The Root - Winter 2016

Root

THE

THE UTS ALUMNI MAGAZINE • SPECIAL ISSUE • WINTER 2016

GO BLUES! CELEBRATING OUR RENEWED AFFILIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Guest Editorial

The Rebirth and Renewal of UTS Coming together as a community to achieve what once seemed impossible.

Mark Opashinov ’88

President, UTSAA

There is an old saying that you can never go home again. I think we at UTS have proved the saying wrong with the renewal of our Affiliation Agreement with the University of Toronto, and the news that the school will remain at 371 Bloor Street West.

I am sure that, like me, most of you could never have imagined UTS being anywhere but at its current location. And certainly the idea that UTS’ future would not involve the university was unthinkable: after all, the two have been connected since the founding of UTS in 1910.

Thankfully, that is not a future we will have to envision.

As an alumnus of both UTS and the University of Toronto, I am truly delighted that my two

alma maters have renewed and reinvigorated their connection in a way that will benefit both organizations in the future, as it has in the past.

I know that it has been a long road to reach this renewed affiliation, and that many of you have spent countless hours in meetings, advocating in the community, and offering advice and support to help us get to this momentous day. As always, I am proud of my fellow alumni. Along with UTS parents, staff, and students, we have once again come together as a community to achieve what seemed impossible.

I invite you to enjoy this commemorative issue of The Root, and to join me in celebrating this milestone in the history of UTS.

DOORS OPEN TORONTO The UTS doors will be open on Saturday, May 28 from 10 am to 4 pm as part of the 17th annual Doors Open Toronto. Come see UTS’ take on this year’s theme of Re-used, Revisited and Revised.

CONTENTS

12 Photo courtesy of I-Think Initiative, Rotman School of Management

A School in Search of Founders

By Jim Fleck C.C. ’49. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Walking the Halls On the cover: Hal Jackman O.C.’50, Don Schmitt ’70, John Duffy ’82, Principal Rosemary Evans, and Jim Fleck C.C. ’49 gathered on the front steps of UTS on December 15, 2015, moments before the renewed affiliation agreement was passed by the University of Toronto’s Governing Council.

A stroll through 371 Bloor Street West from 1910 to today

By Jack Batten ’50. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

As the Tree, So the Branch

Above: UTS students at the Global Ideas Institute, a UTS initiative run in conjunction with the Munk School of Global Affairs.

Deep roots and new growth characterize the affiliation between U of T and UTS

By Principal Rosemary Evans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Our thanks to this issue’s contributors: Jack Batten ’50, John Duffy ’81, Rosemary Evans, Jamie Day Fleck, Jim Fleck C.C. ’50, Johan Hallberg-Campbell, Emma Jenkin ’03, Jane Rimmer.

Talking Affiliation

Publisher: Martha Drake

A look at the members of the U of T and UTS leadership who came together to reach a new agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Editor & Writer: Carla Murphy Proofreader: Steve Craig ’78 Cover Photo: Johan Hallberg-Campbell

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371 Bloor Street West, Room 121, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2R7 Phone: 416-978-3919 Fax: 416-971-2354 E-mail: alumni@utschools.ca Web: www.utschools.ca/alumni Facebook: www.fb.com/utschools Twitter: @utschools The Root is available to all alumni, parents, and friends of UTS. Contact us at the above addresses to receive a copy or to change your address.

The issue is also available at: www.utschools.ca/root and www.issuu.com/utschools If you would like to receive your copy of The Root electronically only, please contact: alumni@utschools.ca or 416-978-3919.

A School in Search of Founders T

hirty years ago, Uwe Kitzinger – dean of international graduate business school Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires (INSEAD), and soon to be director of the Oxford Centre for Management Studies (OCMS) – wrote an article, “A College in Search of a Founder,” that was at heart a plea for a donor to come forward as the Founder of a new college at Oxford. At the time, I was teaching at INSEAD and had several interesting conversations with him about his plans for this new college and his quest for a Founder.

As you can see, Uwe’s ideas and vision have stuck with me through the years, but I’ve never had the opportunity to apply them until now.

At first it seemed that Uwe’s article had fallen on deaf ears, but then an occasional lecturer at the Centre asked for 50 copies of the article to distribute to his business contacts. From there, a benefactor – John Templeton – stepped forward, became a Founder, and Templeton College was born.

