Brock News
Final iPod winner in the CGPSS contest
Linda Arevalo is the third and final winner of an iPod for participating in the Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey (CGPSS).
Arevalo, an MBA student, won the last of three iPods in the contest, which was open to graduate students who participated in the survey.
The other winners were Amanda Kirkwood, a master's student in Applied Health Sciences, and Kirk Stokes, an MA student in Psychology.
The CGPSS survey is part of the accountability framework within which Ontario universities operate. It asks students about their graduate school experiences including satisfaction levels with programs and services as well as support and opportunities for research.
"The feedback we receive from students is integral to identifying our strengths and weaknesses in graduate education," says Marilyn Rose, Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies. "This is an opportunity for students to make a difference to our future graduate community - we just need about 20 minutes of their time."
Brock first participated in the survey in 2007 - the report from the analysis of the 2007 survey can be viewed online.
Professor Zopito Marini Honoured With 3M Teaching Fellowship
The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Educational Technologies would like to congratulate professor Zopito Marini for being named as one of this years 3M Fellows. The 3M National Teaching Fellowship honours the best university teachers in Canada annually.
Professor Marini has previously won the 2006 Brock University Award for Distinguished Teaching as well as the 2006 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2006 Award from OCUFA. This marks the first recognition of his teaching nationally.
You can learn more about professor Marini and the 3M Fellowship via:
Bookmark/Search this post with:Brock prof honoured with prestigious national teaching award
A Brock University professor known for his influential work on bullying and civility in teaching and learning has received one of Canada's most prestigious national teaching awards.
Professor Zopito Marini, a developmental and educational psychologist in the department of Child and Youth Studies, is a recipient of a 2010 3M National Teaching Fellowship from 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
"Professor Marini is both and outstanding teacher and an exceptional mentor to our students. He has that rare ability to connect with students in large first-year classes as well as smaller upper-level seminars,” says Murray Knuttila, Provost and Vice-President, Academic at Brock. “He is a valued senior member of our faculty, a passionate teacher and a recognized and respected educational leader in our community.”
Marini is the ninth Brock professor to be named a 3M National Teaching Fellow. He has been at Brock for more than 25 years and was the founding Chair of the University’s popular department of Child and Youth Studies.
“I am extremely grateful for this award. It is not only a significant achievement for me personally, but also for the quality and scholarship of teaching at Brock,” says Marini. “For a university of our size, this is definitely a big deal. And I am honoured to share this success with other 3M Fellows and faculty at Brock who do so much to advance the quality of teaching at our University.”
Marini is a popular instructor with students and consistently receives one of the top rankings for teaching evaluations in his department. He has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to his students, involving them as co-presenters on scholarly presentations and co-authors on many publications.
His distinguished contributions to teaching and learning at Brock are characterized by one of the main tenets of his teaching philosophy, that “the teaching should remain long after the teacher has gone.”
One of his past student notes: “I have absolutely no doubt that the opportunities Dr. Marini provided me with as an undergraduate student have been instrumental to my career successes. I’m still extremely grateful for the fact that whenever I need a helping hand all I have to do is call or email Dr. Marini and he’s always willing to offer me guidance and assistance.”
Marini also holds a Brock Chancellor's Chair for Teaching Excellence to support his ongoing work on the linkages between civility in the classroom and learning outcomes. In 2006 he was presented with the Faculty of Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Brock University Award for Distinguished Teaching, and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award.
He is also well-known in Niagara and beyond for his expertise. He has taught educators, child-care workers and parents, and is often called upon to provide comments about social issues such as bullying, school violence and conflict prevention and resolution strategies.
The 3M National Teaching Fellowship is the only national teaching award for post-secondary education in Canada. It is given to individuals who not only excel in the teaching of their own courses but also demonstrate an exceptionally high degree of leadership and commitment to the improvement of university teaching across disciplines. A maximum of 10 awards are presented nationally each year among the 35,000 professional academics across Canada who are eligible.
Previous Brock University 3M award winners include: David DiBattista (2007), Lorne Adams (2004), John Mitterer (2004), Maureen Connolly (2003), Anna Lathrop (2001), Barry W.K. Joe (2000), Donald Ursino (1991) and Clarke Thomson (1989).
