There are now two permanently-endowed scholarships in my name at Carleton University, one initially established in 2017 for undergraduate students in Sociology, and now one (established in 2022) for deserving graduate students in Sociology.

During my four years of undergraduate study at Carleton, I was taught by many fine professors and was especially fortunate to have three mentor professors who were each tremendously important for my studies at the time and the future development of my academic career in Sociology.  In my second year of study at Carleton, I met Professor Bruce Macfarlane who introduced me to the substantive field of Sociology of work, occupations and professions, a research area I focussed on for the duration of my academic career.  (Professor Macfarlane also supervised my fourth-year honours thesis project which included my first venture in survey research).  In my third year at Carleton, Professor Terry Nosanchuk introduced me to social statistics and data analysis, topics I went on to teach at both undergraduate and graduate levels throughout my academic career.  In my final year of undergraduate studies at Carleton, I had the wonderful opportunity to serve as a research assistant to Professor Joseph Scanlon of the School of Journalism – through a wide range of projects which he directed through the Emergency Communications Research Unit (ECRU), I gained essential experience in the craft of field research and data analysis.

After completing my B.A. Honours degree at Carleton in 1980, I continued with graduate studies at Queen’s University at Kingston (M.A., 1982), and University of Toronto (Ph.D., 1986), before pursuing an academic career, initially at Queen’s University (1985-1987), and then at University of Waterloo (1988-2012).  Between academic appointments, I spent a year (1987-1988) as a research scientist with the Institute for Market and Social Analysis (IMSA) which was the research and development wing of Compusearch Market and Social Research in Toronto.

My connection to Carleton University continued with the publication of my book, “Career Paths of Nursing Professionals: A Study of Employment Mobility” by Carleton University Press in 1998, with the considerable support and assistance of staff at that time including Dr. John Flood, Suzanne Williams and Jennie Strickland.  Beyond Carleton, I maintained a close connection to Ottawa through my consulting business (1997-2010), conducting many research projects for the Government of Canada related  to occupational products and services, especially the National Occupational Classification (NOC), as well as Electronic Labour Exchange (ELE), and the Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC)  Career Handbook.

Awarded annually by the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, on the recommendation of the Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology to an outstanding graduate student entering or proceeding from one year to another in a graduate degree program in Sociology.  Endowed in 2022 by Dr. Robert Hiscott, BA/80.