The West’s coming apart – big deal

History’s notion of what constitutes the “West” has been reshaped by geopolitical storms for centuries, say Arthur Haberman and Adrian Shubert, history professors in York University’s Faculty of Arts, and co-authors of The West and the World Since 1500: Contacts, Conflicts, Connections, reports The Globe and Mail March 4. In an opinion piece, they write: “The current crisis over Iraq has claimed its first collateral damage. With the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain facing off against France and Germany, the entity known as ‘the West’ appears in danger of falling to pieces…. In fact, the West as any adult alive today has known it, may well be passing into history. But, should anybody care?”

Schulich places 26th in world

In the respected Financial Times 2003 ranking of MBA schools, York’s Schulich School of Business came 26th in the world, reports the National Post March 1. The ranking was tacked onto an article about how a business school’s position on leading MBA surveys, such as those published by the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal or BusinessWeek, can have a huge effect on enrolment.

York governor to help select top CFO

Fred Gorbet, a member of the Board of Governors of York University and York University Founders Honour Society, is on the committee to select Canada’s CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of the Year, reports Canada News-Wire March 3. This new annual award was created by Financial Executives International Canada (FEI) and PricewaterhouseCoopers and launched in association with The Caldwell Partners. It recognizes the quality, insight, direction and leadership of Canada’s senior financial leaders. Gorbet is director of the Institute for Research on Public Policy (Montreal) and has held senior positions in the federal government.