Groundbreaking Research. Passionate Teaching. Community Building.
The winners of the 2017 FPA Excellence Awards are all of those things and more.
Honoured at the recent FPA Spring Social, the recipients were recognized for teaching excellence, teaching fellowship, research excellence, public commentary, and staff excellence. Nominations were gathered from Chairs, Directors and colleagues; the finalists were chosen by a panel of judges.
“I’m very proud of the leadership shown in our Faculty this year. From our many research events to our support of our students, our colleagues in FPA have created a dynamic work and learning environment,” said Dean André Plourde. “I am very grateful for their efforts.”
(from left to right: Kamari Clarke, Jennifer Robson, Sandra Robinson, June Creighton Payne)
Research Excellence Award
Associate Professor Kamari Clarke
Bachelor of Global and International Studies (BGInS)
Professor Clarke’s research delves into issues related to human rights, international courts and tribunals, and the “export, rejection and re-contextualization of international norms.”
“I’m interested in the way political sentiment is articulated through the courts,” she said, upon accepting the award, which provides a $10,000 grant to support a research symposium organized by the winner.
The committee was impressed by Professor Clarke’s exemplary publication record and the international impact of her research. One committee member described her research as fostering “conversations that have never been articulated in that way before.”
Teaching Fellowship Award
Sandra Robinson
School of Journalism and Communication
Dr. Robinson’s proposal to develop three online modules on introductory data analysis for Communications was considered exemplary in concept, scope and development. Besides the clear advantages the outcomes of her proposal would produce for undergraduate students in Communications, the committee found the proposal was interdisciplinary in reach and had the potential to yield broad impacts for undergraduate students at all levels of study across the faculty and the university.
“This project will help students who are facing increasing pressure to make sense of the many streams of information coming at us,” explained Dr. Robinson, who holds an Instructor II position in the School. “We want to help them gain skills to understand the datafication of the world.”
Teaching Excellence Award (Faculty)
Danette Nearing-Guibord
Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Ms. Nearing-Guibord’s students consistently comment on how her teaching has influenced their choice of career as well as helped them gain employment.
The judges were very impressed by the strength and consistency of excellence of Danette’s teaching record over the past eight years. While remaining in her teaching position she has also obtained a Master’s degree in Sociology, which has demonstrably altered her approach to teaching and strengthened how she assists students to examine critically the interface between theory and practice. She is seen explicitly and implicitly as a valuable “asset to Carleton” and a bridge to the community.
Teaching Excellence Award (Contract)
Georgina Grosenick
School of Journalism and Communication
The committee was greatly impressed by Ms. Grosenick’s very strong teaching record and by the breadth of the 36 courses she has taught over a period of 10 years. The courses were all at different levels of undergraduate study and her evaluations were consistently outstanding regardless of class size. In addition, students have remarked how important Ms. Grosenick’s courses had been to their future employment and accomplishments in terms of critically appreciating theory and its practical application.
Public Commentary Excellence Award
Assistant Professor Jennifer Robson
Master of Political Management
This award is given to an active public intellectual who shares their expertise with communities beyond the university and makes a significant contribution in the broad public sphere.
Professor Jennifer Robson shares her expertise in a wide range of media including Macleans, Policy Options, National Newswatch and the Canada 2020 podcast. She writes on issues ranging from refugee loans to boutique tax credits and her views are heeded in government banks, financial literacy groups and consumer associations.
FPA Staff Excellence Award
June Creighton Payne, Administrator
Institute for African Studies
June Creighton Payne has been described as instrumental in building a community within the Institute for African Studies and creating a safe haven for both Canadian and international students. She has found homes for people, built networks with the diplomatic community, planned conferences, and even went on a study abroad course to Ghana.
The Faculty of Public Affairs seeks nominations for the FPA Excellence Awards in March of each year. More information can be found here.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017 in Bachelor of Global and International Studies, Communication and Media Studies, FPA Excellence Awards, Institute of African Studies, News
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