Convocation 2015 / en #UofTGrad16: this computer science grad is already planning to give back /news/uoftgrad16-computer-science-grad-already-planning-give-back <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTGrad16: this computer science grad is already planning to give back </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-06-16-computer-science-grad.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=m2aJmxGX 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-06-16-computer-science-grad.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=xakF5QOS 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-06-16-computer-science-grad.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=GGK26AbU 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-06-16-computer-science-grad.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=m2aJmxGX" alt="photo of Sejpal"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-06-16T15:40:10-04:00" title="Thursday, June 16, 2016 - 15:40" class="datetime">Thu, 06/16/2016 - 15:40</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photos by Diana Tyszko)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/christine-elias" hreflang="en">Christine Elias</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Christine Elias</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student" hreflang="en">Student</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation" hreflang="en">Convocation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2015" hreflang="en">Convocation 2015</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/computer-science" hreflang="en">Computer Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">“I wanted nothing more than to continue my education at ֱ.”</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Dhyey Sejpal</strong> already<strong>&nbsp;</strong> knows where he’s headed after graduation: back to Amazon, where he worked as an intern last summer.</p> <p>But instead of returning to Seattle (where he earned enough to pay for this last year of school) Sejpal will remain in Canada.</p> <p>“I was offered a position in Seattle, but I requested a transfer to Amazon’s Toronto office because I want to give back to the University of Toronto by volunteering as a student mentor in the <a href="http://“I wanted nothing more than to continue my education at ֱ.”">Department of Computer Science’s Innovation Lab </a>(DCSIL),” Sejapal said.</p> <p>Sejpal just graduated with high distinction from the University of Toronto with a specialist in computer science focusing on artificial intelligence – but he took a roundabout route.&nbsp;Sejpal — who grew up in Rajkot, the fourth largest city in the state of Gujarat — was initially accepted to ֱ but decided to stay in India for financial reasons. He began his academic career at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indore —one of that nation’s top technical universities.</p> <p>“I realized that IIT was not going to challenge me,” said Sejpal, who finished at the top of his first-year class in India. “I wanted nothing more than to continue my education at ֱ.”</p> <p>He reapplied to ֱ as a transfer student and was accepted again but the move required sacrifices.</p> <p>“My family still didn’t have that much liquid cash, so my parents took out a loan to help make my university dream come true.”</p> <p>Despite having only one computer science transfer credit, Sejpal completed his ֱ degree in three years.</p> <p>“I studied very hard because I knew how much my family had sacrificed,” said Sejpal. “I wanted to show everyone that this was the right decision and that it was worth every penny spent.”</p> <p>His transition to Canada was challenging: everything was different — the weather, the culture, the food — and he missed his family, not to mention his mother’s vegetarian cooking.</p> <p>“I did a lot of walking that first year — rain, snow or hail, it didn’t matter — it didn’t seem worth it to spend the money for two subway stops,” said Sejpal. “We took out a loan and I wanted to be responsible.”</p> <p>When he didn’t land a summer internship after his first year, Sejpal decided to spend the break at home in India.<br> &nbsp;<br> (<em>Below:&nbsp;Sejpal with his parents Dipti Sejpal and Mayur Sejpal at Convocation Hall</em>)</p> <p><img alt="photo of Sejpal with parents" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1277 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2016-06-16-dhyey-sejpal-parents.jpg?itok=8HWDZSsv" style="width: 400px; height: 267px; margin: 10px; float: right;" typeof="foaf:Image">Refreshed, re-energized and well-fed thanks to his mother: “I gained back the 20 kilograms I lost from all that walking,” Sejpal returned to ֱ ready to redouble his efforts.</p> <p>He ended up with a 4.0 GPA while taking six 300- and 400-level computer science courses in his second year at ֱ. He also worked as a teaching assistant for &nbsp;<a href="http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~toni/Courses/263-2015/">Data Structures and Analysis</a>.</p> <p>That helped him land his first summer internship in Seattle at Amazon.</p> <p>Sejpal worked on full stack development of an automatic email notification service containing donation metrics for Amazon’s Smile project — a corporate philanthropy program launched in 2013.