York U’s president offers his fall welcome to students, faculty and staff
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York University’s President Mamdouh Shoukri with graduands at spring convocation ceremonies
Welcome to York University!
President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri celebrates with new grads at Spring Convocation
The beginning of a new year is a fresh start whether you are joining the University for the first time or are returning to campus.
At York, our highest priority is to provide a healthy, inclusive and supportive learning environment for our students while cultivating academic excellence, sparking innovation and encouraging engagement. Central to these efforts is the preparation of globally educated citizens who are ready for careers anywhere in the world and are aware of the impact of their actions on local and international communities.
In achieving these goals, we share responsibility for building a community based on mutual respect where all members feel included and confident in their ability to express their views. York is one of the most diverse universities in North America. Diversity and inclusion are the bedrock of our community. We have a rich history of looking at problems from multiple perspectives and finding global solutions to the most pressing social challenges of our time. In your class discussions and interactions with peers, in the research you conduct and the work you do, I encourage you to embrace differing opinions, welcome challenging ideas and inspire open dialogue within our community.
As I begin my final year as President, I am more certain than ever that our future will be shaped by how successfully we embrace change, and by how effectively we commit to our diversity and plurality—not only as a university community, but also as citizens. We can’t afford to have knowledge sitting on the shelf; we need to test out our knowledge and work to better understand and serve our communities.
This is an exciting time to be at York University. I invite you to watch my Fall Welcome video (below) to learn more about the latest developments on our campuses. You can keep in touch with me on social media @YorkUPresOffice, and see what I am up to on my new President’s Blog.
I wish you a wonderful year, and I look forward to seeing you on campus.
Sincerely,
Mamdouh Shoukri President and Vice-Chancellor
York University ranked #1 in the world in quality of business ethics research
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Vari Hall in the sunshine
Mark SchwartzAndrew Crane
In a recent study published in the Journal of Business Ethics in July 2016 titled “A Citation Analysis of Business Ethics Research: A Global Perspective”, York University ranked as the number one academic institution in the world in terms of quality of business ethics journal publications. Publication quality was measured by citation impact of articles published in 10 leading business ethics journals over a 14-year period from 1999 to 2012. The top 100 academic institutions in the world were identified in the study.
According to the data set provided by the authors of the study, several York University professors contributed to York University’s number one ranking. Leading the way for York was Professor Mark Schwartz, who teaches business ethics at the School of Administrative Studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). Schwartz was ranked fourth in the world in terms of business ethics research quality out of 7,908 business ethics authors.
Dirk MattenDarryl Reed
Other top ranked researchers contributing to York’s number one ranking include Schulich School of Business Professor Andrew Crane (ranked 19th), former York University Schulich School of Business Professor Bryan Husted (ranked 21st), Schulich School of Business Professor Dirk Matten (ranked 33rd), LA&PS Business and Society Professor Darryl Reed (ranked 67th), Professor Emeritus Wesley Cragg, (ranked 69th), Schulich School of Business Professor Linda Thorne (ranked 132nd) and Schulich School of Business Professor Justin Tan (ranked 182nd).
Linda ThorneWesley Cragg
In a previous Journal of Business Ethics study published in 2010, York University was ranked seventh in the world in terms of business ethics research productivity based on the number of business ethics publications from its professors in leading business ethics journals during the period 1999 to 2008.
The 2016 study was published in the Journal of Business Ethics, which is widely considered to be the leading journal in the business ethics field and is identified on the Financial Times list of the top 50 business journals and Business Week’s top 20 journal list used for its MBA rankings.
Justin Tan
The other Canadian academic institutions identified in the study that made it to the top-100 list include the University of Calgary (28th), the University of Toronto (36th), Simon Fraser University (54th), the University of Western Ontario (78th), Queen’s University (79th) and Saint Mary’s University (85th).
Michael Charles appointed Interim Director of the Centre for Human Rights
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York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri has issued the following message to the University community:
Michael Charles
I am writing to inform you that Marian MacGregor, our Interim Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights (CHR), has accepted a position with the Law Society of Upper Canada as their Equity Advisor. Marian has served as Interim Executive Director of the Centre of Human Rights since March 2016, and prior to this appointment she was the Clinic Director at Osgoode Hall Law School’s Community and Legal Aid Services Program (CLASP). I would like to thank Marian for her many contributions to the University since she first joined us in 2008, and extend our best wishes as she starts her new role.
