91��ɫ Foundation Archives | Research & Innovation

Professor George Fallis: How universities can combat the democratic deficit

fmaquito — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Giambattista Vico Lecture to be held February 15, 2011

Universities can play a critical role in confronting the democratic deficit pervading politics at every level, 91��ɫ’s will argue in this year’s Giambattista Vico Lecture Feb. 15.

What is to be done, Fallis will ask, about declining voter turnout, strident and polarizing debate, public decision-making dominated by business elites and experts – all signs of a democratic deficit at local, national and international levels. He will argue that the problem must be confronted not just by political parties and parliaments but by universities. Universities are not just institutions of teaching and books, not just institutions of the economy, but institutions of democracy.

Left: George Fallis

Fallis delivers his lecture, “Democratic Deficit: Universities and the Future of Democracy”, in Founders Assembly Hall, 152 Founders College, at 7:30pm.

In his essay “” published two years ago in Academic Matters, Fallis made a similar argument that a university’s responsibility to contribute to democratic life is just as critical as its role in economic development.

Fallis is professor of economics and social science who has published widely on housing, urban policy and constitutional reform. His current research focuses on universities: their roles and responsibilities in the 21st century; the value of undergraduate liberal education; and the role of university-based research in national innovation. His most recent book is .

At 91��ɫ, the Princeton-educated Fallis has served as chair of economics, dean of the former Faculty of Arts and chair of the Senate Academic Policy & Planning Committee. He has been academic colleague on the Council of Ontario Universities and an auditor of degree programs at Ontario universities.

The annual Giambattista Vico Lecture was named after an 18th-century Italian philosopher of history, culture and myth whose ideas had a profound influence on the humanities and social sciences. 91��ɫ’s former Faculty of Arts launched the Vico lecture in 2000 in memory of Fred Zorzi, late partner of the Toronto law firm DelZotto, Zorzi LLP, which helped endow the annual event.

American social researcher Nancy Fraser gave the 2009 Vico lecture on “Marketization, Social Protection, Emancipation: Toward a Neo-Polanyian Conception of Capitalist Crisis".

This year’s lecture is sponsored by the 91��ɫ Foundation, the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and Founders College.

To attend the lecture, register online.

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

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91��ɫ honours Professor Mark Webber, founder of the Canadian Centre for German & European Studies

fmaquito — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

A reception was held by the (CCGES) on Sept. 15 to honour Professor .

Webber, who retired from 91��ɫ in July, dedicated his career to serving the University and its students. Educated at Harvard and Yale universities, he was a founder of the CCGES and taught at 91��ɫ for 38 years.

At the reception, Webber received a model car as a gift from BMW Canada to mark his retirement.

Left: Christian Feilmeier, VP finance & administration, BMW Canada; Professor Mark Webber; and Sabine Sparwasser, consul general of Germany in Toronto

“Such a turnout is strong testimony to the impact Mark has had not just on institutions, but also on people and their lives,” said , current CCGES director. In addition to a crowd of 91��ɫ faculty, the reception was attended by Sabine Sparwasser, consul general, Federal Republic of Germany and Marek Ciesielczuk, consul general, Republic of Poland.

In 1995, Webber was presented with the Officer’s Cross of the , the German equivalent to the Order of Canada, for his work in fostering German-Canadian and Jewish-Gentile understanding.

He was a key figure in creating the Ontario/Baden-Württemberg Student Exchange Program. For nine years he served as its academic coordinator. It is the largest single student exchange arrangement in Canada.

His legacy includes the Mark & Gail Appel Program in Holocaust and Antiracism Education, which he initiated with his colleague Michael Brown. This project brings together Canadian university students and fellow students from Germany and Poland to explore how best to counter racism through teaching about the Holocaust.

