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Learn about the transformative impact of new technologies at Monica Belcourt Speakers Forum

An annual lecture at York University created for human resources professionals will feature guest speaker Robert Carlyle, AVP strategic people analytics for Sunlife Financial on Nov. 20.

Robert Carlyle

The HR Talks: Monica Belcourt Speakers Forum was established in 2015 to bring thought leaders in the field to the School of Human Resources Management. The speaker series is named after Professor Emerita Monica Belcourt, founder of the School of HRM in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies and a HR trailblazer in her own right.

Carlyle will present his talk “The Transformative Impact of New Technologies” from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Schulich Executive Learning Centre.

During his lecture, Carlyle will discuss how accelerating technology development and social change has transformed how societies create wealth. With increased importance on innovation and creativity the criticality of human capital has increased while changing the mix of high demand skills. At this time of flux for HR practitioners, there is also the opportunity to reinvent how people are managed and led using emerging technologies.

In the talk, he will address four topics:

  • new business models driven by technology development and social change;
  • the new workforce; different skills, behaviour and organisation structures;
  • emerging technologies and practices in HR – examples of machine learning, natural language processing and neuropsychology; and
  • visions of Future HR – options for management and leadership with technology pervasive HR.

Carlyle leads the development of observations, insights and predictions to enable better workforce decision making. Through targeted use of technology this is improving the decisions of individual employees (e.g. what should my next job be?), managers (e.g. how do I retain a key employee?) and leaders (e.g. how do I improve team productivity?).

He is also the chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s HR Policy Committee, and member of the Labour Market Information Council of Canada’s National Stakeholder Advisory Panel and formerly the Canadian representative to ISO’s Human Resources Management technical committee.

Prior to joining Sunlife, Carlyle led workforce analytics at RBC, was the global practice leader of workforce planning and strategies at Aon Consulting and was the CEO of a consulting and technology development start-up. He holds several degrees including a doctorate in strategic planning from Cranfield University in the U.K.

A reception with light refreshments will follow the lecture. HR professionals, alumni, students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend this free event. It is presented by the School of Human Resources Management in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.

For more, or to RSVP, visit the event page.

Anti-poverty organizer appointed Packer Visitor in Social Justice at York University

Former Ontario Coalition Against Poverty organizer John Clarke has been appointed as the next Packer Visitor in Social Justice in York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies for a two-year term.

John Clarke

Clarke has a lifetime of achievement in organizing the unemployed. Born and raised in a working-class background in the United Kingdom, he moved to Canada in 1976 where he became involved in his union at Westinghouse.

Laid off in 1982, Clarke helped set up the London city-wide union of the unemployed and in 1990 helped found the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), for which he was elected organizer. Since then he has helped arrange several innovative campaigns to challenge poverty policies in Ontario and Canada more broadly, at both the legislative and administrative level. OCAP’s efforts were recognized by American Political Science Association’s New Politics section with their Cloward and Piven social justice award.

Clarke has written about his experiences in popular and academic journals, including The Bullet, Upping the Anti, Labour/Le Travail and the Osgoode Law Journal.

As the Packer Visitor in Social Justice, Clarke will participate in several workshops, lectures and events where he can bring his particular experience and insights into dialogue with the university community. He will also teach the fourth-year seminar, POLS 4410: Social Justice and Political Activism, in the Department of Politics.

York University established the K.H. and W.A. Packer Endowment in Social Justice in memory of Professor William A. Packer, who, with his wife Katherine, gave the University a generous endowment for the promotion of social justice in the 21st century and beyond. The Packer family is from Toronto. Katherine worked as a librarian at Glendon College and William taught German for many years at the University of Toronto. The endowment awards scholarships to graduate and undergraduate students, while York University pays the salary of the Packer Visitor in Social Justice.

Previous Packer Visitors in Social Justice include former Canadian Auto Workers’ Research Director Sam Gindin, former Canadian Labour Congress Chief Economist Andrew Jackson, and social justice lawyer Fay Faraday (now an assistant professor at York’s Osgoode Law School).

‘YU Got This’ event focuses on student mental health and wellness

The second-floor atrium of the Scott Library will be overrun with puppies, study tips and well-being resources during the YU Got This event on Nov. 20.

