WLU in brief: March 14, 2012

Agranove
On March 9, at the age of 83, retired business professor Larry Agranove passed away. He taught at Laurier’s school of business and economics for 17 years, from 1972 to 1989. Aside from his teaching career, Agranove accomplished much in his life including owning his own management consulting practice and serving on various corporate boards. A memorial service will be held March 15 at the London Club in London, Ontario.
– Compiled by Yvonne Lemieux

Laurier archaeological dig to commemorate 200th anniversary of the War of 1812
From May 14 to June 22, a team of 20 Laurier students led by John Triggs, associate professor of Archaeology, will have an archaeological dig at Fort Erie. “We could easily find 10,000 artifacts,” Triggs said.
The dig could turn up new discoveries and fill in missing gaps in history. This exploration is a part of the department’s field school program and allows students to apply
knowledge from class and understand the course better.
–Compiled by Yvonne Lemieux

Laurier, along with other Ontario universities, face criticism for link to Balsillie and CIGI campus
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) hopes to censure three universities that have ties to a private think-tank that was largely set up by Research in Motion’s former CEO Jim Balsillie. WLU, along with the University of Waterloo and York University, is being criticized for its involvement in the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and its appointment of international research chairs, which CAUT believes, caters to private motives rather than academic.

This, they argue, may influence the quality and direction of education and research at the institution. The union has notified the three universities of their decision to present a censure for their executive committee to consider at the next annual general meeting on April 26.
–Compiled by Justin Smirlies