MURA is pleased to announce that Dr. Joan Wolforth received a well-deserved College and University Retiree Associations of Canada (CURAC) Tribute Award. It was presented at its annual conference in Saskatoon that was hosted by the University of Saskatchewan Retirees Association (USRA) from May 31, 2023 to June 2, 2023.
Nominated by a member of their local Retiree Association, the CURAC Tribute Award recognizes local member retirees who have contributed exceptional post-retirement service to their host institution retirement community by a member of that association.
As she was unable to attend the conference, it was presented to her at the MURA Annual General Meeting on June 14, 2023. She was nominated both by MURA and MAUT-Retiree Affairs Committee for her multifaceted contributions to both associations. The citations are below. Congratulations Joan!
MURA Citation
Dr. Joan Wolforth, a founding Board Member of MURA, served on the Interim Board in 2014 as Vice-President (Internal). In collaboration with the VP (External), she drafted MURA’s constitution and by-laws, which were approved at the founding congress in June 2015. She served for two more years as VP Internal organizing social events and spearheading numerous activities.
In Fall 2016, Joan launched MURA’s Book Club, an activity which she continues to co-ordinate. The following summer, Joan initiated a Cycling Group in collaboration with Joan Barrett. Together, they organized and led weekly outings throughout four cycling seasons; tasks that are now completed by a five-member committee. Also in 2017, Joan initiated a Restaurant Group, a monthly get-together in some of the best BYOB restaurants in Montreal, a popular activity that she continues to coordinate. In addition to these participatory initiatives, Joan was the first editor of the MURA Newsletter and served in this capacity for three years.
With other colleagues, Joan initiated Pre-Retirement Sessions (PRS) to help members of Â鶹AV’s associations and unions think ahead and plan their retirement. In collaboration with Gregg Blachford, she developed a presentation on the psychological aspects of retirement that she gave on seven occasions. In addition to providing a most useful service to the community, these sessions offer MURA an opportunity to raise its profile within the University and promote its program with future potential members.
MURA/ARUM is very pleased to nominate Dr. Joan Wolforth for a CURAC Tribute Award as her contributions have been foundational, multifaceted, and perennial.
On behalf of the MURA/ARUM Awards Committee:
Ginette Lamontagne, Chair
Rosemary Cooke, John Gradwell, Kate Maguire, Lawrence Mysak
MAUT-RAC Citation
The Â鶹AV Association of University Teachers (MAUT/APBM) Retiree Affairs Committee (RAC), a founding member of CURAC, enthusiastically nominates Joan Wolforth for a 2023 CURAC Tribute Award. We do so in parallel with the Â鶹AV Retirees Association (MURA); our activities are complementary--many leaders have served in both, sometimes simultaneously.
Dr. Wolforth was Director of Â鶹AV’s Office for Students with Disabilities and appointed in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology. She became MAUT-RAC Treasurer in 2020-2021 and organized RAC’s 2020-2021 speaker series. This annual series is shared across Canada through CURAC, to which she has also served as Annual Meeting delegate. When COVID sent us all onto Zoom, Dr. Wolforth gathered a team of colleagues to host informal conversations and outdoor events, initiate a collegial caring process, revive MAUT workshops on preretirement, and mentor mid-career women academics.
Dr. Wolforth has also generously shared her technical and organizational skills. She has served as our Zoom coordinator (and fixer!). Our meetings, presentations, and informal gatherings have benefitted from obtaining Zoom links from MAUT, the creation of automated acknowledgements of registrations, remembering to record the events, and congenial hosting of a range of on-line events. Others among us are doing our best to back up Dr. Wolforth’s dedication, energy, abilities, and range of contributions, but it is taking many to come close to what she has given us and continues to provide.
Joan Wolforth is not just at the heart of engagement for hundreds of colleagues and friends; she is the heart.
Bruce M. Shore, Chair, Retiree Affairs Committee, Â鶹AV Association of University Teachers
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