University of Regina president Vianne Timmons is one of 12 recipients of a 2019 Indspire Award. The awards, formally known as the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, celebrate and encourage excellence throughout Canada’s Indigenous communities. Dr. Timmons grew up in Labrador and is of Mi’kmaq heritage. After she earned her education degree in 1980, her first job was in Granisle, B.C., teaching children on the Babine First Nations Reserve. Under Dr. Timmons’ leadership, U of Regina adopted its 2015-2020 strategic plan – entitled peyak aski kikawinaw, Cree for “We are one with Mother Earth” – with a focus on Indigenization. Dr. Timmons has also overseen the establishment of initiatives such as the Indigenous Advisory Circle, the Aboriginal Student Centre and the position of executive lead, Indigenization, at the university. The Indspire Awards ceremony takes place in Calgary on Feb. 22, 2019.
Algoma University has named Colin Wilson its new director of strategic advancement. Mr. Wilson will work closely with the president on operational matters, stakeholder relations and special projects. Mr. Wilson comes to Algoma from Searchmont Ski Association Inc., where he served as the general manager of the resort for the past three years. Prior to this, he served as program manager of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Mathias Nilges has been named the director of St. Francis Xavier University’s Frank McKenna Centre for Leadership, a centre devoted to developing student, faculty and community leadership. Dr. Nilges has been an English professor at StFX since 2008 and is currently a Jules Léger Scholar in the Humanities and Social Sciences at the university.
The Honourable Catherine Callbeck was installed as chancellor of the University of Prince Edward Island on Sept. 29. Ms. Callbeck is a retired business leader, Canadian senator, former Member of Parliament for Malpeque and former premier of Prince Edward Island. She was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2015 and Order of PEI in 2017, and holds honorary doctor of laws degrees from both Mount Allison University and the UPEI.
Lakehead University’s board of governors has appointed Ross Murray its next chair. Mr. Murray, a retired lawyer in Thunder Bay, has served on Lakehead’s board of governors since 2014 and as its vice-chair since 2016. Among his many activities, he is a past-president of the Thunder Bay Law Association and is former chair of McKellar General Hospital, where he also served as chair of finance.
Kristine Williamson has been appointed vice-president, university relations, at Athabasca University. She was previously vice-president, engagement, at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary. Prior to that, she held a series of progressively senior roles in the development office at the University of Calgary, ending her tenure there as associate vice-president, development.
Dion Kaszas has been appointed coordinator of Indigenous affairs and student advising at Acadia University, starting Nov. 5. Mr. Kaszas is a Nlaka’pamux artist, teacher and scholar. He recently graduated with a master’s degree in interdisciplinary graduate studies, with a specialization in Indigenous studies, from the University of British Columbia.
The University of Saskatchewan has appointed Kris Ringwall the new director of its Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, which opened in September. His appointment took effect Nov. 1. Dr. Ringwall was previously director of the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center.
Tammy Clifford has been appointed vice-president, research programs, at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, effective Oct. 29. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Clifford was the chief scientist and vice-president, evidence standards, at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, where she served in a number of senior leadership roles over the past decade. She is also an adjunct professor with the school of epidemiology and public health at the University of Ottawa.
Jean Grondin, a professor of philosophy at Université de Montréal and president of the Royal Society of Canada’s Academy of the Arts and Humanities, received the 2018 Gold Medal of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The award, which he received at Rideau Hall on Oct 3, is SSHRC’s highest research honour and comes with $100,000 for future research. Dr. Grondin is one of the world’s leading figures in modern philosophy. His many honours include: officer of the Ordre national du Québec in 2016; the Canada Council for the Arts’ Molson Prize in 2014; and, in 2012, officer of the Order of Canada, the Acfas André-Laurendeau prize and the Killam Prize.
In September, the University of British Columbia welcomed Meigan Aronson as its new dean of science. Dr. Aronson was most recently a professor of physics and dean of the college of science at Texas A&M University, where she held appointments in both the department of physics and astronomy and the department of materials science and engineering.
Minelle Mahtani is the new senior advisor to the provost on racialized faculty at the University of British Columbia, as of Sept. 1. This new position supports UBC’s institutional commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in the scholarly and leadership environment for faculty members. Dr. Mahtani holds a professorial appointment in the Institute of Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice.
Sheryl Lightfoot has been named senior advisor on Indigenous affairs at the University of British Columbia, reporting to the president. In her role, which commenced on Aug. 1, she provides vision, leadership and diplomacy in advancing the university’s overall strategic plan in relation to Indigenous affairs across UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. Dr. Lightfoot is an associate professor in the department of political science.
As of Nov. 1, Margaret Moss is the new director of the First Nations House of Learning, at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Moss works on the development and implementation of policies, academic programs, research and other initiatives that address the needs and aspirations of Indigenous learners. She also holds a faculty appointment in the school of nursing.
Dermot Kelleher is the vice-president, health, a new senior administrative position at the University of British Columbia, where he also serves as dean of the faculty of medicine. In his vice-president role, as of July 1, Dr. Kelleher leads the work of UBC Health by strengthening links with the provincial government, provincial health authorities and collaborative frameworks such as the Academic Health Sciences Network.
Four researchers recently received 2018 Impact Awards of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council: Shane Neilson, a medical doctor-poet and SSHRC Vanier Scholar at McMaster University, received the Talent Award for his work on the complexities of chronic pain; Tania Li, a cultural anthropologist at the University of Toronto specializing in the effects of human and industry interactions with the environment, took home the Insight Award; Jennifer Llewellyn, a professor of law at Dalhousie University and one of the world’s leading experts on restorative justice, received the Connection Award; and Carla Lipsig-Mummé, a social science professor at York University and pioneer in the area of labour, workplaces and mitigating the impacts of climate change, was given the Partnership Award.