SLaLS congratulates Professor Emerita Dr. Aviva Freedman on winning the Founders Award.
For more than four decades, Dr. Freedman has been known for her dedicated service to Carleton University and for her unwavering support to students. She first came to Carleton in 1975 as a sessional lecturer before becoming a Full Professor in the School of Linguistics & Language Studies in 1994. By then, Dr. Freedman had established herself as one of the leading international researchers in writing and genre studies. She was the first Director of the Writing Tutorial Service which she later developed and expanded. In 1996, she founded the Enriched Support Program and the Centre for Initiatives in Education to offer pedagogically sound support for non-traditional students aspiring to enter university. These programs began as pilots, succeeded beyond expectations, and are still operating successfully to this day. In 2006, Dr. Freedman helped set up the Max and Tessie Zelikovitz Centre for Jewish Studies after a generous pledge from Max Zelikovitz.
Throughout her time at Carleton, Dr. Freedman was also a Distinguished Research Chair and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She received the 3M Network Teaching Award and teaching awards from Carleton University. Her work has been published widely in scholarly journals and monographs. Much of her research and scholarship is devoted to understanding the nature of teaching and learning at the academic and professional levels and to expanding possibilities for all students.
Dr. Freedman holds a Bachelor of Arts (‘62) in English from McGill University, a Master of Arts (‘64) in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University and a PhD (’68) in English Language and Literature from l’Université de Montreal.
The Founders Award is Carleton University’s highest non-academic honour recognizes and pays tribute to the individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of Carleton University through their dedication, generosity and commitment to the values of the university.