HMCS Hunter commander Chris Elliott and dean of engineering Bill Van Heyst discuss the Serving Scholars effort to meet the needs of UWindsor students serving in the Canadian Armed Forces.
The University is working to ensure students serving in the Canadian Armed Forces are not disadvantaged by their military commitments.
The "Serving Scholars" effort is being spearheaded by dean of engineering Bill Van Heyst; recruitment and outreach co-ordinator Sheri Lowrie of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; and registrar Ray Darling.
"We identified a need for this particular group of students," says Lowrie. "They want to feel supported by the institution."
The intention is to allow students to request accommodations when their military activities require them to be on duty, interfering with academic deadlines or course registration.
Lowrie will be the initial point of contact, working with deans and associate deans to help these students navigate their questions and concerns.
"Maybe a deployment pulls them away mid-semester," Lowrie says by way of example. "We can help figure out what the rest of their semester will look like."
Dr. Van Heyst will act as faculty liaison and Darling will provide registrarial support.
The development is welcomed by Chris Elliott (BHK 2014, B.Ed 2014), commander of the HMCS Hunter, the naval reserve division based in Sandwich.
"Serving Scholars will hit the mark and provide us a foundation to continue to build this collaborative relationship, leveraging some of the energy these young student-sailors have," he says. "They were all very keen to represent the work we do in the navy and help build awareness on campus."
Lowrie invites current and prospective students looking for support to email her at sherio@uwindsor.ca.