I can only surmise what thoughts went through John Templeton’s mind when he first read that article from his alma mater (he was a graduate of Balliol College, Oxford). I like to imagine that he was inspired by the once-in-a-lifetime 4

THE ROOT • Special Issue • Winter 2016

opportunity to give back in a very tangible and meaningful way to his old school; that the idea of contributing to the education of future generations of business leaders appealed to him on both intellectual and emotional levels.

UTS now finds itself in a very similar position to OCMS. With the signing of the affiliation agreement that this issue celebrates, UTS now faces a new challenge: the rebirth of our aging facilities so that we can continue to provide the very best educational experience for our students.

There are very few times when we are presented with an opportunity that can truly be described as once-in-a-lifetime. Even fewer are those events that provide us with the chance to impact not only our own lives, but also those of current and future generations in a life-changing way. Alumni, parents, staff, and supporters of UTS are in that fortunate position as we enter this new phase of our history.

To fulfill the promise inherent in the renewal and expansion of our relationship with the University of Toronto, UTS must raise an unprecedented (for us) amount of money: $60 million. These funds will allow the school to redevelop 70,000 square feet of our current

building, as well as to construct a 70,000-squarefoot addition. This massive project will bring the spaces in which our students learn into the future. It will provide them with the equipment and facilities they need and deserve as they continue to shine both academically and personally, preparing them to go on to postsecondary studies in their chosen fields.

UTS has not undertaken a task of this magnitude since its founding in 1910 and nothing of the kind will likely be undertaken again in the lifetime of current alumni, or even the lifetime of our current students.

I recognize that only a few of us are fortunate enough to be in a position to make seven figure gifts, no matter how strong our devotion to UTS. If you are one of those few, a potential Founder, I call on you to identify yourself to me (jimfleck@me.com), as John did to Uwe, and join me in funding the rebirth of our alma mater.

For those of you – and I appreciate that this is the majority – who do not have this capability, please spread the word and give ’till it feels good.

Together we will meet our goal.

Over the years, UTS has been blessed with the most incredible support in the form of time,

Jamie Day Fleck

expertise, advocacy and funds from our alumni, parents, students and staff. As referenced by Mark Opashinov ’88 in his guest editorial, UTS alumni are very involved with their alma mater out of a sense of stewardship and a desire to give to future students an institution that is even better than the one they attended.

As your Board Chair, I invite you to join me in celebration of the renewal of our affiliation with the University of Toronto. I call upon you to continue to tell your friends and colleagues about the wonderful accomplishments of UTS students, staff, and graduates; to share our plans for the future; to search for our Founders and to give what you can. Together we will bring our vision for the future of UTS to fruition.

— Jim Fleck C.C. ’49 THE UTS ALUMNI M AGAZINE

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Photos on pages 6 to 8 courtesy of University of Toronto Archives

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THE ROOT • Special Issue • Winter 2016

Jack Batten ’50 is UTS’ unofficial, and very much appreciated historian, having written UTS: 75 Years of Excellence (1985) and University of Toronto Schools: 1910 – 2010 for our centennial in 2009. A journalist and author, Jack has been published in magazines ranging from Reader’s Digest to Rolling Stone. He reviewed jazz for the Globe and Mail in the 1970s, movies on CBC-Radio’s Metro Morning from 1977 to 2002, and has reviewed crime fiction for the Toronto Star since 1998. Jack is the author of five crime novels and more than thirty books of non-fiction.

Walking the Halls A stroll through 371 Bloor Street West from 1910 to today

BY JACK BATTEN ’50

W

hen the original three-storey UTS building went up in 1910, it was almost as remarkable for what it left out as for what it included. In dimensions, the school covered only the middle block of the building that was eventually to come. This mini-version of UTS offered enough space for classrooms on all three floors, a handsome library on the second, and $25,000 worth of spiffy chemistry and physics paraphernalia on the third. But where

was the gym? A cafeteria might have been nice too, and an assembly hall was usually deemed indispensable in a complete school. But the building budget was too tight to afford such luxuries in the otherwise shiny new UTS. To fill in the architectural blanks, the school made do with what spaces were available. For weekly assemblies, staff and students squeezed into the former ballroom in a ramshackle mansion next door on Spadina Avenue. The masters felt

By the 1930s, the structure of the UTS building as we know it today was completed.

