Often the story of an organization is told in the service of commemoration or celebration of the goals and achievements of that organization. Beginning with the Stories of UTSC: 1964-2014 Legacy project, faculty and student researchers began collecting the “untold” stories of our campus. Our goal with this project, in addition to extensive archival research, is to build on that earlier collection and continue to capture the lived experience of the members of our campus community – faculty, students, and staff at all levels – through the collection and preservation of oral histories. The oral histories, with permission from participants, are digitally archived in a collection external to this website as part of Scarborough Storytelling administered by the UTSC Library Digital Scholarship Unit. Many thanks to those who have generously agreed to share their stories.
Below are a few examples of the stories that have been preserved. Clicking on the image will take you directly to the audio and transcript files in the digital archive. There are many more to come so stay tuned….
If you are interested in participating and contributing your story to the collection, please contact Christine Berkowitz at chris.berkowitz@utoronto.ca.
In this interview, Heidi Calder looks back on her 18 years of work at UTSC, which she joined in 1997, operating in different departments in varying capacities until her departure from the university in 2015. Having been raised in Scarborough, Heidi also offers insights into how the community has changed
As a vendor at the UTSC Farmers’ Market, Brian Hamlin discusses how he established rooftop beehives here at UTSC. He talks about how these beehives are just one of the many initiatives he has been involved in to bring bees into the city. He reflects on the educational aspect of
Rowena Alfonso is a University of Toronto alumna, having attended the school for her BA, MA, and PhD degrees. Over the course of her studies, she worked as a teaching assistant and course instructor at both the St. George and Scarborough campuses, which she looks back on in this interview.
Daniel Karagiannis, UTSC’s Electronic Technologist and a long-time resident of Scarborough, looks back on his tenure at the school, which he joined in September 1973. He provides insight into his work involving the maintaining and designing the electromechanical equipment used for teaching research and how technology has changed over time.
Mitzie Hunter, MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood and former UTSC student, talks about the path that led her to UTSC. She describes her time as an entrepreneur and student, as well as her experience becoming the third Black female MPP in Ontario. She discusses the importance of embracing diversity, collaboration, and pursuing
Franco Vaccarino began his career at UTSC in 1984 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology. Between UTSC and a return to UofT as Chair of the Department of Psychology with responsibility for the tri-campus graduate program, he worked in several executive capacities at the Centre for Addiction
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