Our search for the next executive director is close to completion, and in the meantime I am pleased to share that Michael Charles has been appointed as the new Interim Director, CHR starting on September 5 for this intervening period.
Michael Charles has been Advisor, Case Resolution in the Centre for Human Rights for almost three years. During this time, he has provided CHR with valuable guidance on a number of key initiatives and priorities. I am delighted that Michael will be continuing his support in this interim capacity.
I will update the York community once our search for the next Executive Director is complete.
Reminder: Call for proposals for funding for ‘Canada 150’ initiatives
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In 2017, Canada will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of Confederation, also known as the Sesquicentennial. Canadian universities have been invited to hold events that will contribute to this celebration. National planning is being coordinated by Universities Canada, and York University is establishing a steering committee to coordinate events and initiatives, including a York “signature” event or events.
The University has established a fund to support initiatives related to Canada 150, which explore Canada’s past in some way, but also look to the future to explore a vision for Canada for the next 150 years.
Within this general framework, four themes have been identified by the Government of Canada: the environment, diversity and inclusion, indigenous people and youth. All members of the York community (faculty, staff and students; units and Faculties) are invited to submit applications for funding for Canada 150 projects within this framework.
General guidelines:
Projects may include a range of events and initiatives (conferences, workshops, guest speakers, public lectures, art installations, other cultural events etc.), including “virtual” events (videos, podcasts etc.).
Projects should advance York’s strengths and priorities, and contribute to building York’s profile and reputation in the broader community.
They may be entirely new initiatives designed specifically for Canada 150, or annual events presented with a particular Canada 150 lens or augmented to reflect Canada 150 themes.
They must take place within the 2017 calendar year.
Wherever possible and relevant, events should be open to the York community and the public.
Priority will be given to projects involving collaboration and partnerships, including cross-Faculty interdisciplinary collaborations, projects involving other universities, and projects with external partners.
It is anticipated that funding requests ranging up to approximately $30,000 will be considered, depending on the nature and scope of the project (i.e. $100 to 5,000 for a guest speaker or podcast, $5,000 to 10,000 for a panel discussion or workshop, $10,000 to 30,000 for a conference or symposium; larger requests will be considered on an exceptional basis).
Priority will also be given to projects for which some funding is already in place from other sources (i.e. from a Faculty or external body) or is being sought.
Applications (approx. five pages) must include:
a full description of the project, clearly indicating how it contributes to the Canada 150 celebration and themes;
a précis of the project (max. of 100 words) that could be used for promotion of the event;
a description of how the initiative will advance York’s profile and reputation;
project leads (must be affiliated with York as current faculty, staff or students), including their affiliation with York and contact information;
a list of participating partners (whether they are other York units, community partners, or other institutions);
a full budget for the project;
timelines for the project, including planning schedule and date(s) of event; and
an indication of other sources from which funding has already been received (with amounts) and/or from which funding will be sought (internal or external to York).
Application deadlines:
Applications submitted by Oct. 1 will be considered in a first round. Should funds be remaining following this initial round, a second round will be available with a Dec. 1 deadline.
Projects will be reviewed by a committee with representation from the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.
York U, partners receive $15 million in federal funds to build health technologies
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York University and Southlake Regional Health Centre, together with the University Health Network (UHN), will work to develop new technologies to improve the health of Canadians using a $15 million investment from the Government of Canada.
Navdeep Bains, minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), with York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri
Navdeep Bains, the minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced the funding at Southlake Regional Health Centre on July 21.
FedDev Ontario’s investment will be matched by $19.5 million from 32 partners that are developing three dozen new health-care technologies, resulting in a total budget of $34.5 million for the project.
The collaborative project will develop and commercialize apps and medical devices and will leverage big data to create predictive health solutions expected to improve outcomes and reduce costs.
“Our government is committed to positioning Canada as a global centre for innovation – one that creates jobs, drives growth across all industries and improves the lives of all Canadians,” said Bains. “Today’s announcement is a prime example of that policy in action. The most innovative solutions often happen when people from different fields collaborate. That’s why it’s important for universities, health-care providers, the business community and government to work together. That’s how we will come up with health-care solutions that improve the quality of life for all Canadians.”
The project, The Health Ecosphere: An Innovation Pipeline for Commercial Health Solutions, brings researchers and scientists together with business to develop technologies to coordinate health care across systems that previously operated in silos.