THE UTS ALUMNI M AGAZINE

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Clockwise from top left: an early class of UTS students on the front steps; boys at manual training; building construction in 1931; full-service lunch room in 1923.

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so offended by the gloom of these makeshift quarters that they scorned the assembly hall as “the shed.” For meals, the boys scattered throughout the school and the grounds out back with their brown-bagged lunches. And in place of a gym, the schoolyard emerged as a multi‑faceted play space: two handball courts, two ball diamonds, and a winter hockey rink.

In upgrades that soon followed, correcting the freelance eating arrangements came first. That unfolded in 1915 when the university kicked in $600 to install two stoves, a refrigerator, and enough cutlery and plates to serve lunch to 200 boys – double that number in the winter – in a basement cafeteria. A typical luncheon menu consisted of mulligatawny soup, wieners and beans, and raisin pie – a bargain at 15 cents and still a steal for $3.50 in 2016 dollars.

Then, in a massive 1923 expansion, it was goodbye to “the shed” and hello to new facilities that brought the school as close to completion as any student, or his parents, could ask. The construction doubled the size of the east wing – adding nine more classrooms, a manual training shop, a gym, a swimming pool, and, most glorious of all, an assembly hall that became for decades UTS’ communal gathering place. It

THE ROOT • Special Issue • Winter 2016

reigned as the venue for meetings and music, salutes to the school’s war-time heroes on Remembrance Day, awards to students on Prize Day, greeting new students entering the school, and bidding farewell to graduating students. It was a place for drama where Mavor Moore ’36 (later Canada’s greatest all-round man of theatre) trod the boards in 1935’s production of Macbeth, and where Hal Jackman O.C. ’50 (later Ontario’s Lieutenant-Governor) dazzled as Hotspur in 1949’s Henry IV Part 1. It was the place where the masterfully inventive English teacher Scott Baker challenged student performers with works in the 1990s that might have seemed beyond their artistic range – a challenge they met head on.

Who could forget the inspiring version of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown? And, beginning in 1993, it was the place where The Show arrived annually in all its stunning size and variety to present dance, song, comedy, and drama in which casts of hundreds celebrated the school’s – indeed the whole world’s – cultural diversities.

The school building underwent two more major pieces of construction, in 1931 and 1949, but these were of immediate benefit almost exclusively to the Faculty of Education’s half of the premises in the much enlarged west wing.

It wasn’t until the late 1990s when the Education Faculty merged with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and moved to OISE’s premises further east on Bloor Street that UTS enjoyed for the first time the run of the entire building at 371 Bloor West. Now the school had more classrooms, two more gyms, extra locker space, an enhanced Guidance Centre, and the space to accommodate so many new boys and girls that the student population was lifted to just over the 600 mark.

UTS’ building was now much bigger, filled with even more thriving people. But was it more physically attractive?

Not to Stewart Bull’s eye. When he arrived in 1959 to begin his long career teaching English and history at UTS, such adjectives as “dingy” and “dim” came instantly to his mind as descriptions for his new professional premises. It was Mr. Bull who pushed for aesthetic reform. A naturally ebullient man, he turned into a nag, and he got what he thought students and staff deserved. The upgrades included fluorescent lights and brightly coloured tiles, fresh paint for the classrooms, new greenboards and tack boards, tiled floors, and movable tables and chairs replacing the naileddown desks of an earlier era.

Principal Stan Pearl (1995-1999) put an ultimate stamp of creativity on the process of sprucing up the building in 1998 when he let loose a squad of artistic-minded students on the basement locker area. What the students produced were swooping flows of colour spreading across the entire length of the lockers. UTS had shed its institutional dinginess in favour of a large aspect of wit and colour.

As the school expressed more exuberance in its appearance, it also added new spaces and utilities for the students (and staff, too) to more broadly express their creativity in different disciplines. Thus, there came the Keys Gallery for artists among staff, retired staff, and alumni; and the Ridley Fitness Centre for students looking to improve their physical fitness. For the theatre crowd, there arrived in 2015 a control booth at the back of the auditorium that enabled the stage crew to better command the sound, lighting, and video. That same year, the school’s musicians rejoiced in the purchase of a gorgeous Yamaha piano.

There were more challenges to come, however, as the academic and space needs of UTS’ growing student body changed with the years. A threeperson unit known as “Facilities” is charged with

generally organizing and executing projects that best engage the school’s entire plant. Many times, Facilities has been called upon to rise to a challenge. The story of the broken chariot wheel is one of those times.

