Trent University Appoints New President Vice-Chancellor

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Trent University’s Board of Governors has appointed Dr. Catherine ‘Cathy’ Bruce as the ninth President and Vice-Chancellor who will assume the role on July 1.

Dr. Bruce holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Toronto, as well as a B.A. and B.Ed. from York University. Photo courtesy of Trent University.

“We sought a leader who profoundly understands the unique qualities of Trent University,” said Debra Cooper Burger, board chair. “Dr. Bruce embodies this spirit, bringing an impressive track record of excellence here at Trent and beyond. She is indeed the right person to build upon Trent’s successes and propel the University into an exciting new chapter.”

Bruce's 35-year career in education includes over 20 years in higher education and has been with Trent since 2003. Bruce served as a professor, director of graduate programs, founder of the Centre for Teaching and Learning, dean of Trent’s School of Education and vice president of Research and Innovation.

She has established the Early Career Researcher Awards and created a Trent-specific Research Grant Incentive Program.

“I am honoured to serve as Trent’s ninth president, ushering the University forward into our next period of strategic growth and sustainability,” said Bruce. “This is a pivotal moment for Trent as we undertake some major projects including the development of the Seniors’ Village, new colleges and residences, the Trent Research Farm, and continued expansion of the Durham campus in Oshawa.”

Bruce has received numerous accolades, including the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award. With a focus on teacher and student efficacy, Dr. Bruce’s career has focused on exploring productive pathways to learning complex concepts and ideas, particularly in mathematics. Her most recent research has examined the role of spatial reasoning in mathematics learning, for which she has been nationally and internationally recognized. Dr. Bruce has co-authored multiple books and has a solid peer-reviewed publication record. Her lab (the Trent Math Education Research Collaborative), hosts a federally funded research program that enables collaboration with educators and administrators from both Public and Catholic school districts across Ontario, all with the support of the lab research team.

Her leadership and service extends from the local community as a member of the board of Peterborough’s regional Innovation Cluster, to the provincial community as a member of the Executive of the Ontario Council on University Research, and nationally as a past president of the Association of Canadian Deans of Education. On the broader stage, Dr. Bruce is a member of the International Program Committee for the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction for Advances in Geometry (ICMI 26).

“I am extremely pleased with the selection of Dr. Bruce as Trent’s next president,” said Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor. “Having worked closely with Cathy, I've witnessed firsthand her leadership and commitment to the University. Her blend of academic insight and administrative acumen positions Trent well for the future. I am happy to pass the Presidency on to someone with the passion and innovation that have been the hallmark of her work since she arrived at Trent.”

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Trent University Seeking Nominations For 2024 Alumni Association Awards

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Trent University is seeking nominations for their 2024 Alumni Association Awards for any graduate making a difference in their communities.

Photo courtesy of Trent University.

The following are the categories available for nominations:

  • Distinguished Alumni Award - presented based on a person's achievement and leadership in business, industry, a profession or in public life.

  • Spirit of Trent Award - presented to an alum who has made a difference, through contribution to the university, or their community.

  • Young Leader Award - presented to young alumni who have shown outstanding leadership throughout their first 10 years of alumni status either in their professional career and/or community, public or humanitarian service and are 35 years of age or younger.

  • Paul Delaney Award for Outstanding Young Philanthropist - presented to a student or a recent alum whose work sowing seeds of friendship and a spirit of philanthropy makes them an outstanding model for Trent students to emulate.

    The David Glassco Prize - recognizes a student who has demonstrated outstanding generosity of spirit in a range of activities outside the classroom, including music, athletics, or theatre, in the Trent and Peterborough communities.

  • The Robert W.F. Stephenson Prize for Excellence in Student Governance -recognizes an outstanding student leader and underscores the Alumni Association’s high regard for student leadership contribution to the overall mission of Trent University. 

The following are the nomination forms:

Nomination deadlines end at 11 p.m. on March 7.

Nominees must be Trent University alumni with self-nominations are not accepted. Any Alumni currently sitting in political office are not eligible while in that role.

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Métis Change Advocate Named 2024 Trent Ashley Fellow Visiting Scholar

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Bridget Larocque, a change advocate from the Northwest Territories, is bringing expertise in Indigenous knowledge to Trent University as the school’s 2024 Ashley Fellow as a visiting scholar, announced on Thrusday morning.

