David Cherniak, MA-SE (2014)
I first met Glen by phone while on a backpacking trip. I had applied to a couple of programs at Carleton and was considering my options. Glen reached out to discuss the programs at the School of Public Policy and Administration; he wanted to ensure that I had as much information and resources as possible to make an informed choice for my graduate studies. However, with Glen nothing is ever quite that simple and straightforward. After a few short emails we ended up having an hour-long chat over the phone where we quickly moved from academic interests to family backgrounds, sports obsessions to life goals. I remember hanging up the phone that day thinking “man, that was a lot of effort for this professor, whom I’d never met, to go through for a student he’d never met.” Little did I know how much that phone call would impact my career.
The passion that Glen had that day and the willingness to engage, was the start of our relationship and I can say that nobody has done more to encourage and challenge me since I moved to Ottawa to do my master’s. Glen’s passion for his students, his recognition of hard work, willingness to challenge a less than thorough effort and his commitment to environmental sustainability, are just a few of his trademarks in the classroom. He pushed me as a student, guided me as a colleague and remains an excellent mentor and friend to this day. I am thankful for having had a chance to work with him as a student and am grateful for his friendship today. Carleton will lose a truly “one of a kind” professor when Glen decides to hang up the keyboard. This scholarship will help ensure that futures students will be able to benefit from the foundations that Glen helped build.
This reflection on the student experience was offered as part of a fundraising effort for the Dr. Glen Toner Scholarship Fund.