Lakehead University's Office of Indigenous Initiatives, International and the Department of Indigenous Learning have collaborated to host a Virtual Global Indigenous Speaker Series, Imagining Possibilities through Indigenous Knowledge Systems.

Critical issues of our time including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged the current state of affairs, provoking an inward gaze among our global community on the resiliency and sustainability of our current philosophies, structures and systems.

Indigenous knowledge systems which are relational and well-established can offer alternative approaches to contemporary issues and support the re-imagination of our global future.

This invitational speaker series highlights the theory, research, and practice of international Indigenous scholars, offering students and faculty across disciplines inspiration, creativity and paths forward in uncertain times.

Register and watch previous events here.

lakeheadu.ca/indigenous/global-indigenous-speakers-series

Talks include:

• Watch now - Jorge Cocom Pech (Mayan), Mexico.
• Watch now - Dr. Wendy Smythe, (Alaska Native Haida) University Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, USA
• Wednesday, Dec. 2, 11:30 - 1 pm EST - Dr. Juan Illicachi Guzñay (Kichwa),Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo, Ecuador
• Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 10:00 am - 11:30 am EST - Rauna Kuokkanen (Sámi) Professor of Arctic Indigenous Studies University of Lapland (Finland) and Adjunct Professor of Indigenous Studies and Political Science University of Toronto.
• Wednesday, March 3 -  Australia, Charles Darwin University

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8177 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being named Research Infosource's Research University of the Year in our category for the fifth consecutive year (2019); ranked, once again, among Canada’s top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s University Rankings 2021; as well as included in the top half of the Times Higher Education 2020 World University Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 98th among 766 universities from around the world in THE's 2020 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Dr. Muhammad Kabir, Assistant Professor, Accounting in the Faculty of Business Administration, recently published an article in the highly-regarded Journal of Corporate Finance.

The research examined how product market competition affects insider trading profitability. Their results show that insider trading profitability is more pronounced for firms with: a higher level of trade secrecy, a higher level of R&D, a lower level of management voluntary disclosures, less readable 10-K reports, and highly tone-ambiguous financial disclosures.

To learn more and to read the article visit this page.

Congratulations Dr. Kabir.

November 23, 2020 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.

Angela Maltese has been appointed Chair of the Lakehead University Board of Governors. The decision was made during the Board’s Annual General Meeting on October 1, 2020.

Maltese, a chartered professional accountant, chartered accountant and certified financial planner, joined the board in February 2014 and has served as Vice-Chair since 2016, and as a member of the Executive Committee, Finance & Operations Committee, Audit & Risk Committee, Learning & Research Committee, Governance & Nominating Committee, and as Lieutenant Governor in Council Appointed Member over the course of her tenure.

“I am honoured to step into this leadership role as Chair of the Board of Governors,” said Maltese. “Lakehead University has a fundamental role to play in the success of our local and global communities, and I look forward to continuing the work of the Board to maintain our ability to provide exceptional learning experiences to the next generation of students, to make significant impact on our communities, regions and beyond, and to create an environment for long-term success.”

With more than 35 years of experience in the accounting and financial services industry, including more than 15 years as a partner in a national accounting firm, Maltese is currently the Director of Finance and Operations for Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation. Maltese received her Chartered Accountant (CA) designation in 1987, and graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Lakehead University. Throughout her career Maltese has held a variety of leadership positions in finance, accounting, and operational strategy.

Maltese also brings vast experience on local and provincial committees and boards, as well as a wealth of knowledge about, and history in, Thunder Bay. She has served on the Capital Campaign Cabinets for both Magnus Theatre and the Thunder Bay Art Gallery and currently serves on the Women in Politics Committee.

“Lakehead University is thrilled to welcome Angela as our new Board Chair,” said Dr. Moira McPherson, President and Vice-Chancellor. “She brings to this role her impressive experience within the financial sector, and genuine enthusiasm for the University.”

Succeeding Maltese in the role of Vice-Chair is Ann Dumyn, a retired bank executive who also worked with a world-class engineering company and held director and officer positions in private and public resource sector companies in Canada and the U.S.

New members to the board this year include Brandon Rhéal Amyot (student member), Claudine Cousins, Michael Nitz, Mark Smith, Murray Waboose, and Debra Woods.

For more information about Lakehead University’s Board of Governors, please visit www.lakeheadu.ca/about/sg/board-of-governors-board-committees.

