Students shine, win at annual Ontario Japanese Speech Contest

Microphone on stand

Four undergraduate students from York University earned top prizes for their language skills at the 42nd annual Ontario Japanese Speech Contest (OJSC 2024) held at the University of Toronto on March 2.

Eight students from the Japanese Studies Program in York’s Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics (DLLL) competed in four different categories – Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced and Open – in front of a large crowd that included contestants from post-secondary institutions across the province, sponsors, government officials, Japanese language education administrators and interested members of the public.

York University’s eight Ontario Japanese Speech Contest contestants, three student helpers and five faculty members.
First row, left to right: Giovanni Di Mauro, Hei Tung Chloe Shek, Keying Ren, Alexa Adams, Wonkyung Lee, Kumiko Inutsuka, Akiko Mitsui and Noriko Yabuki-Soh. Second row, left to right: Eri Takahashi, Secret Shields, Ariel Upiter, Binying Wang, Javier van der Westhuizen, Norio Ota, Risa Hatake and Arianna Carerra.

Of York’s eight student contestants, the four who earned awards for their speeches were:

  • Hei Tung Chloe Shek, who was awarded the grand prize (placing first in the Advanced category) for her speech titled “Views and allies of ‘young carers’”;
  • Secret Shields, who was awarded second place in the Beginners category for a speech titled “My name is Secret”;
  • Binying Wang, who was awarded third place in the Intermediate category for a speech titled “About MBTI”; and
  • Wonkyung Lee, who was awarded first place in the Open category for a speech titled “Liquor or Coffee.”

Shek, who received a return ticket to Japan as the competition’s grand prize, delivered a speech on her personal experience as a young caregiver to her disabled father, detailing how the rest of her family united and handled the situation, and how positive thinking helped her accomplish many things she did not expect.

As a result of their first-place finishes in their respective categories, Shek and Lee will go on to participate in the Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest at the Embassy of Japan in Ottawa on March 24.

Noriko Yabuki-Soh
Noriko Yabuki-Soh

To help prepare the York students for the contest, DLLL associate professors Noriko Yabuki-Soh and Norio Ota, and faculty members Kumiko Inutsuka, Akiko Mitsui and Eri Takahash coached them leading up to the big day. Yabuki-Soh, Inutsuka and Takahashi also served on OJSC’s Organizing Committee.

“It was delightful to see how those eight students, at different levels of proficiency in Japanese, worked as a team,” said Yabuki-Soh, who believes all of the eight York competitors performed at their best.

“They put so much time and effort into this when they practised their speeches in front of their peers,” she said. “Their hard work has paid off. We are so proud of them.”

York researchers appointed new, renewed Canada Research Chairs

innovation image

The Government of Canada has issued a new Canada Research Chair (CRC) appointment to York University Professor Godfred Boateng in global health and humanitarianism, as well as renewed the Chairs of three other faculty members – Ethel Tungohan (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies), Isaac Smith (Lassonde School of Engineering) and Steven Connor (Faculty of Science).

The CRC program facilitates world-class research at Canadian universities, boosting their global competitiveness, while also providing training opportunities for the next generation of highly skilled personnel through research, teaching and learning.

“From global health to migration policy to planetary science to neurophysiology, York University faculty are at the forefront of research excellence in their respective fields,” said Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation. “I extend my sincere congratulations to our four new and renewed Canada Research Chairs whose impactful work benefits the lives of both Canadians and people around the world.”

Learn more about the new and renewed chairholders at York:

Godfred Boateng
Godfred Boateng

Godfred Boateng, Canada Research Chair in Global Health and Humanitarianism
Boateng is an assistant professor in the School of Global Health, director of the Global & Environmental Health Lab and a faculty fellow at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research. He is also the principal investigator on a new project called “Retooling Black Anxiety” in the Greater Toronto Area.

As a CRC, Boateng will address global health priorities by focusing on anticipatory, instead of reactionary, approaches. Notably, he will look to further understand the synergistic epidemics of food, water, energy, and housing insecurity and their compounding effects, as well as the impact of environmental degradation and changes in climatic conditions on the health of older adults in sub-Saharan Africa and Canada.