The Ashley Fellow is a visiting scholar hosted each year by one of Trent University’s Colleges. The fellowship is funded by a bequest from the late Professor C.A. Ashley, long-time friend of Trent University and an enthusiastic proponent of the role that informal contacts of college life can play in the academic pursuits of the University. Photo courtesy of Trent University.

Larocque has a distinct worldview from her Arctic upbringing, Métis lifeways and lived experiences in Western Education systems according to a press release.

“Traill is honoured to be the host college for this year’s Ashley Fellow,” says Dr. Michael Eamon, Trent principal of Catharine Parr Traill College. “Bridget Larocque is the embodiment of the ideals on which the fellowship was founded upon, bringing a wealth of lived experience and her unique northern perspective to Indigenous relations.”

Larocque promotes both her Indigenous worldview and holistic philosophy when addressing circumpolar issues in various roles, such as the network co-lead and chair of the Northern Advisory Board of the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN). Her career also includes working as a policy advisor and researcher with the Arctic Athabaskan Council (ACC), executive director of Gwich’in Council International (GCI) and managing her consultant business, Weaving Wisdoms as stated by Trent.

A strong supporter of Larocque’s application was Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer, Canada Research Chair in the Study of the Canadian North and professor in the School for the Study of Canada. Professor Lackenbauer’s recommendation highlights her tireless advocacy for young leaders and her holistic worldview that combines traditional knowledge with contemporary research methods, a combination of skills and experience that align well with the values of the fellowship.

During her residency from Feb. 4 to 18, Larocque will carry out Indigenous knowledge transferring through a North @ Trent lecture at Traill College on socio-economic challenges faced by Métis women and a roundtable on gender and Arctic security with the NAADSN. She will also be involved in workshops with students at Symons Campus and Traill College, and participate in the Elders’ Gathering at the First Peoples House of Learning before capping off her residency with a traditional College dinner with students, faculty and community members. 

“I am incredibly blessed with knowledge transfer responsibility and nurturing gift,” said Larocque. “This upcoming fellowship provides a wonderful opportunity to enlighten and nurture young scholars about my homeland, lived experiences, and lifeways.” 

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Trent Professor Earns National Teaching Award

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Trent University professor David Newhouse and his work advancing Indigenous Studies has been named the recipient of the Lee Lorch Award – the highest honour presented by the Council of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), announced on Monday.

Professor David Newhouse was one of Canada’s most outstanding university educators and winner of one of ten 3M Teaching Fellowships in May of 2022. Photo courtesy of Trent University.

Newhouse is the founding director of the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent.

“We congratulate Professor David Newhouse on winning the Lee Lorch Award,” said Dr. Michael Khan, Trent provost and vice-president academic. “His excellence as a teacher and as an educational leader has led to transformative change within educational institutions, creating space for Indigenous peoples, cultures, knowledge and histories.”

The Lee Lorch Award recognizes an academic whose teaching, research and service have contributed noticeably to the lives of their students, institution, field of study, and community. Prof. Newhouse will be presented with the award at the Spring CAUT Council.

Newhouse has been a professor, researcher and administrator for over 30 years. He served as the chair of the Department of Indigenous Studies at Trent starting in 1994 and was appointed the founding director of the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies in 2017. He helped launch Canada's first Indigenous Studies Ph.D. program, establishing the First Peoples House of Learning, securing more than $12 million in research funding and developing Trent’s Indigenous course requirement, ensuring all undergraduate students complete at least one course with an Indigenous focus.

“I do a little every day and things add up over time, so I was surprised to be awarded the prize,” said Newhouse. “It's nice to be recognized for my work with faculty, staff, and students in bringing Indigenous Knowledge to Trent University. The award is not just about me, but about the climate of support we've created for Indigenous peoples and their histories.” 

Prof. Newhouse holds several provincial and national leadership positions, co-chairing the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s Indigenous Advisory Circle and acting as science officer for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Peer Review Committee in Aboriginal Peoples' Health.

He is also served as chair of CAUT’s Aboriginal Post-Secondary Working Group, before being elected to the Executive Committee as the Representative at Large, Aboriginal in 2018 – a position he holds to this day. Newhouse is also the founding editor of the CANDO Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development, the first peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to the subject and was the principal investigator for the National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education (NCCIE).

Recognized for his committed efforts to enhance students' educational experiences (Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike) over more than two decades, Prof. Newhouse was awarded Trent University’s Award for Educational Leadership and Innovation in 2016. He was also recognized for teaching and educational leadership, receiving a 3M National Teaching Fellowship in 2022. 

