Teaching profs, MBA coaching and Clubsfest in Maclean’s
McMaster is known for making a positive impact on the local, national and international stages. Each week, The Office of Public Relations highlights a few of the many McMaster stories making the news.
Teaching, learning and student success:
The Globe and Mail published a piece on universities that are creating specialized teaching tracks for faculty members as a way of improving the quality of teaching and learning. Provost David Wilkinson and teaching track assistant professor Lovaye Kajiura (Biology) were quoted in the piece, which was illustrated by a photo of Kajiura talking to students.
The Hamilton Spectator produced a story about a posthumous honour for Susan Vajoczki, director of the Centre for Leadership in Learning (now known as the McMaster Institute for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning) who died last year. The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations is to honour Vajoczki with an OCUFA Teaching Award later this month.
The Toronto Star referenced the longstanding coaching program for MBAs at McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business in a piece on the rise of such programs.
The Hamilton Spectator published a piece about recent graduate Matthew Sheridan (Engineering) who is among the first Canadians to present a candidate project for crowdfunding from Kickstarter. Sheridan is the creator of an electronic colour sensor.
The Hamilton Spectator published an op-ed piece by graduate Louise-Ann Caravaggio about the lifelong benefits of having taken Art History courses at McMaster.
McMaster graduate Stephen Elop (Engineering and Management) was much in the news as speculation mounted over the possibility he will take over as CEO of Microsoft, particularly after a deal in which Nokia, where he is currently CEO, sold its phone division to Microsoft. Among the outlets mentioning his McMaster education were NBC News, CBC, The Toronto Star, BNN, CTV and The Hamilton Spectator.
Return to campus/Welcome Week:
Maclean’s on Campus posted a story and photos about Clubsfest after a reporter and photographer for the magazine visited campus. The story featured remarks from numerous students from the MSU’s 325 clubs, who are involved in diverse activities ranging from community service, to politics, religion and the arts.
CHCH TV came to campus to cover Welcome Week, and talked to upper-year students about how they were helping new students integrate to campus life. Later in the week, the station returned to talk to student Welcome Week leaders and a parent about incidents at St. Mary’s and UBC where offensive chants have raised questions about such activities. All expressed disappointment about the chants, and the McMaster student leaders described the training they receive in setting a positive, appropriate tone, including language.
Research:
The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star published a story about yet-to-be-released findings by researchers from McMaster and Queen’s that students benefit from all-day kindergarten.
CTV National News broadcast a piece on McMaster research into the effectiveness of fecal transplants for treating patients with bowel diseases such as colitis. The report featured McMaster lab footage and an interview with Farncombe Institute director Paul Moayyedi.
The Toronto Star’s Wheels section published a piece on the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre, featuring an interview with MacAUTO director Ali Emadi.
The Hamilton Spectator published a lengthy obituary on celebrated McMaster geneticist Irene Uchida, including comments from Viola Freeman (Pathology and Molecular Medicine).
The Hamilton Spectator reported on research led by Salim Yusuf (Population Health Research Institute) indicating that levels of optimal lung capacity are different throughout the world.
Expert opinion:
The National Post and Calgary Herald published a feature on suburbs that quoted Richard Harris (Geography and Earth Sciences).
The Toronto Star quoted Mandeep Malik (DeGroote School of Business) in a piece on the need for business schools to prepare students for succeeding in a multicultural global environment.
The Toronto Star quoted Marvin Ryder (DeGroote School of Business) on the conditions influencing the settlement of a bitter lockout at US Steel’s Nanticoke facility.