“This important investment by the Government of Canada recognizes the critical role of innovation and knowledge mobilization in both health promotion and health care. It will enable York to build on the success of our Connected Health & Wellness Project (CHWP), which demonstrated the power of providing individuals with the technology and tools they need to manage their health,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “York has collaborated with Southlake for many years, and we anticipate an even closer working relationship as we look forward to our new campus opening in Markham Centre.”
York University’s Faculty of Health is the lead academic partner and administrative centre for the Health Ecosphere project. Southlake Regional Health Centre, the largest health-care facility in York Region, will be the lead clinical partner, and UHN will play a major role as a key academic partner.Each institution is leading a suite of technologies to be developed and commercialized. Working together, they will create a health technology cluster in York Region.
York University collaborated with 18 partners on the CHWP, which also benefited from significant federal government investment, and through that program developed a Certificate in Health Coaching program.
With the new funding announced today, York’s Faculty of Health will expand its Health Coach Institute by producing specialized continuing education and training modules for students enrolled in the certificate program. It will expand its training currently offered to health professionals who want to add health coaching to their practice – such as nurses, occupation and physical therapists, chiropractors, pharmacists, social workers, emergency services workers, clergy and law enforcement. The new training modules will focus on emerging practice areas for the health coach – Aboriginal health, youth mental health, aging, obesity and diabetes.
In another York-led initiative within the project, Professor Paul Ritvo will team up with the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (CAMH) and NexJ Health, a Toronto-based provider of health management software for patients, to test the effectiveness of Internet-based, online interventions for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth with diagnosed depressive and anxiety disorders. Ritvo has been researching youth-focused online interventions for five years and will conduct two clinical trials.
Passings: Ramsay Cook, professor emeritus of history, was fascinated with nation building
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Ramsay Cook
Ramsay Cook, a distinguished member of the Department of History from 1969-96 and then professor emeritus, died on July 14 in Toronto.
Ramsay Cook
Born in Alameda, Sask., Prof. Cook began his academic career by completing his bachelor of arts degree at the University of Manitoba in 1954. He then went on to Queen’s University to complete a master’s degree in 1956 under the direction of Professor Arthur Lower. His thesis focused on civil liberties. Cook completed his PhD at the University of Toronto in 1960 with a dissertation on journalist John W. Dafoe. The revised thesis became his first book, The Politics of John W. Dafoe and the Free Press (1963), a study which reveals some of the basic characteristics of his scholarly work. This first study revealed his fascination with ideas and the process of nation building, themes that would occupy him throughout his career.
For 36 years as a professor of Canadian history, first at the University of Toronto and then at York University, Prof. Cook motivated countless numbers of undergraduate and graduate students to take up the study of Canada. It was quite a coup on the part of a fledgling university to attract so promising a historian away from the University of Toronto, and Prof. Cook’s presence at York University immediately gave the Department of History a status across the country. Throughout his career, he also sought out and offered encouragement and mentorship to scholars of Canadian history in Canada and beyond whose work he admired. As a visiting professor to universities in the U.S., the former Soviet Union, Japan, India, Austria and China, he introduced dozens of international students and professors to Canada and its past. Prof. Cook was a historian who believed that it was important to speak to multiple audiences about Canada and its history. Throughout his career, he engaged in broad debates about Canadian identity and Canadian nationalism through his writings and other media appearances.
In the 1970s, Prof. Cook focused his attention on the social reform and social criticism movements that emerged in English-speaking Protestant Canada at the turn of the century. His research into the history of the ideological origins of these movements and the proposals of some of their most prominent leaders appeared in a study titled The Regenerators: Social Criticism in Late Victorian English Canada (1985). This study demonstrated how and why many of the thinkers who promoted “social regeneration” contributed in unforeseen ways to the various forces promoting secularization. The study contributed to launching a debate on the impact of the scientific and social revolutions on Protestant theology in Canada and the responses of various Protestant clergy and Christian socialist labour militants to the crisis that ensued.
Prof. Cook was the author of some 15 books, editor of 11 books and more than 60 articles in refereed and non-refereed journals. He was the editor of the Canadian Historical Review from 1963-68, became the executive editor of the Canadian Centenary Series from 1983-88 and was the executive editor of the multi-volume Dictionary of Canadian Biography/Dictionnaire biographique du Canada from 1989 to 2006. Several of his books have been translated into French and Japanese.
