Media releases

• Michael Owen returns to Brock as new Dean of Education

  Thursday, July 20, 2017 | By ddakin

  MEDIA RELEASE: 19 July 2017 – R00132

  Brock University’s next Dean of the Faculty of Education will be a familiar face to many people around campus.

  Michael Owen fulfilled several senior academic administrative roles during his first tenure at Brock (2000-07), and on August 15 he will return as Dean of a Faculty in which he was once a professor.

  Over the past three decades, Owen (BA, Carleton; MEd., University of Alberta; PhD, University of Toronto) has served in academic leadership positions at universities in Ontario and Saskatchewan. For the last seven years he has been at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), where he served as Vice-President, Research, Innovation & International and, more recently, Interim Dean and Dean of the Faculty of Education.

  His first tour of duty at Brock began in 2000 as Director of Research Services, after having led the same portfolio at Ryerson University and University of Saskatchewan. He would also serve Brock as Director of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (2001-03), Associate Vice-President, Research and International Development (2004-07); and a tenured professor for graduate and undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Education.

  Owen said he welcomes the opportunity to return to the region and to Brock.

  “The Faculty of Education at Brock University is a leader in teacher education and educational research in Ontario and Canada,” said Owen. “It is an honour to return to Brock to lead a team of highly dedicated and talented faculty members and staff who, individually and collectively, contribute to the scholarly life of Brock and the Niagara region and to advancing Brock’s mission to the cultural, social and economic development of Niagara and Ontario.”

  This week’s announcement, which completes a recruitment search spanning numerous months, was made by Provost and Vice-President Academic, Tom Dunk.

  “We are very pleased to have someone with such extensive experience in academic leadership re-joining the Brock community,” said Dunk. “Michael’s deep knowledge of the Ontario university landscape will benefit the Faculty of Education and the entire University in challenging times for post-secondary education.”

  Owen will succeed David Siegel, who is stepping down after serving as Interim Dean of the Faculty of Education since April 2015. During his term, Siegel helped create an administrative makeover plan for the Faculty of Education, which is expected to be introduced in the summer of 2018.

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock students support North American Indigenous Games

  Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 19 July 2017 – R00131

  They’re not competing, but they started training months ago. Now, a highly skilled team of Brock University student volunteers have stepped into leadership roles at the Toronto 2017 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) currently taking place.

  “Right now, our students are moving from venue to venue, helping athletes, volunteers and each other to ensure these games are a success,” says Department of Sport Management Associate Professor Laura Cousens who has been checking in with students at the sport and cultural venues throughout southern Ontario. “The students are working together and creating a volunteer culture, which is exactly what I was hoping for.”

  This week, more than 50 Brock students are volunteering for course credit as the result of a unique partnership between the Toronto NAIG and Brock’s Major Games Field Course, led by Cousens.

  “All of our students have completed in-class training to prepare them for their current in-the-field roles,” says Cousens.

  The training, which began in February, included project management, games hosting skills for a multi-sport event, problem-solving, cultural competency training and an introduction to indigenous people in sport in Canada.

  Brock students are involved in all aspects of the games, including:

  • Venue lead and Athlete Village management
  • French-English translation
  • Medical staff and athletic therapist support
  • Press management and social media relations
  • Volunteer operations, including accreditation
  • Sport specialists, in charge of timing, results, scoring and athlete support
  • Cultural Village support

  Fourth-year SPMA student Rob Cheevers, who is volunteering as the venue manager for the Welland International Flatwater Centre, says the course experience has been a “perfect complement” to what students learn in class.

  “We have the opportunity to work as a team to create work plans, solve problems and apply the skills we’ve learned in lecture in a practical setting. It has been an unforgettable experience,” Cheevers says.

  This is the fourth time the Department of Sport Management has partnered with a major games to offer this course. Students have previously gained hands-on experience at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, the Ontario Winter Games in 2014 in Muskoka and the Ontario Summer Games in 2014 in Windsor.

  “With each games, we learn something new and constantly evolve to improve our training for the next time,” Cousens says. “The event hosting experience students gain by participating in a major games in this capacity have resulted in full-time jobs for graduates.”

  Through a second initiative, seven current and former Brock students are working with Brock University’s Centre for Sport Capacity to administer surveys collecting economic impact information of the games. Their work will kick off a new Sport Consulting@Brock initiative.

  “The NAIG economic assessment is our first consulting project and we are excited to help the event,” said Sport Management Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Sport Capacity Julie Stevens. “The project will provide important economic outcome information about the games and hopefully enable leaders to gain support for future indigenous sporting events in Canada.”

  The two teams of students will administer surveys at athletic venues in Hamilton and York between Thursday and Saturday.

  The eight-day NAIG, which wraps up Sunday, is the largest continental sporting and cultural gathering of indigenous peoples, drawing more than 5,000 athletes and 2,000 volunteers, along with spectators and dignitaries from across North America.

  “The games provides a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in a spectacular showcase of indigenous culture, all while inspiring the next generation of indigenous athletes through the celebration of sport achievement,” says Marcia Trudeau-Bomberry, CEO of the Toronto 2017 Host Society, and a Brock alumna. “We’re thrilled to be joined by students from Brock to deliver a best-in-class sporting and cultural experience for participants and spectators of the Toronto 2017 NAIG.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases