Read Professor Stephen Wright's remarks from the October 22, 2025, Arts & Science Faculty Council meeting, where he congratulated the A&S faculty members recently recognized as leaders in their fields, highlighted the faculty's Indigenous Research Ethics Symposium and shared information about the faculty's Equitable and Inclusive Community strategic initiative.
Good morning to everyone in person and online, joining us for this first Faculty Council meeting of the year. I hope you have all had an excellent term so far.
For those who are new, Arts & Science Council is the faculty’s main governance body. It’s also a place for us to come together as a community to celebrate our achievements — thank you for being here.
I would like to begin by recognizing Professor Daphne Goring, whose two-year term as chair is now concluding. On behalf of the entire faculty, thank you for your outstanding service in this important leadership role.
I would also like to recognize the new executive committee of ASSU, our Arts & Science Students' Union. The dean’s office very much looks forward to continuing to work with you to enrich the academic life of A&S undergraduate students.
Last week many of us participated in the installation ceremony for President Melanie Woodin, former dean of the faculty. It was so great to see the participation and celebrations of many of our student leaders, our faculty members and our staff in Arts & Science at this inspiring event.
We are incredibly fortunate to count among our faculty outstanding scholars who are recognized leaders in their fields.
Congratulations to the following Arts & Science professors who were recently elected to the Royal Society of Canada:
- Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik, Departments of Chemistry and Computer Science
- Professor Daphne Goring, Department of Cell & Systems Biology
- Professor Brian Levine, Department of Psychology
- Professor Joel Levine, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Professor Jacob Tsimerman, Department of Mathematics
- Professor Victoria Wohl, Department of Classics
In other honours from the Royal Society of Canada, Professor Marie-Josée Fortin of the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, was awarded the Romanowski Medal for her pioneering research in spatial ecology, and Professor Eric Jennings of the Department of History was awarded the Chauveau Medal for his influential work in modern French colonial history.
Professor Kamari Clarke of the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, was shortlisted for the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council’s 2025 Insight Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement arising from SSHRC-funded initiatives.
Professor Robert McGill of the Department of English, was shortlisted for the 2025 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for his short story collection Simple Creatures.
And Professor Pamela Klassen of the Department for the Study of Religion, received the award for outstanding graduate mentorship from the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies.
Congratulations to all on their well-deserved honours!
In September, I had the pleasure of attending the Indigenous Research Ethics Symposium. It was wonderful to see so many people across Arts & Science coming together to reflect on partnership with Indigenous communities in undertaking research that is based on respect and reciprocity. I am grateful to the speakers, event organizers and participants for a truly meaningful day of connection and learning. I encourage you to check out the great news story in the chat to learn more about the day.
The Faculty of Arts & Science is deeply committed to equity, inclusion and fostering a sense of belonging for all members of our community. As you may have seen in several communications over the past few months, the Office of the Dean and the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion collaboratively launched the Equitable and Inclusive Community strategic initiative. This project is engaging the A&S community in a series of consultations focused on advancing equity and inclusion within our learning, teaching and work environments. The consultation process will inform the upcoming A&S Academic Plan and the development of an A&S Equitable and Inclusive Community Strategic Plan. Thank you to everyone who has participated in the consultations. We look forward to providing a thematic overview and next steps in the new year.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of both the Department for the Study of Religion and the Cinema Studies Institute. There is programming throughout the year to celebrate these milestones.
Let me also make a quick plug for the Share Your Spark event organized by the A&S Centre for Entrepreneurship with Innis College and the Cinema Studies Institute. It will be held on the evening of November 6 and will feature U of T (Innis College) alumnae Linda Schuyler, co-creator and executive producer of the iconic Degrassi franchise and Asha Daniere, a media executive and co-founder of Serial Maven Studios. This conversation exploring entrepreneurship and the arts is sure to be fascinating.
As I bring my remarks to a close, I want to wish everyone a restful upcoming Reading Week. For students who are graduating during fall convocation, my heartfelt congratulations on this amazing accomplishment. I look forward to seeing you cross the stage at Convocation Hall.
Stephen I. Wright, FRSC
Interim Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science
Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
University of Toronto
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