Throughout his academic career, Prof. Cook’s many accomplishments were widely acknowledged. In 1986, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He was an Officer of the Order of Canada. He won the J. B. Tyrell Medal from the Royal Society of Canada in 1975, the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non Fiction in 1985 for his book The Regenerators, which was released in a second edition this year, and the Molson Prize in the Social Sciences & Humanities in 2005, a prize that marks a substantial and distinguished contribution over a significant period of time to the cultural or intellectual heritage of Canada. Twice he received the President’s Medal from the University of Western Ontario for the best scholarly article. In 2005, he was named a member of York University’s Founders Honours Society. He was a visiting professor of Canadian studies at Harvard University in 1968-69 and visiting professor at Yale University in 1978-79 and 1997. He was also the recipient of six honorary degrees as well as being named to the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the government of Japan in 1994. On his retirement, thanks to generous donations from his colleagues, friends and several important charitable foundations, the department established in his honour the Ramsay Cook Research Scholarship for graduate students in Canadian history.
As a colleague, he participated vigorously in departmental life at York University and, when he deemed it necessary, intervened in characteristically feisty manner at departmental meetings. He also had a great love for the Canadian outdoors; he was a gifted swimmer and dedicated birdwatcher, and was an informed admirer of Canadian painting and northwest coast native art.
A memorial service will be announced in due course and the Department of History will hold an event in the fall to mark Prof. Cook’s distinguished career.
Presidential Search Committee chair offers a message of thanks to the University community
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Rick Waugh
Rick Waugh, chair of the Presidential Search Committee, sends the following message to the University community:
Rick Waugh
As chair of the Presidential Search Committee, I would like to thank community members for your thoughtful input to the search process. Some of you attended our meetings, while others graciously invited us to attend your meetings; still others wrote directly to us. All perspectives, whether provided in person or in writing, have been recorded in a document that exceeds 100 pages. Anonymity has been preserved throughout this process, unless the individual or group has specifically requested attribution.
The committee members faithfully listened to, read and discussed all perspectives that were offered by members of the York University community, and this has provided vital context for developing the recruitment advertising and the position profile. Public advertising commenced on Wednesday, July 13. We will continue to consider your perspectives as we move forward with the work of identifying the next president and vice-chancellor. We are indebted to the many members of the University community who have taken the time to share their views with us. On behalf of the Presidential Search Committee, please accept our thanks for the perspectives you have provided and our gratitude for your thoughtful contribution to the search process.
Rick Waugh Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Reminder: Call for proposals for funding for ‘Canada 150’ initiatives
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In 2017, Canada will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of Confederation, also known as the Sesquicentennial. Canadian universities have been invited to hold events that will contribute to this celebration. National planning is being coordinated by Universities Canada, York University is establishing a steering committee to coordinate events and initiatives, including a York “signature” event or events.
The University has established a fund to support initiatives related to Canada 150 which explore in some way Canada’s past, but also look to the future to explore a vision for Canada for the next 150 years.
Within this general framework, four themes have been identified by the Government of Canada: the environment, diversity and inclusion, Indigenous people, and youth. All members of the York community (faculty, staff and students; units and Faculties) are invited to submit applications for funding for Canada 150 projects within this framework.
General guidelines:
Projects may include a range of events and initiatives (conferences, workshops, guest speakers, public lectures, art installations, other cultural events, etc.), including “virtual” events (videos, podcasts, etc.).
Projects should advance York’s strengths and priorities and contribute to building York’s profile and reputation in the broader community.
They may be entirely new initiatives designed specifically for Canada 150, or annual events presented with a particular Canada 150 lens or augmented to reflect Canada 150 themes.
They must take place within the 2017 calendar year.
Wherever possible and relevant, events should be open to the York community and the public.
Priority will be given to projects involving collaboration and partnerships, including cross-Faculty interdisciplinary collaborations, projects involving other universities, and projects with external partners.
It is anticipated that funding requests ranging up to approximately $30,000 will be considered, depending on the nature and scope of the project (i.e. $100 to 5,000 for a guest speaker or podcast, $5,000 to 10,000 for a panel discussion or workshop, $10,000 to 30,000 for a conference or symposium; larger requests will be considered on an exceptional basis).
Priority will also be given to projects for which some funding is already in place from other sources (i.e. from a Faculty or external body), or is being sought.
