Every day, all across the university, faculty and staff are putting in the hard work to inspire students, push forward with groundbreaking research, and leave a legacy in their communities.
For those who have truly gone above-and-beyond in their work and in the Dal community over the past year, Wednesday, June 20 is a day for them.
That afternoon, the Dalhousie Legacy Awards will be held — the first university-wide awards for faculty and staff. The Legacy Awards are part of the university’s 200th celebrations, with the intent of being an annual event on campus.
“We’re very excited for this new employee event,” says Jasmine Walsh, assistant vice-president, Human Resources. “Our people do amazing work every day at Dalhousie and it’s a great opportunity for faculty and staff from all over the university to come together and recognize that work.”
Honouring faculty and staff, together
The Legacy Awards feature a compilation of 20 awards from across the university (see below for the complete list and this year’s recipients). These awards were selected by the Legacy Awards committee based on their alignment with Dalhousie’s Strategic Priorities.
While most of the awards have existed for many years, there are three new awards that will be presented at the Legacy Awards. These include President’s Award for the Advancement of Equity, Diversity and Inclusiveness (EDI) and two new research awards: the President’s Research Excellence Emerging Investigator Award and the President’s Research Excellence Research Impact Award.
- The EDI Award recognizes the progress that faculty and staff have made towards the advancement of equity, diversity and inclusion at Dalhousie. The award, launched in February, was identified as a recommendation within the Belong Report, as part of the Strategic Initiative 5.2.
- The President’s Research Excellence Awards – Emerging Investigator Award and Research Impact Award – were created to expand the scope of recognition to include the outstanding work being done by early career researchers (within seven years of their first academic appointment) and by those (at any career stage) who are having substantial, current impact in their field.
More info: Dalhousie Legacy Awards
All are invited
The ceremony on Wednesday, June 20 from 4-6 p.m. at the Dalhousie Arts Centre’s Rebecca Cohn Auditorium is open to the entire Dal community. (Tickets are free: RSVP link.)
“Everyone is invited to attend the Legacy Awards to show support for our peers, recognize what our colleagues in the Dal community have done, and to see how all of our work contributes to something so big and great,” says Walsh. “The theme of the event is ‘We make waves’ because that is what our employees do every day, whether it’s a researcher, teacher or a staff member working in a faculty, department or unit. Our work has an impact on our university, but also on our broader community, Canada and the world.”
Walsh will serve as the MC of the event, with President Richard Florizone presenting the Legacy Awards to the recipients for their outstanding contributions to the university and community. The event will also feature a performance from the Maritime Bhangra Group.
Following the ceremony, there will be a reception in the Sculpture Court, with lots of refreshments, a photo booth and a chance to win two $250 Visa cards from the event’s signature sponsor, Johnson Insurance.
The Legacy Awards event is a key part of the university’s Strategic Initiative 5.1, focusing on developing a human resource strategy to attract, reward and retain the best faculty and staff. It’s also part of the university’s ongoing efforts to improve employee recognition — an area cited by faculty/staff for improvement in the university’s most recent 2017 Quality of Work Life survey (QWL).
Legacy Awards & recipients
Below is a list of the Legacy Awards by theme and this year’s recipients. You can also learn more about some of the honours by checking out the Legacy Awards videos on YouTube.
Health
- Environmental Health and Safety Award recognizes an individual or group who has undertaken any activity that makes Dalhousie University a safer place to live, play, work and study.
Recipient: Dalhousie Security Team
- Healthy Workplace Award recognizes a department that fosters healthy workplace practices and initiatives.
Recipient: Dalhousie Libraries Team
Research
- President’s Research Excellence Emerging Investigator Award recognizes the achievements of a Dalhousie faculty member at the early stages of their career.
Recipients:
- Dr. Marsha Campbell-Yeo (Nursing, Pediatrics, Psychology and Neuroscience)
- Dr. Robin Urquhart (Surgery, Community Health and Epidemiology)
- Dr. Natalie Rosen (Psychology, Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynecology)
- Dr. Alex Quinn (Physiology and Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering)
- Dr. Alex Speed (Chemistry)
- Dr. Tony Walker (Resource and Environmental Studies)
- President’s Research Excellence Research Impact Award recognizes the achievements of a Dalhousie faculty member who have made significant impact in their field of research.
Recipients:
- Dr. Jocelyn Downie (Law)
- Dr. Christine Chambers (Pediatrics, Psychology & Neuroscience, Anesthesia, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine, Nursing and Psychiatry)
- Dr. Howard Ramos (Arts and Social Sciences)
- Dr. Ingrid Waldron (Nursing, Psychiatry)
- University Research Professorship recognizes a limited number of individual faculty members who have achieved distinction in scholarship.
(Recipients to be announced at the Legacy Awards)
Service
- Dr. Allan Cohen Memorial Award for Community Service recognizes a staff or faculty member who works to fulfill the mission of the Medical School by displaying outstanding community service with health-related organizations and causes.
Recipient: Dr. Sonia Chehil (Psychiatry)
- Gladys Littler Award recognizes a staff member who exemplifies a high level of commitment, high standards of performance, and outstanding service to the Faculty of Dentistry.
Recipient: Joyce MacDonald (Dentistry)
- President’s Award for the Advancement of Equity, Diversity and Inclusiveness recognizes a faculty or staff member who supports and advances Dalhousie’s collective community efforts in equity, diversity and inclusiveness, as well as the Diversity and Inclusiveness Strategy. This is a new award, being presented for the first time at the Dalhousie Legacy Awards.
Recipient: Imhotep Legacy Academy (ILA) – a university-community partnership that mobilizes university/college students, faculty and community leaders to help improve student success and bridge the achievement gap for Grades 7-12 students of African heritage in Nova Scotia
Staff
- DPMG Award recognizes an employee of the Dalhousie Professional and Managerial Group (DPMG) for their exemplary work at the university.
Recipients:
- Kim Thomson (Provost Office)
- John Hope (Legal Counsel)
- Said Msabaha (Global Health Office)
- Beverly Zinck (Student Affairs, Agricultural Campus)
- Rosemary Gill Award recognizes a staff or faculty member who has provided outstanding service to students, other than teaching.
Recipients:
- Sean Barrett (Psychology and Neuroscience)
- Michael Boutilier (Chemistry)
- Anneke Henderson (School of Performing Arts)
- Lori Lawton (Oceanography)
- Staff Award for Excellence in Service recognizes staff members who have made exceptional contribution to supporting the Faculty of Agriculture.
Recipient: Brian Crouse (Student Affairs, Agricultural Campus)
- Stoker Award for Appreciation recognizes a Facilities Management team with substantial accomplishment that exemplifies the Facilities Management values.
Recipient: Carpentry and Paint Shop Team (Tim Butland, Randy MacAskill, Greg Tucker, Mike Blakeney, Craig MacLaughlin, Lloyd Bond, Doug MacLeod, Stephanie MacKenzie, Seymour Publicover, Ken Dunn)
- Stoker Award for Innovation recognizes a Facilities Management team with substantial accomplishment that exemplifies innovation in the way the work is done.
Recipient: Planning and Paint Shop Team (Monica Williams, Nicole Embleton-Lake, Dan Brine, Terry Dixon, Royce Spencer, Lloyd Bond, Mike Blakeney, Doug MacLeod, Ken Fitzgerald)
- Stoker Award for Safety recognizes a Facilities Management team or individual that has made substantial contribution to workplace safety, either by action or commitment to process improvement.
Recipient: Rescue Team (Paul Christian, Adam DeBaie, Scott Henderson, Timothy Hubley, Mike LeBlanc, Chad MacLellan, Joshua Romans, David Studley, Paul Yuille)
Teaching
- Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision recognizes the successful mentorship of graduate students through an enriching, supportive and productive learning environment.
Recipient: Dr. Alison Thompson (Chemistry)
- Contract and Limited-term Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes an individual who has shown excellent overall quality in teaching and a sustained commitment to excellence.
Recipient: Gaia Ash (Chemistry)
- Dalhousie Alumni Association Award of Excellence for Teaching recognizes a full-time faculty member with evidence of outstanding teaching and educational leadership.
Recipient: Dr. Alison Thompson (Chemistry)
- Educational Leadership Award for Collaborative Teaching recognizes the collaborative work of a team of colleagues whose leadership has made significant contribution to student learning at the department, faculty or institutional level.
Recipient: First Year Chemistry Program (FYCP) Teaching team (Dr. Angela Crane, Dr. Jennifer L. MacDonald, Dr. Mark Wall, Dr. Gianna Aleman, Dr. Joshua Bates, Dr. Heather Andreas, Dr. Mita Dasog, Dr. Aaron Kelly, Dr. Rory Chisholm, Dr. Marc Whalen)
- President’s Graduate Student Teaching Award recognizes a graduate student instructor who provides exceptional student learning experiences, and demonstrates a commitment to their own professional development.
Recipients:
- Kirsten Jones (Chemistry)
- Madeleine McKay (Health and Human Performance)
- Phillip Joy (Nutrition)
- Sessional and Part-time Instructor Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes a part-time faculty member with sustained commitment and dedication to excellence in teaching at Dalhousie.
Recipient: Stuart Carson (Mathematics and Statistics)