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Recognition Award Recipients
Congratulation to this year’s Recognition Award recipients:
Nashira Birch, Ina Bureau, Susan Corner
Nashira Birch
Nashira recently completed her BA in Child and Youth Care with
a minor in Psychology. While a student, she contributed to the restoration of the
CYC Student Council and undertook the initiative to coordinate her CYC practicum
internationally in Malawi, Africa while successfully fund-raising to support the Child
Care programs she was to be involved with while overseas. Nashira has assisted other
students by writing the student handbook for international practica. An honorary
member of the Zomba Kidz Council, a joint project with the District of Saanich, she
has begun volunteering with Unicef in their school education program. Her nominators
believe that her contributions to the University, her local community and the
international community will only continue to grow.
Ina Bureau
Ina, who has been at UVic for the past 20 years, is the Manager of
Production and Catering. She organizes meals for some 1800 resident students and others
who use university food services. She also caters special events. She was the Food Director
for the 1990 BC Summer Games, (22,000 meals served over 4 days), and catered to Queen
Elizabeth & Prince Edward during the 1994 Commonwealth Games. These events worked
to raise UVic’s profile. Ina’s initiative has brought diversity to the campus with the hiring of
innumerable students, both domestic and international, as well as workers from the
Garth Homer Society. She volunteers for the United Way Campaign, 24 Hour Hockey
Tournament, Cystic Fibrosis Fundraising, and, special to Ina’s heart, Operation Trackshoes.
Susan Corner
Sue administers the UVic Orientation Program and is Team Leader
of the award-winning Student Transition Centre. During the past 10 years, she has
ensured that students have been well welcomed to our campus. Each year student
staff and numerous volunteers play key roles in a program run almost entirely on
sponsorship and volunteerism. Sue manages to create a cohesive, competent team to
support new students through their transition to the UVic campus. An advocate of lifelong
learning, Susan has just completed a Masters degree in Education. Her nominators
write: ”Susan Corner is a mentor to the women that work with her and for her. She
exemplifies excellence in leadership, integrity, organization skills, and a dedication to
life-long learning.”
Stephanie Dixon
Steph, a 3rd year Social Sciences student, volunteers as Queen
Alexandra centre for Children’s Health teaching swimming to disabled children. She
speaks about sport and overcoming obstacles at elementary schools. In 2005 Steph
became involved in the World Malaria Swim, getting sponsors and teammates to donate
over $2,000. She has taken a leadership role in raising money for the Aquatics for Arthritis
campaign. In addition, she is the Varsity Council rep for Swimming. She has won
numerous medals in both able-bodies and disabled athletic events. It is her perseverance
and unwillingness to accept the limitations of the challenge of being born with a single
leg that are her gift, as well as her ability to inspire others.
Jo-Anne Lee
Dr. Lee is an associate professor in the Department of Women’s
Studies at UVic. Her students say her courses are always participatory, innovative
and incredibly rewarding. She integrates theory with community activism and
is a role model for racialised students as well as any student or colleague who takes
social-justice work both inside and outside of academia seriously. She has given
her time to the Cultural Capacity Task Force, the Faculty Women’s Caucus, the UVic
Speaker’s Bureau, and is a co-founder of MIWIN, a UVic committee dedicated to
supporting minority and Indigenous women instructors on campus. She worked
with community representatives, students and faculty to establish Anti-Dote, a
grassroots organization for racialised and Indigenous girls and women.
Dianne Heather Raven
Heather Raven (Nakasheohow), BA 1982, LLB 1985, is a
member of the Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation and a Senior Instructor. Before UVic, she
practiced employment and labour law in Vancouver. She served from 1992-2004 as the
Director of the Academic and Cultural Support Program at the Faculty of Law. Heather
nurtured this very successful program from its inception to create a supportive learning
environment for Indigenous and Special Access students. It is now a model for other
Canadian Law schools. Heather was the first full-time Indigenous Faculty member at UVic.
As a mentor and instructor, Heather understands and appreciates the position, struggles,
and insights of Indigenous people at university and away from their home communities.
Mary Sanseverino
Mary has been at UVic for over 25 years as a student, staff
member and faculty member, completing an undergrad degree in Geography (1986)
and an MSc Geography in 1991. With the exception of a few brief forays into the private
sector, she has not been able to bring herself to leave UVic. An incurable learner, teacher
and geek, UVic has been the perfect environment to allow Mary to join her interests in
teaching, technology and media. She chairs the Computer Science Outreach Committee
and personally makes numerous classroom visits to BC schools. In 2003 Mary received
the Faculty of Engineering’s Award for Teaching Excellence for her commitment to
teaching, learning, and innovation.
Lisa Surridge
Joining the English Department in 1992, Lisa has the rare ability
to mediate between disparate groups, all of whom respect her judgment and fairness.
As the mother of two young boys she is especially attuned to the challenges faced by
academic mothers and supports her colleagues in very tangible ways. She has also raised
considerable funds for Awards and the new UVic Infant and Child Care Centre, brought
the Victorian Review (which she co-edits) to UVic. She organized one highly successful
international conference and is in the process of organizing another. A member of
the UVic Speaker’s Bureau, she also conducts annual seminars for judges on Judgment
Writing. Lisa’s broad laugh can often be heard throughout the department.
***
To view a list of the past recognition awards recipients, please go to:
http://web.uvic.ca/womennet/pastrecipients.html
To view a list of the 15 outstanding nominees, please go to:
http://web.uvic.ca/womennet/2007/awardnominees.html
For information on the nomination process, please go to:
