Commerce / en 'A role model to us all': Remembering Michael Wilson /news/role-model-us-all-remembering-michael-wilson <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">'A role model to us all': Remembering Michael Wilson</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT15064_4-lead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=5ayNcqp4 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/UofT15064_4-lead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=yUmzXVqr 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/UofT15064_4-lead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ZCyuT_60 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT15064_4-lead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=5ayNcqp4" alt="Chancellor Michael Wilson and Meric Gertler"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-02-11T16:08:34-05:00" title="Monday, February 11, 2019 - 16:08" class="datetime">Mon, 02/11/2019 - 16:08</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Michael Wilson and U of T President Meric Gertler at Wilson's last convocation as chancellor in June (photo by Steve Frost)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/chris-sorensen" hreflang="en">Chris Sorensen</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/geoffrey-vendeville" hreflang="en">Geoffrey Vendeville</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/michael-wilson" hreflang="en">Michael Wilson</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/chancellor" hreflang="en">Chancellor</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/commerce" hreflang="en">Commerce</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mental-health" hreflang="en">Mental Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/meric-gertler" hreflang="en">Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/psychiatry" hreflang="en">Psychiatry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Former prime minister Brian Mulroney credits the late Michael Wilson&nbsp;– his former finance minister&nbsp;and the Ƶ’s Chancellor Emeritus – for nothing less than laying the foundations of “a new Canada that we enjoy today.”</p> <p>Mulroney says&nbsp;Wilson’s efforts as finance minister in the 1980s had a “transformative” impact and set the country up for decades of future success.</p> <p>That includes everything from helping to negotiate the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and, later, the North American Free Trade Agreement, to deregulating Crown Corporations like Air Canada and Petro-Canada.</p> <p>Often the policies Wilson pursued weren’t politically popular – including the creation of the GST, which replaced a costly hidden manufacturers’ sales tax that made Canadian exports uncompetitive.</p> <p>“He and I agreed on pretty well everything,” Mulroney told <em>U of T News</em> in the wake of Wilson’s death on Sunday at age 81.</p> <p>“But we agreed fundamentally on the following statement: We’re not going to act for easy headlines in 10 days. We’re going to act for a better Canada in 10 years.”</p> <p>It was a principled, long-term outlook that seemed to guide Wilson in everything he did – both in and out of politics. An alumnus of Trinity College, Wilson was first elected as U of T’s 33<sup>rd</sup> chancellor in 2012 and served a full two terms. In the role, he not only helped chart a course for the university’s international ambition, but acted as U of T’s ambassador to more than half a million alumni around the world and presided over scores of convocation ceremonies.&nbsp;</p> <p>It was the part of the job he loved most,” U of T President <strong>Meric Gertler</strong> said during an interview on CBC today. &nbsp;</p> <p>“We would see him just light up at convocation. He would relish that opportunity to have that private conversation with each graduate who came up to the stage.”</p> <h3><a href="http://www.chancellor.utoronto.ca/speeches/closing-remarks-to-convocation">Read Michael Wilson's closing remarks to students at convocation ceremonies</a></h3> <p>Wilson also made an indelible impact in the realm of mental health, particularly after his son, Cameron, took his own life in 1995 at the age of 29.</p> <p>At the time, it was rare for people of Wilson’s generation to speak openly about mental health and grief. But Wilson felt the need to do everything in his power to help.</p> <p>“One of the things that was said to me is that, if I’m willing to tell my story, I will get a lot more exposure than someone who hasn’t spent 14 years in federal politics,” he told the <em>Globe and Mail</em> in 1999.</p> <p>“If it will help make a difference, then I am willing to do this.”</p> <p>Wilson first arrived at U of T in 1955 to study at Trinity College, earning a degree in commerce.&nbsp;Soon after, Wilson landed a job in Ottawa working in the finance department and then worked his way up the ladder on Bay Street.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/news/university-toronto-mourns-death-chancellor-emeritus-michael-wilson">Ƶ mourns death of Michael Wilson</a></h3> <h3><a href="/news/heartfelt-tributes-michael-wilson-recount-his-compassion-leadership-and-advocacy">Heartfelt tributes to Michael Wilson recount his compassion, leadership and advocacy</a></h3> <p>Mulroney says he first crossed paths with Wilson in the 1970s.</p> <p>“We were just about the same age,” Mulroney recalls. “I was starting the practice of law in Montreal and he was starting at Dominion Securities in Toronto.”</p> <p>While the two may have started off as acquaintances, it wouldn’t be long before their lives would become intertwined on the national stage. After being elected to Parliament in 1979, Wilson ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1983, challenging Mulroney and a half dozen other contenders.</p> <p>Wilson ultimately stepped aside and threw his support behind Mulroney and was rewarded with his senior cabinet post as finance minister. He would also serve as a minister for international trade and a minister of industry, science and technology.</p> <p>“I was extremely grateful to him, obviously, but he then went on to play an extremely indispensable role in the government of Canada,” Mulroney says.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10166 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/GettyImages-165226514-crop.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Michael Wilson addresses reporters&nbsp;at Toronto's Gerstein Crisis Centre in 2004. Wilson supported short-term safe houses for people with mental health issues and&nbsp;was behind the Edmond Yu Project, named after Yu, a&nbsp;mentally ill person who was shot by police in 1997 for wielding a&nbsp; hammer at police in a TTC streetcar (photo by Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)</em></p> <p><strong>Joe Martin</strong>, an adjunct professor at U of T’s Rotman School of Management, cites the creation of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, or OSFI – Canada’s banking regulator – under Wilson’s watch as a yet another signature achievement.</p> <p>During the 2008 financial crisis, when the world’s financial institutions were imploding, “the thing that saved the Canadian markets was the fact that we had OSFI in place,” Martin says.</p> <p>Wilson had a front row seat during this period, too, having been tapped by Stephen Harper’s government to serve as Canada’s ambassador to the United States, a position he held for more than three years.</p> <p>On a personal level, those who knew Wilson well describe him as a person of principles and integrity, and someone who placed a high value on education.</p> <p>“Michael fundamentally believed in the value of education and learning,” President Gertler told CBC. “He used to say at our convocation ceremonies that students should use their learning throughout the rest of their lives to make the world a better place – and to leave every situation they came into contact with in better shape than it was when they found it.&nbsp;</p> <p>“For him, learning was at the core of his very being.”</p> <p>Similarly, <strong>Tiff Macklem</strong>, the dean of the Rotman School of Management, called Wilson “a role model for us all to aspire to in business, in politics, and in building better communities for everyone.”</p> <p>For those working in the field of mental health, meanwhile, Wilson’s legacy is described as nothing short of game-changing.</p> <p>Until he came along, it was difficult to get people in the corridors of power to pay attention, says Dr. <strong>Paul Garfinkel</strong>, a professor and former chair of U of T’s psychiatry department.</p> <p>In his role as CEO of the Clarke Institute, one of the facilities that merged into the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Garfinkel says he struggled to find donors and people to join the hospital’s board.</p> <p>“You can’t imagine how lonely it was. We could have board meetings in a phone booth,” Garfinkel says.</p> <p>Wilson opened the door to glass tower boardrooms in Toronto and Montreal as well as government offices in Ottawa.&nbsp; When he spoke, people around the table listened, Garfinkel says – in part because most already knew him.</p> <p>Wilson would speak movingly of his son’s death and go on to describe current research. “He had an amazing mind,” Garfinkel recalls. “You could brief him on the way into the meeting and he could go bang, bang, bang with every fact accurately.”</p> <p>Wilson led multimillion-dollar fundraising campaigns, served on provincial task forces on mental health and, in 2015, became board chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.</p> <p>“He was a real mentor and I learned so much from him,” says Louise Bradley, the president and CEO of the commission.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2018/11/21/men-asking-for-help-takes-a-special-brand-of-strength.html">Read Michael Wilson's poignant last op-ed for the<em> Toronto Star</em></a></h3> <p>Under his tenure, the board was restructured to include more people with backgrounds in finance, law and a lived experience of mental illness. He also helped increase the representation of Indigenous people, Bradley says.</p> <p>“He wasn’t a figurehead by any stretch of the imagination.