Students are 'amazing' and worthy of support

October 28, 2020 by Peter Boisseau - A&S News

One of the main reasons Department of Philosophy Chair Martin Pickavé donates to programs that support Arts & Science students is that he can see the impact it makes.

“As department chair, I meet a lot of undergrads and grad students who have benefited from these special funds and fellowships,” says Pickavé, a professor of philosophy and medieval studies.

“These students are amazing human beings, and I am very happy that I'm able to contribute to some of these funds to support them.”

In addition to chairing the philosophy department, Pickavé is a Canada Research Chair in medieval philosophy, a fellow of Trinity College and an associate fellow of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.

His main teaching and research interests lie in the history of philosophy, especially medieval philosophy. His research projects deal with the medieval philosophy of mind, including cognitive psychology, medieval metaphysics and the philosophy of free will.

During his 16 years at U of T, Pickavé has mainly focused his donations on his own academic units and areas of interest, and says there is a special reason for that.

“Of course, these are things I think highly of and want to support in one way or another, but we also have a lot of students who are the first or second generation of their family to go to university, and I want to support that mission.”

He has come to regard the U of T community as a kind of family and believes it is especially important for everyone to rally around and support it during COVID-19.

“Giving is more important than ever right now because it's a difficult time for many people, including our students who, for example, may take longer to complete their studies,” says Pickavé.

“I think this creates some responsibility for those of us in a position to give to care for those who are in more precarious conditions.”

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