Applications (approx. 5 pages) must include:
A full description of the project, clearly indicating how it contributes to the Canada 150 celebration and themes.
A précis of the project (max. of 100 words) that could be used for promotion of the event.
A description of how the initiative will advance York’s profile and reputation.
Project leads (must be affiliated with York as current faculty, staff or students), including their affiliation with York and contact information.
A list of participating partners (whether they are other York units, community partners, or other institutions).
A full budget for the project.
Timelines for the project, including planning schedule and date(s) of event.
An indication of other sources from which funding has already been received (with amounts) and/or from which funding will be sought (internal or external to York).
Application deadlines:
Applications submitted by October 1 will be considered in a first round. Should funds be remaining following this initial round, a second round will be available with a December 1 deadline.
Projects will be reviewed by a committee with representation from the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.
Three York University faculty appointed to the Order of Canada
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The Member of the Order of Canada medal
Three York University professors are among a group of individuals with connections to York University appointed to the Order of Canada.
Faculty of Health Distinguished Research Professor Ellen Bialystok, Faculty of Education Professor and alumnus Stephen Gaetz (MA ’85, PhD ’90), and Osgoode Hall Law School Professor David Vaver are among the 113 new appointments to the Order of Canada, which is the country’s highest civilian honour.
“On behalf of myself and the entire York community, I congratulate these York faculty members, alumni and honorary degree recipients on this most deserved honour,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, York University president and vice-chancellor. “It is gratifying to see each of these individuals being recognized for his or her unique—and diverse—achievements. All are Canadian leaders of truly outstanding impact, innovation and engagement, and they reflect the best that York brings to the nation and to the world.”
The new appointees include one companion (C.C.), 27 officers (O.C.) and 85 new members (C.M.). These appointments were made on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada and announced June 30 by the Office of the Governor General of Canada.
Ellen Bialystok
Ellen Bialystok was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contributions to understanding of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism, and for opening up new avenues of research in her field. Bialystok is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology and Walter Gordon York Research Chair of Lifespan Cognitive Development at York University. She is also an Associate Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.
Her research uses both behavioral and neuroimaging methods to examine the effect of experience on cognitive processes across the lifespan, with most attention on the effect of bilingualism. She has published extensively in the form of books, scientific articles, and book chapters. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Society for Experimental Psychology, American Psychological Society, and other professional organizations. Among her awards are the Canadian Society for Brain Behaviour and Cognitive Science Hebb Award (2011), Killam Prize for the Social Sciences (2010), York University President’s Research Award of Merit (2009), Donald T. Stuss Award for Research Excellence at the Baycrest Geriatric Centre (2005), Dean’s Award for Outstanding Research (2002), Killam Research Fellowship (2001), and the Walter Gordon Research Fellowship (1999).
Stephen Gaetz
Stephen Gaetz was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for his leadership in providing evidence-based research to policy makers and practitioners in the movement to prevent and reduce homelessness in Canada. As a professor in the Faculty of Education at York University and the director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Homeless Hub, Gaetz has garnered international attention for his work on homelessness.
Gaetz has played a leading international role in knowledge mobilization in the area of homelessness. York University played host to 2005’s Canadian Conference on Homelessness – the first research conference of its kind in Canada. In addition, York University now hosts the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Homeless Hub, the first comprehensive and cross-disciplinary web-based clearinghouse of homelessness research in the world. The focus of this network is to work with researchers across Canada to mobilize research so that it has a greater impact on homelessness policy and planning.
David Vaver
David Vaver was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for his leadership in intellectual property law as a scholar and mentor. He is among Canada’s foremost leading authorities of Intellectual Property Law. His influence on the academy led to scholars from around the world to honour him with their own contributions in a festschrift in 2010, The Common Law of Intellectual Property: Essays in Honour of Professor David Vaver (an honour that has not been bestowed on many.
Vaver’s coining of the phrase, “user rights” in his book Copyright Law, has transformed the international language and perspective of balance in copyright, where users enjoy rights alongside copyright’s traditional stakeholders of owners and authors. In 2012, he was awarded the Pattishall medal for Teaching Excellence for Trademark and Trade Identity. He founded and served as editor-in-chief, for the Intellectual Property Journal (1984-98, 2010-15) and has regularly advised the Canadian government in various roles typically culminating in a road map for reform, or outright reform, in various areas of intellectual property.