</p> <p>“It was a great experience. There were rooftop parties every month that ensured we had fun while working. I learned a lot, but was especially thrilled with the $30,000 I earned,” said Sejpal. “That paid for my last year of school — my parents were incredibly proud of me and it felt great to take my first steps towards financial independence.”</p> <p>Before Sejpal returns to Amazon later this summer he plans to show his parents — who are visiting for his graduation ceremony — around Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City.&nbsp;And he says he wants to stay in close contact with his mentors, <strong>Mario Grech</strong> and <strong>Helen Kontozopoulos</strong>, DCSIL’s co-directors and founders.</p> <p>“After learning as much as I can at Amazon and saving some money, I plan to become an entrepreneur,” said Sejpal. “A startup — perhaps in robotics — is definitely in my future.”</p> <p>Read about more Faculty of Arts &amp; Science grads:</p> <h2><a href="/news/uoftgrad2016-oxford-bound-grad-found-time-do-nearly-everything-u-t">Theodora Bruun</a></h2> <h2><a href="/news/uoftgrad16-39-year-academic-journey-clive-davies">Clive Davies</a></h2> <h2><a href="http://news.artsci.utoronto.ca/all-news/2016-convocation-daniel-derkach/">Daniel Derkach</a></h2> <h2><a href="/news/uoftgrad16-transgender-artist-partially-funded-his-degree-through-his-own-company">Nicolai Farber</a></h2> <h2><a href="http://news.artsci.utoronto.ca/all-news/deans-award-winner-plans-turn-passion-lifes-work/">Adlai Salcedo</a></h2> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 16 Jun 2016 19:40:10 +0000 lanthierj 14274 at Convocation 2015: from political refugee to political science degree /news/convocation-2015-political-refugee-political-science-degree <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Convocation 2015: from political refugee to political science degree</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-11-16T09:57:02-05:00" title="Monday, November 16, 2015 - 09:57" class="datetime">Mon, 11/16/2015 - 09:57</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Political science grad Sara Rahimi grew up in a family that believed in debate and freedom of expression, even when it came at a cost (photo by Ken Jones)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/don-campbell" hreflang="en">Don Campbell</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Don Campbell</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student" hreflang="en">Student</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/refugees" hreflang="en">Refugees</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/political-science" hreflang="en">Political Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2015" hreflang="en">Convocation 2015</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utsc" hreflang="en">UTSC</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">After fleeing Iran in 2001, alumna and her family settled in Canada ten years ago</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When <strong>Sara Rahimi</strong> took to the steps of Convocation Hall to receive her degree in political science, it fulfilled a very important wish of her late father.</p> <p>“He was a political cartoonist,” she says. “Even though he was forced to flee his country for what he drew, he never gave up on his passion.”</p> <p>Rahimi grew up in a political household. Her family always talked about politics and her father, Said Rahimi, always encouraged debate. Her father’s cousin,&nbsp;an investigative journalist,&nbsp;covered politically sensitive stories that the mainstream media in Iran didn’t touch – including&nbsp;bloody tribal conflicts.</p> <p>Rahimi distinctively remembers sneaking into a private meeting between her father and his cousin one time, while they were reviewing footage of a man being tortured to death in a rural area of Iran.</p> <p>“I was only 13 but I remember that footage to this day,” she says. “This was before the Internet and social media made these stories more accessible. It also wasn’t safe to be an investigative journalist, especially in Iran, so they often had to keep the stories they were working on private.”</p> <p>Her father’s publication was known for tackling political issues in Iran that others simply wouldn’t touch. It soon began to attract attention overseas, especially in Germany, which in turn attracted negative attention from the Iranian government.</p> <p>“My father was approached by government officials and warned to stop publishing or else. So he decided it was time to leave.”</p> <p><strong>Leaving under the cover of darkness</strong></p> <p>Using contacts in Azerbaijan and with the help of a smuggler, Rahimi’s family took a bus from their hometown of Qom to the border, where they had to walk the rest of the way.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We couldn’t officially cross the border because it would have alerted the Iranian government. I remember it was a 20-hour&nbsp;walk, most of it in the dark, across some fast running rivers. Once we got across the border we had to connect with my father’s contacts and hide.”</p> <p>After a meeting with the United Nations office in Azerbijan about being relocated as refugees, they found out there were several countries in the West willing to sponsor the family. This was 2001, right before the 9/11 attacks.