Ethel Tungohan
Ethel Tungohan

Ethel Tungohan, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Canadian Migration Policy, Impacts and Activism
With her CRC renewal, Tungohan, an associate professor in the Department of Politics in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, will build on her work assessing the interconnections between policies, everyday lived experiences and social movement organizing.

She will continue to look at the impact on migrant workers, Canadian discourse, and policies on immigration, labour, and occupational health and safety in the pre-pandemic, pandemic and post-pandemic era.

Isaac Smith
Isaac Smith

Isaac Smith, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Planetary Science
Smith, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering in the Lassonde School of Engineering, will use his CRC renewal to investigate aspects of ice and climate on Mars and other parts of the solar system, including Pluto and Triton, Neptune’s moon.

The research is unique to York University and aims to advance knowledge of Mars’ climate and ice-related processes, in addition to performing glaciological modelling on icy worlds in the outer solar system.

Steven Connor
Steven Connor

Steven Connor, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the Synaptic Basis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Connor, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology in the Faculty of Science, will use his CRC renewal to focus on investigating how specific brain proteins facilitate the transmission of information between brain cells. The research aims to further understand how those proteins influence neural circuit function and activity, and how they can result in autism-like behaviour when compromised. Connor and his research team will also explore the restorative effects of reversing molecular changes linked to the loss of certain brain cells.  

York graduate students explore motherhood

child holding onto mother's skirt

In the midst of ongoing debates surrounding reproductive rights, five York University graduate students had work published in the Journal of the Motherhood Initiative that looks to re-evaluate conventional notions of motherhood beyond essentialist and biological frameworks.

The students’ essays have been published in the Winter/Spring 2024 issue of the journal, which was founded and edited by Andrea O’Reilly, a professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies at York. The biannual, peer-reviewed scholarly journal is dedicated to advancing the discourse on motherhood from a global and interdisciplinary standpoint, offering a diverse array of scholarly insights into the multifaceted concept of motherhood.

Andrea O'Reilly
Andrea O’Reilly

“The defining mission of the Journal of the Motherhood Initiative,” O’Reilly writes in her introductory notes, “is to promote and disseminate the best current scholarship on motherhood, and to ensure that this scholarship considers motherhood both in an international context and from a multitude of perspectives, including differences of class, race, sexuality, age, ethnicity, ability, and nationality, and from across a diversity of disciplines.”

With ongoing support from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada, the journal continues to serve as an important platform for advancing an understanding of motherhood.

The five essays – among a total of 11 in this issue – written by York graduate students build on that tradition.

Thea Jones, a PhD student in the Graduate Program in Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies, critically examines the impact of breastfeeding mandates on breastless parents who have undergone mastectomies in her essay. Jones challenges normative motherhood discourses and highlights the exclusion of non-conforming parenting bodies from mainstream narratives.

In her essay, Ame Khin May-Kyawt, a PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Social & Political Thought, explores the experiences of socially displaced refugee women/mothers from Southeast Asia to Canada. Through an intersectional lens, May-Kyawt sheds light on how these women navigate their gender norms and identities while fulfilling multiple roles.

Katrina Millan, another PhD student, presents a compelling analysis of post-apocalyptic narratives in her article “Only Mom Can Save the World.” Millan advocates for a queer futurism that challenges heteronormative mandates and offers alternative visions of human futurity.

Winter/Spring 2024 Issue of Journal of the Motherhood Initiative
Winter/Spring 2024 Issue of the Journal of the Motherhood Initiative

Tina Powell, a PhD student in Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies, addresses the marginalization of mothers in feminist scholarship and economics. Powell calls for an intersectional approach to understanding motherhood, one that acknowledges and addresses the unique challenges faced by mothers in contemporary society.

