Join President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and members of the senior executive team at the President’s Town Hall – an interactive dialogue bringing 91��ɫ faculty, staff and students together.

91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri

The town hall will take place Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 11am into the noon hour, in the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East Building, Keele campus. All students, faculty, and staff are welcome.

The president will talk about the changes at 91��ɫ, its recent successes, and the opportunities and challenges moving forward. Then it is your turn to ask questions to the entire Executive team.

Joining Shoukri for the Q&A period will be Patrick Monahan, vice-president academic & provost; Gary Brewer, vice-president finance & administration; Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation; Jeff O’Hagan, vice-president advancement, and Janet Morrison, vice-provost students. The Q&A will be moderated by Brenda Spotton Visano, professor of economics and public policy in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies here at 91��ɫ.

Can’t attend in person? There is more than one way to participate. The town hall will be available to watch via webcast at The President’s Town Hall website. In addition, questions can be sent to the Town Hall website and via Twitter using the hashtag #YUTownHall.

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

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The fair showcases a diverse range of vendors selling fair and sustainable products, including arts and crafts, clothing, coffee and chocolate. The event also serves as a forum for faculty, staff and students who are interested in learning more about fair trade.  

What is fair trade?

On its website, describes fair trade as a “way for all of us to identify products that meet our values so we can make choices that have a positive impact on the world.”

Over the years, the University has pursued a number of fair trade endeavours.   

91��ɫ's own Las Nubes coffee (fair trade, organic and shade grown) is served at nine locations on both campuses. To know more about the Las Nubes project, visit the �ɱ�������ٱ�.��

Right: 91��ɫ's Las Nubes coffee is shade grown in Costa Rica

Fair trade coffee and Rainforest Alliance tea is served at most coffee shops at 91��ɫ and can be ordered for catering. A number of campus locations serve fair trade coffee. The locations are: the Central Square Cafeteria, TEL Building Café, Winters Cafeteria, Stong Cafeteria, Freshii, the Osgoode Bistro, Glendon Café, Glendon Eurobaguette, and the Graduate Student Lounge.

The 91��ɫ Bookstore now sells fair trade 91��ɫ t-shirts (which is a first for Canadian universities). The bookstore will be selling t-shirts at the fair. To learn more about the Bookstore's fair trade t-shirt initiative, see YFile, Oct. 11, 2011.

Left: The 91��ɫ Bookstore sells fair trade t-shirts

91��ɫ students have also demonstrated leadership in fair trade. The 91��ɫ Federation of Students Is committed to the Canadian Federation of Students Students for Sustainability campaign and is an active participant in many social justice and sustainability events and campaigns. As well, the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) is a co-sponsor of Thursday's Fair Trade Fair and can be contacted by sending an e-mail to opirg@yorku.ca.

Coming in early 2012, 91��ɫ  University will also be launching its new Sustainability Ambassadors program. To learn more, visit the President's Sustainability Council website or e-mail sustainability@yorku.ca.

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

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Over the course of the next year, YFile will be profiling the projects through videos and stories. Today, the camera's spotlight is on Monahan and the story of his inspiration for AIF. 

Patrick Monahan grins when he recalls his “Aha!” moment, which led to the creation of the Academic Innovation Fund. 

Several years ago, 91��ɫ’s vice-president academic & provost had just completed a series of consultations with 91��ɫ community members regarding the , a document that would outline the future academic priorities of the University. What he discovered during that process energized him. 

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“As we went through the White Paper a couple of years ago, what impressed me were the people who participated in that process,” he said. “We sat in focus groups and we talked about our ideas, dreams and aspirations for the University. What was so striking was that people had so many great ideas – there were literally hundreds!”

He discovered the main obstacle preventing these ideas from becoming a reality centred on the lack of resources. Monahan had heard of projects in the United States that provided seed funding for academic initiatives. He thought the idea had merit and turned to his colleagues in the Provost’s Office to see if they could find funding that could be used to create a made-in-91��ɫ solution to turn the ideas into working projects.

