Photographs: (Opposite page) Babak; Vic Alumni Office
backgrounds to support the Robert Farquharson Information Commons help desk. All of these students are in second year and beyond; however, for many, it is the first job they have ever had. Each student receives training on serving the public and on how to convey correct information in a very detail-oriented milieu. Students receive annual evaluations, as they would in the workplace, as well as work references. The library participated in U of T’s Work Study Program this past year, employing students at both the undergraduate and graduate level to work in its digitization program and to assist archivists in their projects. As well, the library took part in the Young Canada Works program, a federal government initiative that employs students who are beginning to work in the library and archival fields. It also employed a WUSC student (World University Service of Canada) at the circulation desk—WUSC students come from countries without the same access to post-secondary education Canadians have. This year’s student is from Sudan (see “Young Alumni Profile” on pg. 9 for more about WUSC). Finally, the library also engaged co-op students from the material culture course VIC329, Material Culture Internship, to complete projects with archival documents which they then presented to their class as part of their course assignment.
OFFICE OF ALUMNI AFFAIRS & ADVANCEMENT The 2017–18 academic year has been a busy one for the Office of Alumni Affairs & Advancement (AAA). In the fall of the 2017, the University received a significant gift of $1 million from Bader Philanthropies Inc. toward the Scholarsin-Residence program. “This wonderful gift directly supports the presidential priority of engaging undergraduate students as active creators of knowledge, and is as testament to the remarkable work of the Office of the Principal of Victoria College in developing this program, in collaboration with the Jackman Humanities Institute, and to the advancement team for stewarding authentic donor relationships like the one with the Bader family, over so many years,” says Louise Yearwood, executive director of AAA. “The culture of giving at Vic remains strong and our donors understand that participation is the key to our success! The generosity of the community ensures that Vic continues to achieve excellence in all that it does. All gifts—both big and small—come together in aggregate to ensure that Vic is well supported and remains at the forefront of post-secondary education in Canada and beyond,” says Yearwood. AAA has also worked closely this past year with Emmanuel College and with the Muslim community, resulting in a remarkable $1 million gift given
Darren Cheng Vic 1T6, Vivian Che Vic 1T7, Alisa Mahrova Vic 1T6 and Julie Zhang Vic 1T7 at SHAKER 2018
Daria Murphy
by an anonymous donor to support the MPS program in Muslim Studies (see page 3 for more details). This gift directly ties with the presidential priority of fostering intercultural understanding, an area in which Emmanuel is a recognized leader. The department has also been busy helping students to get ready for their lives beyond Victoria through engaging alumni to act as student mentors. For example, Life after Vic, a careernetworking event run by VUSAC and the dean’s office with support from AAA, featured a number of alumni from a variety of professions and graduating years. The alumni networked at a special pre-reception, and then acted as mentors to the 75 students who attended this special networking dinner in Alumni Hall. As well this past year, alumni engaged with students at an etiquette lunch, at a career kickstarter event run by the registrar’s office, and at the Emerging Leader Award event when the past year’s three winners—Ige Egal, Elise Paradis and Tasha Schumann— spoke about their life journeys beyond Vic and were celebrated for their achievements. As well, Vic alumni stayed engaged by serving on the alumni associations for both Victoria and Emmanuel Colleges (AVC and ECAA), on the Board of Regents, the Senate, on the College of Electors and in many other capacities throughout the year. Vic Report and other publications and media produced by AAA continue to support the current strategic priorities of the University by ensuring that their contents reflect the presidential vision. vic report summer 2018
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