So much happens every day at St. Mike’s that we’ve decided to start taking a pause at the end of each month to look back on some of our accomplishments. If you’ve got something to share, please email it to catherine.mulroney@utoronto.ca
- 817 members of St. Michael’s Class of 2021 took part in a virtual convocation on Wednesday, June 23. A special shout-out to a class who faced extraordinary obstacles and came out on top.
- The possible federation between the University of St. Michael’s College and Regis College took an important step forward with the governing bodies of the two institutions authorizing the Steering Committee to develop a Memorandum of Agreement. The goal is to have an MoA ready for examination and approval by the Governing Council and Collegium by September/October 2021.
- The University of St. Michael’s College is the first Catholic university in Canada to offer support for a statement from American Catholic Bishops calling for protection of at-risk LGBT youth. St. Michael’s signed the document—God Is On Your Side: A Statement from Catholic Bishops on Protecting LGBT Youth, released by the Bishops in partnership with the Tyler Clementi Foundation—with unanimous support from the Executive Committee of St. Michael’s Collegium.
- Dr. Adam Pugen was named the Inaugural SMC One McLuhan Seminar Post-Doctoral Fellow. Dr Pugen is a recent graduate of the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto and is a specialist on the ideas of Marshall McLuhan. He will be working closely with Professor Paolo Granata and will be teaching a course in the Book & Media Studies Program. Welcome Adam!
- The Kelly Library’s focus on online research support has been a success. Librarians during the pandemic responded to more than double the number of research questions over the previous year, from 168 in 2019–2020 to 408 in 2020–2021. Meanwhile, the number of research consultations librarians held during the same period jumped from 257 in 2019–2020, when they offered them just in-person, to 346 when they went online in 2020–2021.
- We had a great response to our virtual Spring Reunion. More than 500 alumni registered for three days of events, being treated to a panel on entertainment, engaging lectures, and more!
- June 4 and 5, St. Michael’s co-presented “Henri Nouwen and the Art of Living,” an online conference celebrating the beloved spiritual writer on the 25th anniversary of his death. Luminaries including Sr. Helen Prejean, Fr. Ron Rolheiser, and Dr. C. Vanessa White offered moving reflections on Nouwen’s life and work and its relevance for today.
- St. Michael’s groundskeeping added a valuable member to the team—Gabriel Naidoo, a second-year student staying at Sorbara Residence over the summer who will be working as Grounds Assistant.
- Former @uStMikes president and @USMCTheology Dean Sr. Anne Anderson, CSJ was named this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada.
- A model room is being created in Fisher House to give residents in the Queen’s Park dorms a sense of the look and furniture of the newly renovated rooms.
- New windows are being installed in Elmsley Hall, enhancing the comfort of occupants, as well as the building’s efficiency.
- Initial work has been in Brennan Hall to create a Commuter Common Room, paid for thanks to the Student Improvement Fund.
- And finally, we are looking ahead! Online Orientation for the Class of 2025 is now under way, having kicked off on June 18th.