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Dear ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Community,

I provide several updates on a number of academic and community programming activities as we begin the year. By no means is this the full list of priorities, and I do encourage you to review previous Deans Community Updates and Resources to consider the range of important activities that are underway.

 

Canada Research Chairs

I am excited to announce that, based on our University market share of tri-agency funding, we recently received an additional Canada Research Chair allocation from the University. This will allow us to conduct an internal search to nominate two additional ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ faculty members for Tier 2 CRCs in the spring 2021 competition. Tier 2 Chairs are for emerging scholars, defined as within ten years of receiving their highest degree (excepting significant career interruptions). The ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Deans and Chairs collectively decided that, consistent with ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½â€™s commitment to social justice – and in order to address the under-representation of women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities within the CRC Program as a whole – these nominations will be open only to ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ faculty members who self-identify as members of at least one of these four designated groups. In the coming weeks, these opportunities will be posted on the University’s ; all ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ faculty members who may meet the ‘emerging scholar’ definition will be informed by email when the ad has been posted. ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½â€™s market share of tri-agency funding is largely a function of our faculty members’ grant funding as principal investigators on eligible SSHRC, CIHR, and NSERC programs. ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½â€™s tri-agency funding success is therefore critical to our ability to maintain and grow our complement of CRCs. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize our tremendous funding success over the past several years and to thank our faculty members who participate in these programs, as well as the many staff who support ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ researchers with skill and dedication. I also want to acknowledge the leadership of Professor Michele Peterson-Badali and her wonderful team for their tremendous work in supporting our research activities and goals.

 

Update on UTQAP Program Reviews

In the winter term of 2020, we successfully completed external reviews of three of our academic departments (APHD, CTL & SJE) and their programs. The administrative responses to these reviews are now being finalized and, along with other review documents (review reports and self-studies) will be considered at the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ 27, 2020 meeting of the . Earlier this year, the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs approved our request for deferral of the site visit for the review of the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education (LHAE), which was originally scheduled to take place on March 26 & 27, 2020 but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. We are pleased to announce that the site visit for the completion of the external review of the Department of LHAE and its programs has been rescheduled for November 4-10, 2020. With the pandemic related public health measures in place this fall, the site visit will be held virtually with meetings scheduled across five days rather than the more incense schedule that we would typically run for an in-person visit. This changed format will be manageable for the reviewers and their varying time zones while enabling continuity of quality assurance processes that, given the constrains of movement and access during the pandemic, must be carried out virtually. We will keep the community informed regarding the reviews and their outcomes. Meanwhile, we are grateful to academic leadership, faculty, staff and students in the departments for their continued commitment and contributions to the successful outcomes of the review process.

 

²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Wellness Initiatives

The well-being of our community is one of ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½'s top priorities and we are committed to both learning and practice opportunities that contribute to individual and collective healing and change. We have enhanced the wellness programming in response to our community's diverse needs, particularly during these challenging and uncertain times. In addition to the very successful student focused CCR opportunities, we invite all ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ staff and faculty to a virtual meeting on September 22nd at 12:30pm where we will discuss the launch of a new pilot program.

We invite everyone to register for the Curious about Mindfulness session with Jack Miller, and to also consider our weekly practice opportunities and our new Monthly Mindfulness Community of Practice led by Shelley Murphy.

Find out more about all of the Wellness activities and how to register on our website at /wellness.

 

²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Library Updates

The ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Library team continues to provide online support for research, teaching and learning this fall while the Library remains closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Library research support: Please email us, join us via chat, drop by during our Virtual Reference Hours, or book an appointment to meet with a librarian virtually or by phone. To learn more about these services or to book an appointment, see: 

Access to collections: A vast collection of online books, journals, and other library materials can be accessed through the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ / ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Libraries .

Access to book stacks at all UofT libraries remains closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however many print materials are available through curbside pick-up. Print books and AV materials from the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Library’s Stacks, Curriculum Resources, Children’s Literature, and AV collections that are not available online through the HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service can be requested using the "Get Help" button in the catalogue. Library users will be notified by email when items are available for pickup at the Robarts Library. To learn more about the curbside pick-up service, see: 

Software on library computers: UofT students, staff, and faculty can access the software normally available on library computers using the RemoteLab Service. For additional information, please see:

Study spaces: Study spaces are now open to UofT students, staff, and faculty in the UofT’s two largest libraries, and the . To access these spaces, bring your TCard or other proof of registration (e.g. course timetable) and wear a mask. Study spaces are available on a first-come first-served basis.

Robarts Library
Location: 130 St. George St.
Number of study spaces: ~250
Number of computers: 25 Additional notes: a meditation / prayer space is available on the 4th floor; Starbucks and some food services are available on the ground floor; printing / scanning is available

Gerstein Science Information Centre
Location: 9 King’s College Circle
Number of study spaces: ~100 seats
Number of computers: 24

 

²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Building

Finally, those visiting the building in the near future may notice that the university has started the Perimeter Caulking and Exterior Wall Repair Project to address water penetration and leakage. We apologize in advance for any noise and disruption the project might cause and also thank the whole community for following all of the building protocols as we continue with health measures associated with COVID-19.

 

Take care,

 

Glen A. Jones, Ph.D.
Professor and Dean