Ottawa’s Carleton University has looked to the United States for its new leader, selecting Roseann Runte as its next president, the first woman to hold the school’s top post, wrote The Globe and Mail Jan. 8.
Runte, a poet and scholar with a PhD in French, is president of Old Dominion University in Virginia. A native of New York State, she is a citizen of both Canada and the US and held several senior posts at Canadian universities before taking her current job in 2001.
Before moving to the United States, Runte was head of Victoria University at the University of Toronto and, before that, was principal of York University’s Glendon College [from 1989-1994]. She was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2002.
One university administrator described her as a "superstar by reputation," and said she has the potential to raise Carleton’s profile on the international stage. The challenge, he said, will be to establish a working relationship with the institution’s sizable 32-member board of governors, which has a reputation for taking an "active" role in university affairs.
- Carleton professors are already hailing the anticipated appointment of the first woman to lead the university as a historic milestone, wrote The Ottawa Citizen Jan. 8.
At first glance, Runte would appear to be an unlikely choice to lead Carleton, which is known for its mix of professional and academic programs. As a scholar, Runte is noted for her literary critiques of women in society. She has also penned three volumes of French poetry which, in 1989, won her a prize from the exclusive Académie Française in Paris.
York student returns to help others at ErinoakKids Centre
For students with special needs, the logistics of heading back to school can be overwhelming. Yet with ample preparation, training, and assistance, motivated individuals can capably attend university, and even live on campus, wrote the Oakville Beaver Jan. 2.
This is the hopeful message that York University student Bob McKay, 21, preached to those fortunate enough to be mentored by them through the Independent Living Program (ILP) offered by Oakville’s ErinoakKids Centre for Treatment and Development and Sheridan College.
McKay, a fourth-year student at York, can’t remember a time when he wasn’t receiving help from ErinoakKids. McKay was diagnosed at birth with Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, a rare and little-understood inherited disorder characterized by a range of physical abnormalities that result in restricted movement. Today he is specializing in criminology and considering a career in law after completing his undergraduate degree.
York grad offers up a ‘visual buffet’ at Nova Scotia art exhibition
York alumnus Roger Green (BA ’72) best describes his upcoming exhibition as a "visual buffet”, wrote The Daily News (Truro, NS) Jan. 8. A very fitting expression for Green, who is both a chef and an artist in Truro.
The artist was born in Toronto and moved to Truro about 10 years ago. He previously attended York University where he pursued honours English and focused on creative writing, enjoying an opportunity to participate in Irving Layton‘s poetry workshop. He currently paints primarily in acrylics but also uses pencils, crayons, gypsona, oils and found objects in his work.
Schulich sustainability expert to speak in Kelowna
The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce will be presenting Bob Willard, a leading expert on the topic of business and sustainability, on Jan. 9, wrote the Kelowna Capital News, Jan. 6. Willard has a long list of credentials both educational and practical. Among them, he is on the faculty of the Sustainable Enterprise Academy (SEA) and the Sustainability and Education Academy (SEdA) sponsored by York University’s Schulich School of Business.
On air
- Joel Lexchin, professor in York’s School of Health Policy & Management, Faculty of Health, spoke about his recent study of US drug marketing practices, written with lead author and York graduate student Marc-André Gagnon, on Calgary’s CHQR radio, Jan. 7.