It seemed an irredeemable disaster when the right wheel of UTS’ chariot burst into uselessness at Brock University in May 2015 during the annual Classics Conference.

Lawrence Park Collegiate, having finished its own race, made UTS a loan of its chariot’s right wheel and for the 20th straight year, UTS won the overall Classics title.

But this exhilarating victory didn’t complete the episode of the disintegrating chariot. UTS needed to build a new chariot for the 2016 Conference; however, where would the complex chariot building take place?

Facilities came to the rescue. Among its 2015 decisions, the department reconfigured the space once known as the cafeteria (but more latterly as the Commons) to allow for a dedicated area where students could carry out construction tasks.

And that was where members of the UTS classics contingent prepared to get to work in early 2016 on building a new chariot.

It’s not yet known exactly what the new UTS structure will look like. It promises to include, for the school, a 700-seat auditorium, a new atrium, a black box theatre, and a double gym. It also promises to preserve the present building’s historic façade.

Maintaining the façade will be UTS’s own special responsibility, and measured in terms of the 105 years of affection and ingenuity that have already gone into the premises at 371 Bloor West, the school will be more than up to the task. n

As the school expressed more exuberance in its appearance, it also added new spaces and utilities for the students (and staff, too) to more broadly express their creativity in different disciplines.

Training in the parking lot for the Classics chariot race is a UTS tradition.

THE UTS ALUMNI M AGAZINE

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As the Tree, So the Branch Deep roots and new growth characterize the affiliation between U of T and UTS

BY PRINCIPAL ROSEMARY EVANS

I

n my first week at UTS, in July of 2011, two events stood out. First, Professor Martin Friedland – father of Tom Friedland ’81 and author of The University of Toronto: A History – arranged for materials related to the founding of UTS to be set aside for me to review in the University of Toronto Archives. Reading through this fascinating collection of documents, I learned that UTS began as the result of the recommendation of a Royal Commission to develop an experimental school as part of the newly formed Department of Education at U of T. This school was to serve as a laboratory for the training of secondary school teachers in the quest to develop efficient teaching methods to prepare students for jobs in the nation’s rapidly emerging industrial infrastructure.

The second noteworthy event was a research activity co-designed by UTS teacher Dr. Maria Niño-Soto, OISE PhD candidate Michelle Lui, and Michelle’s advisor, Dr. Jim Slotta. UTS students investigated evolutionary principles using animated digital scenes of the Borneo rainforest from 2,000,000 years ago and 200 years ago. The students compared the flora and fauna evident in the scenes of the different time periods.

They then tagged, classified, and categorized their evidence using interactive technology, and coconstructed their theory of evolution.

The past, present, and future merged during that week to reinforce the uniqueness and potential of UTS as a school for highly motivated students and faculty: engaged in teacher education, educational research, and innovation. Looking back, those two experiences exemplify the benefits to both UTS and the University of Toronto of continuing the affiliation that marked our very beginnings.

This affiliation agreement represents an exciting renewal of our relationship with the University of Toronto. It encompasses a return to our original

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mission, while also keeping an eye on the future to pave the way for new development. As a part of the university community, we pledge through our letters patent “to provide highest-quality and accessible education to students selected on the basis of merit; to serve as a resource and facility for the initial and continuing education of teachers; and to develop, support and advance school and university curriculum, instruction and assessment methods through research and innovation in both the Canadian and international contexts.” We are committed to broadening our school’s programming opportunities while also bringing worthwhile and valuable input to U of T. The many academic partnerships we have developed with members of the university community enrich both university personnel and our own students and staff. Indeed, many of these programs were initiated by UTS teachers and reflect their quest for innovation.

Our new affiliation journey allows this valuable relationship to continue and opens up new possibilities for UTS. In the past, we were principally connected with the Department of Education/OCE/FEUT and, most recently, OISE. Today, our direct liaison is with the Office of the Provost and we will now report to the ViceProvost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education.

We will have biannual meetings with university representatives to review existing relationships and explore future areas for collaboration. UTS is also examining University of Toronto President Meric Gertler’s Three Priorities to explore how we can enhance these initiatives.

