茄子直播

'A true champion': Fond 茄子直播 farewells for soon-to-retire Bruce Kidd

Photo of Bruce Kidd
"Bruce (Kidd) has been a true champion of our role as a city-building institution," said 茄子直播 President Meric Gertler at Friday's farewell reception for the 茄子直播 Scarborough principal and vice-president (photo by Ken Jones)

He may be retiring from his role as principal of University of Toronto Scarborough and vice-president of 茄子直播, but Professor Bruce Kidd isn't giving up public service or his long-time advocacy of equity and diversity.

At a farewell reception Friday, Kidd expressed his gratitude to friends, family and colleagues who gathered to honour his distinguished career.

He used the occasion to speak of the need for inclusive universities that promote critical thinking.  

鈥淲e say that diversity fuels excellence, but it's not just enough to bring people of difference together,鈥 Kidd said. 鈥淲e must be intentional about how we eliminate barriers that are systemic and cause disadvantages for members of our community.

鈥淚f we do that, and I'm confident we can, UTSC will continue to grow and mature in ways that benefit all of our estates, partners, and surrounding community and continue to contribute in remarkable ways to Canada's best university."

Guests at Friday's reception spoke of Kidd's legacy of advocacy for diversity, equity and healthy living, and noted Kidd鈥檚 work in making education more accessible for everyone, especially for the most marginalized.

鈥淏ruce has been a true champion of our role as a city-building institution, and he鈥檚 really used his time here to advance the status of the University of Toronto Scarborough as an anchor institution in the Eastern GTA,鈥 said 茄子直播 President Meric Gertler.

鈥淎s we were gearing up to celebrate this wonderful campus's 50th anniversary, Bruce Kidd 鈥 a great, Scarborough-bred citizen of the University of Toronto 鈥 agreed to help lead this campus forward. I have to say as president, I was deeply deeply grateful, Bruce, when you said yes. Since then, he has built on its distinctive strengths, including its tradition of innovation in education and its commitment to the surrounding community.鈥

茄子直播 President Meric Gertler greets Bruce Kidd (photo by Ken Jones)

"Bruce is a stalwart champion of rights and responsibilities, both here at the university and in society at large,鈥 said 茄子直播 Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr.

鈥淗is advocacy and commitment are on the one hand very local, but on the other hand touches people across the world as he strives for justice in sport 鈥 as a societal and global equalizer."

In honour of Kidd, Regehr announced a 茄子直播 contribution to the Principal鈥檚 Scholarship in Arts, Culture and Media 鈥 an undergraduate scholarship established in 2016 that is awarded to one or more undergraduate students each year on the basis of financial need.

During the reception, U of T Scarborough Traditional Elder Wendy Phillips presented Kidd with an Eagle feather (pictured left) - a rare, high honour that Phillips explained is given to individuals based on their character and leadership qualities. What an individual has done for their nation and community is considered, as well as 鈥渨hat they have done to preserve this Earth now and for future generations," said Phillips.

The presentation was followed with two honour songs, a marking of the occasion by the Red Hawk Singers 鈥 a group of Indigenous singers from Six Nations Grand River and Peterborough.

Kidd, a former Olympian and celebrated Canadian track and field athlete, began his  on the university鈥檚 track team while still in high school back in the late 1950s. Since then, he has served as an academic leader in roles such as the founding dean of 茄子直播's Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, and the warden of Hart House.

 Kidd became 茄子直播 Scarborough鈥檚 interim principal in 2014. Integrating into a new and complex community like the Scarborough campus wasn鈥檛 expected to be an easy task, said Professor Bill Gough, 茄子直播 Scarborough's vice-principal academic and dean. 鈥淗owever, almost overnight, Bruce embraced UTSC, and UTSC embraced him.鈥

Gough noted Kidd鈥檚 love for Scarborough, his constant exploring of local bicycle trails and the initiation of his now legendary  into the beautiful Highland Creek Valley.

鈥淸He] became our staunchest advocate, and his advocacy came with the gravitas of a deeply respected scholar and 茄子直播 administrator.鈥

Sitharsana Srithas, a former students' union president at 茄子直播 Scarborough, praised Kidd for his work with student leadership. 

鈥淭here鈥檚 this stigma that says students and university administration don't get along, that administration is dismissive 鈥 but working with Principal Kidd has proved time and time again that that is not the case.

鈥淵our commitment to equity and inclusion has always been something that inspired me and several other student leaders,鈥 she said.

Kidd will continue as co-chair for an advisory panel that recently created Ontario鈥檚 Action Plan on Advancing Opportunities for Women and Girls in Sport. He is also co-chair of the federal-provincial-territorial working group on women and sport 鈥 a group created by federal, provincial and territorial governments to examine the challenges facing girls and women.

He is also chair of the selection committee for Canada鈥檚 Sports Hall of Fame.

茄子直播 Chancellor Michael Wilson concluded the remarks by quoting an interview in which Kidd spoke about his recent work with a new working group on gender equity in sport.

鈥溾橝lthough there鈥檚 been tremendous progress regarding equity and inclusion, there鈥檚 still much to be done. More needs to be done on engaging the majority of girls and women in Canada who are not involved in sport at all,鈥欌 quoted Wilson.

鈥淭his is vintage Bruce Kidd,鈥 said Wilson. 鈥淭rue to form he鈥檚 not stopping to rest on his laurels 鈥 he has another race to run.鈥

Read the full interview with Bruce Kidd

 

 

 

 
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