Vice-President Academic & Provost Archives | Research & Innovation

Vice-President Academic & Provost Patrick Monahan on the Academic Innovation Fund

fmaquito — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

In the fall of 2010, 91��ɫ's Vice-President Academic & Provost Patrick Monahan announced the establishment of the (AIF) to provide an investment of $2.5 million in support of innovation and change at the University. Applications were invited for funding to support new initiatives advancing 91��ɫ's strategic priorities. Of the applications received, 39 projects, led by faculty, staff and students, were awarded funding.

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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Be part of the conversation at the president's town hall Sept. 21

fmaquito — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Don’t forget to join President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and the rest of the senior executive team at the President’s Town Hall on Wednesday for an interactive dialogue bringing 91��ɫ faculty, staff and students together.

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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91��ɫ President to hold town hall with faculty, staff and students Sept. 21

fmaquito — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Seeking answers to questions is what a university is all about. What has 91��ɫ accomplished this year? Where are we going from here?

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.

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Professor Sheila Embleton receives 91��ɫ International Faculty Award

fmaquito — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Sheila Embleton, Distinguished Research Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, is this year's recipient of the 2010-11 91��ɫ International Award.

Embleton was nominated by 91��ɫ Vice-President Academic & Provost Patrick Monahan for her leadership in being “a strong proponent for internationalization” and for providing a “broad and deep foundation on which we can build.”

Right: Sheila Embleton

“I'm thrilled at the award, and thrilled to be part of the team that has really moved 91��ɫ, in the last decade, from being ‘in the pack’ as far as international is concerned, to being an undoubted leader in Canada,” said a delighted Embleton.

“It was during her term [as vice-president academic from 2000 to 2009] that her greatest impact was felt,” Monahan noted in his nomination document. “She created the position of associate vice-president international and appointed its first incumbent [Adrian Shubert]. She also created an annual competition for funds, in order to stimulate and promote innovative international projects in support of research, teaching and the student experience. Under [her] leadership in partnership with the AVPI, 91��ɫ’s position as a leader in Canada in internationalization was enhanced and solidified.”

Some of Embleton’s accomplishments in this area include: expansion of 91��ɫ’s language curriculum, supporting the establishment of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) award-winning 91��ɫ International Internship Program (YIIP); establishment of the 91��ɫ International Mobility Award to help support students with exchange and study abroad expenses; establishment of numerous exchange agreements with universities abroad; helping to introduce the Letter of Recognition program as a complement to a student’s academic record; helping expand the CBIE award-winning Emerging Global Leadership Program into the Caribbean; and contributing to the development of a number of programs incorporating international dimensions and opportunities including the international bachelor of science and bachelor of arts programs.

She has also played an important role as an adviser to numerous government agencies and has helped develop and strengthen 91��ɫ's global academic ties, in India in particular. She spent a year as president of the and is now president of the . She had a long and distinguished international career before she became the vice-president academic. In 1999 she was named a Knight First Class of the Order of the White Rose by the government of Finland for contributions to Canadian-Finnish relations; and in 2005 received the CBIE International Leadership Award.

“I truly believe internationalization enhances the University’s reputation. 91��ɫ is actually quite well known and well respected in Germany and in India, for example,” said Embleton. “But the real reason is for our students – all that is said about needing to educate students to be the global citizens of tomorrow – I think it's absolutely true, and absolutely essential to our students' futures, to get some solid exposure to things international now and to develop those competencies – wherever they will end up working.”

Award Ceremony to be held March 25

Embleton will receive her award at 91��ɫ International’s annual Cultural Gala on March 25, along other members of the 91��ɫ community recognized by 91��ɫ International. Tickets are still available at their office at 200 91��ɫ Lanes. Cost for each ticket is $5 and a donation of three non-perishable canned food items, or $10 without a donation. All canned food collected will be donated to the 91��ɫ food bank.

"We are very pleased to present these awards to outstanding members from our University’s community,” said , 91��ɫ’s associate vice-president international. “Once again we have outstanding faculty, staff and students doing fabulous work to promote internationalization at 91��ɫ and beyond our borders, too.

"Internationalization is pervasive and integral to all teaching and learning at 91��ɫ. These awards recognized people and groups that continue to raise the international profile of 91��ɫ,” said Wright, who was a 91��ɫ International faculty recipient in 2006-2007 when she was a professor at Schulich School of Business.

More information is available on the website.

Submitted by Edward Fenner, 91��ɫ International

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VPRI to hold Open Research Forum January 10, 2011

fmaquito — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 10:00:00 +0000

As 91��ɫ moves forward with implementing the White Paper’s priority directions, the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI) has been working with a small group of colleagues across the faculties to identify our highest priority initiatives for research intensification — initiatives to which we are committed to making measurable progress going forward. We will be presenting these initiatives to the Vice-President Academic & Provost for implementation.