Right: Mark Webber with Professor Michael Brown

"With Mark's departure, 91��ɫ loses one of the people who care most passionately about it and who have worked to build an institution that was different from others: a place where scholarship was harnessed in the service of teaching; a place dedicated to the humanities but no less to the humane; a place where principles counted for much but never more than individuals; a place where people of all backgrounds would always feel comfortable and be eager to learn,” said Brown.

Funds are now being raised to create an award in Webber’s honour. Arrangement for gifts to the fund can be made by calling the 91��ɫ Foundation ��416-650-8210.

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

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Canadian Jewish News covers Sherman Health Science Research Centre opening

fmaquito — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

It used to be a hockey arena. Now it houses the latest functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, wrote the :

Last week, 91��ɫ the Sherman Health Science Research Centre, a facility for research in brain and vision, biomechanics, virtual reality and robotics. Planning for the facility, which was completed in December 2009, started in 2007.

The $11.5-million centre, which was converted from an old hockey arena, was named after Honey Sherman, a 91��ɫ Foundation board member, and her husband, Barry Sherman, president and CEO of the pharmaceutical company Apotex Inc., who donated $5 million to the project. “Everybody who gives donations has to pick and choose as to where the need is greatest,” Barry Sherman said.

“It’s 91��ɫ, an important Canadian university for teaching and research…We tend to concentrate our gifts towards health care. It’s good for the scientists, the public and the eventual patients who will benefit. It’s a gift to the City of Toronto.”

Sherman sees the facility’s potential for interdisciplinary research as an asset to the University. “It’s very impressive, and it makes a lot of sense. [These fields] are interrelated. To make significant progress in any area you need people of various [fields],” he said, adding that he was particularly impressed with the neuroimaging lab.

“To try to understand the workings of the brain, you need that equipment,” he said. “It’ll be very useful in developing that understanding when it comes to brain impairment and issues like dementia.”

Stan Shapson, 91��ɫ’s vice-president, research & innovation, said the facility will provide an ideal work environment for both staff and graduate students. “We didn’t have these kinds of facilities for them yet, so they were doing great work, but you’re doing work in a lab that’s in the basement of a building. There’s potential for interference when you’re collecting data. It slows down your work and you’re always adjusting equipment,” Shapson said. “Now you have state-of-the-art labs…[The students and researchers] will be able to do better quality work more quickly.”

Some of this research includes studying loss of vision in the elderly, developing a robot-guided wheelchair and building robots that can function underwater.

Shapson hopes the facility will help the University forge connections with local hospitals. “I think we had four presidents of regional hospitals at [the official opening]. That’s wonderful. They’re looking at this facility as something that could help them,” he said.

With the new facilities and 91��ɫ’s existing , which is internationally renowned, Shapson sees the potential to attract new researchers and students, as well as to apply existing research to the health care sector. “I think [this centre] is going to drive new ideas, innovations and treatments. At the end of the day, the hope is to deliver better health outcomes to Canadians,” he said.

The Sherman Centre includes space for 13 laboratories and accommodates over 150 researchers, graduate students, research associates and staff.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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Shermans’ investment made 91��ɫ's state-of-the-art Health Science Research Centre possible

fmaquito — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

The opening last week of a new state-of-the-art health research centre was made possible by a $5-million investment by 91��ɫ Foundation board member Honey Sherman and her husband Dr. Barry Sherman, president and CEO of Apotex Inc., :

The project brings scientists who study the brain and vision, virtual reality and robots together under one roof – that of a former hockey arena. The former 91��ɫ Ice Arena, built in 1968 and known by many as the Ice Palace, was transformed into a sophisticated centre for interdisciplinary collaboration.

“We are extremely thankful to Honey and Barry Sherman for their generosity,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, 91��ɫ president & vice-chancellor. “This unique new facility will strengthen our University’s research capacity and enhance collaboration between researchers in the health, science and engineering fields.”

The centre’s highlight is a neuro-imaging laboratory with the latest functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, which is critically important for research at 91��ɫ and future partnerships.

