Here at CFHSS we are very proud of the excellence and expertise among our Board of Directors. The members of our board show tremendous leadership at their institutions, and that translates into strong leadership of CFHSS as well.

We are, therefore, pleased to congratulate CFHSS president Graham Carr on being named the Interim Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies at Concordia University. For more information on the announcement you can read the Concordia release here.

Graham’s new position follows the recent appointment of Karen Grant, our Vice-President Research Policy, to the post of Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research at Mount Allison University, and the appointment of Noreen Golfman, our Past-President, to a position on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies.

Our board members’ diversity of expertise certainly makes for rich discussion around the board table. This is also the kind of excellence CFHSS is seeing among the new applicants to the executive. Many have displayed impressive credentials and CVs and are sure to bring even more wisdom and enthusiasm to our organization and the humanities and social sciences sector.

Kel Morin-Parson
Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

We are all aware of the problem of “silos”—that is, the tendency, in Western thought and culture in particular, to separate and isolate everything: body from mind, work from play, and, in the case of the academy, disciplines from one another. We know, at some level, that integration has tremendous benefits, but it can be surprisingly hard to put into practice.

This week, Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, writes an interesting article in The Chronicle of Higher Education about higher-ed policy and the people who might most fruitfully be invited to the table when it is discussed. In particular, he reflects upon the complexity around how space is allocated at universities and to whom, arguing that philosophers would be well-equipped partners in policy-making of this kind. More of this sort of attempted integration of the humanities and social sciences into each other, and into the active work of policy, can surely be nothing but beneficial.

Alison Hebbs, Director, Policy and Communications
Canadian Federation for Humanities and Social sciences

Drawing from history, economics and political science and speaking with an infectious style, Dr Evan Fraser, Canada Research Chair in Global Human Security at the University of Guelph captivated audiences all over Ottawa with his assessment of the current global food crisis. And, by all over Ottawa, we mean just that. In less than 24 hours, Dr Fraser gave generously of his time and expertise to students and the general public at the Lieutenant’s Pump, to officials, senior civil servants and heads of NGOs and NPOs on Parliament Hill on Wednesday morning (early) and to City of Ottawa representatives also on Wednesday morning (later).

And just what was the impression he left on these audiences?

That history—the dust bowl era, previous droughts and famines—reveals a great deal and provides ample evidence to help inform our current policy setting when it comes to food security. He explained four different types of solutions that are oft debated and implemented when interventions are needed, described loosely as technocratic, bureaucratic, humanitarian and communitarian (the last one referring for local food movements and the like). While it is tempting to veer ideologically and practically toward one of these camps, he urges us to keep the lines of communication open between those who may be more supportive of one or the other of these—a solution will necessitate elements of all.

We have to agree and what better ambassador could such an effort have than Dr Fraser, who engaged, inspired and educated us during his brief but highly productive stay in the Nation’s capital.

Listen to the podcast of the Parliament Hill breakfast.

Jean-Marc Mangin, Executive Director, CFHSS

I first met Dr. Maathai face to face in September 2009 for a working breakfast in New York. Later that day, she was scheduled to address the UN General Assembly summit on climate change as the lone voice from civil society. The problem was that her speech (developed with the help of several umbrella NGOs and some UN officials) was an incoherent mess that attempted to please everyone. She knew it and I knew it and this last minute breakfast was our only chance to fix it. Nonetheless, she was smiling and laughing (and, unknown to me, already fighting her cancer). In the course of a couple of hours of mad but fun re-drafting, her unique voice re-emerged in the speech. These were the only sections that received spontaneous applause later that day. I worked again with Dr. Maathai when she attended the Copenhagen climate conference – she brought rare hope and can-do optimism to an international conference laden with mistrust and missed historical opportunities.

Dr. Maathai, the first African woman to earn a PhD in Eastern Africa, was deeply engaged in tackling the challenges of her society. For her, there were no artificial barriers between academia and community, between compassion, action and scholarly reflection. She leaves an example for all of us. It was a privilege to briefly cross her path.

Canadian Federation for the humanities and social sciences

As the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program enters its third year, we are pleased to congratulate the latest round of Vanier scholars.

The Vanier Scholarship Program provides funding to exceptional graduate students from Canada and around the world who choose to pursue doctoral studies in Canada. It provides valuable support to Canada’s research community, highlighting outstanding contributions to our understanding of complex global issues and bolstering Canada’s reputation as a world-class education centre for graduate students and researchers.

“On this exceptional roster of emerging scholars are some of the best and brightest from around the world” said Graham Carr, President of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. “Supporting this next cohort of researchers is critical to ensuring that we have the talent to foster creativity, deepen knowledge, create new jobs and enhance Canadians’ overall well-being.”

This year’s social sciences and humanities scholarships have been awarded to researchers at the top of their fields. Their research examines issues of importance to Canadians and provides valuable insight for policy-makers. Christine Proulx, a doctoral candidate at McGill University’s Department of Sociology, is studying the ways in which caretakers’ dual responsibilities for children under 25 and aging relatives affect their personal and professional lives through factors such as hours worked, divorce rates and re-partnering. Jodie Whelan, a doctoral candidate at the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, is studying the emotions triggered in consumers when they engage in consumer behaviour and how these emotions affect our decision-making.

For more information on the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program and this year’s winners, visit the program webpage

Read the Federation’s official press release on the 2011 Vanier Scholarship recipients here.