A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
Longtime Laurier employees Gwen Page and Gail Forsyth recently announced their retirements.
Forsyth, who served as the director of teaching, learning and retention, retired after a 35-year career at Laurier. Over the course of her career, Forsyth worked in a variety of administrative roles in the Faculty of Social Work; Graduate Studies, Research, and Instructional Development; the dean’s office in the School of Business and Economics; the MBA program office; and undergraduate admissions.
Page, who served as the director of Accessible Learning, retired after 14 years at Laurier. Under her leadership, the Accessible Learning team served thousands of students with permanent and temporary disabilities, lifting barriers to ensure equal opportunities to succeed in academics.
The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine awarded Sara Bingham, associate director of the Women Entrepreneurship Centre at Laurier’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, with its first annual Changemakers award. Bingham is one of 50 emerging leaders in the business world to be profiled in the March 2021 issue of the magazine.
Max Blouw, Laurier’s president and vice-chancellor from 2007 to 2017, has been appointed a member of the Order of Canada. Blouw received the honour for his dedicated leadership as an academic administrator and for his advancement of evidence-based research at Canadian universities.
Laurier has appointed Zeynep Danis assistant vice-president: financial resources. Danis possesses more than 17 years of financial experience, most recently with the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network.
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics Instructor Allan Foerster (BBA ’76) was recognized by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario as a fellow, the highest honour bestowed upon chartered professional accountants in the province.
Laurier has appointed Sofie Lachapelle dean of the Faculty of Arts. She will begin in the role on July 1. Lachapelle currently serves as chair and a professor in the Department of History in the College of Arts at the University of Guelph.
Kristine Lund was appointed principal-dean of Martin Luther University College for a five-year term. Lund is the first woman to serve in the lead administrative role at Luther, which is the founding institution of Wilfrid Laurier University. Lund first joined Luther as a faculty member in 2005.
Laurier appointed Lloyd Noronha vice-president: finance and administration for a five-year term. Noronha joins Laurier from the Toronto Catholic District School Board, where he served as chief financial officer and associate director of education.
Darren Thomas has been appointed Laurier’s associate vice-president of Indigenous Initiatives. Thomas, an associate professor in Laurier’s Indigenous Studies program, will play a key leadership role in strengthening and expanding Laurier’s reputation for excellence in Indigeneity and advancing its priorities and goals.
Laurier has appointed Cynthia Johnston Turner dean of the Faculty of Music. She will begin in the role on July 1. Johnston Turner currently serves as director of bands, artistic director of Contemporary Chamber Ensemble and a professor of music at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia.
Ciann L. Wilson, associate professor in the Community Psychology program, has been awarded the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations’ 2020-21 Status of Women and Equity Award of Distinction. The award celebrates OCUFA members whose work has contributed meaningfully to the advancement of university faculty and staff who are Indigenous, women, racialized, LGBTQ2S+, living with disabilities and/or belong to other historically marginalized groups. Wilson was also recently appointed to the Region of Waterloo’s Anti-Racism Working Group. The working group will play a role in helping eliminate systemic racism by providing recommendations, advice and information to Waterloo Regional Council.