A student peer health mentor outlines some strategies for students about stress management and wellness

YU Got This runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is presented by the Learning Commons, Student Community & Leadership Development’s Learning Skills Services and Health Education & Promotion units. The event focuses on helping students develop skills to manage their stress and well-being as they enter the exam period.

Sophie Bury, director of the Learning Commons and Reference Services at the York University Libraries explains the importance of having the Learning Commons participate in the event. “This fall term sees the integration for the first time of Learning Commons partners for YU Got This,” said Bury. “The addition of more Learning Commons partners this year, including representatives from the libraries, the ESL Open Learning Center and the Writing Department, will enrich the programming further, for an event that is designed to help equip students with tools, resources and strategies during exams and assignment crunch time.”

Student peer leaders and professional staff will be present at the event to provide students with a variety of study and wellness tips geared to help them start the exam season off on the right foot. Results from the 2016 National College Health Assessment confirm that exams can be a very demanding time of year for students. The assessment shows that students across Ontario find academics to be particularly stressful.

Learning Skills Specialist, Mona Frial-Brown with a therapy dog

“YU Got This has continued to be an important event for our students because it gives them the opportunity to learn more about the academic and well-being supports on campus, make connections with York’s community members, and to gain practical tips and confidence heading into the end of term,” said Learning Skills Specialist Nicole Joron.

Health Education and Training Specialist Shaila Khan explained the importance of taking a multi-pronged approach to support students effectively. “It was important that we couple learning skills with wellness strategies,” said Khan. “We know that during exams it can be difficult to balance self-care and working under stressful conditions for an extended period can lead to burnout and a number of serious health issues. We want to make sure that students know that wellness impacts so many different facets of life. By helping students understand different ways to practice self-care, we’re helping them to boost their confidence and success.”

YU Got This has continued to be a popular event with students at York University. The same event held in March 2019 had more than 570 interactions at the different stations set up throughout the space highlighting services available to students. Participants especially enjoyed interacting with therapy dogs, a popular service provided to help students reduce their stress leading up to exams.

The Student Council of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (SCOLAPS) is also hosting a Mental Health Week, Nov. 18 to 23, to raise awareness about healthy ways to manage stress and anxiety. Some of the planned activities include therapy dogs, stress balls, art materials, free healthy food and much more. All will be available in Vari Hall.

New speaker series launches at York’s IBM learning space

A Knowledge Network speaker series at York University’s IBM learning space launched on Oct. 23 with guest speaker Mihir Shah, CFO, sales and distribution and IBM Canada finance controller.

After the formal ribbon cutting for the new space in September, students have been benefiting from the proximity and exposure to senior leaders in the building.

More than 30 students and faculty participated in a dialogue moderated by Professor Gary Spraakman from the School of Administrative Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LA&PS). In addition to sharing what a typical day looks like for IBM Canada’s chief financial officer, Shah spoke about effective job searching, career development and the work opportunities that await graduates.

Left to right: Mihir Shah, CFO, sales and distribution and IBM Canada finance controller with event moderator Professor Gary Spraakman from the School of Administrative Studies

“To prepare for the job market, building your professional network is as important as building your technical skills,” Shah said. “You also need to be relatable and personable. I encourage you to be involved in student clubs, sports, and other such activities that expand your skills and add to your overall personal growth.”

The next speaker, scheduled for Nov. 26, is Greg Houghting, CFO, IBM Global Business Services and York/Schulich alum ’97. Collaborative activities with IBM, like this series, are continuing to be explored to best leverage LA&PS’s presence in the building. For example, IBM experts have been invited to connect with professors and visit classrooms to discuss projects or issues that support our students’ curriculum.

“These are great initiatives being facilitated for our students. The exposure they get with senior leaders at IBM will have lasting impact on them as they prepare for their careers,” said Spraakman.

York prof’s book ‘The Essential Guide to Studying Abroad’ will launch Nov. 20

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok from Pexels

The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), York International and the York University Bookstore co-presents the launch of the book The Essential Guide to Studying Abroad co-authored by Professor Thomas Klassen, School of Public Policy and Administration, and Christine Menges, director of Career Center at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany,  during York University’s Go Global Fair. The launch will take place Nov. 20 from 12 to 2 p.m. in the Bear pit near the Scott Library. This event is free and open to the community.

