Marion Perry, director of the Office of Student Programs in York’s Faculty of Education since 1990, was cheered and toasted at a retirement party on June 21. More than 100 faculty members, staff, administrators and colleagues from the Faculty of Education and elsewhere in the University attended, as did members of Perry's family.
Right: Family and friends share a laugh with Marion Perry during her retirement party on June 21
Perry has served as registrar for the pre-service program in the Faculty of Education since 1990, responsible for the admissions process, student petitions, awards and the preparation of graduation documents. The Faculty now receives more than 6,000 applications annually for its consecutive and concurrent Bachelor of Education programs, and interviews some 3,000 students, a process which Perry also administered.
Prior to joining the Faculty of Education she worked in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. She was the first York University recipient, in 2003, of the Deborah Hobson Citizenship Award.
Paul Axelrod, dean of the Faculty of Education, praised Perry for her remarkable dedication and effectiveness. "She speaks with, advises, and meets with legions of students and combines the qualities of firmness, empathy and diplomacy. She is, in so many ways, the Faculty's direct voice to the community, and we could not have had a better ambassador," said Axelrod.
Perry received messages of congratulations from York President & Vice-Chancellor Lorna R. Marsden and from Vice President Academic Sheila Embleton, both of whom thanked her for her extraordinary service to the University. Alice Pitt, associate dean of Education, described Perry as her "mentor" who, among many other tasks, helped facilitate the process of curriculum renewal in the undergraduate program.
Perry expressed her deep appreciation to the Faculty, and especially to her staff in the Office of Student Programs, whose "patience, work ethic, and support have meant so much to me". It was a privilege, she said, to have had the opportunity to work in the Faculty of Education and at York.