Civility and Leadership for the Public Good
As we embark on a period of realignment—both geo-politically and here at the College—I am heartened by the Massey College mission: to inspire Civility and Leadership for the Public Good on issues of contemporary concern. To this end, we stand firmly as a civil and welcoming home for open dialogue for all. For example, in the coming days I look forward to exploring actionable solutions to create a more inclusive health care system on January 29 with renowned disability activist David Lepofsky, and reflecting on issues of identity with the Massey Book Club through Elamin Abdelmahmoud’s powerful Son of Elsewhere.
I would like to take a moment and introduce my trusted right-hand, Jessica Dee Humphreys. Though continuing part time for the near future, she will be the critical point of contact between myself and the College community. Jess and I have worked together for many years. I trust her implicitly but I also like her, and I know you will too! Jessica can be reached at jhumphreys@masseycollege.ca or 416-978-6329.
I would also like to share that we are conducting a formal search to fill the critical combined role of Chief Administrative Officer and Bursar. A job posting will soon appear on the Massey College website, and I invite you to share it with those whom you feel meet the relevant criteria.
We are looking forward to tonight’s High Table where we will celebrate the Clarkson Laureates and their extraordinary contributions to the public good!
Dr. James Orbinski
Principal
Junior Fellow Applications
Seeking brilliant minds and interdisciplinary scholars! A reminder that Junior Fellow applications close next week on January 31. Please share the link widely with full time graduate and professional degree students at University of Toronto.
William Southam Journalism Fellowship
APPLICATIONS
WSJF applications are now open for the 2025-2026 cohort. The Fellowship at Massey College offers mid-career journalists the chance to grow, connect, and learn at the University of Toronto. Applications to join this transformative program are open until March 31.
NEW ARRIVAL
We want to welcome the final member of the 2024/2025 Journalism Fellows cohort, Beatrice Senadju – the Gordon N. Fisher / JHR fellow, who arrived from Ghana after the holidays. Please make sure to give her a warm welcome when you see her.
The Massey Choir meets on Sunday evenings 7:00-8:00pm in Ondaatje Hall (new location), under the direction of Jayden Browne. All are welcome – Junior Fellows, Alumni, Senior Fellows, Quadranglers, staff. No training is required, and no experience necessary. For more information contact Jayden.
PROGRAMMING
Saturday, January 25 – Anishinaabemowin Lessons
Beginning this weekend, classes will be held in the Private Dining Room on Saturdays: January 25, February 1, 8, 22, and March 1 from 10:30am-12:00pm. Facilitated by father and son duo Jason and Marcel Donio. All levels welcome. RSVP
Monday, January 27 – LP Launch – Discount Everything
Join us to celebrate the launch of Discount Everything – the debut LP from Bluebloods, featuring Junior Fellow Sam Little with bandmates Courtney Fox and Conrad Sweatman. Enjoy videos of select tracks as well as live performance, and a conversation with music historian (and Journalism Fellow alum) Michael Barclay about the album and the band’s journey. RSVP
Wednesday, January 29 – Massey Dialogues: Healthcare Barriers for People with Disabilities with David Lepofsky
Join us for an insightful session featuring renowned disability rights advocate, lawyer, and educator David Lepofsky, as he examines the systemic challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in accessing healthcare. The discussion will be enriched by contributions from Junior Fellows Alison D’Cruz and Rachel Tyli, and moderated by Senior Fellow Jillian Kohler. RSVP
LOOKING AHEAD
Monday, February 3 – Book Club: Son of Elsewhere
Following formal dinner (RSVP), join the discussion of Son of Elsewhere by CBC’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud. This memoir reflects on Blackness, faith, identity, and the journey of finding belonging, blending humour and insight. Dr. Sara Houshmand will present.
RSVP to join in person or via Zoom.
Wednesday, February 5 – Massey Dialogues – Don’t Call Me Resilient (podcast recording)
Join us for a thought-provoking live recording of Don’t Call Me Resilient from The Conversation Canada. PhD student Jul Jeonghyun Parke (Faculty of Information, U of T) sits down with host Vinita Srivastava to unpack the racial and ethical implications of “virtual influencers” — AI-generated personas shaping social media trends. These non-human influencers, often styled as young women of colour, are created by men in marketing agencies, sparking critical questions about authenticity, identity, and governance in the digital age. RSVP
Wednesday, February 5 – Music Salon – The Colour of Joy: Celebrating Black Art Song in Canada
Join us following formal dinner (RSVP) to celebrate Black History Month with Soprano Jonelle Sills, accompanied by Steven Philcox, will perform The Colour of Joy by Maria Thompson Corley, followed by a conversation with co-lyricists Kanika Ambrose and Christene Browne. RSVP.
Friday, February 7 – Black History Month High Table
Massey’s High Table dinners are a place for our community to unite in celebration and solidarity. We invite you to join us as we honour Black communities within Massey and beyond. Enjoy a delicious meal while we introduce new fellows, scholars, and community members. RSVP
SAVE THE DATE for the other High Tables of the term:
- March 7 – International Women’s Day
- March 28 – Convocation High Table
Wednesday, February 12 – Alumni Dinner (2015-2024 cohort)
Join us for the Alumni Dinner, a chance for members of the 2015-2024 cohort to reconnect, meet Junior Fellows, and enjoy a memorable meal together. All members of the College community are welcome. RSVP by 2pm the day before.