&nbsp;The Rahimi family would remain in Azerbaijan until 2005 before a spot finally opened up in Canada. They settled in Hamilton, Ontario.</p> <p><strong>A new life</strong></p> <p>Adapting to a new life in Canada was not easy for Said Rahimi. In Iran he was responsible for illustrating important political issues but in Canada&nbsp;it was a struggle to find meaningful employment. He persisted and eventually began to find his way, enrolling in Mohawk College’s police foundations program while taking English classes at night.&nbsp;</p> <p>But, in 2007, Said died in a car accident while at work as a delivery driver. It was a difficult time especially for Sara, who had to step in and fill many of the roles her father had played for the family.</p> <p>Before he died, Said Rahimi had started re-drawing his old political cartoons while crafting new ones in preparation for a public exhibition. Many of his most poignant cartoons touched on the themes of conflict, the effects of war, the meddling of the West on politics in the Middle East as well as human rights.</p> <p>More than a year after his death the&nbsp;exhibition was held in his honour, attended by some of Canada’s best known political cartoonists, including Brian Gable, Graeme MacKay, Roy Carless and the legendary Terry Mosher.</p> <p>“My father was definitely a big influence on my life. He firmly believed in free speech and wasn’t willing to compromise on that even when he was threatened,” she says.</p> <p><strong>Politics runs in the family</strong></p> <p>Rahimi was attracted to political science at ֱ mainly because of her background but also the many disciplines that connect with politics, namely psychology, philosophy, economics and sociology.</p> <p>“Sara was a diligent student who actively participated in class discussions, was genuinely engaged in her studies and never shied away from a challenge,” says <strong>Renan Levine</strong>, who taught Rahimi several political science courses at UTSC.</p> <p>“Her memorable life story informed her research, in particular a paper investigating whether young immigrants to Canada from non-democratic countries are more cynical about government and less trusting of government compared to their non-immigrant peers.”</p> <p>In addition to her family, Rahimi says she is thankful for the extra help and guidance she received from her high school teachers, Carol Town, Jeff Pattinson and especially, Ian McSkimming, her high school English teacher at Sir John A. MacDonald in Hamilton.</p> <p>“I was 18 when I came to Canada and started high school. Without his help and guidance I’m not sure where I would be.”&nbsp;</p> <p>As for the future, Rahimi will soon help her mother&nbsp;open a new restaurant in Burlington while also working as a paralegal in the GTA. She hopes to attend law school one day but, in the meantime, she's celebrating convocation and being the first in her family to graduate from university.</p> <p>It’s something she knows would make her father proud.&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-11-16-convocation-raimi.jpg</div> </div> Mon, 16 Nov 2015 14:57:02 +0000 sgupta 7452 at Convocation 2015: social media highlights from the fall ceremonies /news/convocation-2015-social-media-highlights-fall-ceremonies <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Convocation 2015: social media highlights from the fall ceremonies</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-11-16T05:02:34-05:00" title="Monday, November 16, 2015 - 05:02" class="datetime">Mon, 11/16/2015 - 05:02</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by Roberta Baker, Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sarah-mcdonald" hreflang="en">Sarah McDonald</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Sarah McDonald</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/engineering" hreflang="en">Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2015" hreflang="en">Convocation 2015</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">ֱ</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Nothing brightens up a gloomy autumn day like stepping into a hall filled with graduates ready to change the world with their hard-earned knowledge.</p> <p>Convocation definitely brings out the love between ֱ grads and their proud families and friends&nbsp;–&nbsp;and last week’s ceremonies were no exception.&nbsp;</p> <p>Families, friends and fiancées turned out in droves to celebrate their graduates. Those unable to attend in person got in on the party from afar thanks to a livestream that was broadcast throughout the ceremonies or, in at least one case, through a play-by-play from a tech-savvy dad with an ipad.&nbsp;</p> <p>Throughout the week, grads were encouraged to use the hashtag #UofTGrad15 to take part in the ֱ convocation story as it took shape online. &nbsp;</p> <p>These posts were projected on the social media stream inside a large party tent on front campus, known as Convocation Plaza, and included in our weekly wrap-up stories.</p> <p>Below, our social media team shares some of the most memorable moments on social media from Fall Convocation 2015.