To provide additional opportunities for feedback, VPRI will host a second open forum to garner your input and advice.

Please join us for our open forum on Monday, January 10 from 1 to 3pm on the 5th Floor of the 91��ɫ Research Tower (Room 519) to discuss 91��ɫ's research intensification direction and implementation initiatives.

Interested parties should RSVP to Barb Burrowes in VPRI by Thursday, January 6, 2011.

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Search committee seeks input on criteria for new VP research & innovation

fmaquito — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

The search committee to appoint a vice-president, research & innovation will soon commence a comprehensive international search for a successor to Professor Stan Shapson.

The search committee will be drafting an advertisement to announce the start of the search, which will appear shortly in various publications and websites. In addition, the committee is working on a position profile to describe the priorities over the next five years, and what they are seeking in candidates in terms of experience, background and qualifications. The committee is soliciting input on the following questions in order to help shape the position profile:

What are your aspirations for the VPRI portfolio over the next five to 10 years? What do you see as the issues and challenges facing the University during this period?
What do you think the search committee should be seeking in a leader in terms of professional background and experience, personal attributes, qualifications and credentials?

91��ɫ community members can send their confidential suggestions to the search committee by e-mail (see below) or directly to the search firm, no later than Wednesday, Nov. 3.

Search committee members:

91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, committee chair, at mshoukri@yorku.ca,
Patrick Monahan, vice-president academic & provost, at provost@yorku.ca,
Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Allan Hutchinson, at hutch@yorku.ca,
Barbara Crow, professor of communication studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), at bacrow@yorku.ca,
History Professor Jonathan Edmondson, LA&PS, at jedmond@yorku.ca.
Wendy Taylor, professor of physics and astronomy, Faculty of Science & Engineering, at taylorw@yorku.ca,
Roger Keil, directory of the City Institute and professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, at rkeil@yorku.ca,
Psychology professor Fran Wilkinson, Faculty of Health, at franw@yorku.ca,
Janusz Kozinski, dean, Faculty of Science & Engineering, at Janusz.Kozinski@yorku.ca,
Ijade Maxwell Rodrigues, chief of staff and secretary to the committee, at ijade@yorku.ca.

Or directly to the search firm, e-mail yorkvpri@jwasearch.com.

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91��ɫ research community invited to open forum on priority directions for research intensification

fmaquito — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

As 91��ɫ moves forward with the priority directions outlined in the White Paper, the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI) has worked with a small group of colleagues across the faculties to identify our highest-priority initiatives for research intensification. These are initiatives on which we are committed to making measurable progress going forward, and which will be presented to the Vice-President Academic & Provost for implementation.

Please join us for an open forum on Monday, October 25 to provide input and advice on the proposed initiatives. The discussion will be held from 10:30-11:30am in TEL Building 0014.

If you have any questions please contact in VPRI.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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Professor Jimmy Huang to host three IT conferences; topics include artifical intelligence

fmaquito — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Professor Jimmy Huang is a very busy man. In addition to the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies appointing him director of the School of Information Technology, he will be helping to host three prestigious international conferences in upcoming weeks. The conferences will focus on research into artificial intelligence, intelligent agent technology, active media technology, and information and knowledge management.

While current search-engine technology uses algorithms that rely on keywords to uncover pertinent information, the research of Huang and his colleagues uses algorithms with a capacity for natural-language processing and contextual understanding that can uncover more complex information. Rather than looking for instances of words, these elaborate algorithms can make sense of the words. The applications of the research are vast.

Right: Jimmy Huang

They can analyze, for instance, the text of blog postings and the feedback of its respondents and then make humanlike, intuitional assessments of the information. “The analysis could indicate changes in public mood on certain issues, or rising or diminishing support for a certain political leader,” says Huang.

His technology research seeks to improve the health-care system by reducing costs and improving services. Huang advocates the digitizing of all health-care records – texts, charts, X-rays and other image files – and making them securely accessible on the Internet.

How will this improve health care? “One of the reasons that health care is so expensive is due to the incentive for doctors and specialists to provide unnecessary or duplicate services, and to the inefficiencies of a system that creates multiple, proprietary medical records,” says Huang. He cites the example of a general practitioner drawing blood for a test, then referring a patient to a specialist who might perform the same procedure again due to the inaccessibility of the original GP’s files.

“If there were one comprehensive set of records for the patient, centrally and securely available on the Internet, practitioners wouldn’t have to resort to phone calls and courier services to exchange information,” says Huang. Improved access to information could reduce services and associated costs while maintaining the same level of care. “It would also allow for a more global perspective on a patient’s health as various practitioners wouldn’t be limited in the scope of information available to them and, with the assistance of algorithms, could uncover heretofore unseen conditions.”

