THUNDER BAY – Moira McPherson has a pretty good handle of what’s going on at Lakehead University.
But even university presidents sometimes get surprised sometimes at the work being done at the schools they preside over.
McPherson is no different.
On Wednesday, while delivering a short speech at the annual report to the community luncheon, the long-time school administrator said she was not expecting students like PhD candidate Alex Bilyk to be involved with CTV’s Amazing Race Canada’s visit to Thunder Bay – or being sworn to secrecy until the show aired earlier this year.
“I know so much about what our faculty and staff are doing, but even for me to be able to walk around and see some of the newest results or see some of the newest technology that our faculty are using, to really explore and answer the research questions, that sometimes even surprises me,” McPherson said.
“I think it’s just overwhelming when I have an opportunity to hear from our alumni, and in particular the alumnus who are sharing the impact the university has had on them and then on the journeys that they have taken since their time at university. I’m blown away at some of their successes.”
In addition to Bilyk, luncheon attendees heard about two other Lakehead-inspired initiatives.
Kathryn Sinden, an assistant professor in kinesiology, held a panel discussion about their research into post-traumatic stress in Thunder Bay Fire Rescue firefighters, using wearable technology.
Teacher Peter Cameron, an education graduate who teaches locally at St. Elizabeth School, also spoke. Cameron is the co-founder of Make a Difference – Professional Development and a 2019 National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow who traveled to Alaska recently and connected with students in ways he never imagined when he graduated Lakehead in 1994.
McPherson said it’s important to share these success stories each fall to let the community know the type of research being done and success being enjoyed by those who attend the university.
“I think it’s important for the university to stop each year, catch their breath and be able to reflect on everything that’s happened over the past year,” she said.
“I think it’s good for our internal community to stop and be thankful and grateful and proud of everything that they’ve achieved. And I think for the external community, we are Thunder Bay’s university and we’re the university for a vast region in Northwestern Ontario and in Orillia and Simcoe county. It’s super important that we share with our communities what we’re doing and the achievements that we’ve had and the impact that we have.”
According to statistics provided by the university, the school adds about $1.4 billion to Ontario’s gross domestic product, $1.3 billion of that from the Thunder Bay campus. The school is responsible for 6,277 full-time equivalent jobs.