It is our hope that UTS can contribute to the University of Toronto’s efforts to transform educational practices. To this end, UTS has been involved in a number of exciting and innovative initiatives with the university, including the

UTS and University of Toronto Affiliation Activities Here is just a sampling of some of the many affiliation activities which enrich both institutions: Master of Teaching (MT) Program, OISE: UTS is currently the only school-based cohort site for the renewed MT program for intermediate and senior divisions. We provide opportunities for observation, curriculum development, student engagement, teaching, mentoring, research, and volunteer placements for 30 teacher candidates under the direction of OISE Professor David Montemurro. UTS is committed to being an engaged and contributing partner, working together with OISE to ensure that the new MT program reflects best practice in teacher and graduate education. For years, UTS students and teachers provided a stimulating environment for teacher candidates; we are pleased to continue this tradition.

Research Initiatives Professor Clare Kosnik, OISE: Prof. Kosnick is working with six UTS educators on a teacher

Courtesy of Sharon Zillmer

creation of Massive Open Online courses (MOOCs) (see The Root, Fall 2015), coupled with research into the efficacy of secondary school students taking MOOCs. We are also currently engaged in an innovative educational initiative with The Learning Partnership and the Munk School that focuses on engaging senior secondary students in global problem-solving units of study that incorporate university-level work, and that will help them to bridge successfully to post-secondary education. As a host school for a renewed Master of Teaching cohort, UTS is partnering with our university teaching colleagues to develop innovative teacher training. Our exciting teacher research initiative, Eureka!, has demonstrated the power of practitioners working with research experts to investigate real-life teaching issues.

UTS will continue to demonstrate that our school is an incubator nurturing creative individuals who have the power to reshape our world for the better. Indeed, over the past five years the excitement of my first week at UTS has not diminished. Our renewed affiliation provides multiple opportunities for UTS students to excel, and ensures that the creative learning environment so evident within the school since its inception can continue to evolve and develop, and leave a lasting impact.

research project. She has involved other OISE instructors and they are facilitating a teacher research inquiry community at UTS which is also the subject of research for Prof. Kosnick and her colleagues. The project is fully funded by the UTS Eureka! Endowment. This year Professor Kosnick and her team presented on the project at the American Educational Research Association Conference in Chicago. The team’s research has also been presented at both provincial and international conferences.

Youth Participatory Action Research (yPAR), OISE: UTS is an affiliate in conducting research into elite schools and issues of equity and inclusion (see The Root, Fall 2015). This research utilizes the Youth Participatory Action Research (yPAR) Model which Prof. Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez is also using to understand the experiences of Latino students and First Nations students in the Toronto District School Board. A grant from Newton Foundation, through UTS, is funding a post-doctoral fellow. We hope that this unique research initiative will increase our understanding of how we can maintain and enhance equity and inclusion, a distinguishing attribute of the UTS community.

UTS students present to Professor Zhong-Ping Feng of the Department of Physiology, U of T, during a Bright Lights session.

It is our hope that UTS can contribute to the University of Toronto’s efforts to transform educational practices.

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Research: UTS received research funds from the Gates Foundation to support research related to Prof.

Dilip Soman’s MOOC: Behavioural Economics in Action. Principal Rosemary Evans and UTS teacher Christopher Federico ’91 presented this research at the MOOC Research Initiative Conference held in Texas in December 2013, and their paper, “MOOC Integration into Secondary School Courses”, co-written with Hedieh Najafi, was published in The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning.

THE UTS ALUMNI M AGAZINE

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Teaching Initiatives

Every year, UTS and various academic departments at the University of Toronto collaborate to host numerous conferences and events.

Global Innovation Group professors Janice Stein and Dilip Soman at a Global Ideas Institute event.

Global Ideas Institute (GII): For the past six years, UTS has worked with the Munk School of Global Affairs and, more recently, with The Learning Partnership, Rotman, and OISE, on the GII. This program provides a unique learning experience annually for more than 150 GTA secondary school students related to a specific global development challenge. The GII works with Global Innovation Group professors Janice Stein, Joseph Wong, Dilip Soman, Stanley Zlotkin, Yu-Ling Cheng, and Anita McGahan, as well as graduate students, senior undergraduates, and OISE teacher candidates. UTS helps recruit schools and assists the GII organizational team with curriculum development.