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Media: For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Jaclyn Bucik, Media, Communications & Marketing Associate, at mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being named Research Infosource's Research University of the Year in our category for the fifth consecutive year (2019); ranked, once again, among Canada’s top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s University Rankings 2021; as well as included in the top half of the Times Higher Education 2020 World University Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 98th among 766 universities from around the world in THE's 2020 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

November 19, 2020 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.

Lakehead University's Department of English invites members of the public in Thunder Bay, Orillia and beyond to join them on Zoom on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7 pm for a reading and discussion with award-winning Anishinaabe writer, storyteller and musician Leanne Betasamosake Simpson.

The event, which is co-sponsored by the university’s Office of Indigenous Initiatives and the Thunder Bay Public Library, celebrates the recent publication of Simpson’s latest novel Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies (Anansi, September 2020).

Simpson will speak for 20-30 minutes, followed by a Q&A session. Members of the public who wish to pre-register and pose questions for the author are asked to use a form at the following link: https://forms.gle/Jj2XJWUsb4WfQEGc9. 

The link to the Zoom webinar event is: https://lakeheadu.zoom.us/j/91093260928

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg writer, scholar, and musician, and a member of Alderville First Nation.

She is the author of five previous books, including This Accident of Being Lost, which won the MacEwan Book of the Year and the Peterborough Arts Award for Outstanding Achievement by an Indigenous Author; was a finalist for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the Trillium Book Award; was longlisted for CBC Canada Reads; and was named a best book of the year by the Globe and Mail, National Post, and Quill & Quire. She has released two albums, including f(l)ight, which is a companion piece to This Accident of Being Lost.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Award-winning Nishnaabeg storyteller and writer Leanne Betasamosake Simpson returns with a bold reimagination of the novel, one that combines narrative and poetic fragments through a careful and fierce reclamation of Anishinaabe aesthetics.

Mashkawaji (they/them) lies frozen in the ice, remembering a long-ago time of hopeless connection and now finding freedom and solace in isolated suspension. They introduce us to the seven main characters: Akiwenzii, the old man who represents the narrator’s will; Ninaatig, the maple tree who represents their lungs; Mindimooyenh, the old woman who represents their conscience; Sabe, the giant who represents their marrow; Adik, the caribou who represents their nervous system; Asin, the human who represents their eyes and ears; and Lucy, the human who represents their brain. Each attempts to commune with the unnatural urban-settler world, a world of SpongeBob Band-Aids, Ziploc baggies, Fjällräven Kånken backpacks, and coffee mugs emblazoned with institutional logos. And each searches out the natural world, only to discover those pockets that still exist are owned, contained, counted, and consumed. Cut off from nature, the characters are cut off from their natural selves.

Noopiming is Anishinaabemowin for “in the bush,” and the title is a response to English Canadian settler and author Susanna Moodie’s 1852 memoir Roughing It in the Bush. To read Simpson’s work is an act of decolonization, degentrification, and willful resistance to the perpetuation and dissemination of centuries-old colonial myth-making. It is a lived experience. It is a breaking open of the self to a world alive with people, animals, ancestors, and spirits, who are all busy with the daily labours of healing — healing not only themselves, but their individual pieces of the network, of the web that connects them all together. Enter and be changed.

For more information, contact Dr. Judith Leggatt, Associate Professor, Department of English: jleggatt@lakeheadu.ca. 

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8177 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Photo credit: Nadya Kwandibens.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being named Research Infosource's Research University of the Year in our category for the fifth consecutive year (2020); ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2020 World Universities Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 98th among 766 universities from around the world in THE's 2020 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

November 10, 2020 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.

Lakehead University will be hosting a series of virtual interactive workshops and events from November 16 to 20 as part of the University’s first ever International Education Week (IEW).

Lakehead International is excited to be joining forces with organizations in over 100 countries around the globe to strengthen the understanding of international education and celebrate its importance within our local and global communities.

“International Education Week provides a unique opportunity to explore internationalization through the lens of the many people who are working to develop inter-culturally competent and socially engaged leaders,” said James Aldridge, Vice-Provost, International.

The events organized as part of IEW will recognize and celebrate international talent, explore opportunities for working and studying abroad, showcase how the University prepares students for our global environment, and allow participants to sample ways in which we are embracing cultural diversity at Lakehead. These interactive sessions will be hosted via the online platform Zoom and will be available to members of our campuses and communities in Thunder Bay and Simcoe County.

For more event information and to register, visit the International Education Week website.