Klassen is co-author of a just published guide to flourishing while studying abroad and mobilizing an international education to begin a fulfilling career after graduation.

Thomas Klassen

The book, The Essential Guide to Studying Abroad: From Success in the Classroom to a Fulfilling Career, covers all aspects of the international student experience – inside and outside the classroom – encouraging young people to perform their very best and succeed in their new environment. Written in an engaging and accessible style using examples, case studies, and links to resources, the book reduces the stress of studying and working abroad.

Menges, the co-author, was an international exchange student from Germany at York University in 2002-03. She is now the director of the Career Center, MBA Programs, at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, one of Germany’s top business schools. “We wrote this book to help the many students that study abroad and face the challenge of succeeding in a new university, a new culture, and a job market that works very differently from the one of their home countries,” says Menges. “The book contains a wealth of practical and hands-on advice, based on years of experience and expertise in guiding international students.”

The book is aimed at current and potential international students, as well as parents and family members, and school guidance counselors.

This event is part of International Education Week celebrations at York University. To learn more about all the events happening during the International Education Week, see the full schedule here.

From comedy to poetry, Founders College Talent Night showcases student creativity

To call English student Tom Baird’s comedic style self-deprecating would be an understatement. Baird – who described himself to the audience as a “near-sighted Michael Cera” – gave a side-splitting stand-up comedy performance at the Founders College Talent Night.

The first-year English major was one of nine performers who shared their creativity with York University students, staff and faculty at the event held on Nov. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Baird was the only comic in the lineup, but he wasn’t alone in his ability to make people laugh. Billy Friday, a second-year mechanical engineering student who moonlights as a poet and singer, got the crowd giggling as he melodramatically tossed his notes across the stage, followed by a spontaneous rap performance – with two microphones.

The evening’s roster of acts prompted a range of emotions. Ursula Hegge’s beautiful performance of “Blue-Grey,” a song she wrote and composed in a writer’s craft class, inspired melancholic smiles from the audience. According to Hegge, the song is about the deterioration of a relationship, using metaphors of colour and weather to depict it. The first-year psychology student has been playing piano and writing songs for more than 12 years, and sounded just as soulful as her artistic inspirations, Adele and Amy Winehouse.

For Pablo Idahosa, head of Founders College, creating a space where this range of creativity can exist is important to college life.

“While colleges are communities that foster warm, welcoming environments for student academic success, they are also home to other facets of student life,” Idahosa said. “This event showcases some of our students’ wonderful performative abilities, and we encourage people to celebrate and applaud them.”

Sabrina Fortino
Ursula Hegge

And applause there was. From Harish Mohan’s deeply personal performance of “Exodus,” a song he composed and played on the guitar, to Anjola Oyelade’s epic interpretation of Whitney Houston’s “I have nothing,” to Summer Solmes’ serene piano composition, the crowd roared with admiration and support for the talented students.

The evening ended with performances by Sabrina Fortino (guitar) and Malhar Memon (piano) and a heart-felt singalong to the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” led  by student Desmond Poon on the guitar.

In his closing remarks, Marco Sestito, college administrative coordinator at Founders College, asked the crowd if they would be keen to attend a talent night next year.

Students clapped and cheered, shouting “yes” and “we’ll be there.” 

Founders College students network with alumni at Meet Your Major event

Alumni: (L-R) Elizabeth Hanna, Melanie Taddeo, Robert Cerjanec, Alexander Lovell, Nivedita Lane, Natasha Prashad, Joanne Huy, Mark Stehlin, Lisa Brown

Founders College hosted its Meet Your Major event for the second year on Oct. 29, offering current students an opportunity to meet and converse with Founders College alumni.

This year’s alumni consisted of nine individuals, a mix of recent and older graduates, working in fields including: government, education, non-profit, environment and more, and were graduates of York majoring in history, health sciences, fine arts, environmental studies, geography, and human rights and equity studies.

From left: Alumni Elizabeth Hanna, Melanie Taddeo, Robert Cerjanec, Alexander Lovell, Nivedita Lane, Natasha Prashad, Joanne Huy, Mark Stehlin and Lisa Brown

This event has more than 40 participants and took took a speed-friending approach, moving the alumni around every 10 to 15 minutes to engage with a new group of students. Students gained a wide range of insight on topics including the alumni’s university experience, their struggles, their tips on what employers look for, interview strategies, going back to school and career possibilities.