He is on a sabbatical working to convert a 10-year project into an academic text. His research is focused on modern Indigenous society and understanding the dynamics shaping Indigenous communities today. He uses literature to encourage critical thinking, reflective practice, and a deeper understanding by employing Indigenous teaching methods similar to elders' storytelling techniques that encourage interpretation over direct answers. 

His research was the genesis for the Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network (UAKN) that Newhouse has co-chaired since its inception in 2007. The UAKN is a research network of urban Indigenous peoples engaging in community-driven research to contribute to a better quality of life for urban Indigenous communities. Through the UAKN, he has helped shine a light on how urban Indigenous peoples see cities as home. 

“For more than 30 years, David has been an outstanding teacher, researcher, and leader at Trent and across the country,” said one of the award nominators. “He lives the qualities of the Seven Grandfathers Teachings, and in his commitment to these teachings, he has been a mentor and champion for many people. These are people who might otherwise have been overlooked or passed by and people who were not aware of their own talents and gifts. In that space, David provides people the opportunity to embrace their own responsibilities. Perhaps that is David’s most significant contribution to the classroom and academia.” 

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Hometown PTBO: Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Paul Wilson On His Tenure With Trent University and City Council

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This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame inductee Paul Wilson about his effect on Trent University and its athletics program, his squash career and his tenure as a member of City Council.

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Trent University’s Newest College to be Named Gidigaa Migizi to Honour Professor Doug Williams

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To honour and celebrate the memory of the late Gidigaa Migizi (Doug Williams), Trent University is naming its sixth college will be named Gidigaa Migizi College.

Photo courtesy of Trent University.

The Gidigaa Migizi College is being built on the east bank of the Symons Campus in Peterborough. The building will include as many as 700 new beds for first-year students and classrooms, faculty offices and student spaces. The University expects it to open in the fall of 2028. The new college crest, scarf and colours will be unveiled next year.

“This naming is a testament to Trent’s ongoing commitment to recognizing and celebrating Indigenous culture and heritage,” said Marilyn Burns, vice president of Trent communications and enrolment. “Gidigaa Migizi, a respected elder and a pillar in the Michi Saagiig Anishnaabeg and Trent communities, has left a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire and educate our students for generations to come. Gidigaa Migizi College will stand as a beacon of knowledge, diversity, and respect, embodying the spirit of inclusivity and learning that is at the heart of Trent University.”

The professor, elder, and community leader was known for his dedication to Trent students and for protecting Anishnaabeg's treaty rights.

The decision to select an Anishnaabe name for the new college was a recommendation of the University’s Champlain Report to honour the treaty and traditional territory on which Trent University sits, according to a press release. Meaning ‘spotted eagle’ in English, the name Gidigaa Migizi College was recommended by the University’s Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers Council and approved by Trent’s Board of Governors.

“Gidigaa Migizi was a giant both at Trent and in the Anishnaabeg nation. He was a champion of knowledge, of learning, of students and of our community,” said Anne Taylor, Curve Lake First Nation Elders Council member. “In our culture, eagles are held in high esteem and symbolize honour, respect, strength, courage, and wisdom. These are all characteristics we want Trent students to embody.”

Migizi was one of the first graduates of Trent University’s Native Studies (now Indigenous Studies) program. After graduating, he remained involved with Trent, helping shape academic programs, administrative policies, and cultural practices and advancing education about Indigenous peoples.

He was co-director of the Indigenous Studies Ph.D. program and a professor at the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies. Migizi served on the University’s Indigenous Education Committee and the Elders Council. Before joining Trent as a student and then as a faculty member, Gidigaa Migizi was a bricklayer who helped build Champlain College at the University.

Migizi was an active negotiator for the legal recognition of treaty rights. His greatest accomplishment in this arena was the advocacy work he undertook in the precedent-setting case R v. Taylor and Williams, working through the court system to bring legal recognition of pre-confederation treaty rights through the interpretation of Treaty 20, 1818. As a result of this landmark case, he defended the right to hunt and fish for signatories to the Williams Treaties as stated by Trent.

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Hometown PTBO: Trent Excalibur Men's Lacrosse Defending Their Championship At Home At the Baggataway Cup From Nov. 3 - 5

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This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks to Mark Farthing, Trent Excalibur Men's Lacrosse and a few players about defending their title at the Baggataway Cup running from Nov. 3 - 5.

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Trent Excalibur Men's Lacrosse Begin Title Defense As They Host Baggataway Cup Beginning Friday

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The 2023 Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) Baggataway Cup runs through the defending-champion Trent Excalibur Men’s lacrosse team they are defending their national championship title as the host team at Justin Chiu Stadium at Trent University beginning Friday to Sunday.

This year marks the third time Trent has hosted the event since the team’s inception into CUFLA in 2007. The Baggataway Cup was first hosted at Trent in 2012.  Photo courtesy of Trent University.

“We are thrilled to welcome student-athletes, fans and alumni for the second year in a row, to the 2023 Baggataway Cup Championship,” said Nathan McFadden, Trent Athletics director. “The weekend will be an opportunity to witness the spirit of competition as the best teams in the country vie for the coveted Baggataway Cup at Trent’s Justin Chiu Stadium.”

Last season was the school’s first men’s lacrosse Baggataway Cup Championship after an undefeated season. This year, the team finished tied with Carleton University for first place in the East Division with an 8-2 record but dropped to second due to tie-breakers.

“We've had a remarkable season here at Justin Chiu Stadium,” said Mark Farthing, head coach. “Having the opportunity to compete for the national championship is a testament to the team’s dedication and we are excited to pursue the cup again in front of the most passionate fanbase in CUFLA.” 

The first quarterfinal game of the Baggataway Cup is on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The second quarter-final game will begin at 7:30 p.m. while semi-finals will begin on Saturday against the winner of the first quarter-final at 1:30 p.m.

The second semi-final game starts at 4:30 p.m.  The Baggataway Cup final will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. immediately followed by an awards presentation.

The family-friendly event has feature food trucks and a concession stand (no alcohol will be served) and Baggataway Cup apparel for sale. Donia’s Donair food truck will be on site all weekend and BeaverTails will be available on Sunday from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. 

Day passes for the quarterfinal or semifinal games are $10 with tickets for Sunday’s gold medal game $15. Championship tournament passes are $30. Tickets and passes will be available for purchase at the gate and in person at the Trent Athletics Centre next week. Trent students, children under 12 and youth who wear their Trent Excalibur Summer Camp shirts can attend for free.  

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Trent Excalibur Women's Lacrosse Earn Bronze at Ontario University Athletics Patterson Cup Championships

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The Trent Excalibur women’s lacrosse team left Kingston as bronze medalists after a dominating 15-4 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Patterson Cup Championships at Queen’s University over the weekend.

The women’s lacrosse team have won silver and two gold consecutive medals in the past three seasons. Photo courtesy of Trent University.

Trent faced off against the Toronto Varsity Blues in their opening contest, defeating them 16-10. Natalie Fournier led the Excalibur with five goals. 

The Excalibur continued their hot start with a 17-3 rout over the Brock Badgers to move to a 2-0 record. Rookie Tyler McDonald had a whopping six goals for Trent.

Trent’s bid for the championship fell short as they fell to Queen’s Gaels in the semi-final game, 13-5. The loss sent the Excalibur to the bronze medal game and eventual win.

McDonald was named Rookie of the Year during the bronze medal ceremony, scoring seven goals for the Excalibur. Goalie Kieran Gerow was named OUA Most Valuable Defensive Player. Gerow and Shaughnessy were named OUA All-Star for Trent.

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Trent Ranked #1 Ontario Undergraduate University For 13 Straight Years

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Trent University takes top honours, ranked number one as Ontario’s number one undergraduate university in the 2024 Maclean’s University Rankings.

Photo courtesy of Trent university.

“Trent’s enduring streak as Ontario's top undergraduate university reflects our ongoing commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and delivering a transformative experience for all students,” said Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor. “These rankings are the latest in a series of news highlights and developments that continue to showcase Trent as a renowned teaching and research university in Canada, as well as globally.”

2024 Maclean's University Rankings Highlights: Primarily Undergraduate Category

  • #1 undergraduate university in Ontario 13 years in a row

  • #1 in Ontario for highest quality

  • #1 in Ontario for faculty awards

  • #2 in Ontario for most innovative

  • #2 in Ontario for developing leaders of tomorrow

  • #2 in Ontario for student services

  • Top 20 in all of Canada ranking for Trent’s Education program – the only undergraduate university program on the list

The rankings compare 50 universities from across Canada. Trent continued to rank among the top undergraduate institutions in Ontario in several key categories, including number one in Ontario for highest overall quality and faculty awards and number two in Ontario for being the most innovative and developing the future leaders of tomorrow. Trent also ranked number two in Ontario for student services.

The Trent School of Education received special recognition as the only primarily undergraduate institution named among the top 20 education programs in Canada across all categories.

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