In Conversation: Dean Melanie Woodin and ASSU President Ikran Jama

A&S Dean Melanie Woodin and Ikran Jama, president of the Arts & Science Students’ Union (ASSU) have been regularly meeting, along with ASSU leadership, to talk about key topics and current issues affecting students and challenges students have been facing during the pandemic. They caught up with each other on campus to discuss how the Faculty has been managing course delivery and the planning that is currently underway for the winter term.

Institutional Anti-Black Racism Task Force

The University of Toronto is committed to fostering equity, diversity and inclusion, and confronting and eradicating anti-Black racism — which impacts everyone and it is our collective responsibility to foster and promote Black inclusion and excellence.

Important efforts are being made on all three campuses to address anti-Black racism and advance Black inclusion, but it is important to acknowledge that while the University has made some progress, much more needs to be done. Accordingly, U of T is establishing an institutional Anti-Black Racism Task Force that will develop and propose a set of actionable recommendations to the President, Vice-President & Provost, and the Vice-President, Human Resources & Equity.

A call for nominations for members of the task force will be issued in the coming weeks, as well as an invitation for members of the community to share their feedback, insights, and ways to work collaboratively in advancing the goals of the task force.

Learn more about the task force, its Terms of Reference, and meet the co-chairs, on the task force webpage. For questions or more information, please contact Nora Lozano, Special Projects and Administrative Officer, Office of the Vice-President, Human Resources & Equity.

Friday Deadline for Nominations — 2020 By-Election for One Teaching Staff Seat on the Academic Board

Nominations for one teaching staff member to represent the Faculty of Arts & Science on the Academic Board will be accepted until 5 pm on Friday, September 25, 2020. We are looking for nominations from any unit not currently represented. The successful candidate will serve a term effective immediately upon election until June 30, 2023.

For further general information on the election process, prospective candidates are advised to review the Election Guidelines 2020. Learn more about the Governing Council and the Academic Board.

Contact Chief Returning Officer, Anwar Kazimi or Deputy Returning Officer, Patrick McNeill for more information about serving on the Academic Board.

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society — Faculty and Graduate Fellowships

The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society has announced its inaugural call for graduate student fellows and faculty fellows from around U of T. The Institute seeks fellows from all academic disciplines across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities conducting work on ensuring powerful new technologies like AI are effective, safe, ethical, and fair and interested in reconceptualizing notions of the ways technology, systems, and society interact. Up to 15 graduate students and four faculty members will be appointed for a one-year term starting November 1, 2020.  
 
Deadline: October 9, 2020. 
 
Visit the Schwartz Reisman website for more information.  

Call for Proposals — A&S Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition

The Arts & Science Postdoctoral Fellowship program provides outstanding recent doctoral students advanced training in their field of study. These fellowships are not discipline specific, but can be held in any department or research unit across the Faculty. Applicants must secure sponsorship of a full-time supervisor, or supervisors, from the professoriate within the Faculty of Arts & Science (St. George Campus).

Arts & Science is strongly committed to diversity in research and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons/persons of colour, women, Indigenous/Aboriginal Peoples of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Deadline: December 1, 2020 (8 pm EST).

University of Toronto Brand Platform Development

The Brand Marketing team at University of Toronto Communications (UTC) will be developing a new brand platform for the entire U of T community. As part of the process, UTC will be consulting with a broad spectrum of stakeholders across all three campuses, including senior University leadership, faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, government officials and business leaders.

Fall 2020: UTogether, COVID-19 Updates & FAQs

Visit U of T’s COVID-19 Roadmap on the main UTogether website for regular updates as new guidance, strategies and materials become available. Sign up for the Provost's Digest to stay informed. And refer to the following resources, which are updated frequently:

• A&S Student FAQs: A&S-specific answers to questions from students, updates to academic policies and deadlines, and messages from Dean Woodin.
• Top 10 COVID-19 Research Updates: A&S round-up of COVID-19 related research information, resources, funding opportunities and supports.
• HR & Equity COVID-19 website: Guidance on topics such as telecommuting, flex-time arrangements and pay continuity.