as our university community prepares to bid farewell dr. moira mcpherson—its seventh and first female president and vice-chancellor—on june 30, 2023, journey staff invited her to share her reflections on her term as president and her time in multiple senior leadership positions at lakehead.

dr. mcpherson, president and vice-chancellor

in the summer of 2017, i was deeply honoured when lakehead's board of governors offered me the opportunity to serve as our university's interim president and vice-chancellor. since that moment in september 2017, and my subsequent appointment as lakehead's president a year later, it has been a privilege to work with the many talented and exceptional people at our institution's two campuses and to help lead us through some of our most tumultuous years together.

my decision to accept this role followed more than a decade of serving in multiple senior leadership roles at lakehead during which i gained a thorough understanding of our university's complex operations and learned from others in universities and communities across the country and around the globe. i had already worked with many areas of the university and with regional, national, and international organizations, and knew there were key opportunities to build on and integrate our unique strengths so that lakehead could flourish during a time when there was an accelerated pace of change and challenges facing all universities. taking on the role of president seemed like the next step to continue my efforts to further strengthen lakehead's potential.

while it seems like long ago, my previous roles as lakehead's deputy provost, and then provost & vice-president (academic), definitely helped prepare, shape, and advance my vision for what would be my term as president.

building on previous roles to shape and advance a vision for lakehead

in 2011, i was appointed to the deputy provost position. in that role, i worked across our various faculties and offices to lead the university’s transition to the newly provincially mandated quality assurance framework, building on our many program strengths and our growing reputation as a comprehensive university. this was foundational work that is still guiding our program innovation and quality assurance.

when i was appointed provost & vice-president (academic) in 2014, i was made responsible for leading academic affairs for 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 ’s nine faculties and our approximately 8,500 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , 550 instructional faculty, 42 academic units, two campuses, and more than 30 graduate programs at the time—a formidable and richly rewarding task to be sure!

during my term as provost, i led the creation and expansion of academic programs, innovative learning opportunities, and the integration of research throughout the undergraduate curriculum. our teams forged new and productive pathways and relationships with our college partners to expand student success and access while maintaining high academic quality and fiscal sustainability. i was proud to be charged with the responsibility to write and lead the development of the final bora laskin faculty of law degree curriculum proposal and was able to shepherd the proposal through the provincial quality assurance and law society approval processes. its special mandate was designed to suit the needs of our northern communities in ways unique to lakehead, and the graduates of the program continue to excel throughout northern ontario, the province and, more broadly, across the country.

after a decade of working with the senate teaching and learning committee and supporting instructional development, i launched a provost’s task force on innovation and excellence in teaching, learning and technology. the task force was asked to recommend institutional changes to organizational structure and infrastructure, and policy and resource requirements to lay the groundwork for the development of an advanced teaching, technology and learning centre. i used their comprehensive report to inform the launch and official opening of the teaching commons during the 2017-2018 academic year. 

dr. david barnett, provost & vice-president (academic), and his team subsequently developed and led the operations of the teaching commons, which provided a strong foundation when the global pandemic hit and we had to immediately migrate all in-person classes to a sustainable online and delivery model. the teaching commons played a timely and critical role in helping faculty and instructors pivot quickly to online teaching modes and it is currently addressing the evolving needs of faculty, instructors, and our graduate student instructors.

 what sets lakehead apart?

dr. mcpherson (centre) with thunder bay elementary 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 enrolled in lakehead's achievement program, which helps youngsters overcome socioeconomic barriers to postsecondary education.

lakehead has grown to be the preeminent comprehensive and research-intensive university in northern ontario. along with our growing campus in orillia, we play a distinctive role in ontario's postsecondary sector with our emphasis on access and our commitment to indigenous learners and their communities.

ninety-five per cent of lakehead's 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 face at least one barrier to postsecondary education and both of our campuses are located in regions with the lowest postsecondary participation rates in the province. at the same time, northwestern ontario has seen declines in the number of traditional university-age 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 —compelling us to work harder and smarter to expand our reach and programming to meet both enrolment goals and our regional mandates.

our university has a solid history of responding effectively to student demand and societal needs. it has flourished by transforming higher education challenges and inequities in northwestern ontario, simcoe county, and surrounding regions into rich student experiences linking learners, programs, scholars, and communities.

lakehead has gained new strengths and a higher profile despite the incredibly challenging odds over the past five years. we have worked hard to build strong relationships with indigenous and community leaders, industry, government, and international partners. we have focused on creating a richer and more diverse lakehead and have improved graduation outcomes for indigenous and international 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 . our progress has only been possible because of the passionate efforts of our internal administrators, faculty, and staff who believe, as i do, in lakehead's ability to transform student's lives, as well as the communities we serve.

lakehead versus covid

i have really been reflecting on this a lot recently.

although there were some distinct phases as the global pandemic gripped and changed the world for all of us over the past three years, each of us experienced its effects and time in dramatically different ways.

i recall the intense pressure of working with my team to constantly respond to the danger and uncertainty of the pandemic and to the rapidly evolving public policies regarding physical-space requirements, residence and food services, isolation protocols, changing learning and support deliveries, mask and mandatory vaccine policies, etcetera. it was an exhausting challenge that consumed us 24/7 as we had to be on top of the tidal waves of changes we confronted daily as the weeks and months wore on. we received and issued updates as ministry, federal, and provincial health mandates changed in what seemed, at first, to be every few hours. we issued a barrage of communications, held town halls, and hosted endless virtual meetings. for weeks, and then months, we needed to create detailed weekly financial, enrolment, budget, and resourcing scenarios to prepare lakehead for any possible eventuality. we knew we faced a vast number of unknowns as the pandemic coursed through the country.

it was beyond grueling, but with everyone's constant attention, we kept 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , faculty, and staff safe on our campuses. lakehead was one of only a handful of ontario universities that did not have campus covid outbreaks. our 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 were provided with the necessary support services, significant emergency funding, and other resources, and throughout there was continuity of academic delivery and business operations.

three years later, we are still dealing with the impacts of the pandemic on our university. one of the hardest to address is building back an engaged 'on-campus' culture. 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and employees alike have suffered in many ways, and many have come back shaped by having lived through the global pandemic. we will continue to invest as much as we can to build the health and wellness supports for our 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and employees, however, i believe there are limits to how much universities can do alone. we have to accept that it will take individual efforts and a multitude of other types of supports outside of the university's scope, as well as time, to recover in a world that has been so profoundly altered.

proudest moments

an overarching theme of lakehead's 2018-2023 strategic plan was to enhance our role in creating future leaders and to continue to engage in positive relationships with the communities surrounding our campuses.

at the start of my term as president, i was fully focused on the development and implementation of our 2018-2023 strategic plan and the subsequent development of a suite of core foundational plans, including our academic plan, research plan, our equity, diversity, and inclusion plan, the orillia campus outlook, and our wellness strategy—our trail to wellness.

the strategic plan, and each subsequent foundational plan, guided an integrated effort to successfully achieve our ambitious goals and targets even while facing funding shortfalls and harmful pandemic setbacks.

while focus and effort must continue, lakehead has dramatically increased its responsiveness to the needs and aspirations of indigenous learners, focusing on indigenous knowledge, culture, and values, and highlighting the profile and success of indigenous learners and colleagues at the university. supported by key members of the president's council on truth and reconciliation (pctr), we have developed partners in some wonderful new initiatives, providing global experience and internship opportunities to indigenous learners such as the opentext initiative. lakehead and the seven generations education institute are partnering to deliver programs including the all nation nurses entry program and the bachelor of nursing program in communities throughout northwestern ontario, enabling 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to pursue their chosen programs in their home communities. the niijii indigenous mentorship program delivered educational programming, hands-on experience, and pathway guidance to more than 5,500 indigenous youth throughout northwestern ontario over the last year. our faculty and researchers are doing critical work to address improved access to health care, language preservation and revitalization, and in many other areas in partnership with indigenous organizations.

my proudest moments in more recent years are also defined by, and due to, the ongoing opportunities to work with the dedicated, hard-working professionals around me.

as i approach the end of this presidential term, i am acutely aware of how important my collaborations with kathy pozihun, vice-president (administration & finance), and dr. heather murchison, vice-provost (institutional planning & analysis) and strategic advisor to the president, were as we customized an integrated planning and budgeting process for lakehead.

in 2017, we fully framed and launched the process, greatly expanding the university's capacity to set and define objectives that have supported the realization of our strategic goals, despite tightly constrained provincial grants and a challenging fiscal environment. our planning processes have been recognized as a "best practice" by the society of college and university planners. quite frankly, we could not have remained financially sustainable over the past years and still advanced our priorities without this approach.

i worked closely with dr. andrew dean, vice-president (research & innovation), to ensure our faculty have the capacity to develop their research programs. the number of graduate 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 at lakehead has increased, we now offer more research-based learning experiences for undergraduates, and lakehead researchers are being recognized internationally. lakehead has significantly advanced its total research funding and reputation through new high-impact research centres, such as the biorefining research institute, epid@work, and the anishinaabe kendaasiwin institute.

once again, this year, lakehead was ranked first in canada for not-for-profit research income in our peer category by re$earch infosource. lakehead is now also known for its strengths in community-based research, making a real difference to the people in our regions.

i am also pleased with the progress we have made through the work of the president's advisory council on economic development (paced). this group, comprised of business and community leaders from across simcoe county, has leveraged the county's strengths and ambitions to advance our partnerships with communities, organizations, and local industry. fueled by our work with paced, our orillia and thunder bay mous, and our local economic development commissions, lakehead is pursuing the 'economic prosperity' designation through the university economic and development association of america. if we receive this designation, we will be only the second university in canada to do so. during my last month as president, lakehead will host c2uexpo, the largest research conference ever held at lakehead, attracting delegates from around the world.

over the past five years, the intrepid team within 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 international has intensified our international recruitment and retention efforts, ensuring that 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 arriving from all over the world are welcomed with the services they need to thrive at our university. we invested in both campuses to support global projects, exchanges, partnerships, and the development of cultural competencies and global skills that have enriched the experience of our domestic 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and community. just this past year we signed our first two international dual-degree agreements with the rennes school of business in france, and with northumbria university in the united kingdom.

we have also continued to grow and expand lakehead orillia. this past year we surpassed 2,100 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 in our simcoe county programs, including over 100 international 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 . our vice-president external relations, along with the interim principal of the orillia campus, are helping us set the stage for a major capital and program expansion on our orillia campus as we look to the future.

our administrators and faculty have facilitated the growth of our collaborations with our regional college partners—barrie's georgian college and thunder bay's confederation college. the lakehead-georgian partnership provides 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 with opportunities to graduate with an integrated college diploma and university degree, combining the applied knowledge and training of a high-affinity college diploma and the deep education of a university program. our relationship with confederation college has been strengthened through new collaborations focused on learner supports and expanding access to postsecondary opportunities. the new lakehead-confederation joint admissions agreement reduces barriers to higher education by encouraging 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to transition to 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 after they complete their respective diploma program at the college. we've also worked together to enhance wrap-around supports for indigenous transfer 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to ensure that both our institutions understand each student's strengths and provide a network of holistic supports.

related to finding more ways to provide potential 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 with opportunities to access postsecondary education and training, we launched the lakehead community zone to support expanded offerings (in person, hybrid, and virtual) in areas related to professional development, certificates, credentials/micro-credentials, badges, community-engaged research, and community-engaged lifelong learning. over 50 lakehead micro-credentials are now approved by the ontario ministry of colleges and universities and are eligible for its ontario student assistance program.

one of the newest and most exciting projects i have led is the development of a new collaborative doctor of veterinary medicine program in rural and northern community practice with the university of guelph. increased veterinary capacity is desperately needed in northern and rural communities and this collaboration will increase the training of veterinarians in ontario for the first time in a generation. this initiative will also provide an opportunity for lakehead to further attract and retain local talent in the north for the north. the government of ontario recently announced their strong support for a new northern cohort to begin their program each year at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 and have committed funding towards the necessary training infrastructure at both lakehead and guelph. i am so grateful to them for investing in this vision, as well as for the overwhelming support lakehead has received from the city of thunder bay and its community economic development commission, as well as from external donors and organizations!

finally, i am deeply proud of the momentum we have collectively built across the university towards a vision for economic, environmental, and social sustainability. in 2022, for the third year in a row, lakehead was included among the world's top 100 universities in the times higher education impact rankings—ranking 64th out of 1,406 universities from around the world based on our performance in meeting the united nations' 17 sustainable development goals.

this makes lakehead the highest-ranked university in the world with fewer than 10,000 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 .

our 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 have also stepped up and are active champions for sustainability in our communities and are leading lakehead's sustainability action plan.

 closing thoughts

i have had the good fortune to work with an extremely capable and committed executive team. they have worked together tirelessly to keep lakehead operating at an incredibly high level during the most challenging time in memory.

i also applaud the efforts and achievements of lakehead's faculty and staff that have ensured the highest quality of learning and scholarship were maintained despite the most daunting of circumstances.

at the end of the day, we are here first and foremost for our 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 . i have been able to get to know and celebrate the achievements of so many of our amazing 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 . they have demonstrated their resilience and spirit over and over, and will, no doubt, contribute so much more to our world and to the communities they find themselves in down the road.

it has truly been a remarkable 5 ½ years to lead and embrace all that is lakehead as your president!

individuals are invited to donate to a special tribute fund that has been established to honour dr. mcpherson's leadership and unwavering commitment to sustainability at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 .

"we want to inspire the next generation of leaders in canada," paul rolston says, "and that means supporting postsecondary education, especially in the areas of research and experiential learning."

paul is the managing director and co-head of institutional management at jarislowsky, fraser limited (jfl)—a pre-eminent canadian investment management company that manages capital for institutional and private clients, both in canada and globally.

jfl managing director and co-head of institutional management paul rolston. jfl was named a top investment manager in the great canadian esg championship (esg stands for environmental, social, and governance factors).

paul says he joined jfl because of "its phenomenal reputation for investment stewardship and its philosophy of investing for the long term in high-quality companies."

this philosophy is the foundation of jfl's commitment to sustainable investing. it seeks out companies that put importance on good corporate governance, environmental stewardship, and social practices such as equity, diversity, and inclusion programs.

"i believe sustainable investing is a way for investors to potentially align their investments with their values. we look for companies that go beyond a focus on short-term profits toward long-term value creation," paul explains.

paul currently helps oversee the team responsible for delivering the best solutions and services to jfl's institutional clients, which includes foundations, endowments, indigenous groups, corporations, and pension funds. in fact, lakehead relies on jfl to manage significant portions of its investments and employee pension plan.

"we're honoured to have had a relationship with lakehead since 1999," paul says.

in addition to helping lakehead through sound financial management, jfl has been a generous donor to many lakehead initiatives and programs.

"lakehead has been a great partner, and we wanted to give something meaningful back," paul says.

jfl has accomplished this as a long-time sponsor of lakehead's thunderwolves athletics and the annual alumni golf tournament, which raise funds for student scholarships and awards. the company has also strengthened the quality of lakehead's business programming.

this has encompassed subsidizing 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 ' use of the bloomberg terminal—a comprehensive investment and financial market platform providing data, tools, and news used by the world's investment leaders. the bloomberg terminal gave 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 real-world investing practice and increased their marketability and job prospects.

mentorship is important to jfl, too. they participated in the march 2022 student sessions hosted by the faculty of business administration and offered advice and guidance to 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 considering careers in the financial sector.

a new gift launches a new era

now, lakehead is proud to announce that jfl will soon be changing the lives of even more lakehead 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 . jfl will be making a transformative annual donation to our faculty of business administration to support student programming and research and to create vibrant learning spaces that will prepare lakehead 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 for the evolving business world.

"this gift will further our shared commitment to addressing current business issues, including environmental and sustainable investing," says lakehead's dean of business administration david richards.

jfl hopes this "will give business 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 access to hands-on tools they wouldn't otherwise have so that they can live roles, rather than just learn about them," paul says.

he urges 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to get experience in different areas as early as possible to discover where their passion lies. he's also looking forward to seeing lakehead 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 continue to flourish.

"we truly appreciate our multi-decade relationship with lakehead," paul says, "and we're extremely happy to support the next generation of business leaders."

where has the time gone? it seems like only yesterday that we were writing a directors' message for the fall edition of journey, and then here we are on the doorstep of spring!

so much has happened since our last update, and we've chosen a few highlights below:

the association's third virtual annual general meeting on october 11, 2022, was by far our biggest yet, with over 100 participants. many thanks to now past president karen boz for expertly navigating her second virtual agm and to anna gagliardi for keeping the tech running smoothly in the background. our guest speaker, dr. lana ray, spoke on the work she is initiating as lakehead's indigenous research chair in decolonial futures. her talk was both engaging and thought provoking.

also in october were the first in-person homecoming events at both lakehead thunder bay and lakehead orillia since the pandemic. the alumni board of directors (and chapter presidents) were able to travel to the thunder bay campus to congratulate our award recipients and hold their annual planning retreat.

our lakehead celebrates – alumni honours evening took place on friday evening during thunder bay's homecoming weekend, which recognized two of our recent honorary doctorates (hds). attending in person were alumni award recipients liz murray, daniel blekkenhorst, and laird van damme. melissa reckmann, tasia mckenna, and thomas doherty sent acceptance videos. hd recipients dr. lyn mcleod and dr. karl subban were also in attendance.

the final highlight of the weekend was a special rededication ceremony of the betty c. coates boardroom. betty coates, a former alumni association president, was instrumental in the fundraising campaign that allowed the university to purchase the avila centre from the sisters of st. joseph. avila served as alumni house's home for 26 years until we relocated to 1294 balmoral street. this was our first opportunity to rededicate the space in betty's honour in our new location. members of her family, as well as family friends, attended the ceremony.

november 29 was a big day on our annual calendar. a huge debt of gratitude to all alumni who made giving tuesday 2022 an even greater success than our previous high-water mark in 2021. we established a modest goal of $108,000 and exceeded it by more than double, raising a record $260,842.05 for lakehead 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and initiatives. the alumni association board of directors continued to lead by example, achieving a 100% participation rate.

and last, but not least, we were able to restart our varsity engagement program after a pandemic hiatus. it was amazing to be on the road with our talented and hardworking varsity athletes, and to see so many dedicated alumni and friends join us in the stands. the coaches and players all tell us how much your presence and support means to them when they're playing so far from thunder bay. we look forward to seeing you in the bleachers next year.

take care, talk soon, and stay safe.

yolanda wanakamik, hba'98/med'00
president, alumni association

mark tilbury, hbcom'94
executive director, alumni association

tackling the vet shortage

a historic investment from the province of ontario will allow 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 and the university of guelph to boost veterinarian graduates in ontario by 20 per cent per year—the first time there's been an increase since 1988—and address a critical shortage in animal care, particularly in northern ontario.

the new collaborative doctor of veterinary medicine program in rural and northern community practice will also provide loan assistance to recently graduated vets to practice in under-serviced areas and support large animal care through its veterinary incentive program. this will foster the growth of ontario's agri-food sector by expanding the number of vets in northern, rural, and indigenous communities by ensuring that livestock producers have the veterinary services needed to expand operations. this new degree wouldn't be possible without the ontario government's generous funding, which will be used to expand facilities in guelph and build specialized veterinary science labs and clinical facilities in the thunder bay region.

