Faculty of Education News Bulletin

Top Stories

• New TEAMS site for 5 Year Plan – A new Teams site had been developed and populated with the data to inform the 5-year plan that was collected during the many consultations that took place over the academic year. Please take an opportunity to review the data in advance of the fall when the writing of the draft plan will commence. Visit the site

• Advancing Black Inclusion and Addressing Anti-Black Racism in the Faculty of Education – Associate Professor Sarah Barrett and doctoral candidate Nicola Dove co-authored a report titled Advancing Black Inclusion and Addressing Anti-Black Racism in the Faculty of Education: A Reflection on Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities. Read more

• Faculty launches season two of UnLeading Project podcast – Assistant Professor Vidya Shah and her team from York University’s Faculty of Education – course directors Jocelyn Shih and Sayema Chowdhury, and York MEd student Amanda Lima – launched the second season of The UnLeading Project, a call to reclaim and redefine leadership, on August 22. Read article

• York researchers receive more than $16M in funding from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) – More than 40 research projects at York University will receive a boost of $16 million in funding from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Professor Stephen Gaetz received a second consecutive Partnership Grant to continue his work as president and CEO of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH). Read article

• Professor Sharon Murphy receives title of University Professor – The honour was celebrated at Spring convocation where Murphy was recognized for her outstanding research contributions to the University. Read article

• Professor Susan Dion amongst York faculty members to receive 2022 President’s University-Wide Teaching Awards – The awards demonstrate the value York University attaches to teaching and recognizes individuals who, through innovation and commitment, have significantly enhanced the quality of learning for York students. Read article

• Associate Professor Roopa Desai Trilokekar receives 2022 CSSHE Research and Scholarship Award – The award recognizes research and scholarship on higher education and/or topics directly relevant to Canadian higher education which can include the socio-political context, access, governance, teaching and learning, institutional studies, or education and employment. Read article

• Congratulations to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education Program team of professor Connie Mayer, associate professor Pam Millett and course director Melanie Simpson on being awarded the 2022 Faculty of Education Undergraduate Teaching Award – The award is granted once every two years to a teaching team or member of the Faculty of Education who has displayed substantial, significant, and sustained excellence, commitment, and enthusiasm to the multifaceted aspects of teaching and learning at the undergraduate level resulting in an enhanced quality of learning by York students

• Associate Professor Kurt Thumlert along with his co-principal investigator Jason Nolan (TMU) were awarded a Helen Carswell Grant by York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design. Learn more about the Helen Carswell Chair in Community Engaged Research in the Arts

New Faces

A warm welcome to the following new faces in the Faculty of Education:

Faculty

• Korina Jocson (Associate Professor, Digital Futures in Education)
• sava saheli singh (Assistant Professor, Digital Futures in Education)

New faculty members will be featured in Yfile’s annual New Faces blog which is scheduled to run in the publication this September

Secondees

• Tigist Amdemichael
• Mandisa Rosetta Bromfield
• Emily Burgis
• Jafar Alberuni Hussain
• Mashelle Kaukab

Course Directors

• Shirin Abdmolaei
• Aedan Alderson
• Louise Azzarello
• Kyle Clark
• Nelli Domingues
• Eleanor Johnston

In Case You Missed It

• The Faculty of Education Summer Institute (FESI 2022) took place August 15 & 16 and explored Collective Dreaming: Co-Constructing Conditions for Liberatory Education – FESI 2022 focused on the meaning, vision, and conditions for liberatory education, which is centered on principles for social change and transformation, such as raising collective consciousness, understanding power imbalances, disrupting oppressive forces, and cultivating individual and collective agency. Learn more

• This year’s Planetary Health Film Lab (PHFL) and Micro Festival featured works by Indigenous youth from Ecuador – Fifteen unique films created by Indigenous youth from Ecuador were screened at the film festival on August 19. The films are the result of an international program out of York University that spotlights planetary issues. Canada Research Chair in Youth, Education & Global Good, Professor Kate Tilleczek was one of the co-leads of the PHFL. Watch here

