Stories of UTSC

Proessor Julian Tanner began his career as a faculty member in Sociology at Scarborough College in 1985. Prof. Tanner reflects on his long career at the UTSC campus, Sociology, teaching and research.

Professor Michael Evans began his career as a faculty member at Scarborough College in 1977. Beginning as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics in the Physical Sciences Division, Prof. Evans discusses the campus growth over the past 45 years, teaching, students, his role in shaping the Statistics Program at UTSC, and administration.

Norm Kelly reflects on his long political and personal career in Scarborough. Growing up in the Wexford neighbourhood in the 1950s, Kelly witnessed the dramatic transformation Scarborough underwent from quiet farmland to a busy city. By the 1970s Kelly was active in Scarborough politics and acted as an alderman for the Scarborough Council. Kelly then went on to act as a federal MP for Scarborough Centre, run mayoral campaigns in Scarborough, act as councillor for wards in Scarborough, and acted as deputy mayor and acting mayor (2013).

Greg Fitz studied English at Scarborough College from 1971-1976. As a student, Greg was very invested in Scarborough's social life; he brought his camera to Scarborough College everyday to photograph campus activity. Many of his photographs were published in the student newspaper "The Balcony Square." His photography work soon led to the opening of the Scarborough College Student Darkroom. Greg reflects on campus social events, student life, social rivalries between campuses, photography, and the Scarborough community.

Katheleene Smith, a business officer in the Department of Computer and Mathematical Sciences (CMS), reflects upon her career at UTSC since the early 2000s. She talks about her early life, her hiring process, the changes in staff roles and responsibilities over the years, the Scarborough Campus community and its comparison to St. George, and her experience working in the Department of CMS.

Professor Sandford Borins was the chair of the UTSC Management department from 1991-2003 (with two years of research leave). After arriving at UTSC, Prof. Borins actively created and built a new Management program. Prof. Borins speaks about the administrative and academic challenges and acheviements of the Management department -- as well as the campus more broadly. After 2003, Prof. Borins continued to teach, research, and publish as a faculty member of the university.

Christopher Waddell reflects on his experience growing up in Scarborough and attending University of Toronto Scarborough, which was then known as Scarborough College, as an undergraduate from 1970 to 1974. Christopher provides an insight into the settlement and development of Scarborough prior to the increased diversification of its inhabitants, adding that the student body of Scarborough College largely reflected the demographics of Scarborough at the time. Studying in the General Arts program, Waddell discusses his interactions with student politicians as well as touching upon his own experience as the Vice-President of the Student Council. Additionally, Waddell mentions some of the initiatives he was involved in, such as collaborating with other students to found the student campus newspaper, The Balcony Square. Waddell ends by connecting his time at Scarborough College to his long career in both public service and academia.

Professor Susan Horton was a faculty member and administrator at UTSC from the mid 1980s-2004. As the program coordinator of International Development Studies (IDS), she had the opportunity to actively participate in the development of the IDS co-op program and connect with students. During this time Professor Horton also occupied a graduate appointment at UTSG and so, she discusses the difficulties of balancing her time and travelling between UTSC and the downtown campus. This experience has also allowed her to comment on how the downtown campus' perception of UTSC. Professor Horton reflects upon her administrative and faculty experience at UTSC and her impact on the UTSC co-op program.

Professor Neil ten Kortenaar began teaching at UTSC during the 1980s. After completing his PhD at the University of Toronto, Prof. ten Kortenaar soon became a faculty member in the Humanities department at Scarborough College. Prof. ten Kortenaar reflects upon the rich diversity of the Scarborough campus, his approach to teaching English courses, and his experience as an administrator at both the St. George and Scarborough campuses. As of summer 2020, Prof. ten Kortenaar is currently the Chair of the English department at UTSC.

Linguist Professor Robert Binnick joined Scarborough College in 1972 and retired in 2011. He talks about his faculty experiences working with all three campuses of the University of Toronto, as well as the tensions between the downtown and Scarborough campuses. With over thirty years of experiences at the University of Toronto, he brings great insight into the growth and change of the Scarborough campus, the humanities department, and the study of humanities as a whole.

Professor Ronald Smyth, now with Emeritus status, began teaching at UTSC during the late 1980s when he was appointed in both Linguistics and Psychology, as well as acting in various administrative roles on campus. In discussing first impressions and his early career at UTSC, Prof. Smyth comments on the brutalist architecture of the campus, both through his own experience navigating the campus and his perspective of how the growth of the student body during his time here has change the original architecture. His discussion of the relationship between the St. George and Scarborough campus highlights the similarities he has observed between the two which debunks prevalent negative misconceptions of Scarborough. Prof. Smyth also reflects upon his personal experience as a gay professor on campus, touching upon the LGBTQ+ community on campus and the changes in the reception of the Positive Space Committee.

Ann MacDonald joined UTSC in 2002 as Director and Curator of the Gallery. A few years later, Ann was wrapped up in opening and operating the Doris McCarthy Gallery (DMG). She even met many times with Doris McCarthy to discuss its operations. Beyond directing and curating countless art exhibits on campus, Ann also teaches courses in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media (ACM). Ann reflects about the Scarborough community, her approach to teaching, and the operations of the DMG.

As of 2021, Andrew Arifuzzaman is the Chief Administrative Officer at the University of Toronto Scarborough’s (UTSC) Office of Business, Operations, and Strategic Affairs. As a resident of Scarborough for over 30 years, Andrew reflects upon the evolution that he has witnessed in Scarborough, ranging from negative perceptions of the area, emerging diversification of the community, as well as differing views concerning the establishment of the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in Scarborough. He links such perceptions to a larger discussion of the contention and differences between UTSC and UTSG stemming from 1964. Andrew joined UTSC in 2007 as the Chief Strategy Officer, around the time when universities began to shift from academic management towards the emergence of professional management. He talks about his responsibilities over the day-to-day operations of the campus as its CAO along with the business side of UTSC and its methods of generating revenue, including the recruitment of international students from the Green Path Program.

Linguist Professor Robert Binnick joined Scarborough College in 1972 and retired in 2011. He talks about his faculty experiences working with all three campuses of the University of Toronto, as well as the tensions between the downtown and Scarborough campuses. With over thirty years of experiences at the University of Toronto, he brings great insight into the growth and change of the Scarborough campus, the humanities department, and the study of humanities as a whole.

Professor Franca Iacovetta joined the Historical and Cultural Studies Department at UTSC in 1990, originally to teach British history, but she is now able to focus on Canadian and immigration history. She shares her teaching experiences, her perceptions of the campus, as well as the changes in student perception of professors at UTSC over time. She also held a dual-campus position, where she was also involved with St. George's graduate program.

As of 2021, Curtis Cole is the Registrar and Assistant Dean of Enrolment Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He first joined UTSC in 2002 as an Academic Advisor at the Academic Advising and Career Centre. Born and raised in southwest Scarborough, Cole talks about the early perceptions of UTSC as a "backdoor" to the University of Toronto and talks about the evolution of Scarborough as a legitimate part of the University of Toronto. Cole discusses the public perception of UTSC, both in regards to domestic students and on an international scale. Cole also touches upon the changing value of undergraduate degrees, as well as the recruitment and rise and of international student admission and tuition at UTSC.