“We are particularly delighted we can support research in the health sciences because this is an increasingly important area for research innovation,” Dr. Sherman said. “This facility and the work that will be undertaken will help strengthen Ontario’s global position in research and innovation.”

Summaries of the building's laboratories and research projects are available on the Sherman Health Science Research Centre page. The building on September 14 and houses 13 laboratories for researchers from the Centre for Vision Research and the Faculty of Health's School of Kinesiology.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, with files courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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LaMarsh Centre to research violent crime’s impact on victims and families

fmaquito — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ will launch a unique study into the impact of extreme violence on victims and their families, thanks to a generous new gift.

The (CCVF) has pledged $25,000 for the research initiative which will help address a critical gap in crime research, according to the lead researchers. “Victims of extreme violence, and their family members, have long been ignored in the halls of science, as well as in the legal system,” said 91��ɫ psychology Professor Jennifer Connolly, immediate past director of the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution.

CCVF co-founders Joe and Lozanne Wamback (BSc Spec. Hons. ’77) presented a cheque to the LaMarsh Centre during the foundation’s annual gala on May 28. The couple formed the foundation after a 1999 near-fatal assault on their 15-year-old son Jonathan, who is currently studying English and French at 91��ɫ.

Right: From left, Jennifer Connolly and Harvey Skinner

“91��ɫ was chosen as the best research environment to invest in a more compassionate and understanding future for all Canadians,” said Joe. “This exciting partnership with one of Canada’s most esteemed academic institutions will set new standards into understanding the needs of survivors of violence and families of homicide victims.”

About one in five crimes reported to the police are of a violent nature. In 2008, there was an average of 932 incidents of violent crime for every 100,000 Canadians, according to the annual Vital Signs report from the Community Foundations of Canada. Through the LaMarsh Centre, the research program will provide clinicians with new insights into effective counselling and will guide important policies on victims’ rights.

Harvey Skinner, dean of 91��ɫ's Faculty of Health, affirmed the importance of the gift which will help cement 91��ɫ as a leader in research on victims of extreme violence. “Therapeutic treatment for crime victims and their families is largely uncharted territory,” Skinner said. “This kind gift allows the Faculty of Health, the LaMarsh Centre and the 91��ɫ Psychology Clinic to research and then apply that research to serve victims of crimes and their loved ones.”

Left: The donation from the CCVF was presented at their eighth annual gala on May 28. From left, Lozanne Wamback, co-founder and victim support chair of the CCVF; Harvey Skinner, dean of 91��ɫ's Faculty of Health; Stephen Fleming and Jennifer Connolly, both professors in 91��ɫ's Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Health; and Joe Wamback, co-founder and board chair of the CCVF.

Connolly will lead the research component that aims to further enhance an understanding of the devastating effects of extreme violence on victims and their families, as well as the coping strategies that lead to recovery. “This generous gift from the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation will break new ground in focusing attention on the profound and far-reaching effects of violent crimes on youth and their families,” she said.

91��ɫ psychology Professor Stephen Fleming will lead the clinical component through the 91��ɫ Psychology Clinic, providing enhanced clinical training in trauma intervention for graduate psychology students. A member of the CCVF Professional Advisory Committee, Fleming noted the need for increased training to help victims cope with the immediate and long-term effects of their experience with violence. Many are re-traumatized long after their initial ordeal while navigating the legal system.

“Through the 91��ɫ Psychology Clinic and the generous donation from Joe and Lozanne Wamback, 91��ɫ graduates will be uniquely qualified and trained to provide critical assessment and treatment to victims of extreme violence,” said Fleming.

A workshop in intervention for traumatized children and adults is in preparation for the fall.

For more information about giving to 91��ɫ, contact Nicole Arnold, chief development officer for the Faculty of Health in the 91��ɫ Foundation, at 416-650-8076 or visit the 91��ɫ Foundation Web site.

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

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