Renaming the University: Leading Diverse Committees to Guide Institutional Change
Rachel Di Saia, Associate Director, Next Chapter Implementation and Coordination, University Relations, Toronto Metropolitan University, Ontario, Canada
Description
Following the acceptance of the Standing Strong Task Force's 22 recommendations, including the recommendation to rename Ryerson University, the university president appointed the University Renaming Advisory Committee (URAC). The URAC's mandate was to engage with the community and identify a short list of possible names to be recommended to the university president. This session provides an overview of how the URAC work was approached and structured and will focus on the leadership of the URAC (Jennifer Simpson and Tanya (Toni) De Mello), delivery of the committee's mandate and engagement with the broader community.
Rachel DiSaia
Rachel DiSaia has over fifteen years of academic administration and leadership experience and is currently the Director of Next Chapter Implementation and Coordination at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
With an MEd in Higher Education Education Theory and Policy from the University of Toronto, Rachel has an in-depth understanding and extensive experience in equity and inclusion work, project leadership, strategic planning, and policy development and interpretation. Rachel served as Engagement Manager for TMU’s Standing Strong (Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win) Task Force and then led and coordinated the implementation of the task force’s recommendations, including the university renaming project.
Jennifer S. Simpson
Jennifer S. Simpson is the Special Adviser to the President on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonisation (Curriculum Transformation) at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is pleased to work with colleagues in the Office of the Vice President, Equity and Community Inclusion, as well as with others across the university. She is also a Professor in the Department of Professional Communication.
Jennifer is the author of two books addressing higher education, race, equity and the public good (Longing for Justice: Higher Education and Democracy’s Agenda; and I Have Been Waiting: Race and U.S. Higher Education, both from University of Toronto Press). She has supported systematic attention to equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization and Indigenization efforts at both the pan-university and faculty levels.
A leader of collaborative and strategic change, Jennifer joined Toronto Metropolitan University in 2021 from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador where she held the position of dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. She served in faculty and administrative roles at the University of Waterloo from 2007 to 2017.
Jennifer is the author of two books addressing higher education, race, equity and the public good (Longing for Justice: Higher Education and Democracy’s Agenda; and I Have Been Waiting: Race and U.S. Higher Education, both from University of Toronto Press). She has supported systematic attention to equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization and Indigenization efforts at both the pan-university and faculty levels.
A leader of collaborative and strategic change, Jennifer joined Toronto Metropolitan University in 2021 from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador where she held the position of dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. She served in faculty and administrative roles at the University of Waterloo from 2007 to 2017.
