Media releases

  • Brock profs win two of 10 prestigious national 3M teaching awards

    MEDIA RELEASE: 15 February 2017  – R00036

    Brock University professors have won two of this year’s 3M National Teaching Fellowships. Considered Canada’s most prestigious prize for teaching excellence at the university level, only 10 are given out nation-wide each year.

    Tim O’Connell is a Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies, and Nicola Simmons is an Assistant Professor of Education.
     
    O’Connell was humbled by the honour, but quickly acknowledged the work of his students, colleagues and Brock’s administration for their contributions to his classroom success.
     
    “It really is a group effort,” he said. “I don’t think you can be a good educator without having great people to work with. There are a lot of people behind this.”
     
    O’Connell, who joined Brock in 2006, has received significant praise for co-founding the BaseCamp leadership program, where novice students with little experience in outdoor recreation are teamed with senior students for five days of hiking, canoeing and rock climbing that help foster student success and confidence. It’s a model that has been adopted as a best practice by other Canadian universities.
     
    Simmons, in the Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education, has also made her mark on the country’s educational landscape. She established Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Canada, chaired the Educational Developers’ Caucus, and served as vice-president for the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
     
    Simmons, who began her post-secondary teaching career in 1986, continues to use innovative methods to engage students. Her approach may lead students to rewrite a course reading as a free verse poem, build with Lego in order to consider the connection between theory and practice, or examine the learner experience by participating in a martial arts class.
     
    While both winners like to take unconventional approaches in the classroom, they said it’s their campus support systems that allow those innovative methods to succeed.
     
    “You can’t teach or lead if there aren’t people willing to come along with you,” Simmons said. She feels the 3M Award also celebrates the trust shown to educators in the classroom.
     
    Anna Lathrop, Brock’s Vice-Provost, Teaching, Learning & Student Success praised Simmons and O’Connell for their outstanding contributions to the University.
     
    “It’s clearly a reflection of not only their dedication within the classroom, but also how they have enriched the culture of teaching across the Brock campus, thereby contributed to the scholarship of teaching and learning both provincially and nationally,” she said.
    “I can’t think of two more eminently deserving faculty members.”
     
    The selection of two of Brock’s faculty to win this award in a single year clearly demonstrates Brock’s emphasis on teaching excellence and student-centred learning, Lathrop said.
     
    “Ensuring a fantastic student experience is a key goal at Brock and great teaching is central to that end,” said Tom Dunk, Interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic.
     
    O’Connell and Simmons are “keeping Brock’s tradition of pedagogical excellence alive and well,” he said. “We are all extremely proud of them and grateful for their dedication and commitment to their craft.”
     
    Since 1989, Brock faculty members have won 11 of the 3M Awards, ranking in the top 5 among all Ontario universities.

    The 3M National Teaching Fellowship awards will be presented at the June STLHE conference in Halifax. The recipients will gather again for five days in Quebec in November to discuss teaching strategies and to potentially champion a project together.
     
    “This is just such a gift,” Simmons said, excited to work with her fellow recipients. “It’s a gift rather than an award.”
     
    Brock University 3M Fellows
    2017: Tim O’Connell, Recreation; Nicola Simmons, Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education
    2010: Zopito Marini, Child and Youth Studies
    2007: David DiBattista, Psychology
    2004: Lorne Adams, Physical Education and Kinesiology; John Mitterer, Psychology
    2003: Maureen Connolly, Sport Management
    2001: Anna Lathrop, Physical Education
    2000: Barry Joe, Communications, Popular Culture and Film; Germanic and Slavic Studies
    1991: Donald Ursino, Biological Studies
    1989: Clarke Thomson, Geography
     

    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

  • Lincoln and Brock sign MOU to focus on community priorities

    MEDIA RELEASE: R00037 – 16 February 2017

    Brock University and the Town of Lincoln formalized an agreement that could help the municipality and the school identify joint projects that enrich Brock’s educational opportunities while advancing the town’s economic, social and community development.

    The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton and Brock Interim President Tom Traves on Wednesday, Feb. 15 is the latest venture to see the town and university collaborate on initiatives that support the strategic intentions of both parties.

    The MOU will see the two partners create a joint steering committee that explores ways of moving forward by matching the University’s areas of expertise with the Town’s needs and opportunities.

    Traves said Brock is committed to supporting the development of local communities, especially in ways that benefit both partners.

    “For the University, initiatives like this typically lead to work-integrated experiential learning opportunities, while advancing cutting-edge research and transferring Brock’s innovation into our host communities, supporting social and economic needs,” said Traves.

    “This helps build communities but also strengthens Brock and makes it increasingly valuable to the entire region as a key resource for education and knowledge.”

    This new genre of collaboration between universities and municipalities allows for community co-research models, where the town is an active partner who not only helps define the scope of a project, but participates in research whose outcomes are specific and can be realistically implemented by a local municipality.
     
    Easton said the MOU provides the knowledge and expertise of Brock faculty and students, bringing “a much broader perspective that can only assist us in our vision of a future, sustainable Lincoln.”

    “This collaboration serves as a local think tank with focus and expertise,” said Easton, “a relationship to benefit Council, our community, and our staff.”

    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

    * Carrie Beatty, Senior Communications Advisor, Town of Lincoln cbeatty@lincoln.ca    905-563-2799 x230 or 905-401-5707

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    Categories: Media releases