Sofia Ahmed, a PhD student specializing in feminist and gender studies, delves into the complexities of Muslim motherhood. Ahmed invites readers to explore the myths, challenges and spiritual insights of motherhood through the lens of Islam, celebrating the empowerment and resilience of Muslim mothers in navigating societal constructs.

The students’ contributions not only aim to enrich the scholarly discourse on motherhood, but also underscore the journal’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and representation within motherhood studies, a comparatively new field of academic study that O’Reilly, who has authored and edited more than 20 books devoted to motherhood, has spearheaded.

“I think that good scholarship of motherhood matters,” O’Reilly once told an interviewer. “But for me it matters more when we can use that scholarship in a way to effect societal cultural change.”

Study looks at LGBTQ2S+ workplace discrimination in Canada

LGBTQ rainbow BANNER

A York University research team from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) that researches lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, Two-Spirit and others (LGBTQ2S+) has released a study highlighting the state of workplace discrimination in Canada.

As much as Canada enjoys a reputation as a progressive country friendly to LGBTQ2S+ people, it is not perfect.

Workplace discrimination against sexual orientations, identities and expressions still exists. One York research team sought to seek out to what extent.

“There has not been much empirical evidence to show where we are at in Canada. We are quite happy to have sought an opportunity to gain better understanding of the current state of LGBTQ2S+ workplace discrimination,” says Professor You-Ta Chuang, who leads the project.  

Through a three-stage project titled “Act Up: From managing LGBTQ2S+ identity to changing workplace discrimination” that is funded by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council, Chuang and his team pursued a project that surveyed 4,205 participants to further understand the prevalence of workplace discrimination against LGBTQ2S+ employees in Canada and how they cope.

The study found that while discrimination against LGBTQ2S+ employees in Canada is declining slightly, its prevalence is still in line with a recent survey by advocacy organization Egale Canada, which showed that 72 per cent of Two Spirit, transgender and non-binary (2STNB) survey participants had experienced workplace discrimination.

The York study found too that perceived discrimination was above the national average in six provinces and territories, with the highest levels in Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

In terms of how participants responded to discrimination, the study found that more than half spoke up when they experienced discrimination, typically by addressing it or suggesting improvements to workplace inclusivity.

Those in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario and Nova Scotia were found to be most likely to speak up and participants in Alberta and Nunavut were least likely.

The study marks the completion of Stage 1 of the Act Up project. Summer 2024 will see the beginning of Stage 2, which will involve a study examining which emotion regulation strategies used by LGBTQ2S+ employees help them cope with and stand up against workplace discrimination. Stage 3 will then look toward sharing findings with academics in communities to help realize Act Up’s ultimate mission.

“We hope to increase awareness of LGBTQ2S+ workplace discrimination and to see more people (both LGBTQ2S+ employees and allies) are able to speak up against workplace discrimination,” says Chuang.

Department of English gives out writing awards

pens and notebooks banner

York University’s Department of English presents its annual English Awards, which recognize outstanding essays written by students in undergraduate courses across all levels.

Each year the department offers several prizes and scholarships for students in English and creative writing, many honouring former faculty members. Several of the prizes are supported by generous donations from former faculty, alumni and affiliated community members.

As is often the case, several winners produced work that reflected students’, and the University’s, ongoing efforts to pursue progressive new ways of thinking about culture and the world.

For example, student Chance Garratt-Dahan won the Best 1000-level Essay Prize for her essay titled “Story-Telling and the Preservation of Law & Justice.” The Avie Bennet Prize in Canadian Literature went to Rosina Nicolazzo for “Julius Caesar and The Death of a Chief: The Deconstruction of Colonial Knowledge and Reclamation of Indigeneity Through Theatre.”

Other students recognized for their work were:

Best 2000-Level Essay Prize 2022-23
Winner: Charlie Lee for “The Construct of Freedom: Comparing Baldwin and Jacobs.”
Honourable Mention: Sydney Nattoo for “The Tendrils and The Spaces Between: Metafiction in Cat’s Cradle.”

Best 3000-Level Essay Prize 2022-23
Winner: Emily Schuster-Woldan for “Reading a Film: Character Interiority in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1989) and its Film Adaptation (1993).”