• Spring Convocation 2022 – During the Faculty of Education convocation ceremony for the Class of 2022 that took place on June 10, Indigenous Elder Duke Redbird delivered a moving and passionate address about Mother Earth, strawberries and universities, and the enduring spirit of a mentor. Read article

• Professor and Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora Carl E. James and his fellow winners of the 2022 Killam Prize were featured in a panel about Canadian research titled Supporting Canada’s Research Ecosystem on The Future Economy website. Watch here

• Professor Jen Gilbert wrote an article for the Conversation Canada titled ‘Parental rights’ lobby puts trans and queer kids at risk. Read article

• Associate Dean Research Lisa Farley co-authored a piece in The Conversation Canada titled Nostalgia for childhoods of the past overlooks children’s experiences today. Read article

• Listen to episode 34 of Podcast or Perish featuring associate professor Sarah Barrett discussing the emotional experience of online learning and how it has affected teachers and students during the pandemic. Listen here

• Assistant Professor Cristina Delgado Vintimilla and her colleagues launched the Itinerant School for Viral Times project website – The itinerant school is born out of the necessity to reconsider education during the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity; almost as if it was a portal that opens the possibility to experiment a different idea of schooling. Visit website

• Professor Naomi Norquay is off to new adventures – As much has she enjoyed her career at the Faculty of Education, Naomi Norquay, who recently retired July 1, is ready for the next phase of her life. Read article

• UNESCO Chair Charles Hopkins receives Lithuanian State Award – York University UNESCO Chair Charles Hopkins received the Lithuanian State Award on July 6 from President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda. Read article

• UNESCO Chair Executive Coordinator Katrin Kohl awarded fellowship by The Royal Society of Arts in London – Executive Coordinator to the UNESCO Chair, Katrin Kohl, was awarded a fellowship by The Royal Society of Arts in London for her international engagement with sustainable development. Read article

• Membership awarded to Course Director Lorin Schwarz – Course director Lorin Schwarz is the recipient of an awarded membership presented by the International Psychohistory Forum. Schwarz received the award after attending a conference sponsored by the International Psychohistory Forum earlier this spring. Read article

• Bachelor of Education (BEd) student Zahra Mawani was awarded the 2021-2022 Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award – BEd student and recipient Zahra Mawani’s journey began at York University in 2020 when she was admitted to the Bachelor of Education program. “I never imagined that I would be completing the entire program online, nor did I anticipate the challenges that would come,” says Mawani. Read article

• Alumni Profile: Glenford Duffus (PhD ’21) – In his time as Superintendent with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Glenford Duffus chiefly served students, communities and schools within the Jane and Finch corridor. A central part of his role focused on serving as system lead for equity and inclusion, which involved asking what teachers should be doing as a system to support underserved students to change their trajectories from underachievement to achievement. Read article

In the Media

• Sharing stories about the history of residential schools and reconciliation – Professor Celia Haig-Brown was interviewed on CBC Radio One on August 24. Listen to interview

• He? She? They? York Region hospitals to ask for preferred pronouns – Professor Jen Gilbert was quoted in The Star August 18. Read article

News from the York Community

• York University moves up in world university rankings – York University moved up two spots to be ranked 61st among North American public universities by the prestigious QS World University Rankings. York’s improving position in the rankings signals its position as a leading international research and teaching university that is driving positive change to right the future. Read article

• New survey seeks to understand faculty experiences during pandemic – Research from the School of Health Policy and Management is examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the work and life responsibilities of faculty members at York University. Learn more

• York U nets six global Circle Excellence Awards for creative campaigns advancing the University’s strategic goals – York University’s Communications & Public Affairs team has been recognized by the Council for Advancement for Support of Education (CASE) with six global Circle of Excellence Awards for advancing the University’s strategic goals through inspiring, innovative and creative marketing and communications strategies. Read article