THUNDER BAY -- John Naysmith says he’s hopeful a scholarship named in his honour will have a lasting impact on the future of forestry around the globe.
Naysmith, the founding dean of the forestry department at Lakehead University, on Friday said he thinks the annual award will help students focus on stewardship and people involved in the industry.
“When I went through my undergraduate work people was not something you (were concerned about),” he said at a ceremony which saw fourth-year student Julia Ieropoli named the inaugural Naysmith scholar.
“You had classmates, but as far as the profession was concerned, you talked about trees and you talked about water. You got pretty good at it, but the connection with the people just wasn’t there. Today it’s absolutely essential that it happens.”
It’s why Ieropoli was the ideal choice for the first award, a scholarship founded by his daughter and son-in-law and seeded with a donation from his wife Toie.
“She’s a natural for that type of thing and I think every year there are people like that,” Naysmith said.
“And she will have a role in the coming year, to connect with people at the community level, both in Canada and, I hope, around the world. It’s a distinct possibility it could happen.”
Ieropoli, who traveled to Sweden earlier this year as part of a delegation looking at way to improve the forestry industry in Canada, said the scholarship is important to her future studies and being able to accomplish things outside the classroom.
“It will help me pursue future events that maybe I might not be able to do without this scholarship, to take chances and to try new things,” the fourth-year student said. “Traveling is really big in our industry too.”
University president Brian Stevenson said the school of forestry wouldn’t be what it is today without the tireless efforts put in by Naysmith, who came to Lakehead in 1988 after spending time in the private sector and government, where his inspiration helped spur the growth of model forests in 30 countries.
The department now focuses not just on forestry, but water and environmental issues too.
“That’s where the future of forestry is going to be and I don’t think it would have gotten to this state without his influence and leadership,” Stevenson said. “But also we have this great faculty who have worked with him and been inspired by him and they’re the ones that are going to be driving it into the future.”
The Naysmith Scholarship will be given annually to a student having completed their third year of a honours bachelor of science program in forestry or environmental management.
Leadership, a willingness to listen and the ability to motivate and inspire others are the qualities and values students must demonstrate to be eligible for the award.