Best 4000-level Essay Prize 2022-23
Winner: Trevor Froates for “The Swan’s Nest: Shakespeare and the birds of Cymbeline.”
Honourable Mention: Lubna Salama for “On Culinary Poisoning as One of the Fine Arts: Female Poisoners Edition.”

Brian Hepworth Memorial Scholarship 2022-23
Winner: Amor Lomibao for “Racialized Liminality as Suffering in William Blake’s ‘The Little Black Boy’ and Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone.”
Honourable Mention: Joseph Sereney for “Tyranny and the Power of the Female Voice in PericlesThe Two Noble Kinsmen, and The Winter’s Tale.”

Department of English Retirees’ Scholarship 2022-23
Co-winners: Suzanne Gregory and Javeria Rana.

Elizabeth Sabiston Prize 2022-23
Co-winner: Katura Gibb for “A Becoming Silence” and Robert MacIsaac for “Burning the Rule Book: Portrayals of Love in The Lais of Marie de France.”

H.K. Girling Literature Prize 2022-23
Winner: Cody Poisson for “A Great Deal Too Light.”

June McMaster-Harrison Memorial Scholarship 2022-23
Winner: Emma Verrilli for “Authenticity as Personal Legacy: Explorating my Family’s Italian-Canadian Immigrant Experience through Community Cookbook Writing.”
Honourable Mention: Lubna Salama for “On Culinary Poisoning as One of the Fine Arts: Female Poisoners Edition.”

Lucille Herbert Memorial Scholarship 2022-23
Winner: Cody Poisson.

Matthew Ahern Memorial Prize 2022-23
Winner: Jean-Louis Voyer.

Stephanie Stavro Scholarship in English 2022-23
Winner: John Batista.

Teaching Assistants’ Award for Excellence 2022-23
Winner: Madelaine McLaughlin.

Winning essays are preserved in the University’s open-access repository, YorkSpace. They can be found in the English Undergraduate Essay Prizes Collection.

Open Education Month puts spotlight on accessible education

Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change students in class

March is Open Education Month, a time to celebrate open educational resources (OER), which are openly licensed, freely available educational materials that can be used, accessed, adapted and redistributed with limited restriction. York University’s engagement with OER has continued to expand and grow over the recent years, helping faculty create inclusive and adaptable learning environments while advancing a number of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) – specifically, UN SDG 4: Quality Education, UN SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and UN SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

In an upcoming series of webinars scheduled for this month, Dominique Scheffel-Dunand, an associate professor in linguistics at York and co-lead for Camerise, York’s French-as-a-second-language (FSL) hub, will spearhead efforts to promote the use of Camerise, H5P, and Pressbooks for developing inclusive OER for FSL and English as a second language (ESL). Supported by a $5,000 award from eCampusOntario, Scheffel-Dunand and her co-presenter, education technology consultant Sushumna Rao Tadinada, will deliver these webinars in both English and French.

“The events that York is hosting and participating in for Open Education Month show that the University is making great strides to support the University Academic Plan’s priority of Access to Success,” said Sarah Coysh, associate dean of digital engagement and strategy at York University Libraries. “Open educational practices in the classroom help provide students with access to course learning materials from the first day of classes. Our York eCampusOntario OER Rangers have also been instrumental in helping to spread awareness of open education on campus and providing faculty, staff, and graduate students with training and guidance on embedding these practices into their teaching and outreach programs,”

The first webinar, titled “Creating Accessible Interactive OER with H5P for Language Teaching (FSL and ESL),” on March 14 from 8 to 9 a.m., will demonstrate the use of the Canvas (LMS) and H5P platforms to design massive open online courses (MOOCs) – open-access courses with unlimited participation – in both English and French, focusing on the values of openness and diversity.

The subsequent events will delve deeper into using Pressbooks and H5P to publish interactive and inclusive learning modules.

