunity to showcase significant research initiatives taking place at the University and share knowledge across our Faculties.”

Daly will talk about 91��ɫ and the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid mission, Lee will discuss nanosatellite development and Whiteway will speak about space mission leadership at 91��ɫ.

To��indicate your interest in attending,��submit your��RSVP .

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

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Right: The Schulich School of Business

Schulich’s MBA program ranked ahead of those offered by MIT (Sloan), the London Business School, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and INSEAD, and behind Stanford, Columbia, Berkeley and Harvard. Schulich placed first among Canadian schools, second in the world among non-US schools and eighth among North American schools. To view the complete results, click .��

The Economist survey is the only major global ranking that rates business schools on criteria deemed most important to MBA students and alumni – everything from diversity of career opportunities to earning potential and networking opportunities. According to The Economist, the magazine ranks full-time MBA programs on "their ability to provide students with the things that they themselves cite as most important" and weighs each element according to the average importance given to it by students. Student and alumni ratings make up 20 per cent of the survey and 80 per cent is based on quantitative data such as student quality, faculty quality, post-MBA salary and salary increase, and breadth of internationalism of alumni.

During its 23-year history, The Economist survey has tracked and measured the opinions of approximately 250,000 MBA students and alumni on categories they consider to be most important, including:

• the ability of a school to open new career opportunities;
• personal development and educational experience;
• salary increase; and,
• the potential to network, as measured by the internationalism of the school’s alumni and the breadth of its alumni network.

These are some of the key highlights regarding Schulich in this year’s The Economist ranking:

• Schulich ranked second in the world in the category of faculty quality, which looked at factors such as the student/faculty ratio and faculty rating by students (99 per cent of Schulich faculty have a PhD).
• Schulich ranked fourth in the world in the category of recruiter diversity (the number of industries represented by recruiters who hire Schulich graduates) – a reflection of the broad range of industry and functional specializations offered at the school (18 in total).
• Schulich was ranked fifth in the world in the category of salary increase – a measurement that captures the percentage by which salaries increased pre-MBA to post-MBA. Within three months of graduation, Schulich graduates reported an average 127 per cent increase over their pre-MBA salary.
• Schulich was ranked eighth in the world in the broad category of personal development and educational experience, which encompasses faculty quality, student quality, student diversity and educational experience. In the specific category of educational experience, Schulich ranked second in the world. This category included a student assessment of the program and the range of electives offered, the school facilities and the number of overseas exchange opportunities.
• Schulich ranked fourth in the world in the category of internationalism of alumni – a key consideration for MBA graduates interested in seeking global opportunities after graduation. (Schulich has more than 84 alumni chapters in 61 countries and more than 22,000 alumni working in over 90 countries.)

"We're once again extremely proud to be ranked among the very best business schools by one of the world's most respected business publications," said Schulich Dean Dezsö��Horváth (left)��on Friday following the release of the survey results. "Today's result comes on the heels of another top 10 global MBA ranking for Schulich several weeks ago, when the Aspen Institute rated Schulich’s MBA program number two in the world in a survey that identified which schools are doing the best job of preparing future business leaders for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business.

“We believe The Economist and Aspen Institute rankings are largely the result of the quality of our students and faculty, our diverse, innovative and forward-looking curriculum, and our strong international orientation," said Horváth.

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

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“I am delighted that Lisa and Walter have accepted the positions,” said Haché.��“91��ɫ is home to exceptional students, staff and faculty in every discipline. Recognizing our strengths in interdisciplinary and collaborative research, we are developing partnerships and initiatives that will continue to enhance our international research reputation and exploring new ways to showcase the innovative and important work of 91��ɫ’s researchers,” said��Haché. “Our new leadership team is ready to move forward on a new and exciting strategic path to build on our research successes.”

In their new roles,��Philipps and Tholen will provide leadership in promoting strategic research development at 91��ɫ and lead the development of research policy that bridges the needs of researchers and the institution.��They will work with Haché��to intensify the services available for all researchers, track 91��ɫ's research performance more effectively and enlarge the University's collaborative role with external stakeholders and communities.

Right: Lisa Philipps

Philipps (LLM '92), served as associate dean research, graduate studies & institutional relations, at 91��ɫ's Osgoode Hall Law School from��2009 to 2011, and has been on faculty at 91��ɫ since 1996.��Prior to that, she held appointments in the faculties of law at the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia, and has held visiting professorships at Melbourne Law School, University College London and the University of Toronto, among other institutions.��Her research focuses on tax law, budgets, and feminist legal studies.

Philipps��has participated in several projects funded by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada and has published extensively on topics such as fiscal transparency, tax expenditures, income splitting, gender budgeting, the distributional impact of tax cuts and the tax treatment of unpaid work.��She has provided tax policy expertise to parliamentary committees, women’s groups, public agencies and the media.��She has been active in 91��ɫ's senate and its committees and was a member of the White Paper Implementation Committee on Research Intensification at 91��ɫ.

“91��ɫ has earned international recognition for excellence in research,” said Philipps. “I am looking forward to working with our exceptional researchers, students and staff, as we continue to promote the vast range of cutting-edge and interdisciplinary research projects at the University.”

Tholen, who received his PhD from the University of Münster and his Habilitation four years later from Fernuniversität Hagen, Germany, has held a number of appointments at 91��ɫ.��He has served as associate dean of research and faculty affairs and��interim dean in the Faculty of Science��& Engineering. Tholen was also chair��of the Department of Mathematics��& Statistics.��He has been on faculty since 1983.

Tholen has also been a visiting professor at numerous institutions, including Max Planck Institute in Bonn, ETH Zürich, University of British Columbia, McGill University, University of Sydney, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Georgian Academy of Sciences, University of Coimbra, University of L'Aquila and University of Trieste. His general research interests are in category theory and its applications to algebra, topology and computer science. His research examines the establishment of algebraic and topological facts in arbitrary categories, without recourse to sets. His work is published in some 120 research articles and is supported by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Right: Walter Tholen

“As the University expands its academic endeavours, this is an exciting time to take on this leadership position at 91��ɫ,” said Tholen.��“I am looking forward to working with my colleagues and the 91��ɫ community to broaden and strengthen the research enterprise at the University.”

Haché��added, “Lisa and Walter’s leadership contribution will be essential as we work towards intensifying research at the University, attracting and retaining the world’s best researchers, and building and strengthening new and existing partnerships with industry, government and community organizations to support new collaborative research projects. I look forward to working with them to advance strategic research initiatives at the University.”

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