Monday, February 24 – Saving Journalism: Can Community Building Counter AI and Polarization
Join Pia Ranada, the McLuhan Fellow from the Philippines, for a talk on how building journalism around community can help it survive. With the rise of AI, the unreliability of big tech as platforms for news distribution, and increasing polarization, can a focus on community building help save journalism? Pia will discuss efforts in her newsroom at Rappler to bring the work of journalism to readers and citizens in new, impactful ways. RSVP
Wednesday, February 26 – Junior Fellow Lecture Series on Gender and Sexuality RSVP
Thursday, February 27 – Conference – Empowering Afghan Women for Global Justice: A Strategic Brainstorming Session
Announcing a high-level session, uniting Afghan women leaders, Canadian policymakers, and global human rights advocates. This event will explore pathways to amplify Afghan women’s leadership in addressing gender apartheid under the Taliban regime and advancing international legal and policy responses. Tickets to open soon.
COMMUNITY NEWS
AWARDS/HONOURS
- Senior Fellow Sylvia Bashevkin was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada.
- A painting by Junior Fellow Chantel Campbell titled: Lineage is a 2024 Cover submission winner in the BME magazine.
- Alum and neurology resident at U of T, Victoria Reedman was awarded the Canadian Association of Medical Education (CAME) Rising Star – Certificate of Excellence.
- On January 26, Quadrangle Society Member Nathan Tidridge will be honoured by the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation when he will be formally named a “Friend of the Nation ” in a special award ceremony.
- Senior Fellow David Zimmer was recently elected to a second two-year term as Honourary President of the University Club of Toronto.
Congratulations everyone!
NEWS
- A new 4-part limited series podcast by two Journalism Fellow alumni, Garvia Bailey (producer) and Nana aba Duncan (host), is out now. It’s called Black on the Ballot. It’s a companion piece to new research coming out of Carleton University, the first research on Black Canadians in politics of its kind. They even recorded an episode at Massey! You can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
- Senior Fellow Alan Bernstein quoted on why Trump wants to leave the WHO on CP24.
- Senior Fellow Raywat Deondanan quoted on how should we talk about foreign disease outbreaks on CBC.ca.
- Senior Fellow and Chair in Media Engagement Kim Kierans discusses how Canada’s likely next prime minister threatens to gut the country’s press in an interview with the Columbia Journalism Review.
- Senior Fellow Zainub Verjee wrote an Op-Ed on the need for a new #MasseyReport in The Hill Times.
- Alumni Ryan Doherty and Olivier Sorin are proud to share that Empower Health, in partnership with Oak Valley Health, is now improving access to care for over 6 million Ontarians. Services are free, OHIP-covered, and won’t affect your family doctor’s availability. Founded by Ryan during his time at Massey, Empower Health works to make healthcare accessible and equitable across Canada. Visit empower.ca for more.
- Virtual Care: Book same/next-OHIP-covered virtual appointments with Nurse Practitioners. Learn more.
- Pediatric Urgent Care: Centralized booking for clinics in Mississauga, Newmarket, Stouffville, Orillia, and Georgina. Services include vaccinations, wellness checks, and primary care for families without a doctor. Explore services.
We love learning about your good news and sharing it with the community. Please email our communications team with links to your news (awards/recognitions, career highlights – new roles, research publications, articles, podcasts, interviews, op-eds, art exhibits, publishing books/book events, etc.)
EVENTS
Quadrangle Society Member Peter Raymont invites you to the screening/discussion of White Pine Picture’s most recent documentary Plastic People on February 12. RSVP
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
On behalf of Dr. Peter N. Lewis (Interim President, FCIHR): Nominations are open for the 2025 Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research! This prestigious award honours exceptional leadership, vision, and innovation in health research. Learn more and nominate here. Deadline: February 14 by 5pm ET.
NEW LIBRARY EXHIBITION
When you next visit Massey, be sure to venture to the Robertson Davies (Lower) Library to view the new exhibit.
Current Exhibition: Unbound: Queerness and the Book Arts, 1850–1987
January – April 2025
Curated by Robert Steele, doctoral candidate in English at the University of Toronto and Junior Fellow at Massey College.
This exhibition explores the intersections between queerness and the book arts. Ranging temporally from the emergence of medically defined homosexuality in the mid-nineteenth century through to the onset of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, the books in this exhibition trace the evolution of queer identities and queer expression on the printed page. The exhibition seeks to highlight not only how queer authors and illustrators understood their identities within their historical contexts but also how artistic movements, such as the Aesthetic and Decadent movements of the late-nineteenth century, facilitated queer collaborations, queer communities, and modes of queer expression. The exhibition is part of a SSHRC-funded insight grant, “Lighting the Windows of the Past: Queer and Feminist Approaches to Special Collections,” led by Claire Battershill, David Fernandez, and Kit MacNeil.
THE JCR PODCAST
Shelf Reflections: A Conversation with Massey College’s Librarian
Junior Fellow Robbie Steele speaks with the Massey College Librarian, Andreea Marin, about the Robertson Davies Library and its focus on the history and technical aspects of the book arts. They discuss what it means for a rare books library to focus on the history of the book, what goes into being Massey’s rare books librarian, and some of the amazing exhibitions, programming, and collaborations being done in the library. They also highlight a few of the treasures in the collection, which you can see for yourself by visiting. For more information, click here.
Massey is Lunch
Please continue to connect with Junior Fellows over a delicious lunch in Ondaatje Hall by participating in the Massey is Lunch program.