For more information contact Kevin Cavanagh, Associate Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Brock University, 905-688-5550 x5888; kcavanagh@brocku.ca
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Symposium will showcase medieval documents at Brock
On Friday March 19, Brock University will host a symposium showcasing recently rediscovered and newly gifted medieval documents from the James A. Gibson Library’s Special Collections and Archives.
The event takes place in the Dr. Charles A. Sankey Chamber at Brock from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend and admission is free.
“This is a rare opportunity to view these documents first-hand since they are not normally on display or put out for viewing,” says David Sharron, Head of Special Collections and Archives. “We will also have a panel of medieval studies experts from various backgrounds who will explain the historical contexts of the artifacts on display.”
Since March 2009, three documents dating to the middle ages have been rediscovered in Brock’s Special Collections and Archives. And two more documents from the 15th and 16th centuries have recently been donated to the University.
The rediscovered items include a 15th-century piece of sheet music, a 14th-century psalm from a church reader and the 13th-century Clopton Charter that was found in a drawer last year.
One of the newly donated items is a letter of King James VI of Scotland from 1579 that bears not only remains of the privy seal of Scotland but also the king’s signature. James VI later became King James I of England after the passing of Queen Elizabeth I.
The panel includes Dr. David Caldwell, Keeper of Scotland and Europe, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh and donor of the two newest documents; Professor Michael Gervers, University of Toronto; and from Brock, André Basson, Campus Ministries, Brian Power, chair of the Department of Music, Andrew McDonald, History and Medieval and Renaissance Studies (MARS), Angus Somerville, associate professor of English Language and Literature and Mathew Martin, associate professor of English Language and Literature and director of MARS.
Dr. Caldwell will deliver the keynote talk, “Sources of Scottish history: a particularly broad view”.
Niagara Falls-native Jonathan Milner, who graduated with an honours BA in History from Brock last June, will also give a poster presentation detailing the follow-up investigation and research he was hired to do on the 13th-century Clopton Charter.
The symposium is sponsored by the Humanities Research Institute, Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Department of History and James A. Gibson Library.
For more info: Andrew McDonald, associate professor, History, 905-688-5550 x3569; amcdonald@brocku.ca; David Sharron, Head, Special Collections and Archives, James A. Gibson Library, 905-688-5550 x3264; dsharron@brocku.ca
Bookmark/Search this post with:The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts presents Momentum / Showcase 2010
Momentum / Showcase 2010 promises to be a dynamic event featuring live theatrical and musical performances, digital projections and an exhibit of photographs provided by the students of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University.
Come and experience some of the best and most original of student work that we have to offer. From performance to performance, this event is designed to let you fully enjoy the moment as performers scale the heights of their talent and give vent to the creative process in all its power and disciplined subtlety.
Directed by Monica Dufault, the many talents of students from the Departments of Dramatic Arts, Music and Visual Arts will be highlighted creating a mix of genres that explore the range and depth of impassioned creativity.
The theme of this year's show Momentum captures the spirit of our time, poised as we are with the expectation and promise of relocating the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts to a downtown St. Catharines location.
Created in 2002 under the vision of Rosemary Hale, Dean, Faculty of Humanities, the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts is an interdisciplinary centre for creative and scholarly activities relating to the arts. The School is comprised of the Departments of Dramatic Arts, Music, Visual Arts, and the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture. Mentored by dedicated faculty this is a supportive learning environment in which students develop their own creativity within an understanding of the role of arts in society, gaining hands-on experience while exploring the connections between theory and practice.
Momentum / Showcase 2010 will be held at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock University on Sunday, March 21 at 2 p.m. Share in the vitality of human drama written for the stage, the resonance of live musical performance, and the nuance of digital art and photography. This is a free community event. Mature language.
Brock University, City of Welland announce partnership
Today Brock University and the City of Welland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide a framework for how they will work together on future projects.
In signing the document today at Welland City Hall, Brock President Jack Lightstone and Welland Mayor Damian Goulbourne also announced the partnership’s first initiative and a significant step forward.
The University is agreeing in principle to a long term-lease of space to locate the Brock University Human Performance Centre in the Welland International Flatwater Centre. The Brock Centre will operate non-academic, revenue-generating activities that support the work of Brock’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences.
The MOU establishes an understanding between both parties with respect to five key items — a feasibility analysis, site identification and development, financial collaboration, public relations and communications, and government relations.
“For Welland this is a true milestone,” says Mayor Goulbourne. “We are entering not just into a stronger relationship with Brock University, we are entering a new chapter of our own history, a chapter of opportunity and achievement. This will put our community in a positive spotlight and be a lasting legacy of the games in our community for generations to come.”
“This project has wonderful potential for Welland and Niagara on a number of levels — from providing health and wellness support for our children, to creating a marvelous sport and training facility that will help make Welland a nationally and internationally known destination point,” says President Lightstone. “It is a terrific example of collaboration and progress, and we at Brock are proud to be partners with the people of Welland.”
For more information, please contact:
- Damian Goulbourne, Mayor of Welland 905-735-1700 x2101
- Christine Mintoff, Communications/Acting City Clerk, City of Welland, 905-735-1700 x2280; christine.mintoff@welland.ca
- Jeffrey Sinibaldi, Media Relations Officer, Brock University, 905-688-5550 x4687; jsinibaldi@brocku.ca
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Summer On-Campus Housing - Reserve by March 19, 2010.
Students that would like to stay on campus starting in May for Spring courses can send their reservation to www.stayatbrock.ca
Accommodation in the summer is in Quarry View Residence. This residence has private bedrooms and rates as low as $495 per month. Parking and utilities are included. There is no penalty for cancellation prior to your arrival.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Message from the President — International Women's Day
Today is the 99th International Women's Day. It is an occasion to recognize and celebrate the efforts of generations of activists in Canada and around the world, past and present, to improve the lot of women and to promote equality, opportunity and security for all women. It is too easy to be smug and complacent about such issues, if one resides in Canada at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. However, while the gains have been considerable for Canadian women, it is not the case that equality, opportunity, and security has as yet been achieved for all women of our nation. And as regards the rest of the world, there are areas in which the struggle is just beginning.
Today we laud the efforts of generations of activitists in the cause of women's rights, and we pledge to support the cause for which they have worked and continue to work.
Jack N. Lightstone
Bookmark/Search this post with:SSHRC seeks input on renewed program architecture
SSHRC is redesigning its suite of programs and has recently released a preliminary document entitled “Briefing on SSHRC’s Renewed Program Architecture” with an invitation to stakeholders to provide comment and feedback. Given the importance of this Tri-Council agency to Brock faculty, Brock Research is suggesting several avenues to encourage as many as faculty as possible to participate in this important process.
Feedback on SSHRC’s renewed program architecture, including the attached draft calls for proposals and funding opportunities, may be submitted directly to PA-Project@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca by March 31, 2010.
Brock Research staff will be drafting an institutional response; if you prefer you may email your comments directly to Vicky Guertin. All comments received by end of day March 26 will be included in the response from the VP Research.
Brock Research will also host an open meeting for faculty to provide input on Friday, March 26th, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in MCD 350L. To facilitate the process, it is expected that participants will have reviewed the SSHRC document prior to the session. In addition, Brock Research staff have prepared a summary chart of the document and highlighted some of the major changes.
If you have any questions, contact Vicky Guertin, Research Officer, x4004.
Bookmark/Search this post with:Brock hosts MITACS Step workshops for graduate students
MITACS Step, in collaboration with Brock University, will conduct three interactive, hands-on one-day workshops for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Registration is also open to past, present or prospective MITACS Accelerate Interns.
The workshops take place at Brock March 29, 30 and 31 in Plaza 600F, and include a light breakfast and lunch.
Workshops include:
March 29, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Managing Projects
March 30, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Effective Networking!
March 31, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Business Conduct Excellence
Full details regarding registration are available.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
2010 federal budget drives innovation for future growth
From the Council of Ontario Univerities
Toronto, March 4, 2010 – Today’s federal budget investments in research were welcomed by the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) as drivers of innovation, talent and growth and are particularly appreciated in this time of fiscal and economic challenges.