</p> <div class="storify"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/UofT/our-favourite-moments-of/embed?border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/UofT/our-favourite-moments-of.js?border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="https://storify.com/UofT/our-favourite-moments-of" target="_blank">View the story "Memorable Moments of ֱ Fall Convocation 2015 " on Storify</a>]</noscript></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-11-16-convocation.jpg</div> </div> Mon, 16 Nov 2015 10:02:34 +0000 sgupta 7448 at ֱ's grads are top ten in the world for employability, survey says /news/u-ts-grads-are-top-ten-world-employability-survey-says <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">ֱ's grads are top ten in the world for employability, survey says</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-11-12T10:24:02-05:00" title="Thursday, November 12, 2015 - 10:24" class="datetime">Thu, 11/12/2015 - 10:24</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(Photo by Johnny Guatto)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/brianna-goldberg" hreflang="en">Brianna Goldberg</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Brianna Goldberg</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/future-students" hreflang="en">Future Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rankings" hreflang="en">Rankings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/jobs" hreflang="en">Jobs</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/international" hreflang="en">International</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/employability" hreflang="en">Employability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2015" hreflang="en">Convocation 2015</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">ֱ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Recruiters from across 21 countries rank ֱ one of top three public universities for work-ready alumni </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto is one of the top ten universities in the world when it comes to the employability of its grads, the 2015 Global Employability University Survey and Ranking says.</p> <p>It’s the fourth year in a row that ֱ has placed first in Canada in <a href="http://emerging.fr/">the high-profile survey</a>, which ranks ֱ’s work-ready grads in the same cohort as Oxford, Cambridge and various Ivy League institutions.</p> <p>ֱ’s rank in the employability survey has climbed 14 places since 2012 – and jumped several spots from last year’s 13th-place finish. The results mean&nbsp;ֱ now ranks third in the world for public universities.</p> <p>A German market research firm called Trendence carried out the survey based on a design by Emerging, a French human resources consultancy. More than 2,000 recruiters from 21 countries weighed in on higher education institutions producing desirable employees and the valued characteristics in universities and graduates.</p> <p>What made the top ten universities so attractive to employers on a global level? The survey said key drivers were reputation (based on recruiters<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">’</span>&nbsp;own&nbsp;experience with graduates), international exposure and expertise.&nbsp;</p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border: 2px solid black; font-family: 'Helvetica','Arial', sans-serif" width="635"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 2px solid black; text-align: center; padding: 10px; border-right: 1px solid white; background-color: rgb(0, 42, 92); color: white;" width="15%"><strong>Rank</strong></td> <td style="border-bottom: 2px solid black;padding: 10px; border-right: 1px solid white; background-color: rgb(0, 42, 92); color: white;" width="37.5%"><strong>Institution </strong></td> <td style="border-bottom: 2px solid black;padding: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 42, 92); color: white;" width="37.5%"><strong>Country</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>2</strong></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-of-cambridge?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>University of Cambridge</strong></a></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;padding: 10px; " width="37.5%">United Kingdom</td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 2px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>3</strong></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 2px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-of-oxford?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>University of Oxford</strong></a></td> <td style="border-bottom: 2px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="37.5%">United Kingdom</td> </tr> <tr style="color: #000000; background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(7, 175, 212) 0%, rgb(131, 215, 233) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>10</strong></td> <td style="border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-of-toronto?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>University of Toronto</strong></a></td> <td style="padding: 10px;" width="37.5%">Canada</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>“What we understood from employers is that skills help students get the initial job, but creativity, critical thinking, analysis and a broad knowledge base contribute to a successful career,” Professor <strong>Cheryl Regehr</strong>, ֱ’s vice-president and provost, said in an interview with <em>Times Higher Education</em> (THE) which published the results on Nov. 6.