News

Congratulations to Schulich School of Law employees Tiffany Coolen-Jewers and Conor Falvey, who were named recipients of the 2024 Dalhousie Professional and Managerial Group (DPMG) Outstanding Achievement Awards at the annual DPMG conference on June 4, 2024. This marks the first time that eligible law school staff have been selected for a DPMG award.

These awards recognize outstanding achievement and are given to DPMG members for their exemplary contributions to Dalhousie University. They will be presented at a reception hosted by Dalhousie President, and former Schulich Law Dean, Kim Brooks at the end of June.

Tiffany Coolen-Jewers
2024 DPMG Award for Outstanding Achievement: Long Service Award

Tiffany Coolen-Jewers, the faculty’s manager of finance
and administration, was nominated for the Long Service Award by her supervisor Joanne Tortola, director of finance and administration, in recognition of more than 32 years of high and consistent performance in her various administrative and leadership roles.

“Throughout the past five years that I have worked with Tiffany, she has been a wealth of historical knowledge, while remaining open and eager to try new approaches and initiatives,” says Tortola. “But in addition to her outstanding performance, a reoccurring theme in Tiffany’s contributions to Schulich Law is her outstanding heart. In alignment with the Weldon Tradition of unselfish public service, Tiffany demonstrates care and compassion for all members of the law school community and is sincerely committed to their success.”

Says Schulich Law Dean Sarah Harding, “In August 2023, I arrived on campus as a new dean, new employee of the university, and a new Canadian resident. On my first day, I constantly asked Tiffany for something – information, clarity, or simply for online navigation support. She was patient, kind, and efficient – and she offered me a homemade cookie. It became clear from that first day that she would be a central and supporting rock for me; over time it became clear that she is that for everyone at the law school.”

Harding says that while Coolen-Jewers is a deeply trusted colleague because of her competence and attention to detail, she is also deeply loved by so many of her colleagues. “Tiffany cares about and for those that she supervises, the students, the faculty, her colleagues, and even me,” she shares. “I see her kindness as setting a tone for all of us. She simply makes the law school a better place.”

Conor Falvey
2024 DPMG Award for Outstanding Achievement: Career Award

Conor Falvey, the faculty of law's research facilitator, was nominated for the Career Award by her supervisor Jamie Baxter, associate dean, research, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the success of the Schulich School of Law’s Strategic Direction, 2017-2021 initiative.

“Conor was hired into a newly created role to support the law school’s strategic direction, which positioned research and advocacy as central to its mission. It quickly became clear that her contributions would go well beyond what had been originally conceived for that role,” says Baxter. “Not only has she demonstrated high and consistent performance along key indicators such as grant capture and global reach of our research, she has also established herself as a leader in strengthening our research capacity and profile through several new and creative initiatives.”

Falvey’s role involves running the law school’s Research Hour, a weekly gathering of faculty, graduate students, and guests to listen to and then discuss a research presentation. Dean Harding shares that a visiting judge mentioned to her that Research Hour had been her favourite activity of the week. “She expressed her gratitude for the range of presentations, the general collegiality of the gatherings, and the robust conversations – this is due in no small part to Conor’s efforts.”

Conor’s impact goes beyond simply the job she holds. “She approaches her role with enthusiasm and creativity. She loves her work and that shines through in all she does and her many interactions with faculty,” says Harding. “She has fundamentally increased, improved, and diversified the research profile of the law school. This is a remarkable accomplishment for someone who is so early in her career and indicative of how deserving she is of a DMPG Outstanding Achievement Award.”