Tag: Announcements

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Announcement of the appointment of dean, Schulich School of Business

Detlev Zwick

The following is a message to the community from York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton.

Dear colleagues,

I am delighted to inform colleagues in the Schulich School of Business (SSB) and across the York University community that the search for the next dean of the Schulich School of Business has reached a successful conclusion. The search committee, chaired by Provost Lisa Philipps and comprised of members of SSB (full-time and contract faculty, staff, students and alumni) and myself, undertook an extensive national and international search, which attracted outstanding candidates for this key position in our University. On October 12, 2021, the Board of Governors concurred with my recommendation that Dr. Detlev Zwick be appointed to the position of dean, effective July 1, 2021, for a five-year term.

Detlev Zwick
Detlev Zwick

As members of the York community know, Professor Zwick has served with great distinction as interim dean of the Schulich School of Business since July 1, 2020. Prior to that appointment, he had served as the school’s associate dean academic with broad responsibilities for teaching and learning innovation and recognition, program development, academic policy, student services and international relations; and earlier as director of the school’s BBA/iBBA program. He had also represented the school on Senate and the Senate Executive Committee, as well as serving on the Joint Committee on Affirmative Action. He has been a member of the full-time faculty in Schulich’s Marketing program since 2002 and is also a member of the Graduate Program in Communication and Culture.

Professor Zwick holds a PhD in marketing from the University of Rhode Island, and master’s degrees from the University of Memphis and the University of Cologne/DSHS. His research encompasses areas of marketing and responsible business, including consumer behaviour, database marketing, consumer surveillance, and marketing and sustainability. His work has been published widely in marketing, communication, media culture and sociology venues, and his expertise is frequently called upon by the media. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on digital marketing, leadership skills, and the philosophy of knowledge in the social sciences.

As interim dean, Professor Zwick has been leading the school’s development at the forefront of technological innovation in management education. He has been working with colleagues within and beyond the school to advance its global brand and its reputation for excellence in research, teaching and delivery of an exceptional student experience. These initiatives have included the launch of a new Research Excellence Fellowship program and further development of experiential learning. He has engaged faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as external stakeholders, in articulating directions and priorities for the school going forward. His commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is evident in initiatives to address systemic barriers for students, including collaboration with other leading Ontario business schools to provide enhanced mentorship and support; diversification of the curriculum; and the formation of the school’s DEI Working Group to consultatively develop recommendations to address Black and Indigenous racism.

I look forward to continuing to work closely in the coming years with Professor Zwick and his colleagues in the Schulich School of Business at this important time in the school’s evolution, as it builds on its significant successes and outstanding reputation to lead in innovation and transformation in business education in Canada and internationally.

Finally, I want to thank the members of the search committee for their contributions to this crucial process.

Sincerely,

Rhonda L. Lenton
President and Vice-Chancellor

Ébauche confidentielle : Annonce du doyen de l’École Schulich des hautes études commerciales

Chers collègues, chères collègues,

Je suis ravie d’informer mes collègues de l’École Schulich des hautes études commerciales (SSB) et de la communauté de l’Université York que la recherche du prochain doyen de la SSB a été fructueuse. Le comité de recherche, présidé par la rectrice Lisa Philipps et composé de membres de la SSB (membres du corps professoral permanents et chargés de cours, du personnel, de la communauté étudiante et diplômées et diplômés) et de moi-même, a entrepris une vaste recherche nationale et internationale, qui a permis d’attirer des candidats exceptionnels pour ce poste clé de notre université. Le 12 octobre 2021, le Conseil d’administration a approuvé ma recommandation de nommer monsieur Detlev Zwick au poste de doyen pour un mandat de cinq ans, à compter du 1er juillet 2021.

Comme les membres de la communauté de York le savent, le professeur Zwick a servi avec grande distinction en tant que doyen intérimaire de l’École Schulich des hautes études commerciales depuis le 1er juillet 2020. Avant cette nomination, il a occupé le poste de doyen associé de l’École, comprenant de vastes responsabilités en matière d’innovation et de reconnaissance de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage, de développement de programmes, de politique universitaire, de services aux étudiants et de relations internationales. Il a également été directeur du programme B.A.A./i.B.A.A. de l’École. Par ailleurs, il a représenté l’École au Sénat et au Comité de direction du Sénat et a siégé au comité conjoint sur l’action positive. Il est professeur à plein temps au programme de marketing de Schulich depuis 2002 et est membre du programme d’études supérieures en communication et culture.

Le professeur Zwick est titulaire d’un doctorat en marketing de l’Université de Rhode Island et de maîtrises de l’Université de Memphis et de l’Université de Cologne/DSHS. Ses recherches englobent les domaines du marketing et de l’entreprise responsable, notamment le comportement des consommateurs, le marketing des bases de données, la surveillance des consommateurs, ainsi que le marketing et la durabilité. Ses travaux ont fait l’objet de nombreuses publications dans les domaines du marketing, de la communication, de la culture médiatique et de la sociologie. Son expertise est fréquemment sollicitée par les médias. Il a donné des cours de premier et de deuxième cycle sur le marketing numérique, les compétences de leadership et la philosophie de la connaissance dans les sciences sociales.

En tant que doyen par intérim, le professeur Zwick a dirigé le développement de l’École à l’avant-garde de l’innovation technologique dans l’enseignement de la gestion. Il a travaillé avec des collègues au sein de l’École et à l’extérieur de celle-ci pour faire progresser sa marque, sa réputation d’excellence en recherche et en enseignement et pour continuer à offrir une expérience exceptionnelle aux étudiants. Ces initiatives comprennent le lancement d’un nouveau programme de bourses d’excellence de recherche et le développement de l’apprentissage par l’expérience. Il a fait participer le corps enseignant, le personnel, la communauté étudiante et les diplômés, ainsi que les intervenants externes, à la définition des orientations et des priorités de l’École pour l’avenir. Son engagement envers l’équité, la diversité et l’inclusion (EDI) est évident dans les initiatives visant à éliminer les obstacles systémiques pour les étudiants. Il a pu accomplir cela notamment en collaborant avec d’autres grandes écoles de commerce de l’Ontario pour offrir un mentorat et un soutien améliorés, en diversifiant le programme d’études et en mettant sur pied le groupe de travail EDI de l’École. Ce groupe de consultation a élaboré des recommandations visant à lutter contre le racisme envers les Noirs et les Autochtones.

Je me réjouis de continuer à travailler en étroite collaboration avec le professeur Zwick et ses collègues de l’École Schulich des hautes études commerciales à ce moment important de l’évolution de l’École, alors qu’elle met à profit ses importants succès et sa réputation exceptionnelle pour être à la fine pointe de l’innovation et de la transformation de l’enseignement des affaires au Canada et dans le monde.

Enfin, je tiens à remercier les membres du comité de recherche pour leur contribution à ce processus crucial.   

Sincères salutations, 

Rhonda Lenton
Présidente et vice-chancelière

York announces launch of Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages

Artwork by Métis (Otipemisiwak) artist Christi Belcourt

York University has launched a new organized research unit (ORU) that is the first at the University to focus on Indigenous and decolonizing scholarship.

The Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages (CIKL) is led by inaugural Director Deborah McGregor, an associate professor at York and the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Environmental Justice at Osgoode Hall Law School. The new ORU will host Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers and students engaged in these areas of scholarship, and aims to facilitate knowledge production and dissemination that re-centres Indigenous knowledges, languages, practices and ways of being. Moreover, CIKL will support research involving both traditional and contemporary knowledges, as care-taken, shared and created by Indigenous scholars at the University and from Indigenous knowledge holders in the community.

Deborah McGregor
Deborah McGregor

Cross-appointed between Osgoode Hall Law School and the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, McGregor is Anishinaabe from Whitefish River First Nation, Birch Island, Ont. She has an extensive research background focusing on Indigenous knowledge systems and their applications in water and environmental governance, environmental and climate justice, and sustainable self-determined futures.

McGregor notes that “the Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages offers a generative space within and beyond York University to advance Indigenous scholarship, research theories, methodologies and practices that supports a keen understanding of the goals and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples. CIKL will foster collaborations and partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and others that create ethical space for dialogue on how research relationships can be envisioned, negotiated, practised in support of Indigenous futurities. Creating this ethical space in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and our colleagues across the University also creates opportunities for critical dialogue, reflection and change to take place in addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”

Joining McGregor as a research leader is York University Professor Sean Hillier, who will become CIKL’s associate director. Hillier has recently been appointed a York Research Chair in Indigenous Health Policy & One Health. He is a queer Mi’kmaw scholar from the Qalipu First Nation, and an assistant professor at the School of Health Policy & Management. His collaborative research program spans themes of aging, living with HIV and other infectious diseases, and antimicrobial resistance, all with a focus on policy affecting health-care access for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

“Having dedicated Indigenous research resources and space, as offered by the new CIKL, which is run by and for Indigenous Peoples on campus, is a critical first step,” says Hillier. “This centre will assist York in becoming a research-intensive institution and serves the principals of the Indigenous Framework and University Academic Plan.”

Amir Asif, York’s vice-president of research and innovation, says, “The establishment of CIKL creates a vital space for Indigenous researchers and all those engaged in decolonizing scholarship at York and beyond. The centre will play an important role in invigorating and disseminating groundbreaking, Indigenous-centred research taking place at and beyond York University.”

Stay tuned for upcoming events and initiatives at CIKL.

Provost announces new advisor and executive director for York U’s Markham Centre campus

Angelo Belcastro
Angelo Belcastro

York University Vice-President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton has issued the following announcement to the University community:

Angelo Belcastro
Angelo Belcastro

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Angelo Belcastro of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health to the new position of advisor and executive director, Markham Centre campus, in the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost. Professor Belcastro’s appointment is for ten months, effective immediately.

The Ontario government has committed to supporting the creation of a York University campus in Markham as part of its economic plan for the province. This will be the first university campus in York Region, an area that is experiencing strong population growth. The new campus is expected to serve about 4,500 students in its initial phase of development, with the potential to increase that number over time. A wide range of degree programs, including some programs being developed collaboratively with Seneca, will be offered at the new campus, advancing our priorities of quality in teaching and learning, interdisciplinarity, comprehensiveness, student success and mobility, and research intensification.

In this new role, Professor Belcastro will provide academic support in relation to all aspects of the development of the new campus in Markham and will be responsible for community engagement initiatives in relation to planning for the campus. He will work collaboratively with relevant AVPs, Faculty deans and programs/units to facilitate and support academic planning, as well as the development of an engaged learning environment and effective student services that reflect the needs, experiences and interests of students at the new campus.

Professor Belcastro joined York University in 2010 and has served as chair of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health since that time. He will continue to hold this position during his appointment as executive director. He has also served as Senate representative to the Board of Governors and as a member of the Senate Executive Committee. Prior to his appointment at York, he had served as vice-president academic and provost at both the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton) and Royal Roads University in British Columbia.

His research is in the area of children’s physical activity and how to promote health and fitness in children through community programs. He has been working in the Jane-Finch community in relation to this research to support and measure children’s fitness.

I very much appreciate Professor Belcastro’s willingness to undertake this important responsibility and I look forward to working with him in the planning of this exciting new venture in Markham.

Yours very truly,

Rhonda Lenton
Vice-President Academic and Provost