Last week was a busy one for communications. We opened the call for Senior Member nominations (see the FAQ on our website for requirements and deadlines) and issued a call for nominations (including self-nominations) to serve on the Finance and Audit Committee of our Governing Board.
Today, I’m pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the 2025 Clarkson Laureateships. Now in its 21st year, the Laureateships were established by Massey in honor of the Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, a Senior Fellow at Massey, during her final year as Canada’s Governor General. The award celebrates her commitment to public service by recognizing individuals in our community who volunteer their time and resources for the greater good.
Successful nominees will be announced to the community early in the new year and honored at the Clarkson Laureates High Table on January 24. Massey College will also make a charitable donation in each Laureate’s name to an organization meaningful to them. I encourage you to consider nominating those in our community who exemplify these values. Please send letters of nomination by email to: nominations@masseycollege.ca by December 1, including a clear explanation of the nominee’s qualifications. View a list of past recipients and their award citations.
On November 22, please join us for a fabulous night of food and community celebration at the Pride High Table. There will also be a LBGTQ+ Networking Mixer before at 5:00pm.
NOVEMBER EVENTS
Tuesday, November 19 (4:00pm) | Ethics Series: Lending a Helping Hand in a Time of Increasing Demand. Online Only
The impact of climate change and global conflicts are increasing the demand for humanitarian aid. As Canadians, how can we respond? Join panelists: Principal Elect James Orbinski, MP for Beaches – East York Nathaniel Erskine Smith and Junior Fellow Marianne Lahaie Luna.
Wednesday, November 20 (5:00pm) | Massey Dialogues – The Pursuit of Equity in International Higher Education
Intuitions of higher learning are essential to deepen our understanding of the world. For decades, the pursuit of higher education at the most prestigious universities often meant that people from the global south would travel to the global north to receive an education. We will speak with a panel of experts: Senior Fellow Edith Hillan and Nancy Gallini Executive Director of Academics Without Borders and alum Nataliya Machalina in conversation with Junior Fellow Alison D’Cruz, to answer crucial questions around approaches, knowledge sharing, equity and more. This event is organized in partnership with Academics Without Borders. RSVP
Wednesday, November 20 (6:30pm) | Alumni Dinner (2005-2014 cohort)
All Massey community members are welcome. RSVP.
Join the reception in the JCR at 6:00pm.
Save the date for the 1985-1994 cohort dinner on January 22.
Thursday, November 21 (2:00-6:00pm) | Ursula Franklin Forum and reception – History and Aspirations for Science and Engineering within Massey – Curating Ursula Franklin’s Vision into the Future
The forum will engage fellows and visitors alike to consider the aspirations for future activities around science, engineering and policy. The panel discussion will feature Senior Fellow Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Alum Julie Payette and myself with Junior Fellows: Mohaddeseh Abdolhosseini, Alec Krawciw and David Li followed by a new innovation – the UFF poster session for Massey. The session will be informal and fun with refreshments provided! Review details and RSVP.
Monday, November 25 (8:00pm) | Junior Fellow Lecture Series on Ethics
Hear from three Junior Fellows on the following subjects:
- Aidan Mitchell-Boudreau – Beyond Borders: Canadian and International Legal Responses to Non-Consensual Disclosure of Intimate Images
- Sourojeet Chakraborty – On Tantra & Ethics: Recognizing the Self
- Yizhou Zhang – Between What Is and What Ought to Be: Crafting Truth and Playing Real in Documentary Theatre
MASSEY PRIDE EVENTS
The Junior Fellows have organized a series of special events for the community in advance of our Pride High table this month. All are welcome to attend!
- November 16 (10:00am-12:00pm) – Clothing Swap
Bring any spare clothing you may have to swap with other members of the Massey Community, and to be donated to an LGBTQ+ organization (TBA). Bring your friends and family! RSVP.- If you can’t make it, there is a box set up in the foyer for donations.
- November 18 (4:00-6:00pm) – Queer Creativities
This event will feature the creative practices of queer Junior Fellows and will be moderated by a guest speaker. Please reach out to the Gender and Sexual Diversity Co-Chairs, Labiba Naeem and Lanya Feng, if you are interested in participating in this event. Attendance at this event will be open to the larger Massey College and U of T communities. RSVP. - November 21 (evening) – Ga(y)me Night
Drop by, have a snack, and play Codenames, Mafia, or the infamous Dutch Blitz with your fellow queer JFs! The aim of this event is to create a safe space for Massey’s LGBTQ+ community to socialize in an informal setting. RSVP. - November 22 (5:00pm) – LBGTQ+ Networking Mixer – open to all.
- November 22 (6:00pm) – Pride High Table – Join us for a fabulous night of food and community celebration.
COMMUNITY NEWS
AWARDS and APPOINTMENTS
- Journalism Fellow Mostafa Al-A’sar‘s film When Can I Have It! has been recognized with two prestigious honors at the Activists Without Borders Film Festival in the UK: shortlisted for Honourable Mention and Honorary Award for Social Filmmaking. More information here.
- Junior Fellow Emma Avery has recently been selected for two Excellence in Teaching awards in the Undergraduate Medical Education curriculum: Peter Boyd Academy – teaching award 2022-2023 and the Wightman-Berris Academy – teaching award 2023-2024.
- CEO Month Magazine and AI Global Media have named Junior Fellow Chukwunonso Nwabufo one of the recipients of the 2024 Canadian CEO of the Year Award for Medical technology Development.
Congratulations Mostafa, Emma and Chuk!
NEWS
- Alum Sourojeet Chakraborty co-authored a paper Incorporating Agile Methodologies Into the Chemical Engineering Curriculum published in Wiley. Read it here.
- Quadrangle Society member Marci McDonald was a panelist on CBC’s Ideas discussing “Conservatism at a Crossroads,” which aired November 1. Listen here.
- Senior Fellow Allison McGeer talks to Global Radio talks about avian flu. Listen here.
- Chair Akwasi Owusu-Bempah was featured in CBC article on new category of complaint aimed at helping RCMP track discrimination by officers.
- Quadrangle Society Member Robin Roger published a first-person essay in the Globe and Mail last week – as part of their Remembrance Day series, Robin details her father’s WWII correspondence. Read it here.
- Senior Resident Marci Shore was interviewed on podcast What is it Like? about Ukraine’s future, the US Presidential Election, and the History of Eastern Europe.
- Alum Christine Tran was featured in the Playful Horizons Speakers Series. Watch it here.
- Join Junior Fellow Fernando Yánez in exploring Generative AI with The GenAI Edge. Each issue offers practical tips, projects, and insights to help you integrate AI into your daily life, whether for work, creativity, or personal growth. This week’s article highlights how GenAI can act as a Thinking Buddy for self-exploration, aiding in defining values, creating mission statements, and fostering personal growth through introspective prompts. Read more and subscribe here.
See you at the college soon,
Jonathan
PS: Save the date for our Winter Gaudy (December 7) and our annual Chanukah Celebration (December 10).