Joining them are York University alumni Isabel Bassett (MA ’73, LLD [Hons.] ’01), Gregory Belton (BA ’80),Mary Cornish (LLB ’74, LLD [Hons.] ’15), Dennis O’Connor (LLB ’64, LLD [Hons.] ’07), Kathleen Taylor (JD ’84, MBA ’84, LLD [Hons.] 14) and Warren Winkler (LLB ’62, LLM ’64, LLD [Hons.] ’12).
Bassett was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her community engagement and commitment to the advancement of women and public service, notably in educational broadcasting. Belton was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for his active support and promotion of youth development programs, particularly through the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award and for his philanthropic generosity in the fields of youth services and the arts.
Cornish was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her leadership in advancing pay equity and for her long-standing commitment to social justice. Taylor, who is a Bryden Award recipient and member of the Schulich School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her contributions to the hotel and financial services sectors and for her community engagement, most recently as the Chair of the SickKids Foundation.
O’Connor was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for his service to the legal profession and for his commitment to justice as a commissioner of the Walkerton and Arar inquiries. Winkler was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of Canadian labour law and for making the justice system more effective and accessible as a former chief justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Recipients will be invited to accept their insignia at a ceremony to be held at a later date.
Foodshare Toronto’s Debbie Field encourages grads to embrace the unknown
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Debbie Field
Debbie Field
One only has to look back on their lives to understand that predicting the future is impossible, yet full of opportunity.
This is the theme that Faculty of Health graduands were asked to embrace during the first of 13 Spring Convocation ceremonies at York University on June 17 when Debbie Field, executive director of FoodShare Toronto and honorary doctor of laws degree recipient, addressed students graduating in psychology.
“I’d like you to think back to where you were 10 years ago and I’m sure very, very few of you could have imaged you’d be sitting here or would have graduated in the degree that you have,” she said.
“It’s absolutely impossible for you to predict where you are going to be in 10, 20, 30 or 40 years… and it’s very hard to know how all the things you’ve learned are going to come together for you to make your life what you want it to be.”
Field, who for the last 24 years has been at the helm of FoodShare, shared with grads her background and her own unpredictable path. After graduating from Trent University in 1974, she started but did not complete a masters degree at York in social and political thought.
“I dropped out, and here I am receiving an honorary degree,” she said. “Imagine that, imagine the changes that means for you.”
Likening her career path to a river, she encouraged graduates to embrace their own lives as a journey where each experience will open up more experiences – and that when faced with a “brick wall” – not to see it as a failure.
Field also suggested during that journey we make choices and students who selected a program focused on psychology and human psychology have made a wise choice knowing that their work can help improve the wellbeing of individuals, communities, and neighbourhoods.
“Increasingly, our society sees health and health promotion as amongst the most important paradigms,” she said, adding that her experience with FoodShare has highlighted the significance for change with respect to how food addresses health.
“In the 25 years I’ve been at FoodShare our ideas of how food was integral to health – which were laughed about 25 years ago – are now considered a central theme of health everywhere.”
From left, Chancellor Greg Sorbara, Debbie Field and York President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri
Food, she said, is one of those complicated issues of the future – one billion people will go to sleep hungry, 1.2 billion will go to sleep malnourished and farmers across the world face financial and environmental unsustainability.
We live in a world in which there is more than enough food to feed everyone and in Canada we pride ourselves on our publicly funded health care system, and celebrate public education, public transit, and public housing, she said.
“Isn’t it maybe time that we begin to think about a publicly funded, supported food system?”
FoodShare, and groups like FoodShare, are trying to find ways to address these big problems, such as localizing our food system and prioritizing the production of healthy food.
Field shared that part of that effort has been realized through a partnership established with York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies in the late 1990s, where students have participated in FoodShare programs over the years.
Here at York, she said, the Maloca Community Garden is a symbol of the change that is happening.
Sometimes, she said, change seems abstract and unattainable… and yet people coming together can often move mountains.
“As you look towards your life, be kind to yourself, try to balance a great vision with reality, take jobs that are not in your career path if that’s all you’ve got as an option,” said Field, “and, be calm and relaxed knowing you have been very well prepared today for an excellent life.”
York’s 2016 spring convocation ceremonies are streamed live and then archived online. Field’s convocation address will be archived at the conclusion of spring convocation ceremonies. To view her address, visit the Convocation webcast archive.
