The York University community gathered recently to celebrate the career of the Schulich School of Business’ longest-standing faculty member, Wade Cook, the Gordon Charlton Shaw Professor of Management Science.
The celebration took place at the Schulich Executive Dining Room on Wednesday, June 14.
Cook has held many positions since joining Schulich in 1972, including: associate dean, Student Affairs; PhD program director; chair of Tenure and Promotions Adjudication Committee; area coordinator, OMIS; and associate dean of Research.
He was awarded a University Professorship by York University in 2010 and received the Dean’s Research Impact Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2015. In terms of research, Cook has close to 6,000 citations, has published approximately 150 articles and six books, and has been awarded over $1 million in research funding over the course of his career.
“Wade was one of the greatest teachers and educators this Faculty has ever had, respected by his colleagues and his students,” said Dean Dezsö J. Horváth at the retirement event. “His work earned him the esteem and admiration of researchers in his field from around the world.”
Horváth said Cook’s greatest legacy is one that will carry on long after his retirement; it is the way he transformed the research culture at Schulich. As the long-standing associate dean of Research, Cook helped to elevate the calibre and quality of research.
“He played an instrumental role in turning our school into a powerhouse on the world stage of management research,” said Horváth. “And he did it in his typical style – with kindness and compassion, with motivation, with humour and with determination.”