Principal’s Awards celebrate faculty and staff service

A commitment to excellence in teaching was recognized this week at the 2014 Principal’s Awards Reception held Nov. 19 in the Innovation Complex Rotunda.

Professor Deep Saini, vice-president of U of T and principal of U of T Mississauga, joined students and colleagues in celebrating staff and faculty recipients for their contributions to teaching, research and staff service at the university.

Saini congratulated the winners, lauding them for their commitment to learning and outstanding work at UTM. “It is always a pleasure to get to see the really outstanding work that goes on in this institution.”

“Universities are all about people,” Saini continued. “We share in their accomplishments and successes. They help us become the university that we are, and they showcase this institution to the community.”

Staff Service award winner Thomas Klubi was recognized for his work with the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre where he established both the Headstart program and Facilitated Study Group sessions, which assist more than 2,000 students annually. Klubi told the audience his work at UTM is guided by the university’s motto, which Kulbi has on an Erindale College coffee mug.

“Tantum Nobis Creditum. I’ve really thought about this a lot,” Klubi said. “It’s a play on words referring to the Credit River, but it also means ‘entrusted.’ So much is entrusted to us.”

2014 Principal’s Awards Recipients

Research Excellence

Konstantin Khanin, Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences

Teaching Excellence - Faculty

Paul Piunno, Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences

Teaching Excellence – Teaching Assistants

Soaleha Shams, Department of Cell and Systems Biology

Meital Avivi-Reich, Department of Psychology

Alvin Singh, Department of Biology

Staff Service

Thomas Klubi, Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre