Cathy Daminato Vice-President, Advancement

Photograph by Greg Ehlers / LIDC

“It’s like coming home.” That’s how SFU’s newest vice-president describes her first days at the university.
Cathy Daminato, VP-advancement, has held senior fundraising positions at Douglas College, BCIT, and, most recently, the Simon Fraser Health Region, where she was executive director of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. She says her previous experience makes returning to a post-secondary environment very comfortable.

Daminato will work with senior administrators and the board of governors to set the fundraising strategy and will lead the advancement team in its endeavours. She says key initiatives in the next few years include raising money for academic endowments, the Segal graduate school of business, and the Surrey campus, as well as finding a new home for the school for the contemporary arts. Daminato also wants to get more money for student scholarships and bursaries.

“We’re at a pivotal period in SFU’s history,” she says. “With all the new developments, including first-year residences, new academic facilities, UniverCity, and the Olympics, it’s a great time to build on the already great reputation SFU has in our community.”

“I’ve been very impressed with the interest in fundraising and the support for fundraising from faculty,” Daminato adds. “They are keen to move the organization forward and it’s encouraging to see that level of support. I’m also looking forward to reaching out and building relationships with alumni to keep them involved with the university.”

Daminato’s background in health care advancement is likely to be helpful in the university’s move to enhance the capacity and infrastructure for research in health through the new Institute for Health Research and Education (IHRE). “Health care is such an important issue to all Canadians. SFU has a wonderful opportunity to provide leadership in health promotion, disease prevention, and public health policy.”

Although born in B.C., Daminato left at the age of nine months when her father, who was in the military, was transferred. She came to Vancouver for a conference in 1978 and immediately decided this is the place to be – and she’s been here ever since. She and her husband have two daughters, a 19-year-old at the University of Victoria and a 17-year-old, currently in grade 12 and hoping to attend SFU next year. “I think it’s very exciting to be working at a university, looking at the energy and future of our youth, shaping the people who will be leaders for years to come.”

Daminato replaces Warren Gill, who has been VP-advancement for the past year. Gill is now in a new position, VP-university relations, for a 12-month period. A search for a permanent appointee for VP-university relations will occur during the next year. Gill has management responsibility for media and public relations, government and alumni relations, ceremonies and events, Harbour Centre, and the Wosk Centre for Dialogue.

John Juliani
1940-2003


Photograph courtesy Union of BC Performers (B.C. Branch of ACTRA)

Noted director John Juliani died in late August after a short battle with liver cancer. He was 63. Juliani was a key force in SFU’s early theatre success; his Savage God theatre company was founded at the university and has continued for nearly 40 years. In tribute, the city of Vancouver has declared March 24, 2004 (it would have been Juliani’s 64th birthday) as Savage God Day in Vancouver and an endowment is being set up for a John Juliani scholarship at SFU.

Appointments:
some of the more than 50 new faculty this year

Paul Shaker, Dean of Education
Paul Shaker comes to the university from the Kremen school of education at California State University. He is dedicated to making all levels of public education accessible to minority and disadvantaged groups. He is noted for his collaborative style, his media and political savy, and his championing of the Internet. He helped launch CalStateTEACH – a web-based, distributed learning, teacher education program.

Tim Rahilly, Director of Student Development and Programming
Tim Rahilly has followed a career path that led him from corporate training manager at Air Canada, with 200 days of travel a year, to the relatively placid halls of SFU. He sees himself as an advocate for student success with the responsibility of designing, delivering, and evaluating “programs that maximize student academic and personal success.”

Dov Fischer, Assistant Professor, Business Administration
Dov Fischer recently earned his PhD from the University of Colorado. He also holds a BSc in accounting from Yeshiva University, New York.

Laura Marks, Associate Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Laura Marks will also hold the Dena Wosk endowed professorship in art and culture studies.

Eugene McCann, Assistant Professor, Geography
Eugene McCann is an urban geographer who comes to SFU from Ohio State University.

Kirsten McAllister, Assistant Professor, School of Communication
Kirsten McAllister is an SFU communication grad, with a PhD in sociology from Carleton; she has taught at the University of Windsor and held a postdoctoral appointment in cultural studies at the institute for cultural research at Lancaster University.

Denise Oleksijczuk, Assistant Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Denise Oleksijczuk is an art and cultural studies expert who most recently held a Paul Mellon postdoctoral fellowship at London’s Paul Mellon centre for studies in British art. aq

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