A Ryerson Awards Night to remember
Eggy went black tie for the celebratory Ryerson Awards Night, held at Toronto’s Chelsea Hotel on April 1. With Eggy are Phill Rego of the award-winning Ceremonials Office, and Mirijam Bruening. All photos: Yvonne Bambrick.
Celebration was in the air at the annual Ryerson Awards Night on April 1, as faculty and staff excellence was honoured at Toronto’s Chelsea Hotel.
The ceremony honours excellence in teaching, research, administration, service and leadership from across the university, as part of Ryerson’s awards and recognition program.
Ryerson President Mohamed Lachemi kicked things off by congratulating the recipients and thanking those who nominated them. “[They knew] a good thing when they saw it and called it to our attention. You are all a big part of what makes Ryerson a great place to work and a great place for students to learn and grow.”
Deborah Brown, vice-president, administration and operations, echoed those sentiments later in the evening. “As I chaired the award selection committee, I thought back to my first interview at Ryerson. When asked why I wanted to be at Ryerson, I blurted out, ‘Ryerson is very scrappy’,” she said, eliciting laughter from the crowd. “What I meant was, Ryerson is made up of people who are determined, they have strong character and are willing to stand up for what they believe in. When I was reading the nominations for these awards, I was struck again what an honour it is to work here.”
Here are some highlights from the evening.
Provost’s Experiential Teaching Award
This award recognizes a Ryerson educator who has an outstanding teaching record and who has advanced teaching and learning at Ryerson with a focus on students’ experiential learning. Richard Lachman (pictured here, at right, with Michael Benarroch, provost and vice-president, academic) and Judy Finlay, School of Child & Youth Care, Faculty of Community Services, both received this award.
Errol Aspevig Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership
Before Pamela Sugiman accepted her award, a brief video showcased her accomplishments in strengthening the culture of research as dean of the Faculty of Arts. The video notes that, “Pam’s emphasis on equity, civility and social engagement allows her peers to learn, grow and thrive.”
A huge cheer went up when Janice Pinto of The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education walked up to accept her award. The Make Your Mark awards recognized individuals or teams for their excellence in client service, community engagement, innovation and sustainability. Sandra Kerr, program director in the Chang School, presented Pinto with her award, saying, “Janice goes above and beyond for all the adult students she works with.”
The #RoadtoRyerson Orientation Leadership team (above, from left, Andrew Bisnauth, Kaitlyn Taylor-Asquini, Tesni Ellis and Cathy Nguyen) also won a Julia Hanigsberg Make Your Mark Staff Award for executing Ryerson’s most successful orientation program to date. In the span of nine days during Orientation Week 2018, the team unified hundreds of Ryerson staff and volunteers to execute 250 events, from turfing Lake Devo to activating the Student Learning Centre.
John MacRitchie (above, with, from left, Christina Sass-Korstak, Deborah Brown and Dayle Levine), senior director, business development and strategic planning in the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation; Dayle Levine, manager, Institutional Projects and University-Wide Research Chairs; and Dr. Linda Maxwell, executive director of the Biomedical Zone, all received 2019 Linda Grayson Administrative Leadership Awards. MacRitchie was commended for his leadership and commitment. “It is not uncommon to find John at his desk late at night working with his team to meet pressing deadlines and brainstorming solutions,” said co-master of ceremonies Tony Conte, Office of Administration and Operations.
Dr. Maxwell (above with President Lachemi) was applauded for her meaningful mentorship at the Biomedical Zone and for providing a diverse group of staff and students the opportunity to participate in personalized work experiences and to hone their skills for future success. (Watch for a profile of Dr. Maxwell in the April 15 issue of Ryerson Today).
Alan Shepard Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award
Before Tracey King, Aboriginal human resources services consultant, accepted her award, a short video highlighted her work over the past year, which has contributed to numerous groundbreaking initiatives in support of truth and reconciliation.
Congratulations to all the well-deserving award recipients! For a full list of recipients and the image gallery, visit Recognition and Awards.
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