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Anna Azulai, Awarded Tenure
Faculty of Health and Community Studies

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande, MD

I came across this book during my doctoral studies, and I keep it close since then. Dr Gawande offers a thoughtful perspective on medicine as a relational practice, while discussing mortality as a human experience. This compelling and humbling book is an important read for health professionals and students in health and allied health. It shows what person-centered care could mean for terminally ill people and their loved ones.

Year of Recognition: 2022

Elisabeth Belliveau, Awarded Tenure
Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications

If Not, Winter : Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson

I return to this book often and with what I can only call love, to inspire titles for my artwork, to find space for imagination, and to feel connected to women's voices through time. Sappho's words are kept alive through Anne Carson's translation, and the generosity of sharing not only what is preserved, but also what is lost. As a visual artist, trained in sculpture I appreciate the use of brackets and empty space to indicate missing matter - actual destroyed papyrus, pointing to the physicality, the substrates of language and writing. Sappho's voice on the page carried into the future by Anne Carson coheres the material, the visual, and the word. When I open this book, I instantly feel a thread connecting the enormity of women's lives through time, work, care, and desire. Each read resonates anew, this work is alive, echoing through time, and actual fibres.

Year of Recognition: 2022

Katie Biittner, Awarded Tenure
Faculty of Arts and Science

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

The first few pages of this play were assigned to me on the first day of Drama 10. Little did I know this play, and my high school drama teacher Agrell, would change my life. Agrell set me on my journey toward anthropology and archaeology; he inspired a love of cultures and for examining the past as a tool to understand our present. This play reminds me of Agrell and the powerful influence of educators in shaping our minds, hearts, and journeys.

Year of Recognition: 2022

Linda Cavanaugh, Awarded Tenure
Faculty of Nursing

The Courage to teach by Parker Palmer

This author, and this book in particular, inspired me to approach teaching from who I am, not just what I know.

Year of Recognition: 2022

Theresa Chika-James, Awarded Tenure
School of Business

Holy Bible by Thomas Nelson

The one book that still has a profound impact on my personal life and career is the ‘Holy Bible’. Unlike other books with chapters, the Bible is a collection of 66 books, each book with its chapters. The chapters in each book, particularly the books of Proverbs and Psalms, have improved my thoughts and reasoning regarding moral conduct at work, the benefits of hard work, and being diligent, compassionate, and selfless. I believe I have become a better scholar by learning diligence and perseverance from the Proverbs. As a teacher, I have learned compassion from the Psalms, which enables me to empathize with students during tough times. There is so much information in the Bible that is instructive and still uplifting. It is one book that has taught me there is more to learn every day, and to be open to learning increases knowledge.

Year of Recognition: 2022

David Danto, Professor
Faculty of Health and Community Studies

The Best of Louis Danto by Louis Danto

Thank you for the honour of including a work that has been inspirational to me in our library’s collection. I have chosen, ‘The Best of Louis Danto’. My Father was an enormous influence in my life. He was born in 1929 and passed in 2010. He was the only member of his immediate family to survive the Holocaust. A champion of the bel canto vocal technique, he dedicated his life to bringing meaning and joy to others through music, prayer, and scholarship. The fact that he lived at all, was a triumph against incalculable odds; however, he subsequently performed around the world, recorded 24 albums, and received an Honourary Doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. His fundamental lesson to me was: Our physical presence is fleeting, leave a good name. Track 22 is a lullaby that he used to sing to my sisters and me.

Year of Recognition: 2022

Neill Fitzpatrick, Awarded Tenure
Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications

All the President's Men by

This movie, adapted from the book, never fails to inspire me, both as a journalist and a researcher. In it, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that would eventually lead to U.S. President Richard Nixon's resignation. It's a realistic portrayal of the painstaking research that goes into quality journalism and, in these days of media distrust and news avoidance, it brilliantly highlights why we still need reporters and news organizations to do what they do best: pursue the truth and hold those in power to account. Plus, the acting is fantastic! I highly recommend it.

Year of Recognition: 2022

Ali Foster, Awarded Tenure
Library

Redwall by Brian Jacques

The Redwall series was the first series I devoured as a child and a big source of connection between my older sister and I. Matthias, a young mouse in a perilous situation, exemplified the fact that we can all make an impact, regardless of our perceived deficits (often imparted by society). In Spring 2021, my sister passed away and I revisited Redwall, to ground myself and to reflect back on our memories: our bookclub-like conversations, meeting Brian Jacques, and the sense of wonder the book evoked. Revisiting Redwall while writing my dossier was a full-circle experience, as I found comfort and support in the book's themes of impact and how our relationships shape our growth and, ultimately, help us to recognize our impacts in our personal and professional lives.

Year of Recognition: 2022

Tiffany Kriz, Awarded Tenure
School of Business

Educated: A Memoir by Westover, Tara

Some students are encouraged and supported in their educational journey by their parents, while others must pave the course themselves and overcome incredible obstacles along the way. I was in the latter category, as are many of my students. I hope this book brings inspiration and courage to those students who feel out of place at university.

Year of Recognition: 2022

Yuwaraj Narnaware, Professor
Faculty of Nursing

The Buddha and His Dhamma by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (1891-1956) by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

“Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence”-Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Rising from a humble background in India, I followed two role models throughout my academic and personal lives- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Gautam Buddha. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was a great humanitarian, a father of the Indian Constitution, a jurist, economist, prolific writer, politician, and a human rights champion who was the most educated Dalit (formerly untouchables) at the time in Indian history. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar single-handedly fought against India’s evil caste system to provide justice, peace, and dignity to 300 million Dalits. On the contrary, Gautam Buddha taught compassion, caring, kindness, generosity and fraternity. Nursing education is about caring, kindness, generosity, compassion and knowledge. I learned hard work, dedication, vision, honesty, humility, and great passion for life by following Dr. Ambedkar's footsteps and Buddha's path as a proud undergraduate teaching and research faculty member at MacEwan University.

Year of Recognition: 2022