Congratulations to Errol Aspevig Award recipient Ken Jones

Ken Jones, dean, Ted Rogers School of Management

On behalf of the Ryerson University community, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate Ken Jones, dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management, on receiving the 2012 Errol Aspevig Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership.

The Errol Aspevig Award is presented to an individual who has advanced the mission of the university through extraordinary and outstanding academic leadership, and who has contributed significantly to the enhancement of academic life at Ryerson and beyond. Ken is a shining example of such a leader. Appointed dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) in 2005 and reappointed in 2010, Ken has served during a tremendous period of growth and success for the school, including its recent accreditation by the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

TRSM's development under Ken's direction has been remarkable, and the school's national and international reputation has accelerated. With 9,500 students and more than 200 faculty and staff, TRSM is the largest undergraduate business school in Canada. Ken oversaw the renaming of the Faculty of Business to the Ted Rogers School of Management as well as the school's move to its state-of-the-art building, making it the only management school located in the heart of Canada's finance and business capital. Ken has given particular attention to scholarly, research and creative activity, and this focus is reflected in the school's 13 centres and institutes of research, including the well-regarded Centre for Learning Technologies, the Diversity Institute in Management and Technology and the Centre for Labour Management Relations. The school's MBA program is consistently recognized as one of the country's best.

Student success and engagement are top priorities for Ken. During his tenure as dean, the number of student organizations in the school has doubled to 35; Ken supports more than 100 student-led events each year and makes a personal commitment to attend as many as possible.

A long-time member of the university community, Ken came to Ryerson as a professor of geography, with specializations in business geomatics, geo-spatial analysis, retail location analysis and marketing geography. He was chair of the Department of Geography and in 1992, he founded the Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity. Through the centre, Ken spearheaded partnerships between the university, government and industry which have become a best practice model for research centre funding, and today, the centre is internationally recognized for its research, information and analysis which have helped Canada's commercial and retail industries become more innovative and competitive in the global marketplace. For a decade, Ken held the endowed Eaton Chair in Retailing as well as the NSERC/SSHRC Chair in Technological Change, and in 2000, he received the Sarwan Sahota Distinguished Scholar Award for his outstanding SRC contributions.

Ken holds an MA and PhD from York University and has published extensively throughout his career. He has had numerous appointments and memberships in the academic, business and government sectors and has presented or participated in nearly 200 conferences and symposia, speaking on retail and marketing trends and the implications of geography on business.

Ken will be recognized at a January 24 reception and then, on April 4, 2012, receive his certificate at the first annual Ryerson Awards Night. This event will recognize excellence from across the university and provide an opportunity to celebrate together the highest achievements of faculty and staff. Further information will be available in upcoming communications.

The University Wide Award Selections Committee selects the recipient of the Errol Aspevig Award and I thank the following members for their participation: Randy Boyagoda, Professor, Department of English; Usha George, Dean, Faculty of Community Services; Robert Ott, Chair, School of Fashion; Kernaghan Webb, Professor, Ted Rogers School of Business Management; and committee chair, Chris Evans, vice-provost, academic.

Please join me in congratulating Ken on receiving the 2012 Errol Aspevig Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership.


Alan Shepard
Provost and Vice President Academic

 

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