"i want to thank the government of ontario for seeing the vision and investing in the collaborative doctor of veterinary medicine program in rural and northern community practice," said lakehead president dr. moira mcpherson.

lakehead is also very grateful to the city of thunder bay for committing to a $500,000 contribution to the new program.

new lakehead president announced
dr. gillian siddall has been named the successor to current lakehead president and vice-chancellor moira mcpherson, who ends her distinguished term in june 2023. dr. siddall comes to lakehead from the emily carr university of art + design in vancouver where she's served as president since 2018, however, she has a longstanding connection with lakehead.

she is a former lakehead english professor who first joined the university in 1998. dr. siddall went on to become the founding director of lakehead's teaching and learning centre before serving as the university's dean of the faculty of social sciences and humanities for six years.

"阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 is a vibrant place where i've spent much of my career and i'm thrilled to rejoin the community that is very special to me," dr. siddall said. "the university's diverse offering of programs, strong international presence, stellar research record, and clear commitment to the student experience energizes me."

dr. siddall is an advocate of indigenization and decolonization within the university sector and holds an honours ba and ma in english from the university of guelph and a phd in english from the university of western ontario. her research area is canadian literature. in addition, she's a jazz vocalist and co-founder of the guelph jazz festival who's published extensively on the subject of musical improvisation. dr. siddall's installation as lakehead's eighth president will take place on july 1, 2023.

major gift from lusu

lusu president lahama naeem (right) presents dr. moira mcpherson (left) with a cheque for $300,000.

in january 2023, the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 student union announced a $300,000 gift to create 15 new student bursaries and assist lakehead's areas of greatest need. half of the donation will be used to create 10 thunder bay bursaries and five orillia bursaries. the remaining $150,000 will go to student experience priorities, including library spaces and student awards. "we believe that all 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 should have barrier-free access to education, and we are proud to use this gift as a step towards this goal," said lusu president lahama naeem. lakehead president moira mcpherson added that "this gift exemplifies lusu's strong tradition of supporting our 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and its commitment to their success."

mechatronics engineering program
lakehead will launch a new bachelor of mechatronics engineering program in the fall of 2023—making lakehead one of six universities in the province, and the first in northern ontario, to offer such a degree. mechatronics engineering is a recent and rapidly growing branch of engineering at the intersection of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, and computer science. it includes the design of robotics, control systems, and electromechanical systems. the program has been designed to prepare 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to create technologies that support the united nations' sustainable development goals. "this is a truly innovative field at the forefront of new industries, and we are thrilled to offer this program to 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 at lakehead," said dean of engineering janusz kozinski. the mechatronics engineering beng program will initially be available at the thunder bay campus.

orillia hospital partnership

osmh president and ceo carmine stumpo and lakehead president moira mcpherson at the mou signing.

阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 and the orillia soldiers' memorial hospital (osmh) signed a memorandum of understanding (mou) with the goal of strengthening health care in simcoe county. the announcement comes at a critical time for both institutions. over the next 10 years, lakehead will be adding 10 new programs of study that align with the region's socio-economic needs and the osmh is moving forward with transforming health by orillia integrating services, including a new hospital build. "we recognize the human resource health challenges that currently exist within the province of ontario and right here in orillia," said lakehead president moira mcpherson. areas of possible collaboration between the two institutions range from academic and non-academic program development to scholarly and health-related projects and research to collaborative long-term planning, such as opportunities for the sharing human and capital resources.

transforming clinical psychology
clinical psychologist dr. christopher mushquash has received a 2023 canada gairdner momentum award for his work in the areas of indigenous-led mental health, substance use, trauma, and general mental wellness. the gairdner foundation's annual awards celebrate researchers from around the world for excellence in fundamental research that improves human health. dr. mushquash is a canada research chair in indigenous mental health and addiction, a 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 and nosm university professor, vice-president of research at the thunder bay regional health sciences centre, and chief scientist at the thunder bay regional health research institute. he's also a psychologist with dilico anishinabek family care. dr. mushquash partners with communities, government, and academia and uses evidence-based approaches that align with first nations' values. in addition to the gairdner award, he was part of a research team given a 2022 canadian psychological association (cpa) clinical section award for clinical excellence for their work developing the best practices in psychology portal.

humanizing learning
after postsecondary schools moved online due to covid-19, dr. meridith lovell-johnston and her research team decided to explore how to humanize learning. they were also motivated by prior research that's found that moving online by necessity, rather than choice, creates problems for the average student and presents even greater challenges for mature 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , international 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , and others. dr. lovell-johnston, a lakehead education professor on the orillia campus, has received a $61,804 insight development grant from the social sciences and humanities research council that enable she and her team to continue their work. lakehead education professors dr. joan chambers and dr. sonia mastrangelo are the grant co-applicants. in addition, collaborators from confederation college and georgian college are playing an essential role in this research project.

musical sojourn in italy
music student amani sloley is travelling to italy this summer to study at the renowned cremona international music academy thanks to a $5,000 scholarship from 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 's institute of italian studies. amani, who plays the viola, will spend 18 days studying with world-class musicians in the birthplace of the legendary violinmaker, stradivarius. he will receive chamber music coaching and orchestral and ensemble training as well as perform in public at historic venues in and around cremona. amani is also keen to improve and expand his skills in performance and composition. "i plan to walk away from this trip with a greater understanding of music and an appreciation of italian culture," he said.

sustainable food systems leader

the royal society of canada (rsc) inducted dr. charles levkoe into its college of new scholars, artists and scientists—which includes top canadian mid-career leaders. dr. levkoe, a lakehead health sciences professor and a canada research chair in equitable and sustainable food systems, was selected by the rsc for his innovative work in equitable and sustainable food systems and food sovereignty, community-based research and engagement, and social and environmental justice. "my work would not be possible without the incredible knowledge, passion, and commitment of the communities and people involved in my scholarship," dr. levkoe said. recognition by the rsc is the highest national honour in the arts, social sciences, and sciences that an individual can achieve. the college addresses major canadian and global challenges and seizes new opportunities, including those in emerging fields.