“We appreciate the federal government’s new investments in the granting councils, the indirect costs of research program and post-doctoral scholarships,” said Sheldon Levy, Chair of COU and President of Ryerson University. “Collectively, they will help to foster continued innovation from our universities and to attract and retain the highly qualified individuals that are so critical to our country’s prosperity.”
Budget 2010 provided a total of $32 million for the three major granting councils and an additional $8 million per year toward the indirect costs of research, which recognizes the importance of supporting research infrastructure. As well, the budget provided $45 million over five years to the granting councils to establish a new post-doctoral fellowships program to help attract and retain talented PhD graduates in Canada.
“These are difficult times and tough decisions are being made, but the federal government understands that now more that ever we need to grow the country’s competitive advantage by investing in research that expands the boundaries of knowledge, creates new products and services, and shapes the policies of our society,” said Bonnie Patterson, President of COU.
Ontario universities play a major role in Canada’s innovation system, receiving close to 40 percent of federal research funding.
Other examples research investments that will have an impact on universities in Ontario and across the country include:
- An additional $75 million in 2009-2010 for Genome Canada
- $35 million over two years to Natural Resources Canada to support research and development of new technologies for the production of isotopes
- An additional $10 million over two years for a clinical trials network to help move research isotopes and imaging into clinical practice
- $8 million over two years to extend the International Science and Technology Partnerships Program
The budget’s affirmed commitment to the roll out of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program is also welcomed by Ontario universities. “The program, together with the provincial government’s investments, has provided jobs and additional revenue for supply companies to many communities around the province. The funding will also enhance the modern technology and infrastructure that universities need to teach students and conduct cutting-edge research.” said Patterson.
Bookmark/Search this post with:Determining “Essential Requirements”
Determining “Essential Requirements”: What Instructors Need to Know
March 19th 2010 E-Learning Classroom TH253 9am – 3pm Lunch provided.Guest Facilitator
Barbara Roberts, RobertSolutions
PhD Candidate, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University
When on the receiving end of a request to define the “essential requirements” of a program, faculty often balk. Why bother with another bureaucratic exercise, they ask? Isn’t it obvious what students must do to complete our degrees and “earn” our credentials? They have to complete courses and write papers and examinations to our satisfaction. What’s to define? Why should we be compelled to articulate such things, let alone to connect them with concepts like learning objectives and learning outcomes?
This workshop addresses such questions, particularly in the context of the accommodation of students with disabilities and the legal context for program delivery at the present time.
Time Agenda 9:00 – 9:20
Welcome & opening remarks
From Accommodation to Accessibility: Legislation/ Education / Opportunity
Principles of Universal Instructional Design (UID) and how they can help you write Barrier-Free Course Objectives
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch (provided) 1:00 – 2:00 From Theory to Practice: What does this mean for you? Applying what you’ve learned to your course or program.(Participants are encouraged to bring samples of their own course/ program/practicum objectives) 2:00 – 3:00 Discussion, questions and answers!
Register On-Line at: https://ctlet.brocku.ca/events/node/349
Sponsored by Services for Students with disABILITIES, in partnership with the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Educational Technologies.
Bookmark/Search this post with:Breaking the silence
Po-Ling Bork, a doctoral candidate in Educational Studies at Brock, and Debra Harwood, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, will lead a workshop on selective mutism at the Early Childhood Community Development Centre on March 30.
About one in 140 school-age children suffer from selective mutism, a condition in which a child fears being heard or seen speaking in specific social settings.
Bork can speak about the condition not only as a researcher but as a parent of three children who suffered from selective mutism. Her son, she says, was persistently mute. He was properly diagnosed and provided with intervention.
In a recent interview with the St. Catharines Standard, she described the all-consuming fear experienced by children with this disorder.
"It's like you're watching a car come towards you, and you freeze on the spot," said Bork.
Her master’s thesis focused on strategies to help children in the classroom. She has started her doctoral work and is in the process of developing the psychoeducational software, called *iSpeak++*, (Interactive Software Program that Empowers Anxious Kids To Talk), to help teachers and children with selective mutism in the classroom.
