{"id":12950,"date":"2024-05-27T13:50:27","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T17:50:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/boardofgovernors\/?page_id=12950"},"modified":"2025-08-25T15:32:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T19:32:54","slug":"jean-teron-receives-2024-founders-award","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/founders-award\/jean-teron-receives-2024-founders-award\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 Founders Award Recipient"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n 2024 Founders Award Recipient\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

By Poonam Das<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Founders Award, Carleton\u2019s highest non-academic honour, recognizes and pays tribute to those individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of Carleton through their dedication, generosity, and commitment to the values of the university. This year, the Carleton Board of Governors presents this honour to Jean Teron.<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Carleton University’s legacy is built on a foundation of community, dedication, and a commitment to positive change. Few embody these values as profoundly as Jean Teron, whose journey from student to board member to philanthropist to now the Carleton University’s Founders Award<\/a> recipient has left an indelible mark on the university and the community it serves.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/em>I felt a strong sense of togetherness and familial bond among students and faculty.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Jean recalls her decision to attend Carleton University, drawn in by its community-oriented ethos and rich history of being founded by community efforts. Reflecting on her time as a student, she fondly remembers the sense of togetherness and familial bond among students and faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, her involvement with Carleton extended far beyond her student years. Serving as a member of the institution’s Board of Governors and eventually becoming the first woman to lead the Board, Jean observed significant changes at the university, particularly in terms of gender diversity in leadership positions. She felt incredibly proud while saying that she witnessed Carleton\u2019s progress in increasing the representation of women and individuals from diverse backgrounds in key roles, including the appointment of the first female President and Vice-Chancellor back in 2008, Dr. Roseann O\u2019Reilly Runte and the recent appointment of its first Black President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wisdom Tettey.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I believe in supporting institutions that contribute to the betterment of society,” Jean emphasizes, speaking to her motivation to give back to Carleton. Her philanthropic <\/span>endeavo<\/span>u<\/span>rs<\/span> and leadership roles have played a pivotal role in guiding the university through financial <\/span>cha<\/span>llenges and transformative projects, such as the acquisition of the<\/span> Carleton<\/span> Dom<\/span>inion<\/span><\/span>–<\/span><\/span><\/span> Cha<\/span>lmers <\/span>Centre<\/span>, Carleton\u2019s downtown arts, performance and learning <\/span>centre<\/span> and a thriving hub for cultural and community activities. In recognition of Jean\u2019s leadership and generosity toward this significant initiative and its positive impact on student and community opportunities, Carleton was proud to <\/span>establish<\/span> the Centre\u2019s Jean Teron Green Room in 2022. <\/span>Her involvement in various committees and roles, such as the 75th Anniversary Steering Committee and the Alumni Fund Council, reflects her deep-rooted dedication to the university’s growth and success.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Her honorary degree from Carleton, in 2013, also symbolizes the unwavering commitment to supporting organizations that enhance the quality of life in the community. “My honorary degree from Carleton represents my dedication to supporting institutions that create a positive impact,” Jean affirmed.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond her involvement with Carleton University, Jean’s influence extends to numerous other organizations, where she holds key positions and actively contributes to their missions. Her role as a Distinguished Patron of the National Gallery of Canada, Executive Committee Member for the Trillium Foundation, and Board Member for institutions like Ashbury College and the Kidney Foundation exemplifies her broad philanthropic reach and commitment to diverse causes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, Jean’s unwavering dedication is further evidenced through her active participation in various initiatives aimed at preserving green spaces, supporting healthcare institutions, and promoting arts and culture in the Ottawa region. As a lover of art, Jean said, \u201cEven though I majored in psychology, my love for art grew at Carleton under Professor Bill Dale, then curator at the National Gallery and Professor George Swinton, who taught Inuit Art History.<\/span> Whenever I am travelling, I always visit galleries, and I have also become an art collector. Maybe that’s also the reason why causes that involve art and cultural enrichment draw me in.” <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/em>I think that getting positive stories about Carleton out to the alumni and continuous communication about what Carleton students, professors and alumni are doing in various research areas, sports, and the<\/span> development of course curricul<\/span>a<\/span> on Nursing and Cybersecurity can put Carleton on the map.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Looking towards the future, Jean stresses the importance of highlighting positive stories about Carleton to alumni and the public. She believes that focusing on core disciplines while addressing current societal challenges is crucial for the university to remain relevant and impactful in today’s Canada and the rapidly changing world. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In honouring Jean Teron with the Carleton University Founders Award, we celebrate her dedication to giving back, her unwavering commitment to positive change, and her transformative impact on Carleton University and the broader community. Her story serves as an inspiration for future generations of students and alumni, encouraging them to continue supporting education and institutions that strive to create a better world.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Poonam Das The Founders Award, Carleton\u2019s highest non-academic honour, recognizes and pays tribute to those individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of Carleton through their dedication, generosity, and commitment to the values of the university. This year, the Carleton Board of Governors presents this honour to Jean Teron. Carleton University’s legacy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":0,"parent":11115,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[],"class_list":["post-12950","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12950"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13777,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12950\/revisions\/13777"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/boardofgovernors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=12950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}