I wish you all the best for 2024.
You are all invited to High Table on Friday, January 12. We will convene to honour and acknowledge the contributions of the East Asian community at Massey and beyond. We will also have a special guest performance by the Artistic Director of the Canadian Chinese Orchestra and the Music Director of the Ontario Multicultural Music Association Amely Zhou.
This will be my last High Table and I will be able to transfer the High Table Chair to our Interim Principal. I hope that you can come and join us.
ANNOUNCING THE 2024 CLARKSON LAUREATES
Madame Clarkson and I met at the beginning of December and adjudicated many nominations for the 2024 Clarkson Laureates – it was a difficult decision, but so wonderful for us to see how many of you are engaged and committed to public service – at Massey and beyond.
I’m pleased to announce the 2024 Laureates, alongside their award citations:
Fifth year resident Junior Fellow Thomas Ayouti for his multifaceted contributions to the Massey College Community, specifically in integrating arts and culture into the Junior Fellow experience as well as his work in creating an environment of diversity, equity and inclusivity at Massey. Thomas was the 2022-2023 convener of the Equity and Inclusivity Secretariat, he has worked to bring distinguished artists to Massey College, volunteered his time and expertise to the recent Power to the Arts Symposium and was instrumental in the planning and execution of the inaugural 2019 Pride High Table. Thomas continues to support Pride Week programming at Massey College that now occurs annually.
In her role as co-chair of both the Massey is Lunch program and the Massey Law Society second year, resident Junior Fellow Sara Maqsood has enhanced learning and networking opportunities for Junior Fellows. Outside of Massey College, she actively volunteers with various organizations, leveraging her expertise to advocate for education, legal rights, and community engagement, particularly focusing on elevating historically underrepresented groups. At her alma mater, the University of Calgary, Sara played a pivotal role as a founding executive member of the International Development & Relief Foundation’s (IDRF) Calgary chapter. Currently, as a student at the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto, she dedicates her time to the Faculty of Law Review, the Peer Mentorship Programs and the Investor Protection Clinic. Sara’s impact is both broad and deep, extending from local grassroots initiatives to influential academic circles.
Third year Junior Fellow Michael O’Keefe for his commitment to public service through organizational governance and arts-based community initiatives. Among his contributions to Massey College, Michael has served as co-chair of the Massey Law Society, which aims to strengthen relationships between the College community and the legal sector, the Special Events Committee, which facilitates opportunities for Junior Fellows to attend creative and cultural events in the broader community, and on the JCR’s House Committee. In 2023, Michael secured funding from the College’s 60th anniversary committee and led the planning of a symposium and High Table to both celebrate the arts in Canada and begin (re)imagining power relationships in the Canadian creative and cultural sector, including between artists, governments, private sector funders, and the general public. As a classically trained musician himself, Michael has also performed at several College events. Beyond Massey College, Michael has volunteered and served on boards and committees at numerous charitable, higher education, and arts organizations. He has also undertaken public service roles in the government sector, most recently in the Office of the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Senior Fellow Dr. Samir Sinha works tirelessly and advocates on behalf older Canadians and is committed to education and training for medical students and practitioners. Since 2010, he has worked to create better public health policy and public health outcomes for older people – and been recognized with over 70 awards and honors including an Honorary Doctorate of Laws, $10M in grant funding and over 150 publications. His proficiency as a medical communicator led him to deliver hundreds of invited presentations and media interviews to multiple news outlets including internationally with the BBC, CNN and the New York Times. At Massey College, Dr. Sinha has mentored Junior Fellows and has a strong connection with Massey Grand Rounds – participating and supporting multiple annual Massey Grand Rounds programs to bring forward his insights on ageing and health disparities among older adults.
Félicitations à tous!
On behalf of Madam Clarkson and myself the entire community is warmly welcomed to celebrate our laureates and their accomplishments at a special High Table taking place on Friday, January 26.
The latest episode of JCR is available here:
Massey at 60: For the Public Good
Massey College, the home of “The JCR,” this #podcast series, is an interdisciplinary residence for graduate students studying at the University of Toronto. To cap off the College’s 60th anniversary, Junior Fellow, Leting Liu, a Ph.D. student in environmental accounting at the Rotman School of Management, takes a look at the College’s founding and how it’s developed. The interviews in this podcast were conducted by Joe Costa, Massey’s technical events producer.
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 10 | 6:30-7:45pm Alumni Dinner
Join the next Alumni Dinner as part of formal dinner in Ondaatje Hall. Alumni from 2005-2023 are invited to gather and everyone is invited to join. Register by 2:00pm Tuesday.
January 16 | 6:00-8:00pm Massey Grand Rounds
MGR will be hosting Senior Fellow, Dr. Samir Sinha for dinner. A Rhdoes Scholar, Dr. Sinha is the Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health System and the University Health Network in Toronto, and the Director of Health Policy Research at Toronto Metropolitan University’s National Institute on Ageing. Register here.
January 17 | 11:45am-2:00pm Reflecting on the CBC Massey Lectures Lunch
You are invited to an vibrant series that gives new perspectives on previously published lectures. Adam Gopnik discusses Winter with Senior Fellow Paul Kennedy. We have a couple of spaces left, join us! RSVP
January 17 | 4:30-6:00pm
Junior Fellow Pillar Program: Presenting your paper at a conference? Don’t freak out.