Rotman Integrative Thinking: UTS and the I Think Team at Rotman have organized summer programs introducing students to complex problem-solving strategies. These programs are marketed and organized by UTS. Christopher Federico was seconded part-time to Rotman to help the I Think Team deliver programs for public school boards, other educational institutions, and the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Bright Lights in the Lab: UTS has been a partner with physiology professor Zhong-Ping Feng and the Firefly Foundation for the past four years. Bright Lights gives students from grades six to 12 an opportunity to design and perform open-ended science experiments on behaviour, learning, and memory using invertebrates. More than 30 students each summer take part in the program. Last summer, the program received

funding from the Fulbright Foundation and was led by UTS teacher and Fulbright Fellow, Anand Mahadevan.

MOOC: UTS joined forces with the University of Toronto and Professor Jim Slotta (OISE) to develop and deliver an innovative MOOC that was offered last summer on the Edx platform.

Entitled Teaching with Technology and Inquiry: An Open Course for Teachers, this unique MOOC provided participants from around the world with significant opportunities to collaborate on curricula design. UTS classes and teachers were video-taped and highlighted in the course. The MOOC was created with financial support from the Office of the Vice President and Provost, University of Toronto, the Dean of OISE, and Newton Foundation (through UTS).

Maximum City: Developed by UTS teacher Josh Fullan, Maximum City is an award-winning curriculum and research project in sustainable urban design for high school students. For the past four summers, students from schools across the GTA worked together with leading experts in architecture, design, transit, and civic engagement – including University of Toronto professors – to tackle real-life sustainability challenges and planning issues. The learning modules developed in the summer program are currently being taught to a broader cohort of students as part of their in‑school curriculum.

Conferences and Competitions Every year, UTS and various academic departments at the University of Toronto collaborate to host numerous conferences and events, as well as competitions, that draw participants from across the province and country, and around the world. Some examples include: The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians, the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers contest, and the Ontario Philosophy Teachers’ Conference.

Outreach Initiatives

Photo courtesy of I-Think Initiative, Rotman School of Management

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Recruitment and Admissions Department: UTS has worked closely with Ken Withers, Director, University Student Recruitment. UTS has also provided opportunities for University admissions staff to promote the university at UTS events open to students from across the province and beyond; for example, debate tournaments and model United Nations events. n

Jamie Day Fleck

Talking Affiliation A look at the members of the U of T and UTS leadership who came together to reach a new agreement

A

dedicated group of alumni volunteers, UTS staff, and University of Toronto administrators put in many hours to successfully negotiate a new affiliation agreement. These teams, profiled below, turned the eviction notice received in 2011 into a rebirth for UTS in its current location and a renewal of the vital connection between our school and the university, a relationship that brings great value to both institutions.

In addition to our incredible committee members, UTS also owes a great debt of gratitude to people such as the Honourable Hal Jackman O.C. ’50, former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, who advocated with great passion on behalf of our

school. He is one of just many alumni, parents, students, and community members without whom the negotiations would not have reached such a successful conclusion. Throughout this process, they have offered advice, encouragement, support, and advocacy, and UTS thanks them for their ongoing efforts on behalf of the school.

Thanks and appreciation go as well to the team of lawyers – Steve Moate ’75 and Tad Brown, Counsels for the University of Toronto; Signe Liesk of Cassels Brock, who also represented the university; and Graham Rawlinson, representing UTS – for turning a conceptual document into a legal agreement.

UTS Leadership Rosemary Evans, Principal As principal of UTS, Rosemary was a key figure in the affiliation negotiations; her many contributions summed up by her can-do attitude and complete commitment to saving the future of UTS. Jim Fleck C.C. ’49, chair of the Board of Directors and also a member of the Affiliation Committee, described her as “the linchpin that held everything together.

I cannot speak more highly of her. Thrown into a difficult situation, she worked passionately to save our school.”

Rosemary was named principal of UTS in February 2011, with her term to begin that July. In April, however, the University of Toronto informed UTS that it had declined UTS’ site redevelopment proposal for 371 Bloor Street West. Since the moment she became our principal, Rosemary has worked

diligently to have UTS flourish and to create a meaningful partnership with the University of Toronto.

Rosemary received her B.A. in History from the University of Western Ontario and her M.A., B.Ed., and MBA from the University of Toronto. She served as a teacher, department head, and subject coordinator for the Peel Board of Education, and later as a vice principal in the former East York Board of Education. During her time as an instructor in the Initial Teacher Education Program at OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), Rosemary was the recipient of a Teaching Excellence Award. She later accepted the role of academic head at Branksome Hall, where she oversaw the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Programs from junior kindergarten to grade 12.