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We want to help students get a sense of how they can take what they learn in the classroom around things like critical thinking and apply it to various settings.”</p> <p>The survey's findings ring true for&nbsp;<strong>Shahrukh Ahmed</strong>, a Faculty of Arts &amp; Science alumnus who&nbsp;graduated from ֱ in June. The&nbsp;geographer and urbanist says his experiential learning, internships and work-study experiences at ֱ helped him stand out in New York.</p> <p>“Without the university's strong global reputation for urban thinking, its wide array of research institutes and internship opportunities, and my professors' energy and enthusiasm in connecting me with the right people in Toronto and New York, I would have never had the chance to do what I love –&nbsp;work on major urban planning projects at <a href="http://www.hraadvisors.com/#&amp;panel1-2">HR&amp;A Advisors</a>.”</p> <p>Approximately 70 per cent of students taking a professional experience year course in Engineering receive a job offer during their placement, Regehr said. She also noted job shadowing programs and other employment supports built into programs for students in Arts &amp; Science and other faculties – and that more employment programming is on the way.</p> <p>“Great universities are always seeking to do things better,” Regehr told THE. “Research wants to find better answers to world problems. Our teaching needs to always remain innovative. So the way in which we connect our students with the city, the country and the world, in order to make them great contributors, has to keep adapting as well.”</p> <p>Canada “appears to be making strides in employability,” Ellie Bothwell wrote in the THE feature, adding that three other Canadian universities in the top 50 – besides ֱ – have also risen from last year: &nbsp;McGill (21st), UBC (39th) and University of Montreal (44th).</p> <h2><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/global-employability-university-ranking-2015-results">Read the full <em>THE </em>article on the 2015 rankings</a>&nbsp;</h2> <p>Laurent Dupasquier, associate director of Emerging, told <em>THE</em> that as “recruiters develop a better knowledge and understanding of the global higher education market, reputation plays less of a role and expertise [plays] more.”</p> <p>“The nationality of young graduates, the country in which they studied and the nationality of the company that employs them is becoming increasingly irrelevant,” he said, adding that employers from all continents seek specific skills as the most important factor, then work experience and degree area, with grades at the bottom of their priorities.</p> <p>This is the latest of 2015’s global rankings in which ֱ performed highly, including Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings (19th globally, number one in Canada), Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities (25th globally, number one in Canada), U.S. News &amp; World Report’s Best Global Universities ranking (16th globally, number one in Canada) and the National Taiwan University Ranking which set ֱ at third place in the world behind only Harvard and Johns Hopkins.</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/tags/rankings">Read more about Rankings</a></h2> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border: 2px solid black; font-family: 'Helvetica','Arial', sans-serif" width="635"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 2px solid black; text-align: center; padding: 10px; border-right: 1px solid white; background-color: rgb(0, 42, 92); color: white;" width="15%"><strong>Rank</strong></td> <td style="border-bottom: 2px solid black;padding: 10px; border-right: 1px solid white; background-color: rgb(0, 42, 92); color: white;" width="37.5%"><strong>Institution </strong></td> <td style="border-bottom: 2px solid black;padding: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 42, 92); color: white;" width="37.5%"><strong>Country</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>1</strong></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/harvard-university?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>Harvard University</strong></a></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="37.5%">United States</td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>2</strong></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-of-cambridge?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>University of Cambridge</strong></a></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;padding: 10px; " width="37.5%">United Kingdom</td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>3</strong></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-of-oxford?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>University of Oxford</strong></a></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="37.5%">United Kingdom</td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px; " width="25%"><strong>4</strong></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/california-institute-technology?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>California Institute of Technology</strong></a></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;padding: 10px; " width="37.5%">United States</td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>5</strong></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/yale-university?