joining the national bobsleigh team
recent lakehead grad and thunder bay teacher keenan postans has embarked on an exciting adventure as a member of canada's national bobsleigh team. keenan completed his honours bachelor of arts and his bachelor of education in 2022 and was ready for a new challenge that tapped into his love of sports. according to the bobsleigh canada skeleton (bcs) website, when covid began keenan contacted bcs recruitment in the hopes that they'd allow him to attend one of their training camps. they did and now he's a brakeman on a two-man sled development team. so far, keenan has placed in the top 10 in three north american cup races—two in lake placid, new york, and one in whistler, british columbia.

strengthening northern health care

school of nursing director dr. kristen jones-bonofiglio cuts the ribbon at the grand opening of lakehead's new nursing lab.

in september 2023, lakehead will resume delivery of its standalone four-year bachelor of science in nursing (bscn) program to address urgent health-care needs across the province, especially in northern ontario. this program integrates high-fidelity simulation scenarios, hands-on lab experiences, and clinical experiences with opportunities to specialize in areas including pediatrics, obstetrics, mental health, complex care of older adults, and community health care settings. nursing 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 will also benefit from the opening of the new nursing skills lab—a 10-bed learning space with mannequins and other equipment, enabling 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to put theory into practice. this bscn, available on the thunder bay campus, is fully accredited by the canadian association of schools of nursing with a focus on northern, rural, and indigenous health issues. 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 can also earn the bscn in three years through lakehead's compressed program.

when mark sawchuk joined l'oréal, his life was never the same again.

headquartered in clichy, france, l'oréal was founded in 1909 when an enterprising french chemist created and began selling hair dyes to parisian hairdressers. since then, it's become the largest personal care company in the world with operations in 150 countries.

as a new lakehead commerce grad, a 27-year career with the beauty innovator famous for the slogan, "because i'm worth it," wasn't something he'd ever have envisioned for himself.

and it all began, at least in part, with a handwritten application letter.

"l'oréal actually did hand-writing analysis when screening job candidates," laughs mark (hbcom'97). "i had to have a hundred different tries to get my application letter right because my handwriting is a mess. i think i was one of the only international 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 who got an internship...i guess because of my multiple languages, my ukrainian dancing background, and my scouts experience, and everything else, they gave me a shot."

as mark observes, there are often dozens of pieces that go into the puzzle of landing a job and building a career.

northern grit and a sense of adventure

born and raised in thunder bay, mark grew up with "100% ukrainian roots," as he puts it, and far removed from the sophistication personified by l'oréal.
his parents, michael and ollie (olya) sawchuk, though, were deeply engaged in ukrainian arts, culture, and education in the city and beyond, so it was only natural that mark was too. he admits that the benefits weren't always clear to him as a kid.

"you don't appreciate being forced to go to ukrainian school two nights a week and learning how to read or write ukrainian while your friends are outside playing in the street. you don't appreciate waking up at eight in the morning on a saturday for ukrainian dance lessons when you'd rather watch cartoons. but when you're older, you do."

mark (top row, third from the left wearing a black hat) during his ukrainian dancing years.

fluency in the ukrainian language came early. "my parents decided to speak only ukrainian around the house, so i picked that up first, and then over time, picked up english," he says. "and that helped me in my career, because when l'oréal was looking to expand overseas, there weren't a lot of people who spoke ukrainian, so that was my foot in the door."

in addition to countless hours of practice and performance in ukrainian dance between the ages of 4 and 24, mark was also involved in scouting, earning the organization's highest award of chief scout of canada when he was a teenager (an achievement that he's proud to list on his linkedin page).

"scouting is very democratic and accessible," mark says, "you have kids from different cultural groups, different income levels, and it really brings people together. plus, it cultivated skills that helped him in the business world. "when you're in scouts, you have to rely on each other and work as a team. in modern business, you can't do anything unless you have a good team around you."

mark applied to several universities but ultimately decided that the business program at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 was right for him (and thanks to his westgate cvi high school team's success on the reach for the top academic quiz show, he had several scholarships). he liked the discovery-based approach of the first two years—where 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 learned about subjects as diverse as accounting, human resources, operations management, and marketing—followed by two years specializing in an area of interest.

one of the reasons mark applied for a position with l'oréal was because his mother used their products and he knew that she'd be proud of him.

there were several standouts: he credits his marketing professor, dr. doug alexander, with instilling a love of marketing, and his communications professor, dr. bill honey, with fostering great speaking and presentation skills. he vividly remembers a business strategy consulting project where he and a small team of fellow 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 worked with a thunder bay credit union for a year to understand the organization and make recommendations. (key takeaway: embrace your local roots.)

mark also did a year-long exchange program in france during his lakehead years, attending one of france's top business schools, the emlyon business school in lyon.

"and that led to my hiring at l'oréal," he says, referring to a summer 1996 internship in paris, before his final year at lakehead. "so, i have lots of things to be thankful for at lakehead, that's for sure."

after graduating in 1997, mark accepted a marketing position with l'oréal based in montreal—but it came with a twist.

"they said 'for a year, you're going to be a salesperson, you're going to be on the road,'" he remembers. "i basically had my car, a map of downtown montreal, and a list of customers. and that's a great 'school,'" he says, pointing out that talking to the customers and the beauty advisors, having a sales plan, hitting sales targets, negotiating, and just observing how people pick items off the shelf are all musts to be a good marketer.

in 2003, while working from paris, mark became l'oréal's marketing coordinator for eastern europe. "i was taking care of a lot of countries, which was my stepping stone to actually moving to ukraine."

that move came in 2004 when mark relocated to kyiv, where he lived and worked for the next 18 years, with his most recent role being country manager for l'oréal.

making a home in ukraine

 kyiv, ukraine, is the seventh largest city in europe. photo credit: istock/olga tarasyuk

"kyiv is a huge, historic city and in 2004 the country's economy was flying. they'd just had the pro-democracy orange revolution and ukrainians were very very excited about the future and having a western lifestyle. seeing the country grow and ukrainians achieve a better standard of living for their families and their children was just amazing," he says.
as l'oréal's country manager, and in other senior roles, mark says that one of the things he likes best is "developing people and watching them grow with each new challenge."

a program called "beauty for better life" was a memorable part of mark's experiences in kyiv. through a partnership with the united nations, l'oréal enrolled women who were survivors of domestic and gender-based violence in their training academies so that they could learn to be hairdressers.

"it was fantastic to see the transformation. when women joined, coming from these horrible situations, they didn't have much confidence or self-esteem. but by the time they graduated, they'd learned valuable skills and forged a support network. many of them found work in salons and some have even opened salons. so, to me, it's a very powerful program."

alexei mihailov, a l'oréal colleague who worked with mark in kyiv, has high praise for his management style.

"mark knows exactly when to apply a particular style of management, whether it's pure delegation or directing you to reach a certain objective, he's extremely inspiring. he would never focus you solely on a number you needed to hit, but mostly on the reason behind the number."

alexei also admires mark's communication skills. "he does not distinguish between having a dialogue with his bosses, who are vps of a global group, versus a conversation with the intern who just joined the company. he can build bridges with anybody."

some of those skills were undoubtedly honed during his growing-up years, too. kevin chony, mark's cousin, lifelong friend, and a co-founder of thunder bay's zorya ukrainian dance ensemble, saw how mark helped teach his fellow dancers during his two decades of ukrainian dancing.

"he was fair, and he kept things going in a very linear and progressive way so that everyone had the chance to shine." and, he adds, they had a lot of fun.

mark's work as a university instructor enriched his time in ukraine.

mark took on some academic roles in kyiv as well, lecturing at the wisconsin international university (usa) ukraine, the taras shevchenko national university of kyiv, and the kyiv school of economics.

"i jumped at the chance whenever l'oréal asked me to do a presentation on their behalf and talk about marketing," he says. "i always wanted to keep connecting with universities and share some of my knowledge."

he says his 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 teach him, too. "i'm talking to future consumers, right? and 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 will let you have it. they don't care who you are you, they challenge you, whereas when you're a boss, people aren't necessarily going to be completely open with you. i find that with 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , you'll have really good discussions, and maybe learn some new things from them."

a pandemic and a devastating war

during the pandemic, l'oréal offered vaccination and booster services in the office for employees who wanted them. "it contributed to peace of mind," mark says.

the last few years, of course, have been tumultuous. mark says his experience with pandemic lockdowns and social distancing challenges was similar to many others.

"however, as we had made the shift to the remote-work culture before the pandemic—all teams already had laptops, communications tools, et cetera—the impact of working remotely was not as bad as it was for other companies and industries who had to adapt quickly. sadly, in ukraine, we lurched from one crisis (pandemic) to another (war) in a very short period."

as a canadian citizen, mark was receiving regular updates from the canadian embassy as tensions with russia escalated. then, in february 2022 he was on vacation in dubai with his wife anya, a ukrainian citizen, and their toddler daughter kvitka, when war broke out in ukraine. they weren't able to return to kyiv and moved to paris in the spring where mark continued to work at l'oréal's headquarters before leaving for canada in the summer of 2022.

his wife's family remains in ukraine.

"psychologically, it's very tough for them," he says. "but they are extremely resilient people and they're doing their best in a terrible situation."

now based in toronto, mark recently accepted a position with l'oréal as a general manager for their newly acquired subsidiary saloncentric.

"this business is very different from what i've been used to doing, and that's great. as long as you're always learning new stuff, having new experiences, and meeting new people, you'll end up better off in the future."

dr. rita shelton deverell has overcome seemingly insurmountable hurdles and her courageousness has made canada a more welcoming and compassionate place.

she's an educator, journalist, theatre artist, social activist, television producer and director, and a member of the order of canada. in may 2022, dr. deverell achieved one more historic milestone when she became the first black canadian to serve as the chancellor of 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 .

the chancellor, as the titular head of the university, confers degrees to all graduating 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , but also serves as an ambassador for the university, participating in outreach and other initiatives.

"i was very honoured to be asked," dr. deverell says. "it's a symbolic role, but symbols are powerful."

it didn't strike me as odd that a greek tragedy would have an all-black cast. i saw the black antigone and thought 'this is what i want to do.'

her association with lakehead began before she became chancellor.

she'd been teaching education courses at the orillia campus for several years and delivering equity, diversity, and inclusion (edi) training to lakehead 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 . moreover, she is part of the team under the leadership of dr. cynthia wesley-esquimaux, chair on truth and reconciliation, creating an online training module for lakehead faculty and staff.

"lakehead, because of its unique geographic location and this moment in history," dr. deverell says, "is positioned to be a real leader in solving urgent challenges that are also a priority for me, including truth and reconciliation, edi, and health care."

in addition, she's keen to defend and strengthen canada's schools.

"i don't want to see us go the way of the united states where middle-class people are bailing out of the public school system, that's why lakehead's faculty of education is important to the health of our schools."

first and foremost, though, dr. deverell sees herself as an artist.

"my primary work is supporting arts-based methodologies and research. the arts foster the wellbeing of society because they're ultimately about what is healing."

the arts became vital to dr. deverell's identity at a young age.

"after seeing a production of antigone at my local community centre when i was eight years old, i decided to be an actor. the play had a kind of clarity that felt life changing. this was in houston before the civil rights movement, when everything was still segregated, so they had an all-black staff and performers. it didn't strike me as odd that a greek tragedy would have an all-black cast. i saw the black antigone and thought 'this is what i want to do.'"

she graduated from adelphi university in 1966 with a ba in philosophy and then earned an ma in the history of religions from columbia university/union theological seminary in new york. dr. deverell met her husband there—a theological student from canada whose hometown happened to be orillia.

"we found that we were both interested in the intersection of arts and religions," dr. deverell says.

dr. deverell's impact has been recognized with many honours including receiving the governor general's performing arts lifetime achievement award for broadcasting in 2022, being named the 2018 "woman of the year" by the alliance of canadian cinema, television and radio artists (actra), and being inducted into the canadian association of broadcasters (cab) hall of fame in 2002.

despite her degrees and artistic talent, she soon ran into roadblocks.

"racism has been a defining aspect of my career. i've faced many slammed doors and glass ceilings. but when something became impossible, i'd turn to another field where a door had opened. on the bright side, being forced to change directions revealed talents i didn't know i had."

around 1972, a four-month research contract with the religious television associates—a partnership of united, anglican, catholic, lutheran, presbyterian, and baptist churches that wanted better quality tv programming for older children—morphed into a contract to produce a children's television show, which ultimately became the innovative all in a tube program.

from there, dr. deverell would go on to produce and host current affairs shows at cbc, such as regina noon and cbc access, before joining the university of regina as a journalism professor in 1983, while simultaneously completing her doctorate in education at the ontario institute for studies in education/university of toronto.

i didn't wake up one day and decide to be a social activist—all i've done is remove the barriers for somebody like me and mentor people, and that has meant social activism.

religions plays a central role in her work—she's one of the founders of the multi-faith vision tv network.

"the healing created by having multi-faith cooperation is needed now more than when vision was founded in 1988. we're living in an era of dangerous fake news and some of its misinformation is centred upon religions and faith."

she realized this in the wake of 9/11 when she was a visiting scholar at new york university, which is located in lower manhattan where the twin trade towers stood. this period marked the start of increased islamophobia.

"the faculty was traumatized and many of the 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 were still homeless when i arrived," dr. deverell says. "all of a sudden there was a renewed call for religious peace coalitions that had been strong in the 1960s."

at vision tv, she was a vice-president and hosted and produced award-winning shows like arts express and it's about time. dr. deverell left the network in 2002 and the opportunity arose to be the news director at the fledgling aboriginal peoples television network (aptn) in winnipeg.

"it was irresistible to work for the world's first indigenous news service because i'd been dealing with indigenous issues in media for a long time. it was a sunset contract so during the three-year period i held the position, i mentored indigenous successors."

dr. deverell is still connected to the broadcasting field. she's a current member of cbc's board of directors, something that's allowed her to witness its evolution into an institution that's more representative and inclusive of all canadians. she's seeing a similar shift at the royal ontario museum (rom), where she served as a trustee until february 2023, and has written a chapter about the problematic and controversial 1989 out of africa exhibition and the museum's belated work to repair its relationship with black communities, for rom's book making history: visual arts and blackness in canada.

"changing legacy institutions is extremely difficult," dr. deverell says, "it's like turning the queen mary ocean liner around. it's the kind of work i'm sometimes positioned to do, but it's not for everyone."

her career in the arts, education, and broadcast industries have earned her the title of social activist, but dr. deverell says that it wasn't a conscious choice.

"i didn't wake up one day and decide to be a social activist—all i've done is remove the barriers for somebody like me and mentor people, and that has meant social activism."

as you read these words, how do your eyes feel? are they tired, dry, or itchy?

if you're one of the millions of north americans suffering from digital eyestrain, there may be a solution for you in the form of umay rest, a new eye-relief device developed by lakehead alum ali habib and his sister dr. sharmin habib.

umay rest uses a combination of cold and warmth, along with subtle vibrations and thermal waves, to soothe sore eyes and offer a reflective, meditative experience.

"our bodies and minds are interconnected," ali says, "and as someone who has personally struggled with mental health challenges in the past, i recognize the importance of taking a holistic approach to wellness."

with $650,000 in sales in its first six months, umay rest has proven to be a runaway success.

ali earned a bachelor of engineering (mechanical) and an engineering diploma (mechanical) at lakehead. several years later, he completed an mba at erasmus university in the netherlands because of its thriving startup ecosystem and strong reputation for innovation.

"after finishing my mba," ali says, "i envisioned founding my own tech startup or working in a leadership role at a high-growth company."

ali (engdp'02/beng'03) says that the first umay rest prototype looked nothing like the production version seen above. "despite the challenges, we remained committed to our vision, and the end result is a product that changed the way people think and feel about rest."

when he returned home to edmonton suffering from dry, itchy eyes after spending years in front of a computer screen, however, things took a different turn. he visited his optometrist sister, sharmin, who diagnosed him with chronic dry eye—known as meibomian gland dysfunction.

"at the time, the only solution she could offer me was a warm compress," ali says.

placing a warm,wet cloth over his eyes was inconvenient.

"it cooled too quickly and water dripped all over my face and pillow."

this was when he decided to create something that would be simple to use and would perform better than an ordinary compress.

"we started the journey of exploration—not only to design a device that improved patient compliance for dry-eye relief, but one that took into account the need we all have for a break in our days, to rest our minds and have a moment of calm," he says.

bringing their device to market took several years, but he and his sister were able to overcome daunting obstacles and achieve their goal of creating an intuitive, simple, and beautiful device.

"collaborating with sharmin was a unique and fulfilling experience that i wouldn't trade for anything."

the result is umay rest, a device that can be used for warm sessions in the evenings to help relax the eyes and mind, or for cooling sessions in the mornings to help wake up with fresh natural tears.

ali, seen here with sharmin, practices mindfulness-based stress reduction (mbsr) and vipassana (a buddhist meditation technique). "both practices have helped me cultivate greater mental clarity, emotional stability, and well-being." this prompted him to incorporate meditative elements into umay rest.

ali and his sister's success with umay rest was further solidified when they appeared on the cbc's dragon's den television show in 2022, which you can watch on the cbc gem app—it's the first episode of the newest season.

"it was exciting, nerve-wracking, and, overall, a huge growth experience for us as founders and for the brand," ali says.

he attributes much of his success to the education and experience he received at lakehead. it provided him with hands-on experience, skills, and knowledge he used to design umay rest.

his favourite lakehead memories include the friends he made and the professors who encouraged him to think outside the box– including building an 'automatic page-turner for textbooks' from old vcr parts with classmate keith ellwood.

umay rest is available at more than 75 optometry clinics in north america and online through the umay website. if you'd like to purchase the device, have your optometrist complete an exam for dry eye and provide a letter indicating its medical necessity.

orillia campus
september 22- 24

for the very first time, this year's homecoming alumni weekend in orillia will host our lakehead celebrates – alumni honours evening recognizing the deserving recipients of our annual awards program. acknowledging lakehead's one university, two campuses model, the alumni association board of directors endorsed a plan to alternate our main event, lakehead celebrates, between the thunder bay and orillia campuses. on odd-numbered years, orillia will host the main event, and on even-numbered years, thunder bay will host.

we look forward to introducing many of you to lakehead orillia for the very first time and showing you some of the famous simcoe county hospitality! in addition to lakehead celebrates, several other in-person and virtual events will be hosted by our simcoe county chapter and alumni and annual giving staff.

thunder bay campus
october 12-14

in collaboration with our partners in athletics, the alumni association has decided to standardize the thunder bay alumni homecoming weekend after the thanksgiving weekend each year. this allows us to link homecoming with our season-opening hockey and basketball games each year.

the primary focus of the 2023 thunder bay homecoming alumni weekend will be our varsity games, in addition to other events on campus and in the community planned by our new thunder bay chapter.

in 2024, lakehead celebrates will return to the thunder bay campus, as well as the bi-annual athletics wall of fame induction ceremony.

continue to watch for more details at alumni.lakeheadu.ca.

in 2023, the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 entrance award marked its 40th anniversary—a milestone that highlights the impact of this scholarship program created by the alumni association of 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 .

established in 1983, the alumni association of 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 entrance award recognizes academic excellence and supports high school graduates who have demonstrated strong leadership qualities and community involvement.

over the past four decades, this award has played a pivotal role in helping many 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 access higher education by assisting them with the costs of tuition, books, and other educational expenses.

the award is open to immediate family members of lakehead alumni, providing $2,500 per year for four years (a total of $10,000) to the successful applicant.

the 2019 alumni entrance award winner alexandra grillo (left) with the recipient of the 2019 presidential scholarship.

the award is a testament to the commitment and dedication of lakehead's alumni community, which recognizes the importance of supporting the next generation of leaders and scholars. thanks to their generosity, it has become a highly sought-after award for prospective 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 .

its legacy is reflected in the countless success stories and academic and professional accomplishments of its recipients. many of them credit the award with giving them the financial support they needed to pursue their dreams and unlock their full potential.

for prospective 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , the award represents a unique opportunity to access higher education and build a strong foundation for future success. as we celebrate its 40th anniversary, we invite all eligible postsecondary 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to apply for the alumni association of 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 entrance award.

with the support of the alumni association, you can achieve your academic and professional goals and become part of lakehead's proud alumni community.

superhero movies are blockbuster events that thrill fans around the world and, for many of us, comic books are a cherished part of our childhoods.

since the 2000s, though, our love of comic book characters has morphed into a battlefield over who has the right to be a superhero. this is especially the case with characters created by marvel comics. the company's changes to several well-established characters, and the introduction of new characters, has led to a social media backlash that's seeped out into the real world.

dr. monica flegel and dr. judith leggatt have been collaborating on research projects for several years.

two lakehead english professors and researchers—dr. monica flegel and dr. judith leggatt—explore what's going on in their book superhero culture wars: politics, marketing, and social justice in marvel comics. both dr. flegel and dr. leggatt have a longstanding fascination with comics.

"monica and i are huge nerds and big comic book fans," dr. leggatt says. "my field of research is indigenous literature and that includes the study of indigenous comics, indigenous futurism, and indigenous speculative fiction."

dr. flegel, lakehead's 2022 distinguished researcher in the social sciences and humanities, takes a similarly creative approach. "i teach the introduction to popular culture course and a fan and media studies course," she says. "i've also done research on fan fiction with dr. jenny roth in lakehead's women's studies department."

the origins and expansion of the marvel universe

superhero culture wars focuses on marvel's efforts to make their comics more representative of the human experience. one way they've accomplished this is by taking some of their main characters—like thor and captain america—and reimagining them as characters who are female, people of colour, or queer.

"we're looking at how these changes are triggering a fear of loss of status in people who've traditionally held power," dr. leggatt says.

thor, captain america, wolverine, and the hulk are a few of the characters who inhabit the marvel universe.

"the marvel universe really started when stan lee and jack kirby created teams like the fantastic four and the avengers in the early 1960s," dr. leggatt says. "all these characters live in the same universe and go into and out of each other's stories."

dr. flegel points out that this universe also has continuity. "it's been one unbroken story told across multiple timelines."

marvel comics has set itself apart by tackling real-world issues like racism and violence.

"part of marvel's branding is that they reflect the world outside your window," dr. flegel says. "in the first issue of captain america in 1941, for instance, captain america punches hitler in the face. marvel has generally aligned itself, through its storytelling, as centrist to liberal in its outlook."

superheroes exploded in popularity after the second world war. dr. flegel notes that "they're complicatedly tied to fascism. robert jewett and john shelton lawrence call it the "captain america complex;" essentially, superheroes fighting for democracy using non-democratic methods. this means there's an element of 'might makes right' to superheroes, which can appeal to people who want an authoritarian leader to solve society's problems."

the comicsgate controversy

"comics were marketed to children, dr. flegel says, "but starting in the 1960s, some underground comics pitched themselves to college 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and other adult readers. marvel expanded this strategy in the 70s, 80s, and 90s."  photo credit: istock/volodymyr zakharov

many fans have welcomed the updating of characters; however, in 2017, a backlash against diverse comics and their supporters erupted on social media. it became an online crusade in which fans opposed to diversity mounted a substantive campaign against creators by using social media to harass and even doxx them (releasing an individual's personal information, such as their home address, online).

"comicsgate is a campaign against alleged "forced" diversity when, in fact, those complaints stem from readers who identify as "real" fans—and generally as older, white, and male—who feel they're being pushed out," dr. leggatt says.

"although it's not entirely about demographics," dr. flegel says. "it's about some fans, and a few creators, who want traditional storylines and characters. comicsgate is one of many ongoing culture wars being waged against diversity in comics, sci fi, and popular culture."

nostalgia can be a double-edged sword

dr. leggatt hopes that superhero culture wars will spur people to think about how comics fit into the zeitgeist and larger social discourse of our current era.

why does integrating characters that embrace all of humanity generate such rage?

"some fans think, 'if my captain america is being replaced, then so am i,'" dr. leggatt says. "it's a fear of loss of identity."

"the deep attachment to characters like captain america, who's been around since the 1940s is another factor," dr. flegel says. "for lifelong fans it can feel like an attack on something important to them—a kind of cultural vandalism. in addition, there are bad actors, including russian bots, deliberately stoking the fires of hatred in many of these fan-based conflicts."

both dr. flegel and dr. leggatt believe that nostalgia is crucial to understanding the current comic book culture wars.

"nostalgia is a very powerful emotion, and it's almost exclusively deployed by the right," dr. flegel says. "politically, it's something we have to grapple with. how do we use nostalgia constructively?"

there are two distinct types of nostalgia, according to theorist svetlana boym: 'reflective nostalgia' that appreciates the past, but also sees how it needs to change, and unthinking 'restorative nostalgia' that yearns for things to stay exactly the same—as well as how they never were—in an effort to uphold an idealized version of the past.

some might ask why marvel didn't just create entirely new characters instead of changing existing ones.

"i think that innovation is important," dr. leggatt says. "the marvel universe is a 60-year-old-story, and it can get stale. transformed characters with completely different worldviews can revitalize storytelling. and, since the 60s, marvel has created very few new characters who've captured the public imagination, deadpool and kamala khan are exceptions."

dr. leggatt and dr. flegel hope the shift to greater equality will continue.

"marvel is doing a good job of hiring diverse writers and creating diverse stories, but diversity can ebb and flow," dr. flegel cautions.

"and there's always been diverse fans of comics—women, people of colour—it's just that their needs weren't being served," she says.

you can purchase a copy of superhero culture wars online at amazon or in person at thunder bay bookstores, including chapters indigo.