Two of our most experienced colleagues have put up their feet for retirement in 2021. Janet Mannone and Peggy Salmon worked to support thousands of students at U of T for over 35 years each. As Undergraduate Coordinator and Course Administrator respectively, they provided valuable guidance and support to allow TAs and instructors to deliver excellent CSB courses and programs. We look forward to working with Melissa Casco and Nalini Dominique-Guyah, who were trained by Janet and Peggy to take on these roles.
Janet’s work refined the remit of our courses and knit our disparate programs together. She navigated many difficult transitions over her years at U of T; in March 2020, her tenacity and commitment to comprehensive outcomes facilitated the department’s rapid roll out of online teaching.
In a message to students and staff, Janet expressed with much affection that “I cannot fully express how fortunate I have been to have had a job that has brought me so much pleasure first in Zoology, and then in CSB. I will miss our chats and the laughter, but I feel ready to move on.”
Peggy was the recipient of the Outstanding Administrative Service Award in 2017. She put her impressive communication skills to the service of our students, helping them to navigate Faculty policies and regulations with diligence and a great sense of humour. Every instructor trusted that Peggy’s organizational acumen would help them through the chaos of scheduling lectures, assignments and exams.
Peggy started as a research assistant in Zoology in the late Nicholas Mrosovsky’s lab and says that as Course Adminstrator she “was fortunate [to be] given the opportunity of helping students and professors in the undergraduate office. I have a lifetime of memories but I will very much miss the personal connections.”
Both Peggy and Janet provided a personal touch and genuine concern for thousands of undergraduates in life sciences at U of T. They will be greatly missed.