ABOVE: Members of the UTS leadership team: L-R: Bill Saunderson ’52, David Allan ’78, John Duffy ’81, Don Schmitt ’70, Principal Rosemary Evans, Jim Fleck C.C ’49, Iain Dobson ’70.

THE UTS ALUMNI M AGAZINE

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Jim Fleck C.C. ’49, Chair, Board of Directors An active member of the UTS alumni community, Jim has donated generously and in many ways to the school throughout the years. During the affiliation process, Jim’s level head and unflappable leadership led the way through a series of complex negotiations. His insight and business expertise were key to the successful conclusion of our talks with the University of Toronto.

A highly respected entrepreneur, business professor, and philanthropist, he currently chairs the Canadian Museum of History as well as Business for the Arts. He is a past chair of ATI Technologies and Fleck Manufacturing. Jim has taught at Harvard Business School, The Kennedy School, and the University of Toronto. His government service includes CEO of the Office of the Premier of Ontario, Secretary of the Cabinet, and Deputy Minister of Industry and Tourism.

Jim holds a doctorate of business administration in finance from Harvard, and has received honorary degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Trinity College. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada and recipient of many awards for philanthropy and volunteerism.

Donald Schmitt ’70 Don played a vital and multi-faceted role in the affiliation negotiation process. He has been working since 2010 to envisage what a renewal of the current UTS building and site might look like as we move into a new era. The building possibilities and planning options represented by the vision were key to moving the negotiations forward. In addition, Don was the UTS expert in bringing together the underlying principles of affiliation.

A world-renowned architect, and a principal at Diamond Schmitt, Don has designed academic, healthcare, and research facilities with an emphasis on sustainable design. He was recently named architect for Geffen Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Don is the founding chair of the Public Art Commission for the City of Toronto for which he was awarded the Civic Medal. He was a member of the Advisory Committee on Planning Design and Real Estate for the National Capital Commission, Ottawa, and is a member of the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel. Don is a member of the Canadian Art Foundation Advisory Committee, and is an academician with the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

John Duffy ’81, Vice Chair, Board of Directors You might not think that one of the city’s most prominent Liberals would have double-blue in his blood, but such is John Duffy’s relationship to UTS. Married to an alumna (Jill Presser ’87), with two daughters at the school (Martine ’17 and Simone ’21), and siblings, in-laws, and cousins dotting the UTSAA roster, John’s service since 2012 as board vice chair is just one more strand in a life intertwined with the that of the school.

For John, maintaining UTS at 371 Bloor West and within the U of T family has been a passion. From May 2011, when the 14

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school was given walking papers and John protested the decision to the media, he has pursued relentlessly what he calls “the new deal” with his other alma mater: the University of Toronto.

John brought a wide range of deal-making skills, which have been honed in the worlds of business, government, and politics, to the project. Prime Ministers, premiers, and mayors, as well as the blue-chip corporate clients of his leading consulting firm, StrategyCorp, have all relied on John’s gifts as a strategist, storyteller, and diplomat. Working on the UTS deal is a way of thanking the school for the gifts it has given him in every corner of his life.

David Allan ’78 With a strong background in finance and law – he began his career as a lawyer specializing in banking, project finance, and securitization, and has since held numerous senior roles in the banking and finance industries in securitization and finance – David provided financial expertise and a thorough understanding of how to plan and manage the financial aspects of affiliation. His knowledge was particularly valuable given UTS’ minimal assets.

David is currently a principal and executive chairman of the TAO Group of Companies. He has also served as head of CIBC Wood Gundy’s Canadian Securitization Group, global head of Credit Structuring for what was then CIBC World Markets, and head of Capital Markets with Toronto-based structured finance boutique Coventree Inc. He has a B.A. (International Relations) from the University of Toronto, an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School, and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.

Iain Dobson ’70 Iain played a significant role in helping UTS and the University of Toronto situate the vision of a renewed site within the larger urban context and the changing landscape of Toronto.

After several months of searching for a new home for UTS, Iain wrote “Value Plan: The Case for UTS Staying at 371 Bloor Street.” By the end of 2013, after several meetings with the university, these arguments were beginning to change the outlook for UTS’ tenure at 371 Bloor.