The second and third event, titled “Libérer la puissance de l’apprentissage interactif et inclusif avec Pressbooks et H5P en FLS et ESL,” will be offered first as a webinar and then as a hands-on workshop by Scheffel-Dunand and Tadinada Ra. Delivered in French, the sessions will illustrate using Pressbooks to publish collections of training modules developed with H5P and made accessible on Lumi, H5P.com, HTML or in PDF format. The two events focus on how to conceptualize the interoperability between various tools and publishing platforms such as H5P or Pressbooks to foster accessible and interactive learning, from K-12 to post-secondary education.

Interested individuals can attend the March 21 webinar from 8 to 9 a.m. or the March 28 hands-on workshop from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

“These webinars and workshop have been co-designed with Ontario educators to ensure stakeholders in FSL and ESL in the province and beyond explore how to author high-quality content and why it matters that such content be discoverable, reproducible and modified for localized contexts to meet community needs for language and culture,” said Scheffel-Dunand.

During the first week of March, eCampusOntario – a nonprofit organization supporting technology-enabled teaching, learning and innovation at Ontario’s publicly funded universities, colleges and Indigenous institutes – will also be hosting several webinars to promote OER and open educational practices. Charlotte de Araujo, an assistant professor in York’s Faculty of Science, and Stephanie Quail, acting director of the Libraries’ Open Scholarship department, were accepted into eCampusOntario’s OER Ranger program last August, making them York’s institutional champions of the use of OER.

De Araujo will be speaking at the eCampusOntario Zoom webinar titled “Designing and Publishing OERs: Creator Panel Discussion” on March 7 from noon to 1 p.m.

“The OER Ranger program has provided us with the opportunity to share the benefits of OERs with our academic community, promoting a collaborative dialogue between stakeholders and encouraging OER integration in our teaching practices,” says de Araujo. “Being able to implement OERs, whether it is a textbook chapter or an ancillary resource to review course content, can be one solution to help alleviate cost challenges, enabling students to freely revisit course material, fostering lifelong learning for all stakeholders.”

Quail adds, “Being an eCampusOntario OER Ranger has provided me with the opportunity to build my network of open education advocates across Ontario, while also co-creating events at York University with my fellow ranger to support faculty, staff and student engagement with open educational practices.”

As York University continues to champion OER and open educational practices, it exemplifies its commitment to accessible and inclusive education, paving the way for innovative pedagogy and community-driven learning initiatives.

Passings: Johanna H. Stuckey

passings

York University Professor Emerita Johanna Heather Stuckey, a beloved educator and award-winning author, passed away on Feb. 15 at the age of 90.

Johanna H. Stuckey
Johanna H. Stuckey

Born in Gananoque, Ont., Stuckey received her BA in English language and literature and her MA in English from the University of Toronto, followed by her PhD in English from Yale University. In 1964, she became one one of the first women hired at York and the first faculty member in the Humanities Division, later earning her membership in the York University Founders Honour Society for her contributions to the University’s early development.

Her original intention was to stay at York for one year, to be involved in the exciting task of setting up the new University, but she came to love York and the rewarding work she was involved in, and ended up staying until her retirement in 2000.

Her students were glad she did.

“In 1983, as an undergraduate student, I had the good fortune to take a course with Professor Johanna H. Stuckey. This course was truly life-changing and career defining,” said Andrea O’Reilly, a professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies and co-ordinator of York’s Bridging Program for Women. “Her course gave rise to my passion for Goddess Studies that I have researched and taught over the last 30-plus years. I have returned time and time again to Professor Stuckey’s teaching, and her wisdom continues to inform and inspire my Goddess Studies scholarship.”

Stuckey served in a variety of administrative positions during her time at York: as acting master of Founders College (1972-73), Chair of the Senate Task Force on the Status of Women (1972-75), vice-chair of the York University Faculty Association (1973-74), Chair of the Division of Humanities (1974-79), advisor to the president on the status of women (1981-85) and co-ordinator of the Women’s Studies Program (1986-89).