“(The event) was really refreshing and reminded me why it’s so important to share your experiences with others, who may find some insights and direction from it,” said Lisa Brown, kinesiology and health sciences alumna (’03).

Not only does the event aim to help current students, it gives alumni the opportunity to give back to their college community as well as mentor those students.

“It was an amazing opportunity to connect with former students who were once in the same position as the rest of us and learn from their success,” said Mark Tricarico, third year, geography.

Guest speaker Joyce Green presents talk on ‘Enabling Reconciliation or Enabling Colonialism’

The Centre for Feminist Research Indigenous Women’s Speakers Series and the Faculty of Health Indigenous Lecture Series on Decolonising Health present the Joyce Green Symposium, a workshop, talk and Q-and-A that explores the practice of colonialism.

“Enabling Reconciliation or Enabling Colonialism? Transforming in Conditions of Colonialism and Ecological Crisis” takes place on Nov. 14 and features a workshop from 10 to 11 a.m. and a keynote and Q-and-A from 1 to 3 p.m.

Image result for joyce green indigenous
Joyce Green

Joyce Green, a professor of political science at the University of Regina, presents the keynote for this symposium. She will discuss how the justification for depriving Indigenous peoples of land, resources, jurisdiction, sovereignty, and respect relies on racist ideology, theology and views of development, inevitability and superiority. In what is now called the settler state of Canada, the solution to the imposition and continuation of colonialism on Indigenous nations has been deceptively marketed as reconciliation – not decolonization.

The practice of colonialism has led to destructive approaches to the ecosystems in which we are all located. While the situation is dire for both Indigenous peoples and our climate, there is hope and transformation to be found in solidarities emerging across communities, countries, and generations.

Green has taught in the fields of Canadian politics, women and politics, and Native studies. Her research interests have focused on issues of decolonization in Canada, and of democracy in Canada. Most recently she has been preoccupied with the project of Indigenizing the university and with reconciliation problematics. Her published work has dealt with Indigenous-state relations; Indigenous feminism; citizenship, identity, and racism in Canada’s political culture; Indigenous human rights and with reconciliation in Canada. She is the editor of Making Space for Indigenous Feminism (Fernwood Publishing and Zed Books, 2007; 2nd. ed 2017) and of Indivisible: Indigenous Human Rights (Fernwood Publishing 2014).

Green is of English, Ktunaxa, and Cree-Scottish Metis descent, and her family’s experiences have provoked much of her scholarly and political work. She currently lives in ʔa·kiskaqⱡi?it, in ʔamak̓is Ktunaxa  (Cranbrook, B.C., in Ktunaxa territory).

This even is co-organized by Elaine Coburn (International Studies, Glendon) and Sean Hillier (Health). Click here to request to attend the workshop.

The keynote will serve light refreshments beginning at 12:45 p.m. It takes place in the Second Student Centre, Second Floor Convention Hall and is open to all.
Click here to RSVP

For more, contact CFR coordinator Julia Pyryeskina at juliapyr@yorku.ca.

The event is co-sponsored by the Department of Equity Studies, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Office of the Dean-Faculty of Graduate Studies, Graduate Program in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, Graduate Program in Social and Political Thought, York Indigeneity in Teaching and Learning Fund-Office of the Vice Provost Academic, Glendon Indigenous Affairs Council.

Kagiso Lesego Molope on writing about queer love

books literacy
A stack of books

On Nov. 5, the 2019-20 Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series presented author Kagiso Lesego Molope reading from her recent book, Such a Lonely, Lovely Road. York University Teaching Assistant Dana Patrascu-Kingsley sent the following report to YFile.

Such a Lonely, Lovely RoadKagiso Lesego Molope visited the Canadian Writers in Person series at York University on Nov. 5 to talk about her latest novel, Such a Lonely, Lovely Road. This book shows us that, as Molope said, “through stories we can travel the world” and understand the experiences of other people.

Winner of the 2019 Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award for Excellence in African Writing, Such a Lonely, Lovely Road is a love story between two men who have to struggle against many societal obstacles to be together. “One of the most important things for me in writing this story was humanizing these two gay men and making them as relatable as possible,” said Molope.