Open to Junior Fellows and recent Junior Fellow Alumni (up to 5 years out)
This is a hands-on session with alumni Chris Graham of TellPeople. You’ll leave this session with a toolbox on how to present clearly and confidently in public. Register here.
January 18 | 11:45am-12:45pm | online only
Ethics Series – Great Expectations: Holding Leaders to a Higher Standard?
The panel will explore expectations of leadership. Should there be a higher standard for leaders? What standards should be expected? How are standards determined?
We will be joined by former MPP of Kitchener Centre Laura Mae Lindo now an instructor at University of Waterloo’s philosophy department; Tom Axworthy, Massey’s Chair of Public Policy; Lloyd Posno, (retired) partner, EY Canada and Rev. Don Gibson, Ethics Series Co-Chair (Moderator). More details.
January 23 | 4:30 – 6:00PM Equity Talks: Objectivity is a Privilege Afforded to White Journalists
“Under the banner of diversity, racialized people are told to bring ourselves and our perspectives. But, if we bring too much of them, we get held back.” – Pacinthe Mattar
In a 2020 viral article, Pacinthe Mattar challenged the notions of objectivity, especially how it applies to racialized folks. Her argument suggests that what passes as objectivity in societal dialogues is really rooted in white-centric perspectives and white privilege. Join us to hear Pacinthe speak about her article, her experiences, and her analysis of how objectivity has been used to silence certain voices and narratives. RSVP here.
January 24 | 4:00-6:00pm
2024 Jack McClelland Writer-in-Residence Reading and Reception with Shyam Selvadurai
Massey College and the University of Toronto’s Department of English present the Jack McClelland Writer-In-Residence reading. Shyam will read from his latest novel Mansions of the Moon. Register here.
January 25 | 5:00-6:00pm
Massey Dialogues – A Crisis in Affordable Housing (Part II): Lessons from Residents
This panel will draw upon the experiences of residents to ask how well government subsidized options such as social housing and housing collectives have worked, and what can be done to make them more effective. Particular attention will be paid to Regent Park, where the Toronto Community Housing Corporation is in the middle stages of a long-term transformation of the city’s oldest and largest public-housing development. Register.
January 30 | 5:00pm Massey Loves to Read – Just Once, No More
Join the special panel discussion on the themes from Senior Fellow Charlie Foran’s latest book. We will look at relationships between men, specifically between fathers and sons. Joining the panel will be Junior Fellow Alum Divas Kapur. RSVP.
January 31 | 11:45am-2:00pm Reflecting on the CBC Massey Lectures Lunch
Professor Maydianne Andrade, University Professor, Biology at U of T and Canada Research Chair will discuss Richard Lewontin’s 1990 lecture Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA. RSVP.
February 5 | 8:00pm Book Club – In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas
Join us to discuss the winner of the 2023 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize with presenter Anthony N. Morgan. RSVP. Be sure to attend the formal dinner beforehand (email the Porter by Feb 2).
COMMUNITY NEWS
Awards
A number of our community members were appointed as members to the Order of Canada and Order of Ontario.
- Zainub Verjee – (Member of the Order of Canada) For advancing representation and equitable policy legislation within Canada’s arts and culture sectors as a leading artist, administrator and critic.
- Patrick Crean – (Member of the Order of Canada) For championing Canadian writers, publications and readership as a leading publisher, editor and consultant.
- Sara Angel – (Member of the Order of Canada) For her significant contributions to Canadian art history as a visual arts journalist and founder of the Art Canada Institute.
- John English (Order of Ontario) – Professor John English brings history to life, shaping our understanding of our past and place in the world today. He also served as a Member of Parliament.
Junior Fellow Otuto Chukwu has been awarded the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Travel Grant.
Alum Andrew Lam was recently named the Family Medicine Resident of the Year by the Ontario College of Family Physicians.
Congratulations to all!
News
- Read The Future of Freshwater, a report on discussions during the Future of Freshwater in Canada Symposium, that was held at Massey in September 2023.
- Senior Fellow Anne-Emanuelle Birn and Junior Fellow Alum Ramya Kumar (2015-16) have co-authored this new book: Going Public: The Unmaking and Remaking of Universal Healthcare, Cambridge University Press, ‘Elements’ Series on Global Development Studies.
- Marc Desormeaux on the 2024 housing market (CityTV | BNN)
- Senior Fellow Anthony Feinstein released a book Moral Courage: 19 Profiles of Investigative Journalists. Read an excerpt in The Star. Find a copy.
- Michael Higgins op-ed in the Globe and Mail about the Pope.
- Senior Fellow Brett House on the ‘silent depression’ and on the cost of living.
- Senior Fellow Jillian Kohler quoted here and here on COVID and contracts.
- Senior Fellow Dr. Peter N. Lewis has been named the Interim President of the Friends of CIHR.
- Senior Fellow Allison McGeer on COVID and flu at gatherings. Read here.
- Senior Fellow James Orbinsky calling for an end to the humanitarian horror in Gaza in the Globe and Mail here.
- Read Alum Michael O’Shea’s recent publication with Western Washington University, here.
Merci pour tout. Thank you, dear friends, for all your support over the years. I love Massey College and its fabulous community. It was a real honor to have served as your Principal.
Nathalie