She also contributed to the York community in many philanthropic ways, as a founding member of York’s White Rose Legacy Circle – a society of more than 220 living donors who have made a future gift to the University – and by supportiung the Johanna H. Stuckey Graduate Bursary in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies; the Enrica Jemma Glickman Award and the Nellie Langford Rowell Library.

Stuckey’s research interests included cultural studies, history, feminist theology, women and religion, and especially ancient near eastern goddesses, and she published widely in numerous book chapters and journal articles. A February 2021 YFile story announced the release of what would be her last book, A Handbook of Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Near East: Three Thousand Deities of Anatolia, Syria, Israel, Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, and Elam (Eisenbrauns Press, 2021), co-written in her late 80s with the late University of Toronto Professor Douglas R. Frayne and earning them the 2022 Prose Award from the Association of American Publishers.

The late professor emerita received numerous awards for her accomplishments in teaching and research over the course of her career, but arguably her greatest achievement was the lasting impact she had on her students.

“Her lectures read like stories, and I was always enchanted by her words,” said Sheila Cavanagh, a professor in York’s Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who took a course taught by Stuckey in the late ’80s. “Her feminist analysis and critique was always developed in a thoughtful and magical way. She had us read about Adam and Eve and said something like this: ‘All women must eat from the tree of forbidden knowledge if we are to survive and thrive.’

“I cannot think of another, better quote, to summarize her incredible contributions to knowledge and feminist studies at York University,” she said.

Black Studies program expands to include major, minor options

Two Black students at York University

York University is entering a new phase in its commitment to Black Studies with the expansion of its existing program to include major and minor degree options under the continued guidance of Professor Andrea A. Davis.

A professor of Black cultures of the Americas in the Department of Humanities, Davis will lead the development of the major with Paul Lawrie, a professor in the Department of History and the Black inclusion advisor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS).

The Office of the Dean in LA&PS and the program development and curriculum innovation specialist in the Office of the Vice-Provost Academic are also involved in supporting the creation of what Davis calls “a very ambitious and exciting new degree program.”

“This new development,” Davis says, “marks a significant advancement in the University’s dedication to providing a comprehensive education that authentically reflects Black histories and experiences within academia.”

Under her leadership, York previously introduced the Black Canadian Studies Certificate in 2018, demonstrating a commitment to fostering inclusive educational environments. At the time, it was only the second Black Studies program in Canada to offer the study of Black Canada through humanities and arts approaches, including cultural studies, history, literature and music.

The expanded program will build on the foundation laid by the Black Canadian Studies Certificate, offering students a broader and more in-depth exploration of Black experiences across various academic disciplines, including arts, media, performance and design.

“We have made significant progress in mapping a unique, 21st-century curriculum, with cohesive learning outcomes and assessments, and we will be expanding consultation shortly with colleagues, students and affiliated programs,” Davis says.

Central to her pedagogical approach is the belief in education as a transformative force that extends beyond academic achievement. The goal is to empower students to critically examine the intersectionality of race, gender and class, fostering a deeper understanding of societal structures and inspiring them to become catalysts for positive change within their communities.

By delving into contemporary issues such as environmental sustainability, social justice and cultural identity, the expectation is that students will develop critical-thinking skills essential for addressing the pressing challenges of the modern world.

Presently in the development stage, the proposal for the new, expanded program is expected to be ready for the various approval stages within LA&PS by the spring of this year. Announcements of signed agreements between LA&PS and two historically Black colleges and universities in the U.S. are also expected to happen by this time.

“Without giving away too much, the curriculum will remain embedded in the humanities and expressive cultures,” Davis says. “The goal is to make it completely accessible and to include international student exchanges and teaching and research partnerships, as well as carefully mapped work-integrated learning opportunities.”

New graduate fellowship rewards exceptional scholars, community service

Audience Applauding Speaker At Business Conference

York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies has announced a new fellowship for students in its graduate business programs, honouring the memory of a beloved colleague.