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>At U of T, Wilson was instrumental in finding support for a chair in depression studies named in memory of his son. Dr. <strong>Robert Levitan</strong>, a professor of psychiatry and physiology in the Faculty of Medicine and senior scientist at CAMH, currently holds the chair. He’s an expert on atypical subtypes of mood disorders characterized by depressed mood and eating behaviour.</p> <p>U of T psychiatry Professor <strong>David Goldboom</strong> preceded Wilson as chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. “The thing about Michael is he had such an aura of gravitas,” Goldbloom said. “Here was a guy who was accomplished in so many spheres of public life… The fact that he made this his cause of choice carried weight.”</p> <p>Wilson could be blunt and didn’t sugar coat the need for change, Goldbloom says. “I think Michael definitely thought we were making progress.</p> <p>“But he was enough of a realist to know there was a long journey ahead.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 11 Feb 2019 21:08:34 +0000 noreen.rasbach 153216 at Ƶ mourns death of Chancellor Emeritus Michael Wilson /news/university-toronto-mourns-death-chancellor-emeritus-michael-wilson <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Ƶ mourns death of Chancellor Emeritus Michael Wilson</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-02-10-wilson-resized.jpg?h=58088d8b&amp;itok=pJ2JTryX 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2019-02-10-wilson-resized.jpg?h=58088d8b&amp;itok=t4Xr2uAW 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2019-02-10-wilson-resized.jpg?h=58088d8b&amp;itok=AilBmDMB 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-02-10-wilson-resized.jpg?h=58088d8b&amp;itok=pJ2JTryX" alt="Photo of Michael Wilson"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-02-10T18:46:11-05:00" title="Sunday, February 10, 2019 - 18:46" class="datetime">Sun, 02/10/2019 - 18:46</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Michael Wilson, in June at his final convocation as Chancellor. His message to graduates that day: "Give back" (photo by Steve Frost)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/chancellor" hreflang="en">Chancellor</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/commerce" hreflang="en">Commerce</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/meric-gertler" hreflang="en">Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/trinity-college" hreflang="en">Trinity College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Michael Wilson</strong>, the Ƶ’s 33<sup>rd</sup> chancellor who had an accomplished career in the private and public sector – serving as Canada’s minister of finance and ambassador to the United States – has died. He was 81 years old.</p> <p>“The Ƶ community deeply mourns the loss of our Chancellor Emeritus, the Honourable Michael Wilson,” said U of T President <strong>Meric Gertler</strong>. “A proud and accomplished Commerce alumnus and a Trinity grad, he was our tireless advocate and our global ambassador.</p> <p>“A ‘triathlete’ <em>par excellence</em> – in public office, business, and volunteer work&nbsp;– he was a great Canadian who improved the lives of so many. From spearheading public policy of the highest significance to publicly confronting the challenge of mental illness, Michael Wilson was a true champion.”</p> <p>Wilson was first elected chancellor for a three-year-term in 2012 and renewed for a second term of three years in 2015 – the maximum allowed by the Ƶ Act. &nbsp;</p> <p>“During his six years of incredibly dedicated and energetic service as our ceremonial head, he helped launch tens of thousands of U of T graduates into the next stage of their lives – leaving each one with a warm personal word of congratulations and encouragement,” President Gertler said. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Wilson was a Trinity College alumnus, graduating in 1959 with a degree in commerce and beginning a career in finance. He was elected to Parliament in the late 1970s, and served seven years as finance minister, beginning in 1984. He was named Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. in 2006.</p> <h3><a href="/news/heartfelt-tributes-michael-wilson-recount-his-compassion-leadership-and-advocacy" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 122, 183); text-decoration-line: none; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 4%; font-weight: 600;">Heartfelt tributes to Michael Wilson recount his compassion, leadership and advocacy</a></h3> <p>Beyond politics and Bay Street, Wilson was a profoundly dedicated advocate for mental health, becoming chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada in 2015. His advocacy was intensified in&nbsp;response to tragedy when his son, Cameron, took his own life after suffering from depression.</p> <p>Wilson was a champion of U of T, working tirelessly to promote the university in Canada and the rest of the world.</p> <p>“It is one of the great privileges of my life to have worked closely with Michael Wilson in the advancement of the University and the causes he cared about so deeply,” President Gertler said. “In his comprehensive excellence, his unassuming generosity and his quiet compassion, he will remain a model for us all. He bore the title, “the Honourable,” by virtue of the public offices he held. But the description came spontaneously to all who had the good fortune to know him.”</p> <p>The Ƶ flag will&nbsp;fly at half-mast on all three campuses until the day of Wilson's funeral. Members of the U of T community can sign a Book of Condolences in the Simcoe Hall lobby this week, starting at 1&nbsp;p.m. Monday.</p> <h3><a href="http://www.president.utoronto.ca/statement-on-the-death-of-the-honourable-michael-wilson">Read President Gertler's full statement about Michael Wilson</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Sun, 10 Feb 2019 23:46:11 +0000 noreen.rasbach 153113 at While earning a commerce degree at U of T, the Caleon twins built up a massive social media following /news/while-earning-commerce-degree-u-t-caleon-twins-built-massive-social-media-following <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">While earning a commerce degree at U of T, the Caleon twins built up a massive social media following</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-12-21-Caleon-main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=566w8KGU 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-12-21-Caleon-main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=DQdPJi5d 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-12-21-Caleon-main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=tWD2brYb 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-12-21-Caleon-main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=566w8KGU" alt="Photo of Caleon twins"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-12-21T00:00:00-05:00" title="Friday, December 21, 2018 - 00:00" class="datetime">Fri, 12/21/2018 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">“In a way, YouTube is our business,” says Madeleine Caleon, who with her sister Samantha are working on their social media brand full time (photo courtesy of the Caleon sisters via Instagram)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/angela-gu" hreflang="en">Angela Gu</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/commerce" hreflang="en">Commerce</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/social-media" hreflang="en">Social Media</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">U of T Mississauga</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>They have nearly 265,000 subscribers on YouTube, 124,000 followers on Instagram, and a whopping 3.3 million fans on TikTok,&nbsp;a site for short-form mobile videos that was formerly known as musical.ly.&nbsp;Meet the Caleon Twins, Samantha and Madeleine.</p> <p>The twins&nbsp;graduated from the Ƶ last month with matching bachelor’s degrees in commerce, after years of taking the same courses together. They are now focusing on building their social media brand full time, hiring a manager to help.</p> <p>The sisters&nbsp;say they have always wanted to be entrepreneurs. “In a way, YouTube is our business,” says <strong>Madeleine Caleon</strong>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDJMUQ5hdAxGYPz7yt4paNQ">about their eponymous YouTube channel, Caleon Twins</a>. Their content ranges from clips of the twins performing covers of pop songs and videos of them participating in trending challenges (such as the No Mirror Makeup Challenge) to vlogs&nbsp;about their lives.</p> <p>They started their YouTube channel during their first year at U of T Mississauga, and hopped on the social music app musical.ly when it was taking off, dancing to popular songs with their carefully choreographed moves. Their YouTube audience grew with their TikTok/musical.ly fan base, and soon the hobby grew into a business, says <strong>Samantha Caleon</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;“It wasn’t always easy,” says Madeleine about&nbsp;growing their brand while meeting the high demands of their academic work.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9882 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/2018-12-21-caleon-resized.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="701" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Madeleine and Samantha Caleon at their convocation in November: The sisters earned Bachelor of Commerce degrees at U of T Mississauga (photo courtesy of the twins)&nbsp;</em></p> <p>Even with a manager, the twins say they are still&nbsp;very much in charge of content. They film for two or three days a week, shooting videos for themselves as well as for the YouTube channels to which they contribute. The rest of the week is spent on publishing that content and attending to the less glamorous, behind-the-scenes work that comes with running a business.</p> <p>To help manage their time during university, the Caleon sisters took some online classes during their final year and crammed the rest of their required courses into just two days of the week so that they could travel to far-away events and YouTube conventions.