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Media: For further information or to arrange an interview, contact Jaclyn Bucik, Media, Communications & Marketing Associate, at 705-330-4010 ext. 2014 or jbucik@lakeheadu.ca

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being named Research Infosource's Research University of the Year in our category for the fifth consecutive year (2019); ranked, once again, among Canada’s top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s University Rankings 2021; as well as included in the top half of the Times Higher Education 2020 World University Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 98th among 766 universities from around the world in THE's 2020 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

November 6, 2020 – Orillia, Ont.

A unique partnership between Lakehead University, the City of Orillia, and the Orillia Area Community Development Corporation (CDC) is looking at how Orillia and surrounding area can contribute to the innovation economy.

A team from Lakehead, the CDC and the City’s Business Development and Communications Department have been working on the creation of an innovation hub for the past year, drawing experience and expertise from other community-based innovation development, in an effort to scope out a value proposition for the region.

Through funding received from the County of Simcoe, the partners will be consulting with area businesses, organizations and stakeholders, to gain a greater understanding of the needs required in the local and regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“It’s imperative that we look at creative and innovative ways to support local and regional business growth, retention and attraction without duplicating the efforts and programming that already exists, and which has a focus on the unique elements of our local and regional economies,” said Dr. Dean Jobin-Bevans, Principal of the Lakehead University Orillia campus.

Proponents of the project see the innovation hub aligning business, economic development and educational resources to foster research, innovation and new growth among new and existing businesses and organizations.

By creating community interaction and collaboration opportunities, and a potential incubation space across the multi-sectoral business community in Simcoe County, the group hopes to nurture the next generation of ideas and innovations on a homegrown level, positioning the region to attract young entrepreneurs and newcomers to the city and to the region.

“Smaller cities and rural communities have been under-resourced when it comes to business support services and regional innovation centres, and Orillia and surrounding area is no exception. Hearing directly from entrepreneurs, businesses and stakeholders on what would foster innovation at the local and regional level is a crucial step in determining what model could serve our area best,” said City of Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke.

A key deliverable for the innovation hub will be to develop a sustainable regional initiative in Orillia where the bulk of supporting resources are located. The hub will leverage resources from post-secondary institutions, municipalities, professionals, local businesses, investors, entrepreneurial start-ups, cultural groups, and social groups in a collaborative manner.

Public consultation sessions will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

For more information, or to register for a consultation session, visit www.lakeheadu.ca/orilliainnovationhub. 

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Media: For further information or to arrange an interview, contact Jaclyn Bucik, Media, Communications & Marketing Associate, at 705-330-4010 ext. 2014 or jbucik@lakeheadu.ca

About Lakehead University
Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being named Research Infosource's Research University of the Year in our category for the fifth consecutive year (2019); ranked, once again, among Canada’s top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s University Rankings 2021; as well as included in the top half of the Times Higher Education 2020 World University Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 98th among 766 universities from around the world in THE's 2020 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

About the City of Orillia
The City of Orillia is a city of 31,000 people in the heart of Orillia & Lake Country on the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Visit our website at orillia.ca.

About the Orillia Area CDC
The Community Development Corp. (CDC) is here to help your business start, grow and succeed! We provide counselling, training & funding to local businesses to support job creation, growth and innovation. We also work with many community partners on various community economic development projects to build an economy in Ontario’s Lake Country that is prosperous, growing and sustainable. Our business communities in the City of Orillia, Townships of Oro-Medonte, Ramara, Severn, and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation all benefit from our diverse range of services. 

Dr. Anne Innis Dagg feeding giraffes at the Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, 2016. Photo credit: Elaisa Vargas.

November 2, 2020 –Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.

Lakehead University’s Office of Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning is pleased to present “In Conversation with Anne Dagg: The Woman Who Loves Giraffes”.

On Sunday, November 15, Lakehead invites you to gather online to go behind the story of the critically-acclaimed documentary The Woman Who Loves Giraffes. Written, produced and directed by Alison Reid, the documentary follows Anne (now 86) as she retraces the steps of her unprecedented solo journey to South Africa back in 1956, to study giraffes in the wild. The film offers an intimate window into her life as a young woman, juxtaposed with a first-hand look at the devastating reality that giraffes are facing today. Dagg and the species she loves have each experienced triumphs as well as setbacks. The Woman Who Loves Giraffes gives us a moving perspective on both.

The evening will feature a live virtual Q&A with Dagg and Reid – to hear from Dagg, herself, about her experiences in South Africa as well as her later life as an author, activist, teacher and mother.

The recording of the documentary, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, will be available to watch on a computer, tablet or TV prior to the live virtual event on November 15.

