Walter Schneider, Rumeet Billan and John Switzer stand on stairs at Lislehurst

Outstanding alumni feted at Lislehurst

Nicolle Wahl

“I am, and always will be, a proud alumna.”

When Rumeet Billan (BA’06, MEd’10), the recipient of the inaugural Desmond Parker Outstanding Young Alumni Award, closed her acceptance speech with those words, the crowd of Campus Council members, Alumni Association board of directors and friends of the university gathered at the Principal’s residence for Spring Reunion’s inaugural Alumni Awards of Distinction burst into applause.

Billan, along with two other outstanding U of T Mississauga alumni, John Switzer (BA’70) and Walter Schneider (BA ’76), were honoured May 29 at Lislehurst.

Professor Deep Saini, vice-president of U of T and principal of U of T Mississauga, hosted the event, and noted that following this June’s convocation ceremonies, U of T Mississauga will have more than 46,000 alumni around the world.

Kevin Golding (BA’84), the president of the UTM Alumni Association, congratulated the award recipients and encouraged all alumni to stay engaged with the campus. “You are our most enthusiastic ambassadors and supporters,” he said.

The first honour, the Paul W. Fox Award, acknowledges the dedication and service to UTM that was exemplified by Fox during his 10-year term as principal. It was presented to John Switzer, a member of the campus’ first graduating class, who has since played a significant role in building relationships between the campus and the City of Mississauga, the Region of Peel and beyond. An Arbor Award winner for volunteer service to U of T, Switzer currently serves as the chair of Campus Council, a member of U of T’s Governing Council.

Switzer recalled that when he first came to UTM, the campus consisted of three buildings—North, the Artist’s Cottage and the Blind Duck Pub. “I gave a speech in grade 10 about wanting to go to U of T,” he said. “It was the fulfillment that I found here that kept drawing me back.”

Rumeet Billan, who was honoured next, is a social entrepreneur whose company builds schools in Africa and South America. The Women’s Executive Network has twice named her one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women. She represented Canada at the sixth annual UNESCO International Leadership programme, and served as a facilitator for the European Regional Forum.

For her passion and commitment to public service and human rights, Billan received the inaugural Desmond Parker Outstanding Young Alumni Award, recognizing inspirational young alumni who have demonstrated excellence in both professional achievement and community service. “Access to higher education is a gift,” said Billan. “The transformational experience that I had at UTM is what I try to pay forward in my classroom.”

The final award of the evening—the Tuzo Wilson Distinguished Alumni Award, was presented to Walter Schneider, recognizing his community service and achievement of a high level of distinction within his professional field.

Schneider co-founded RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada, and has since expanded his franchise within Canada and around the world. He is also the co-founder of a U.S.-based promotional products firm. At the same time, he has created the Schneider Family Foundation, which supports worthwhile causes in Canadian communities, particularly in health, education and culture.

“The challenges of business are multidimensional,” he said, in accepting the award named for UTM’s first principal. “Life is not about connecting dot to dot to dot—what I learned here was how to think, and it is that which has served me so well in all that I do.”