</p> <p>They say they were able to apply some of the marketing concepts they learned in the classroom to strategically increase their influence online. The most important? Authenticity.</p> <p>“Being genuine, as cliché as it is, is the best way to market yourself to different people online,” says Madeleine.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>They are thankful for the guidance of fellow YouTubers&nbsp;who have been down the same road,&nbsp;but they make sure not to conform to what their peers do on social media. And they have learned to be patient.</p> <p>“It’s not a straight line, or an easy path to reach your goal,” says Samantha.</p> <p>As for the future of their YouTube channel, Samantha and Madeleine are not worrying about losing relevance. They see vlogging as a way to remain relatable to their audience as they get older together.</p> <p>They are also connecting in other ways. The twins already have a clothing line on StarSpender, the online shop that allows fans to purchase merchandise from TikTok stars. They plan to develop a separate business outside of their Caleon Twins brand in the future, maybe in fashion.</p> <p>As their business continues to grow, says Madeleine,&nbsp;“we’re really just living in the moment and taking each day as it comes.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 21 Dec 2018 05:00:00 +0000 noreen.rasbach 149486 at Management, Rotman School of /node/8638 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Management, Rotman School of</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-01-07T15:47:17-05:00" title="Thursday, January 7, 2016 - 15:47" class="datetime">Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-url field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">URL</div> <div class="field__item">https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above clearfix"> <h3 class="field__label">Tags</h3> <ul class="links field__items"> <li><a href="/news/tags/business" hreflang="en">Business</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/commerce" hreflang="en">Commerce</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/mba" hreflang="en">MBA</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/finance" hreflang="en">Finance</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/economics" hreflang="en">Economics</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/rotman" hreflang="en">Rotman</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Campus</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6953" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:17 +0000 sgupta 8638 at Management, Department of /node/8636 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Management, Department of</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-01-07T15:47:17-05:00" title="Thursday, January 7, 2016 - 15:47" class="datetime">Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-url field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">URL</div> <div class="field__item">https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/mgmt/</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above clearfix"> <h3 class="field__label">Tags</h3> <ul class="links field__items"> <li><a href="/news/tags/mgmt" hreflang="en">mgmt</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/business" hreflang="en">Business</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/commerce" hreflang="en">Commerce</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/finance" hreflang="en">Finance</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/economics" hreflang="en">Economics</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/utsc" hreflang="en">UTSC</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Campus</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6956" hreflang="en">Scarborough</a></div> </div> Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:17 +0000 sgupta 8636 at International Busines, Institute for (IIB) /node/8602 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">International Busines, Institute for (IIB)</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-01-07T15:47:15-05:00" title="Thursday, January 7, 2016 - 15:47" class="datetime">Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-url field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">URL</div> <div class="field__item">https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/faculty-and-research/research-centres/institute-for-international-business/</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above clearfix"> <h3 class="field__label">Tags</h3> <ul class="links field__items"> <li><a href="/news/tags/business" hreflang="en">Business</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/commerce" hreflang="en">Commerce</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/mba" hreflang="en">MBA</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/finance" hreflang="en">Finance</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/economics" hreflang="en">Economics</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Campus</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6953" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:15 +0000 sgupta 8602 at U of T alumna rides for gold at Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games /news/u-t-alumna-rides-gold-toronto-2015-pan-amparapan-am-games <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T alumna rides for gold at Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-07-08T11:23:45-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 8, 2015 - 11:23" class="datetime">Wed, 07/08/2015 - 11:23</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photos courtesy Belinda Trussell)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/nicolle-wahl" hreflang="en">Nicolle Wahl</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Nicolle Wahl</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utm" hreflang="en">UTM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pan-am" hreflang="en">Pan Am</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/commerce" hreflang="en">Commerce</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Belinda Trussell</strong>’s partner is tall (16.2 hands), dark (bay) and handsome. On July 11, they’ll be performing in the Grand Prix equestrian dressage competition at the <a href="http://panam2015.utoronto.ca/">Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games</a>.</p> <p>Trussell, a Ƶ alumna, is on the equestrian team representing Canada at the Games,&nbsp;along with her horse, Anton, a 15-year-old, German-bred gelding.</p> <p>Dressage, from the French word for "training", is often described as the art of dancing on horseback. At the Grand Prix level, horses are capable of performing multiple and complex gaits, demonstrating such advanced movements as changes of lead with each stride during canter (often called skipping), piaffe (trot on the spot) and passage (a slow trot with great suspension during each stride). In the Kur portion of the competition, the horse and rider perform these controlled, choreographed movements to music.</p> <p>A dressage rider normally competes as an individual. Being a part of your country’s team is different, says Trussell, who was determined to make it onto the Pan Am team representing Canada.</p> <p>“It was on my bucket list!” she says. “I wanted to compete in front of a home crowd.”</p> <p>In an international competition such as&nbsp;the Pan Am Games, says Trussell, “you get to see all these different cultures. It’s a really special experience.” She will not be living in the downtown Athletes’ Village&nbsp;–&nbsp;bringing the horses into Toronto was not an option –&nbsp;but she will still be interacting with other riders at the OLG Pan Am Equestrian Park in Caledon.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="photo of Belinda Trussell on horseback" src="/sites/default/files/2015-07-08-pan-am-embed-Belinda-Trussell-Anton-IMG_4145-%282%29.jpg" style="width: 375px; height: 343px; margin: 10px; float: right;">Born in Sydney, Australia, Trussell first became interested in horses at the age of six. She moved to Canada in 1987, continuing to ride for Australia. Trussell attended the Ƶ Mississauga and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1994, the same year that she became a Canadian citizen.</p> <p>“I’m proud to be a U of T grad,” she says, “and I’m proud to represent Canada.”</p> <p>Trussell, who met her future husband while attending UTM, now lives in Stouffville and has two children. Having just completed a final training camp, she will be monitoring Anton closely for any health or fitness issues, and helping him to acclimatize to the competition site.</p> <p>“Horses are prey animals,” she says, explaining that their instinct is to run if startled. Anton is frightened by applause, and walking him around the site and taking him for easy rides will help keep him calm during the competition. Trussell’s respect and affection for the horse is palpable.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I know him intimately,” she says. “He’s in the best shape of his life. When I go around the outside of the ring, I always feel a real sense of pride.”</p> <p>Beyond the Pan Am Games, Trussell and her three dressage teammates have their eyes on an even greater prize&nbsp;–&nbsp;if the Canadian team wins gold at the Pan Am Games, they are headed for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-07-08-pan-am-equestrienne.jpg</div> </div> Wed, 08 Jul 2015 15:23:45 +0000 sgupta 7128 at U of T commerce students help homeless youth file taxes /news/u-t-commerce-students-help-homeless-youth-file-taxes <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T commerce students help homeless youth file taxes</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-04-29T01:27:29-04:00" title="Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - 01:27" class="datetime">Wed, 04/29/2015 - 01:27</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Student volunteer Cindy Qin (at right) helps Eva's Initiatives' client with online tax filing (photo by Jelena Damjanovic)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jelena-damjanovic" hreflang="en">Jelena Damjanovic</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Jelena Damjanovic</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-commerce" hreflang="en">Rotman Commerce</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/learning" hreflang="en">Learning</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/education" hreflang="en">Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/community" hreflang="en">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/commerce" hreflang="en">Commerce</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> There's no escaping tax season&nbsp;– even&nbsp;if you're unemployed, says <strong>Meaghan Smith</strong>, financial literacy coordinator at Eva’s Initiatives, a three-site shelter for homeless and at-risk youth in Toronto.</p> <p> “Everyone should file their tax returns, even if they didn’t work at all because they may still qualify for a HST tax credit or the Ontario Trillium Benefit,” says Smith, an alumna of the Ƶ’s <a href="http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/lhae/Programs/Adult_Education">OISE Adult Education and Community Development program</a>.</p> <p> But dreading&nbsp;– even ignoring&nbsp;–&nbsp;tax time is not uncommon. Enter&nbsp;U of T's&nbsp;commerce students. When Smith heard 30 undergrads had volunteered to help members of the community do their income taxes through the <a href="http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/volunteer/">Community Volunteer Income Tax Program </a>(CVITP) she suggested they hold a free tax clinic for the 50 residents at Eva’s Phoenix, a transition home for homeless&nbsp;youth aged 16 to 24. &nbsp;<strong>Lisa Lewkowicz</strong>, assistant director of&nbsp;student life at&nbsp;Rotman Commerce, was happy to oblige.&nbsp;</p> <p> “The Student Life portfolio of Rotman Commerce looks to provide opportunities for students to take the concepts that they learn in their classrooms and apply them in practical and useful settings, like giving back to the Toronto community,” says Lewkowicz. “We have been offering students a volunteer opportunity to do income taxes for participants who access various community programs and services through our partners at the <a href="http://www.westnh.org/">West Neighbourhood House</a> and the Agincourt and Jane and Finch neighbourhoods.”</p> <p> This is the second year Rotman Commerce has participated in the CVITP. <strong>Cindy Qin</strong>,<strong>&nbsp;</strong>in her third year of public accounting at Rotman Commerce, said this was her first time volunteering but she plans to return next year.&nbsp;</p> <p> “I think this is a good opportunity for us to give back to the community, while putting the knowledge we learned in class into practice and increasing our professional skills,” she says. “At university you spend all your time with your professors and peers.They are very nice, but in the community you will meet different kinds of people.”</p> <p> The students had support from Ƶ Mississauga lecturer <strong>Abraham Iqbal</strong>. Iqbal teaches income taxation to undergraduate and graduate students in the department of management at UTM, but on this day his role was that of a volunteer, overseeing the students helping Eva’s residents file their own tax returns online.&nbsp;</p> <p> “In a classroom, obviously, we’re teaching theory,” says Iqbal. “I hope the students can get some real-life experience out of this. Now they’re dealing with individuals who are sitting across from them who need help to prepare their income taxes, so I hope the students can take the theory that they learn in the class and apply it to a real-life situation.”</p> <p> <strong>Stefanie Chapman</strong> is just finishing her third year of accounting at U of T. Last semester she took an income tax course with Iqbal and really enjoyed it. He recommended volunteering for CVITP to anyone interested in learning more about Canadian taxation and she’s happy she did.</p> <p> “I've really enjoyed my time volunteering both at Eva's Phoenix and with my community organization. It's nice to be able to apply something that I learned in school to help people in my community,” says Chapman. “It's also a great way to see another side of Toronto that I wouldn't normally see and meet lots of different people.”&nbsp;</p> <p> Craig* was among the youth residents at Eva’s who turned out bright and early to file his taxes. Looking for employment, he also&nbsp;wanted to learn how to do his taxes and pay off his debts. He said he's&nbsp;also brushing up on his math skills, hoping to get into college.&nbsp;</p> <p> “I like science and history,” he says, “so I’d like to be a history teacher or work in a museum one day.”</p> <p> *Real name withheld for&nbsp;privacy reasons.</p> <p> <em>Jelena Damjanovic writes about community building for U of T News.</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-04-28-taxes.jpg</div> </div> Wed, 29 Apr 2015 05:27:29 +0000 sgupta 6983 at