Tickets are $15 each for students, faculty, staff and alumni, and $20 for the public. Tickets can be purchased at www.lakeheadu.ca/cell. A portion of the proceeds will support Green Haven Shelter for Women in Orillia and the Faye Peterson House in Thunder Bay.

Get the popcorn ready! We’ll virtually join you there on Sunday, November 15 at 4 pm EST!

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Media:  For further information or to arrange an interview, contact Jaclyn Bucik, Media, Communications & Marketing Associate, at 705-330-4010 ext. 2014 or  jbucik@lakeheadu.ca

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being named Research Infosource's Research University of the Year in our category for the fifth consecutive year (2020); ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2020 World Universities Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 98th among 766 universities from around the world in THE's 2020 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

The Department of Computer Science at Lakehead University has been recognized as one of the top Computer Science programs in Canada in the Maclean's 2021 post-secondary evaluation rankings.

Notably, in this ranking Lakehead University is the only small, undergraduate-focused institution on the list amidst many larger schools.

“We are proud of this achievement and of our graduates, who have a 100% employment rate and are currently some of the highest paid university graduates in Ontario,” said Dr. Vijay Mago, Chair of Computer Science.
 
“Our intention is to continue to align high impact, industry relevant research with the learning outcomes and course content in our undergraduate program so that graduates have the skills to thrive in today’s technology career paths,” Dr. Mago added.

Lakehead's courses are updated regularly with cutting edge, relevant and high demand content including pattern recognition, big data analytics, image processing, natural language processing, deep learning, machine learning, neural networks, cyber security and optimization algorithms.
 
For those interested in pursuing a research career, Lakehead's Masters program contains a Vector Institute recognized Artificial Intelligence specialization with many opportunities to contribute to research and industry focused initiatives.
 
Lakehead's graduate students have had success in receiving research funding from bodies such as NSERC, SSHRC, MITACS, ONCAT, the Canadian Revenue Agency and the university also collaborates both domestically and internationally with industry partners.
 
In addition to Lakehead's focus on teaching and research, the Computer Science department consistently engages in collaborative initiatives with other institutions.
 
For those interested in obtaining a college diploma and a university degree, the HBSc Computer Science is offered in partnership with Georgian College as a dual diploma/degree that can be completed in four years of full-time study. Additionally Lakehead is working with many international institutions to create opportunities for co-ops, exchanges and dual degrees.

December 2, 2020 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.

Lakehead University’s Office of Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (CELL) is pleased to present Making (and Breaking) Bread in support of Shelter House Thunder Bay and The Sharing Place Food Centre in Orillia.

On Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 7 pm, join culinary teacher and cookbook author Claire Tansey, author of Dinner, Uncomplicated, as she shares the secrets of her "No-Knead Bread," demonstrating how you, too, can cook the perfect loaf at home this holiday season.

As the dough rises, Dr. Linda Rodenburg, Director of Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning, will chat with Chris Peacock, Executive Director of The Sharing Place, and Michelle Jordan, Executive Director of Shelter House Thunder Bay, about the innovative programs that make these food centres central to our communities.

“The pandemic may have made baking bread a popular pastime, but it has also been a challenging and difficult year for many, increasing reliance on our local food centres,” explained Rodenburg. “Hosting this event is just one way that the University can give back to our communities this holiday season.”

Tickets are $20 each and include on-demand access to enjoy the documentary film, Bread: An Everyday Miracle (2020).

For more information, visit lakeheadu.ca/cell.

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Media: For further information or to arrange an interview, contact Jaclyn Bucik, Media, Communications & Marketing Associate, at 705-330-4010 ext. 2014 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca. 

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being named Research Infosource's Research University of the Year in our category for the fifth consecutive year (2019); ranked, once again, among Canada’s top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s University Rankings 2021; as well as included in the top half of the Times Higher Education 2020 World University Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 98th among 766 universities from around the world in THE's 2020 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Congratulations to Dr. Farshid Shams, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Business Administration, whose article, The acceptance of halal food in non-Muslim countries: effects of religious identity, national identification, consumer ethnocentrism and consumer cosmopolitanism, has been selected as a Highly Commended Paper in the 2020 Emerald Literati Awards.

In his congratulatory email, Dr. Shams learned that the editorial team said it is one of the most exceptional pieces of work they saw throughout 2019.

Dr. Shams will receive a certificate as well as be listed as a winner on the journal home page.

You can read his award-winning article here for free for the next six months.