Iain has a background in real estate development, having spent 30 years working with some of the world’s largest and most successful real estate developers. He was engaged in leading-edge research on intensification surrounding transit for the province and is well known for developing the arguments to place Sheridan College into downtown Mississauga and Centennial College’s new campus at Downsview Aerospace Cluster.

Iain is founding chair of the UTS Annual Alumni Campaign.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Trent University.

Bill Saunderson ’52, President, UTS Foundation As inaugural president of the UTS Foundation and a longtime donor and volunteer to both UTS and U of T, Bill’s dream has

been to see UTS maintain its affiliation with the University of Toronto. The 2015 Crawford Award winner, Bill has led the foundation’s efforts to provide the financial arrangements for initial construction of a new and renewed UTS building.

Beyond UTS, Bill has had a very successful business and political career and has helped health, arts, and other education-related foundations. He began his career as a chartered accountant with Clarkson Gordon (now Ernst & Young), co-founded Sceptre Investment Counsel Ltd., and worked with the Ontario Pension Commission for more than

a decade. He served as Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism in the government of Mike Harris, then as chair of the Ontario International Trade Corporation. Bill chaired Trinity College’s most recent campaign, and is a member of U of T’s Group of 175.

Bill holds a B.A. from Trinity College, is a Fellow of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants, and a recipient of its Award of Outstanding Merit. He also holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of Ottawa and Trinity College.

University of Toronto Leadership Rosemary Evans described the University of Toronto team as being “wonderfully willing to be open-minded to finding a win-win solution.” John Duffy added that they “challenged us to be both more independent and more relevant to the university than ever before.”

Meric Gertler, President Meric’s vision of U of T as a great urban university collaborating positively with its many communities as embodied by its “Three Priorities,” gave concrete shape to our joint vision for the future. Those priorities – the university’s urban location, deepening key international partnerships, and reimagining and reinventing undergraduate education – are all embodied in the renewed affiliation agreement. His quiet support was indispensable to the success of the talks.

could step into the role of a trusted development partner, collaborating with the university to create a great work of citybuilding at an iconic Toronto crossroads. His fair dealing and good humour helped lead to a strong partnership agreement.

Scott and Malcolm were supported in their work by a great team led by Christine Burke, U of T’s director of Campus and Facilities Planning, and Adrienne De Francesco, the university’s executive director of Capital Projects. Christine and Adrienne are indispensable in ensuring the university’s many projects come off flawlessly, from initial plans to final execution. They’ve played an important role in the development of the project agreement and will continue to do so as the project progresses. n

Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President and Provost Cheryl was responsible for addressing the academic affiliations between UTS and the university, including the Global Ideas Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Her focus on making UTS a full partner in the university’s pedagogical and academic missions, and her unshakeable belief in the benefits of a strong relationship with a great high school, allowed the team to expand its vision of what the new affiliation could look like.

Malcolm Lawrie, Assistant Vice-President, University Planning Design and Construction Malcolm was the University of Toronto lead on negotiating the building project side of the agreement, including the relationship between UTS’ proposed site changes and the university’s overall plans for developing the block. Malcolm’s patient, positive attitude was always aimed at solving problems rather than creating them. He was able to bring together both projects on tight deadlines, showing skill, dedication, and real imagination.

Scott Mabury truly worked hand-in-hand with UTS committee members to renew the affiliation as the UTS team reported to him throughout the process. He always believed that UTS

Jamie Day Fleck

Scott Mabury, Professor and Vice-President University Operations UTS Board Chair Jim Fleck C.C. ’49 and former UTS Board Chair Bob Lord ’58 share a happy moment in celebration of renewed affiliation with U of T. THE UTS ALUMNI M AGAZINE

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LOOKING FORWARD

It was a blue and white, and a red-letter day all over!

December 15, 2015 will go down in UTS history as the day of the schools’ rebirth. Following the unanimous passing of the renewed affiliation agreement by the University of Toronto’s Governing Council, the historic document was signed by University of Toronto President Meric Gertler and Professor Scott Mabury, Vice-President, University Operations and UTS’ Jim Fleck and Rosemary Evans.

To mark the significance of the moment, the group followed the tradition, favoured by American Presidents, of using multiple pens when signing.

Photos by Jamie Day Fleck

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THE ROOT • Special Issue • Winter 2016