His inspiration led to the formation of the Academic Innovation Fund of $2.5 million that would provide an initial investment of resources to bring projects from the drawing board to reality. In the fall of 2010, applications were invited from the University community for funding (up to $200,000 each) to support new initiatives advancing 91��ɫ’s strategic priorities in relation to teaching and learning and the student experience.

The response, he discovered, was nothing short of amazing. “It was just fantastic because of the tremendous energy and participation," he said. “The committee was only able to fund 39 of those projects, but all the project submissions were very interesting and innovative, and showed a real commitment to the University and to our students."

The 39 projects funded include clusters of initiatives that support e-learning, experiential education and the student experience. From a project to enhance how first-year students move from high school to university, to a student-run sustainable business initiative, each of the AIF projects is as diverse as the University community. There is a project to create an online enrolment system for new students, a mentorship program for varsity athletes, a partnership between two faculties to develop a blended learning initiative, a community centred action plan for experiential education, and a project to bring public history into the classroom, to name just a few.

All of the projects, said Monahan, reflect 91��ɫ's DNA. "Each of the projects is about engaging people in these ideas," he said. "I hope that what this does is that it shows people what is possible and that we can build on this energy."

Monahan said that many people have told him how excited they are to see their ideas finally becoming a reality. "What I find so interesting is that there are ideas that would never have occurred to someone sitting in an office here in the 91��ɫ Research Tower or even in a dean's office," he said. "Ideas like a project that we have with refugees in Thailand connecting them with researchers and students here in Toronto or a project to teach area youth how to swim."

The AIF projects provide a concrete example of the potential for innovation and engagement that resides in the 91��ɫ community. "It is an example of the idea that the collective brain is always better then a single brain. If you get one hundred people in a room and get them thinking and talking – you are going to get more ideas than with 10 people, five or one. That is what makes this a really successful initiative so far." 

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor

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

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Come out and meet Robert Haché, the new vice-president research & innovation, and learn more about research services at 91��ɫ.

Staff from the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, the Office of Research Services, the Office of Research Ethics, Research Accounting, Procurement Services, Innovation 91��ɫ and the Faculty of Graduate Studies will be at the open house to answer questions related to research services.

If you are interested in attending, organizers ask that you submit your  no later than Oct. 5.

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

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The town hall will take place Sept. 21, from 11am into the noon hour, in the Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan Theatre, Accolade East Building, Keele campus. All students, faculty, staff and parents are welcome.

Right: 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri

Shoukri will talk about the growth and evolution of 91��ɫ, its recent successes, and the opportunities and challenges moving forward, followed by a Q&A period with the entire executive team.

The Q&A will include Shoukri, Gary Brewer, vice-president finance & administration; Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation; Patrick Monahan, ; Jennifer Sloan, vice-president university relations; and Robert Tiffin, vice-president students. The Q&A will be moderated by 91��ɫ law Professor , director of the 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law.

The town hall will also be available to watch via webcast through the president's website.

In addition, questions can be sent in advance by e-mail to the president at mshoukri@yorku.ca and via Twitter using the hashtag #yutownhall.

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

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Join President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and the rest of the senior executive team at the President’s Town Hall – an interactive dialogue bringing 91��ɫ faculty, staff and students together.

The town hall will take place Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 11am into the noon hour, in the Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan Theatre, Accolade East Building, Keele campus. All students, faculty, staff and parents are welcome.

Right: 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri

Shoukri will talk about the growth and evolution of 91��ɫ, its recent successes, and the opportunities and challenges moving forward. Then it’s your turn to ask questions to the entire executive team.

Joining Shoukri for the Q&A period will be Gary Brewer, vice-president finance & administration; Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation; Patrick Monahan, ; Jennifer Sloan, vice-president university relations; and Robert Tiffin, vice-president students. The Q&A will be moderated by 91��ɫ law Professor , director of the 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law.

Can’t attend in person? There is more than one way to participate. The town hall will be available to watch via webcast through the president's website.

In addition, questions can be sent in advance by e-mail to the president at mshoukri@yorku.ca and via Twitter using the hashtag #yutownhall.

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

The post 91��ɫ President to hold town hall with faculty, staff and students Sept. 21 appeared first on Research & Innovation.