Huang offers another example of the benefit of centralized resources by citing his own experience with a leg injury. His doctor referred him to a specialist near his home. However, the specialist couldn’t fit him into his schedule for two months. By then, the injury was repaired on its own, for better or worse. A centralized information system could analyze a patient’s surroundings in a more subtle way, not simply in terms of where the GP’s office is situated, but where the patient lives or works. An advanced algorithm could locate an available specialist in another area who might be available sooner.

The sphere of application is, likewise, immense: from opinion mining and sentiment analysis to context-aware computing and social networking or matchmaking.

The joint 2010 International Conferences on Active Media Technology and Brain Informatics will be on the Keele campus from Aug. 28 to 30, and the 2010 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conferences on Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology will take place at 91��ɫ from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3. The 19th ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM 2010) will be held at the Fairmont Royal 91��ɫ from Oct. 26 to 30.

“Bringing these venerable, annual conferences to 91��ɫ for the first time represents quite a coup for the University. Among the list of sponsors are some of the major companies involved in the information technology industry and the competition for papers among prospective participants was extremely competitive,” says Huang. “I’m very grateful for the support of the Offices of the Vice-President Academic & Provost and the Vice-President Research & Innovation, and the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.”

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

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Author Wayson Choy to deliver Asian Heritage Month Lecture at 91��ɫ on May 25

fmaquito — Wed, 19 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Acclaimed author Wayson Choy will deliver this year’s Asian Heritage Month Lecture at 91��ɫ next Tuesday.

In his lecture, “Asian Identity: Becoming Canadian”, Choy will review his personal insights into life as an in-between citizen, living as a hyphenated Chinese-Canadian for most of his life. Choy – born in Canada in 1939 – will explore how he feels now that he has "become a Canadian." No more hyphens. He will expose the prejudices and racism that still prevent many people from feeling that they belong in Canada as full-fledged citizens. The irony is that these prejudices and racist attitudes are found from both inside and outside one's ethnicity and colour, Choy says.

The event, which will be held May 25, from 7 to 9:30pm in the McLean Performance Studio, 244 Accolade East Building, Keele campus, will be chaired by Vivienne Poy, Canadian senator and patron of Asian Heritage Month in Canada.

Right: Wayson Choy. Photo by Raymond Lum.

Choy, a member of the Order of Canada, has appeared as a subject in Wayson Choy: Unfolding the Butterfly, a full-length documentary film by Michael Glassbourg, and is featured on the co-produced China-Canada documentary . His latest book is and he is currently working on his third novel and fifth book. His other publications include , and , which was called one of the 100 most important books in Canadian history by the . His work has been translated into Hungarian, French, German and Dutch.

He is a professor emeritus of Humber College, where he is currently a faculty member for the Humber School for Writers Summer Program. In 2002, he was made companion of Fronteir College in recognition of his outstanding services for furthering literacy awareness.

The discussant for the Asian Heritage Month Lecture will be English Professor from 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.

The lecture will be paired with a performance of OrienTik/Portrait, which features the intricate and mesmerizing choreography of former 91��ɫ student Alvin Erasga Tolentino and fellow dancer and 91��ɫ grad Andrea Nann (BFA Spec. Hons. '88). The pair will be joined by taiko drummer Jordy Riley and classical pianist Alison Nishihara.

Their performance will explore an Asian identity that is diverse in culture, creating a bridge between the identities of Canadians and the rest of the world. In OrientiTik/Portrait, sound and movements integrate and weave together in an enriching layer of moments in time. It highlights the experience, mediums and high artistry of each artist. Their aim is to capture the resonance and transparency with the meeting of two performing mediums.

The event is presented by the 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) as a part of the 2010 Asian Heritage Month Festival with support from the following groups: 91��ɫ, the Office of the Vice-President Academic & Provost, the Faculty of Fine Arts, the Graduate Program in Dance, the Asian Heritage Month Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc. (partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage), the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and community partner the .

Light refreshments will follow the event. Due to space restrictions, RSVPs are required. Contact YCAR at ycar@yorku.ca or call 416-736-5821. For more information, visit the YCAR Web site.

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

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Vice-President Academic & Provost Patrick Monahan on showdown in Canada's Parliament

fmaquito — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Patrick , Vice-President Academic & Provost of 91��ɫ and one of Canada’s foremost constitutional law experts, spoke to CBC's 22 about on a range of issues. They passed a motion that . They asked the Speaker of the House to find the Prime Minister and three cabinet ministers in if they refuse to hand over the documents. It's a show-down with high stakes for everyone involved ... a power struggle with constitutional implications.

The segment runs approximately .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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