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>Yale University</strong></a></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%">United States</td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>6</strong></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px; " width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/massachusetts-institute-of-technology?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</strong></a></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%">United States</td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>7</strong></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/stanford-university?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>Stanford University</strong></a></td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;padding: 10px; " width="37.5%">United States</td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>8</strong></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/columbia-university?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>Columbia University</strong></a></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%">United States</td> </tr> <tr style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(204, 212, 222) 0%, rgb(235, 238, 242) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 2px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>9</strong></td> <td style=" border-bottom: 2px solid black;border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/princeton-university?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>Princeton University</strong></a></td> <td style="border-bottom: 2px solid black;padding: 10px; " width="37.5%">United States</td> </tr> <tr style="color: #000000; background: transparent linear-gradient(135deg, rgb(7, 175, 212) 0%, rgb(131, 215, 233) 100%) repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <td style="text-align: center; border-right: 1px solid black;padding: 10px;" width="25%"><strong>10</strong></td> <td style="border-right: 1px solid black; padding: 10px;" width="37.5%"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-of-toronto?ranking-dataset=133819"><strong>University of Toronto</strong></a></td> <td style="padding: 10px;" width="37.5%">Canada</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-11-12-employable-grads.jpg</div> </div> Thu, 12 Nov 2015 15:24:02 +0000 sgupta 7444 at Convocation 2015: meet honorary grad Sir Richard Peto /news/convocation-2015-meet-honorary-grad-sir-richard-peto <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Convocation 2015: meet honorary grad Sir Richard Peto</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-11-11T10:18:35-05:00" title="Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - 10:18" class="datetime">Wed, 11/11/2015 - 10:18</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/more-news" hreflang="en">More News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/richard-peto" hreflang="en">Richard Peto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/honorary-degree" hreflang="en">Honorary Degree</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2015" hreflang="en">Convocation 2015</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Sir <strong>Richard Peto</strong>, FRS is professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Oxford, and co-director (with Professor Sir Rory Collins) of the Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU).</p> <p>He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1989 for introducing meta-analyses of randomised trials, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1999 for services to epidemiology, and received in 2010 and 2011 the Cancer Research UK and the BMJ Lifetime Achievement Award.</p> <p>On Nov.11, the University of Toronto recognized Peto's extraordinary accomplishments during fall Convocation ceremonies&nbsp;with the awarding of a Doctor of Science, <em>honoris causa</em>.</p> <p>Peto, Collins and others in the Oxford CTSU have, by their large randomised trials, significant prospective studies and worldwide meta-analyses, increased substantially the estimated importance of blood lipids, blood pressure and smoking as causes of premature death. Peto founded the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG), which has demonstrated many moderate effects on long-term survival. He has recently collaborated in major studies of alcohol in Russia and of malaria in Africa and India.</p> <p>His investigations into the worldwide health effects of smoking and benefits of stopping at particular ages have helped to communicate effectively the vast and growing burden of disease from tobacco use, have helped change national and international attitudes about smoking and public health, and have helped many smokers to stop.</p> <p>He was the first to describe clearly the future worldwide health effects of current smoking patterns, predicting one billion deaths from tobacco in the present century if current smoking patterns persist, as against “only” 100 million in the 20th century.</p> <p><em>Below, see Peto deliver an address at the London School of Hygiene &amp;&nbsp;Tropical Medicine on Interpreting Large-scale, randomised evidence</em>:</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vybc0PsZ718?