On May 23, York University’s Glendon College will host a symposium on education policy, the first of four events showcasing the Ontario Research Chairs in Public Policy. This program is endowed by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and managed by the Council of Ontario Universities.
The Glendon symposium features two panels with nine experts from diverse backgrounds discussing Ontario’s postsecondary education policy challenges. The first panel will see experts exploring how to improve the performance of postsecondary institutions and support student achievement, while the second panel will consider the specific educational needs of Ontario’s Aboriginal and Francophone communities. The event will include brief presentations, a question-and-answer session, speed mentoring sessions, poster presentations by graduate students, and a cocktail reception that will provide an opportunity for the audience to network with the experts and decision-makers.
The panellists participating in this event are:
Solange Belluz, the manager of the French- Language Continued Learning Unit in the French-Language Policy & Programs Branch serving the Ministries of Education and Training, Colleges & Universities in the Ontario government. Belluz was instrumental in the creation of several postsecondary education entities such the predecessor of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (OCAT), the College-University Consortium Council (CUCC)) and the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO). In 2012, she led the secretariat that supported the expert panel on Access to French-Language Postsecondary Education in Central and Southwestern Ontario. Belluz is an alumna of York University and has a masters in translation and an MBA.
Simona Chiose is the education editor at The Globe & Mail. She coordinates education coverage across the media company’s multiple platforms. Prior to this role, she was the arts editor at the newspaper. Chiose has a masters in political science from the University of Toronto and is currently completing a PhD in immigration policy making.
Scott Davies is a professor of sociology and Ontario Research Chair in Education Achievement and At-Risk Students at McMaster University. A sociologist of education, Davies is examining determinants and correlates of student achievement and the emergence of academic inequalities from preschool to postsecondary levels. He has won awards from the American Education Research Association and the Canadian Education Research Association.
Glen Jones is the Ontario Research Chair in Postsecondary Education Policy and Measurement and a professor of higher education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. His research focuses on higher education policy, governance, academic work and administration. He is a prolific contributor to the Canadian and international literature on higher education and a frequent public speaker and commentator on higher education issues. Jones received the research award from the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education in 2001 and their Distinguished Member Award in 2011.
Normand Labrie is the scientific director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture. He has been active for many years at the European Commission as an international expert, as well as at the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, as vice-president of the advisory committee on the situation of the French language and Francophones in North America, as well as the chair of the International Network of Observatories of French and National Languages. In 2007, he was granted the Medal of the Order of the Pléiade of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (Luxembourg) for his contribution to the development of Francophonie.
Brenda Macdougall is currently the chair of Métis Research and an associate professor of geography at the University of Ottawa. She has worked extensively with Métis communities in Saskatchewan documenting the connections and relationships between family members as a lens to understanding both Métis society and culture. At the University of Ottawa, Macdougall is similarly engaging in Ontario-based Métis historical and community research while continuing to pursue research associated with Great Plains-based Métis societies. In her role as research chair, she oversees a number of significant research grants each of which is focused on tracing Métis family and, in turn, historical communities as she works to document the contours of a people.
Kenneth McRoberts is the principal of York University’s Glendon College. First appointed on July 1, 1999, he is now serving a third five-year term. Before his appointment as principal, McRoberts was professor of political science in the Faculty of Arts at York University. He is the author of numerous books, journal articles and book chapters on a variety of topics including Quebec politics, Canadian federalism and constitutional questions. He is the past-president of the Canadian Political Science Association, has received an honorary doctorate from Université Laval and has been made an Officer in the Palmes académiques by the government of France. From 2009 to 2011, Principal McRoberts was the President of the Association des universités de la francophonie canadienne. In 2010, the Ontario government awarded him the Prix de la francophonie de l’Ontario.
Theresa Shanahan practiced law in Toronto before obtaining her doctorate in education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She is associate professor in the Faculties of Education and Graduate Studies at York University and the former associate dean of research and professional development in the Faculty of Education. Her research interests include education law and policy, the political economy of postsecondary education, university governance (system and institutional decision-making), professional education/ governance/ethics, human rights and access and equity issues in education. She is currently involved in higher education policy research including the SSHRCC-funded project Making Policy in Postsecondary Education, 1990-2007 with colleagues Professors Paul Axelrod, Roopa Desai-Trilokekar and Richard Wellen.
Jennifer St. Germain has been working within Ontario’s Métis public service for more than 14 years. As the director of education and training for the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), she oversees responsibility for leadership development, partnership engagement and the implementation of innovative employment and education policy and program priorities for Métis across Ontario. She represents the MNO on numerous government tables and is a frequent speaker on Métis issues. She holds bachelor of arts degrees in history and political science from McMaster University and a master of arts in Canadian Studies from Carleton University.
Tackling Ontario’s Challenges takes place at Glendon College, 2275 Bayview Avenue in Toronto on May 23 from 1:30 to 6:30pm. It is free and open to the public, all are welcome. For more information, visit the Tackling Ontario’s Challenges website.
This series of symposia is part of the Ontario Research Chairs in Public Policy Program endowed by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The 2013 edition is organized by the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs and the Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation on behalf of the Council of Ontario Universities.