The journey of this novel started years ago, when Molope was living in South Africa, and, for her university thesis, she interviewed gay men about the de-segregated gay spaces that existed at night in urban places. “Even though it was a very segregated country, there were places where gay people of different communities met and interacted… I wanted to write about these different areas where people came together and then came apart,” she said.

The author explained that when she writes fiction, “a character comes to me, and I follow them around to see where they will take me.” Sediba (the lover character in Such a Lonely, Lovely Road) came to her very vividly, and she knew he was in love, but didn’t know with whom, at first.

Molope said that in this book she wanted to explore what it took for a man to feel like an outsider. The protagonist of the novel, Kabelo Mosala, is adored by his parents and by the whole community he lives in; the best is expected of him. And yet, he feels that this adoration is predicated on him being the person that they see in him. That is why he struggles with coming out and losing his position in their eyes.

The next writer to visit York University as part of the Canadian Writers in Person series is Tea Mutonji who will be talking about her book, Shut Up You’re Pretty, on Nov. 19.

Readings are free and open to any member of the public. To learn more, contact Professor Leslie Sanders at leslie@yorku.ca or Professor Gail Vanstone at gailv@yorku.ca. All readings are held Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. in Room 206, Accolade West Building, Keele Campus.

York University tops Research Infosource rankings for its role in creating positive societal change

Research York University
Research York University

Building on York’s reputation as a research-intensive university that is tackling societal issues through collaborative research, Research Infosource has ranked York University among the top 50 research universities in Canada for the third year in a row. York rises to the number one spot in Canada in key areas of strength in the social sciences and humanities. The University places third in health. The rankings look at research income and publications, two key areas that indicate research intensification and impact.

“York University and the Vice-President Research & Innovation are inspired by the 2019 rankings results from Research Infosource. These rankings recognize the important work our researchers are undertaking to tackle societal issues and shines a spotlight on the University’s historical focus on social sciences and humanities, and its emerging expertise in health,” said Rui Wang, interim vice-president research & innovation.

Research income, or the granting of funds for supported research, involves a highly competitive assessment process. This income fuels the innovation capacity, drives research aspirations and allows the University to realize its vast potential. In term of research income, York University was ranked first in Corporate Research Income Growth (per cent change FY2017-FY2018); and third in University Research Income Growth (per cent change FY2017-FY2018).

In publications, a traditional indicator of research intensification, York University excelled in the social sciences and humanities, and the health sciences. York ranked first in Social Sciences and Humanities publications in terms of number of publications; first in Social Sciences and Humanities publications in terms of the percentage of total publications; and third in Health Sciences publications as a percentage of total publications (comprehensive category, 2013-2017).

The social sciences and humanities ranking speaks to York’s historic strengths as the University is known for its interdisciplinary approach that embraces reflective assessments of society, cultural change and ways of knowing. Researchers are exploring historical change, political activism, the social and economic transformations of societies within Canada and around the world, and how culture has been and continues to be a crucial means of expression and avenue for creative problem solving.

The Research Infosource ranking is especially significant to the Faculty of Health since it’s a relatively new faculty, having come into being in September 2006. Researchers in this Faculty are focusing on improving health outcomes and bridging new knowledge and applications to improve the understanding, prevention and treatment of disease and injuries and to provide healthier environments for individuals and communities.

York’s growing reputation as a leader in health research has been reflected since 2017 in the hosting of Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Population and Public Health, and through Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA), which involves researchers from across the University in advancing our understanding of how the brain works, linking visual neuroscience with computer vision, making connections across the health care sector, and contributing to new innovations.

About Research Infosource

Research Infosource is widely acknowledged as a respected and leading source of ranking information on research universities, corporations, hospitals and colleges that are used and followed by the research and innovation community, opinion and policy leaders in the government, research, corporate, higher education and non-profit sectors.

Each year, it publishes Canada’s Innovation Leaders – the premier national print and digital publication that includes key editorial content and its Who’s Who ranking and analysis of Canada’s leading research universities, corporations, hospitals and colleges that are enhancing Canada’s global competitiveness in the knowledge economy.

To see this year’s ranking, visit the Research Infosource website.