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-11-11-richard-peto-hon-deg.jpg</div> </div> Wed, 11 Nov 2015 15:18:35 +0000 sgupta 7433 at Remembering the veterans of Sunnybrook: a Convocation 2015 story /news/remembering-veterans-sunnybrook-convocation-2015-story <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Remembering the veterans of Sunnybrook: a Convocation 2015 story </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-11-11T04:47:28-05:00" title="Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - 04:47" class="datetime">Wed, 11/11/2015 - 04:47</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Canadian flags on grounds of Sunnybrook Hospital (all images courtesy Sunnybrook Hospital)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/heidi-singer" hreflang="en">Heidi Singer</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Heidi Singer</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/war" hreflang="en">War</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/veterans" hreflang="en">Veterans</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sunnybrook-hospital" hreflang="en">Sunnybrook Hospital</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/remembrance-day" hreflang="en">Remembrance Day</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/physical-therapy" hreflang="en">Physical Therapy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/international" hreflang="en">International</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2015" hreflang="en">Convocation 2015</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">“I got to bear witness to the end of a generation that experienced this unfathomable horror,” says former firefighter who graduates today </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Black-and-white photos taped to hospital doors show healthy, strong young men in uniform, on their way to fight the Nazis.</p> <p>Then, because they were the lucky ones, the men appear as smiling young grooms and proud fathers — and as gray-scale turned to colour, beaming grandfathers. &nbsp;</p> <p>University of Toronto physical therapy student <strong>Danny Slack</strong> spent five weeks interning at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre last year. He expected to help the residents, many in their late 90s, improve their mobility and manage their pain.</p> <p>But today, as he celebrates his convocation on the same day Canada remembers its war dead, Slack looks back on that experience as perhaps the most important part of his education.</p> <p>“There’s an incredible amount of history that’s about to disappear,” says Slack, who just completed his Master of Science in physical therapy at the Faculty of Medicine. “I got to bear witness to the end of a generation that experienced this unfathomable horror.</p> <p>“To witness the people who were part of that moment in history, it was a great thing.”</p> <p><img alt="photo of statue on Sunnybrook grounds, surrounded by Canadian flags" src="/sites/default/files/2015-11-11-sunnybrook-statue.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 449px; margin: 10px; float: right;">He’ll never forget the 97-year old man who had outlived his wife and even his children. Slack could look at the photos on his door and watch the couple getting older together, starting from their their wedding day. Confined to the veterans’ home with limited mobility, this World War II vet had one last ambition.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I couldn’t believe how much he wanted to exercise,” says Slack. “We’d do 10 minutes on a reclining bike and he wanted to keep going. He said he wanted to be the oldest man in there. He didn’t make it — but you could learn a lot from that outlook on life.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Growing up in England, Slack heard stories of the war from his grandfather, who had survived terrible odds as a bomber&nbsp;–&nbsp;and never rode in an airplane again. His grandfather had always wanted to be a doctor, but after years at war, couldn’t start a long education from scratch. He became a head teacher instead.</p> <p>Slack grew up to become a firefighter, but when his Canadian wife wanted to move home, he realized it wasn’t too late for him to go into health care. After completing an undergraduate degree in physiology at ֱ, the York native was drawn to physiotherapy.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I wanted to do something where you’re constantly active, that’s intellectually stimulating and challenging,” he says. “In physio, you’re always learning.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Slack may not have a chance to work with this inspiring group of men –&nbsp;and some women –&nbsp;again. But he says he’ll always remember the people, and the photos that reminded everyone of the rich lives they had lived.</p> <p>“They were so active, and really determined to live life to the fullest even at the end,” he recalls. “I just happened into this experience,and I didn’t know what to expect. But it was fascinating. It was like being part of a documentary every day.”&nbsp;</p> <p>(<em>Image below: Sunnybrook Hospital on the opening of its veterans' wing</em>)</p> <p><img alt="photo of Sunnybrook Hospital" src="/sites/default/files/2015-11-11-sunnybrook-embed.jpg" style="width: 625px; height: 500px; margin: 10px 25px;">&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-11-11-flags.jpg</div> </div> Wed, 11 Nov 2015 09:47:28 +0000 sgupta 7434 at