Kenneth McBey
Kenneth McBey

The late Professor Kenneth McBey, who passed away in June 2022, was an admired instructor and mentor during his many years at York University. He was a passionate teacher in the graduate programs for Human Resource Management, Disaster & Emergency Management and Public Policy & Law, and a founding member of both the School of Human Resource Management and the Disaster & Emergency Management Program. In addition to his academic accolades, McBey served his communities in many different capacities. He was involved in a number of community and voluntary associations throughout his life, and was a commissioned officer in the Canadian Army Reserve.

Last year, to honour her late husband’s generous nature and legacy of service, Betty-Anne McBey established the Dr. Kenneth McBey Graduate Fellowship in Management. It is awarded to an incoming or continuing master’s- or doctoral-level graduate student who demonstrates outstanding voluntary service to Canada and the community. 

“One of Ken’s great pleasures was working with his York students,” said Betty-Anne. “I used to overhear him teaching during the pandemic, integrating into his lessons everything from the World War II Halifax Harbour explosion to the Shackleton Antarctica expedition. He was very proud to have been a founding member of the Disaster & Emergency Management (DEM) Program, and advocated for DEM to have a PhD program, which I understand may now be in the works.”

The first recipient of the $4,000 McBey Fellowship, in 2023, was Grace Megumi Baba-Hoang, a student in the Master of Human Resource Management Program. In receiving the fellowship, she reflected on the nature of her own investments of time and effort in the community: “In serving, I never thought I’d be rewarded in this way,” she said. “But the fact that my service represented something that you felt should be awarded and celebrated is very humbling and special.”

The fellowship will be awarded annually, on a rotating basis, to a student in one of the following graduate programs: Human Resources Management, Disaster & Emergency Management, and Public Policy Administration & Law.

This year, the McBey Fellowship will be awarded to a student in the Master of Disaster & Emergency Management Program.

“Professor McBey was a wonderful colleague with a strong commitment to York and to the broader community,” said Marie-Hélène Budworth, director of the School of Human Resource Management. “He will be deeply missed by his colleagues in the School of Human Resource Management.”

For more information on the award, and how to apply, visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

Prof’s book translated, published in China

person reading a book on couch with pile of books nearby BANNER

A book, co-edited by York University Professor Thomas Klassen, about the aging populations and shifts in the labour market in South Korea has achieved a rare feat: being translated and published in China.

Korea’s Retirement Predicament: The Ageing Tiger, which Klassen co-edited with Professor Yunjeong Yang, a colleague in Korea, studies a defining feature of the 21st century in many countries: more older people, fewer younger people.

Thomas Klassen
Thomas Klassen

The book looks at how workers in South Korea have been contractually obligated to retire at younger ages (mid-50s) and then take on low-paying self-employment or contract work. The thinking behind the policy was to ensure the workforce remained young and highly productive. However, Klassen’s book explores how as the labour market shifts with a rapidly aging population, the existing arrangement may no longer be as functional.

Translations of social science books are rare, as they are fairly specialized, but The Ageing Tiger was translated and published in China – despite being primarily about Korea – because the two countries have similar demographic and labour market conditions. As a result, because it covers a similar policy landscape, the translation can provide Chinese political, administrative and community leaders with valuable lessons as they navigate the phenomenon in their own country.

The Chinese edition of Korea's Retirement Predicament
The Chinese edition of Korea’s Retirement Predicament: The Ageing Tiger.

Klassen notes that creative and new solutions will be needed from individuals, families, employers, and politicians addressing population aging and ensuring that retirement policies are as effective as possible. “By sharing knowledge, which is what the translated book does, the best policies and solutions will emerge” says Klassen, who co-wrote two chapters in the book.

Xuelian Liu, a professor from the Dalian University of Foreign Languages who translated the book, agrees. “I firmly believe that the Chinese version of the book will be of value to researchers, students and policymakers in China concerning how to cope with the problems caused by an aging population,” Liu says.

The book also builds upon Klassen’s body of work as an expert in South Korean politics and policy, which has included teaching a summer study abroad course that allowed York University undergraduate students to travel to Seoul, South Korea. He is teaching this course again in the summer of 2024.