Bork has presented her research around the world and last year gave a presentation at Brock’s annual Mapping the New Knowledges graduate student research conference. She is very passionate about educating people and has an encouraging story to tell about her son’s success in overcoming his fears of speaking at school.
"Sometimes I wonder if this was a calling," she told The Standard, "for me to experience this first-hand so that I am able to reach out and help others."
In the March 30 workshop, Bork and Harwood will offer strategies to maximize a child's social successes.The event will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Early Childhood Community Development Centre, 395 Ontario St., St. Catharines. There is no charge to attend but
registration is required. Call 905-646-7311, ext. 304, or eccdc@eccdc.org
Also, read the recent news coverage “Breaking the Silence”
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Brock hosts fourth annual Niagara Social Justice Forum March 20
On Saturday, March 20, the Social Justice and Equity Studies program at Brock will host the fourth annual Niagara Social Justice Forum from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., in Pond Inlet at the University. This full-day event is free and open to everyone.
The Forum, based on the World Social Forum model, provides a dynamic space for dialogue and learning. The model invites diverse groups to mount self-organized activities in a common space in their own ways and on their own terms, but within a shared commitment to social justice broadly understood.
Self-organized individuals and groups responded to an open call for proposals and put the day’s program together, which features exhibits, workshops, information tables, music, film, theatre and food.
“The organizers of this event were mindful to create an open and shared space for community groups and individuals to encounter one another without any interference in how they choose to do that,” says Janet Conway, one of the event’s lead organizers and a Canada Research Chair in Social Justice at the University. “We had about 85 people at the first Forum in 2007 and last year’s event attracted more than 150 participants. We also had more workshop applications that we could accommodate this year.”
“We’re encouraged by this growth and the fact that we are able to provide an open forum for individuals and groups working for social change in Niagara to connect with one another,” adds Conway. “The organizing committee has heard from past participants that the Forum has helped groups and individuals with like-minded interests and concerns to come together.”
The Forum opens at 8:45 a.m., and there are 10 workshops taking place throughout the day from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Workshop topics include Niagara’s threatened landscapes, homelessness, Aboriginal children and Children’s Aid Societies, food sovereignty, migrant farm workers in Niagara and Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered Queer films, just to name a few.
The event’s Plenary at 4 p.m. looks at women’s leadership in the Six Nations/Caledonia land claim dispute and will feature a screening of the documentary film Six Miles Deep, followed by a talk with its director Sara Roque. This film tells the story behind the headlines and offers a compelling look into a community where the achievements and roles of women have long been admired and respected.
The day’s program will finish off at 5:20 p.m. with a performance by the Aboriginal big drum group Gathering Thunder.
Forum attendees are then invited downtown for a special evening performance of the Vagina Monologues at Market Square, St. Catharines at 7:30 p.m. Admission for this event is $10 with proceeds going to Niagara Sexual Assault Centre.
The Niagara Social Justice Forum features free lunch and drinking water and dishes will be provided.
The Forum is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Social Sciences, the departments of Social Justice and Equity Studies, Child and Youth Studies, Sociology and Women’s Studies, and OPIRG Brock.
For more information, please contact socialjustice@brocku.ca
For the workshop schedule and all other Forum info, please click here.
Bookmark/Search this post with:Summer On-Campus Housing reserve by March 19, 2010.
Faculty of Business students that would like to stay on campus starting in May for Spring courses can send their reservation to www.stayatbrock.ca
Accommodation in the summer is in Quarry View Residence. This residence has private bedrooms and rates as low as $495 per month. Parking and utilities are included. There is no penalty for cancellation prior to your arrival.
Bookmark/Search this post with:Air Canada files suit against Porter's success
Professor Michael Armstrong of the Finance, Operations, and Information Systems Department had an Op-ed (commentary) article posted on the online "Full Comment" supplement to the National Post. You can read his article here: http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/02/26/michael-armstrong-air-canada.aspx#ixzz0gfvWMOvP
Bookmark/Search this post with: