The Secretarial and Office Staff Advisory Committee (SOSAC), the Trent Staff Council (TSC), and the Trent Staff Association (TSA) were the forerunners of the Trent Local of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). SOSAC was formed as a standing committee to advise the Vice-President on general policy concerning the terms and conditions of employment, classifications and salary scales for members of the University’s secretarial and office staff. In 1978, an organization representing university staff was established under the name of Trent Staff Council. The TSC was organized to represent the needs of staff in matters of common concern. The council was made up of scientific support staff, library support staff, services and buildings, housekeeping, secretarial and office staff, and administrative staff. In the spring of 1980, in response to a mandate from staff to Trent Staff Council to form an association to seek formal recognition by the University of the Association as the bargaining agent for all positions which are occupied by any member of the Association, in all matters related to terms and conditions of employment, the Trent Staff Association was created. In 1993, staff members voted to become unionized under the Trent Local of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)
Certified on June 20, 1985, the Canadian Union of Educational Workers (CUEW) Local 8 represented the part-time teaching staff of Trent University. CEUW merged with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in January 1995 and the local became CUPE Local 3908. In 1999/2000, the local split into 2 units. Unit One represents contract teaching staff. Unit Two represents students employed at Trent University as teaching assistants, markers, proctors and demonstrators.
The Association of Teaching Staff (ATS) was proposed by Professor T.H.B. Symons in 1964 and an Organizing Committee was struck. R.L. Edwards served as Chairman of the committee from 1964 to 1966. ATS was created in 1967 and existed until the union was formed in 1981. The purpose of the Association was to promote scholarship, the welfare of the University and of its academic staff, and in affiliation with the Canadian Association of University Teachers and with the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, to contribute to the advancement of the standards of the Canadian University community. (taken from the Constitution, RG 15 Box 1 Folder 1). In 1981, certification was granted, and in 1983 the ATS became the Trent University Faculty Association (TUFA). TUFA represents Trent University academic staff and professional librarians.
Although the Bookstore Committee reported to the Office of the President (1963-1971), it also reported prior to 1965 with both the Academic Planning Committee and the Campus Planning Committee. It subsequently was a sub-committee of the Board of Governors (1966-1968), then the Senate (1972-2001). The next recorded iteration of the committee was as a Senate sub-committee (2013-2016). In 1985, there was a Task Force on Bookstore Services and Management, reporting to the Office of the Dean.
Bruce Hodgins was born in 1931. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario; his Master's degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and his Doctoral degree from Duke University in North Carolina. Before he became a professor at Trent University he was a history professor for 3 years at the University of Western Ontario. He taught at Prince of Wales College at Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island. While he was in Charlottetown he met Carol, his future wife. By 1963 they had two sons. In 1965 he joined the faculty of Trent University and he taught Canadian Politics. From January to June of 1979 he was an Acting College Head. From 1980 to 1984 he was the Department and Program Head of History and from 1986 to 1992, and 1995, he was Director of the Leslie M. Frost Centre. Bruce's parents established the Wanapitei Wilderness Camp on Temagami. He became the camp's director in 1971 and played a major role in running and developing it. Bruce is an active member in a canoeing organization in Peterborough that also includes other members of the Trent and Wanapitei communities.
Mark Robinson was Superintendent and Ranger in Algonquin Park between 1908 and 1941. He served as an Army officer with the Canadian Militia during the First World War. He resided in Barrie and Elmvale, Ontario with his wife and Children but spent many months each year in Algonquin Park.
Robert Romaine, along with two brother-in-laws, established the Peterborough Review in 1853 in Peterborough, Ontario. Romaine was editor and publisher at the "Review" until 1864. In 1853 he also wrote a paper on the subject of ploughing and pulverizing by steam power, and in 1868 became the first librarian of the Peterborough Mechanics Institute, the forerunner to the Peterborough Public Library. In 1870, he headed, along with others, a gas company which introduced the first gas street lights to the city. In 1877 he was a member of a committee which was appointed to look at possibilities for a waterworks system for the city of Peterborough.
Julie Johnston, née Dulmage, is an internationally known author of children’s novels, plays, and short stories. Born in 1941, Johnston was raised in Smith Falls, Ontario. She then moved to Toronto to attend the University of Toronto where she received her degree in Occupational Therapy in 1963. She married her high school sweetheart, Dr. Basil Johnston, in the same year. After a few years of working in hospitals in Perth and Kingston, followed by adventures in Europe, they eventually settled in Peterborough, Ontario in 1970. At this time, Johnston stepped away from her career as an occupational therapist to raise their four daughters, Leslie, Lauren, Melissa, and Andrea.
Her love of writing began at a young age, writing school plays and short stories that lead to neighbourhood productions for her daughters and their friends. Johnston eventually began taking classes at Trent University in 1975 and graduated with a degree in English in 1984.
Encouraged to pursue a writing career, Johnston began submitting short stories to writing competitions in Canada. In 1979 her first submission was a play titled “Frost” that won first prize in the Ottawa Little Theatre’s annual Canadian Playwriting Competition, sparking her pursuit of a career in writing. The next two decades were full of positive experiences and many challenges. Johnston was signed to Stoddart Publishing and published her first novel “Hero of Lesser Causes," which won a Governor General’s award for Children’s Literature in 1992. Her next novel, "Adam, Eve and Pinch-Me," was published in 1994 and also won the Governor General’s Children’s Literature award. Stoddart Publishing eventually dissolved, and Johnston published five more books with Key Porter Publishing. These books were titled, "The Only Outcast," "Love You Like a Sister," "In Spite of Killer Bees," "Susanna’s Quill," and "Accidental Lives."
In addition to two Governor General’s awards, Johnston has many other accolades that she earned during her career. She was awarded an Honourary Degree of Letters from Trent University in 1996. She also won Mr. Christie’s Book Award and the Violet Downey Book Award for "Hero of Lesser Causes" in 1993. Johnston also served on review committees and gave numerous workshops and speeches, including the Margaret Laurence Lecture at Trent University in 1997.
Tony Storey began his undergraduate studies at Trent University in 1971 at Champlain College and graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy. In November 1978, he was hired by Trent University as Assistant to the Master at Otonabee College, working alongside Elwood Jones at the time. In February 1984, he became the coordinator of Alumni Affairs and was later promoted to Director of Alumni Affairs. Tony is a long time Trent University member and had a significant role in developing the culture of Trent Alumni philanthropy and received several awards for his services and accomplishments. After his retirement in 2011, Tony served as editor for the Trent University Association of Retired Persons newsletter.
Bruce Whiteman is a modernist poet, librarian, and scholar, of Peterborough, Ontario. A founder of the Hamilton Poetry Centre, he is known especially for his poem The Invisible World is in Decline which comprises nine books, the latest of which was published in 2022.
From 1966 to 1973, John Leishman was Controller and, from 1971, also Vice-President (Finance). The office was split in 1973 and there was a Vice-President (Finance) and a Controller (Peter Lewis). John Earnshaw became Vice-President (Administration and Finance) in 1981 as John Leishman moved to the position of Executive Vice-President (External Relations and Financial Affairs). John Earnshaw held the office until August 1991. Nancy Sullivan became Vice-President (Finance and Administration), 1991-1994. For further information about the office and its leadership over the years, see A.O.C. Cole, Trent: The Making of a University, pp. 126-129; D'Arcy Jenish, Trent University: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence, 2014; and the annual course calendars (available in the Archives Reading Room).
The Trent University Broadcast Board Committee was created in 1968. It was designed as a joint Senate-Congress Committee comprised of three students and three faculty members. The Board was responsible for the Trent University Radio Service. During the 1968-69 academic year, the radio service was run by thirty-five students and faculty and produced a series of programs which were broadcast on Sunday evenings through the facilities of CHEX-FM. The series was an experiment to determine if radio service from Trent would be adventageous for both the University and the Peterborough Community. The results of the experiment were a success and the Radio Service was expanded the following academic year to AM radio through CKPT-AM. The main function of the Broadcast Board was to approve annual budgets and gain approval for the budgets from the appropriate University bodies. The Board was also responsible for choosing the Radio Service Manager and selecting its own Chairman. The Broadcast Board was designed in a similar fashion to the Publication Board which monitored the University newspaper, "The Arthur".
The Ashley Fellowship was established at Trent University in 1976 with a bequest from the late Charles Allan Ashley. Proceeds from the endowment are used to bring a visiting scholar to reside in one of the university’s five colleges in order to participate in lectures, seminars and informal contacts with students and faculty. Those eligible to receive the fellowship are persons who have made significant achievements in their field. They do not necessarily hold an academic appointment, but are required to contribute broadly to the academic and collegiate life of the University.
Although Computer Science was offered at Trent University as an interdisciplinary study from 1973 to 1983, one could not major in this discipline until 1983 when the Computer Studies Program was established.
The Department of English has been in operation since the University opened in 1964.
Robert “Lighty” Lightbody (1945-2017) was a lawyer, philanthropist and Trent Alumni. He was a part of the original class at Trent University (1964) and graduated with a degree in Economics and Mathematics. Bob and his wife, Margaret “Margie” Lightbody (1946-2022) were active alumni, engaging with various Trent University boards, committees, and associations. Robert was on the Board of Governors (1972-1983), the Planned Giving Committee, and an active member of the Trent University Alumni Association (TUAA), of which Robert was a founding member (1967).
Margaret “Margie” Lightbody (d. 2022) graduated from Trent University with a degree in French and Mathematics, also in the class of 1964. She was a high school math teacher at Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute. She was also a proud and engaged Trent Alumni. She coordinated and organized many Trent Alumni events, including 30th and 50th anniversary events for the class of 1964, and represented TUAA at the Board of Governors Committee. She was also a great supporter of the Peterborough community and helped organized different events and fundraising campaigns.
The Lightbody’s philanthropy extended to Trent University where they engaged in many fundraising activities including the Robert Lightbody Prize (est. 1984), and supported the building of the Athletics Building and the Student Centre. The Lightbodys were active volunteers in the Trent community and both were noted for their boundless energy when it came to supporting Trent University be it with their time or with fundraising efforts.
Dawn Bell Logan is a retired librarian and author with an enduring interest in Canadian local history. She has published work in newspapers, and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography on Thomas Need. Logan has also authored By the sound of the mill whistle: sawmilling in Stickney, New Brunswick (Carleton County Historical Society, 1999) which was based off a newspaper series Logan wrote for the Hartland Observer called “Sketches of Stickney.” Logan has also written the books In those early years: the Petries, Whitts, and Schaffers, ancestors of Phyllis Adele Logan (Melvin Village, NH : Ian L. Whitmore, [2016]), and Thomas Need : a settler in the backwoods of Upper Canada (self-published, 2022).
Margaret Doxey was a professor in the Department of Political Studies at Trent University from 1967-1991. She has studied problems of collective sanctions and international enforcement, and has published widely on the subject of international political studies.
Catharine Parr Traill was born in Rotherhithe near London, England 9 January 1802 as Catharine Parr Strickland. She was the fifth child of Thomas and Elizabeth Strickland. She was sister to Eliza, Jane Margaret, Susanna (later Susanna Moodie), Samuel and Agnes. In 1832 she married Lt. Thomas Traill. She emigrated with her husband to Upper Canada when the opportunity provided itself and they settled near the Otonabee River near Peterborough, Upper Canada. Together they had nine children. Catharine wrote a number of works on pioneer life in Upper Canada such as The Backwoods of Canada (1834), Canadian Crusoes (1853), The Female Emigrants Guide (1854), Canadian Wild Flowers (1868) and Studies of Plant Life in Canada (1885). She also kept a journal and in it she wrote down ideas and sketches for future writings. The Old Doctor (1985) was probably written between 1835 and 1840 when John Hutchinson, a native of Kirkcaldy, Scotland, was practising medicine in Peterborough, Upper Canada. Before emigrating Catharine had published a number of children's books and stories in England. Catharine Parr Traill died 29 August 1899. (Taken from: Forest and Other Gleanings. Ottawa, University of Ottawa Press, 1994.)
Thomas Need (1808-1895) emigrated from Nottingham, England to Upper Canada in May 1832 and settled in Verulam Township in Victoria County in 1833 around Sturgeon Lake. He had graduated from University College, London, in 1830 and rejected the idea of becoming a member of the clergy. This contributed to his decision to leave England.
While in Upper Canada, Need was a member of the government commission that oversaw the construction of what became the first lock of the Trent-Severn Waterway, founded the Village of Bobcaygeon in 1834, and served as a magistrate for the Court of Requests from 1835 to 1837.
Need anonymously published his book Six years in the bush or extracts from the journal of a settler in Upper Canada (London, 1838) on his experiences in Upper Canada. The book was based on his journal entries he made in his personal journal which he called the “Woodhouse Journal.” Need returned to Nottingham, England permanently in 1847 and died in 1895. His authorship was confirmed with the publication of John Langton’s letters in 1926 and he was subsequently recognized as a contributor to early Canadian literature.
Source: Biography – NEED, THOMAS – Volume XII (1891-1900) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/need_thomas_12E.html. Accessed 11 Jan. 2024.
The Department of Sociology has been in operation since the University opened in 1964. In September 1998, the departmental website explained that building on a common core of required courses in theory and method, the sociology program at Trent offers two main concentrations: 1) social structures and social policies, in areas such as social inequality, families, health, and criminal justice, and 2) social interaction and culture, in areas such as religion, media studies, and ethnic and sexual identities.
Past Chairs of Sociology:
Bernard R. Blishen 1966-1968
J.C. McDonald 1968-1969
Rod F. White 1969-1974
John Hillman 1974-1977
A.D. Lewis 1977-1980
Andrew L Wernick 1980-1982
Pradeep Bandyopadhyay 1982-1985
Alena Heitlinger 1985-1988
John Hillman (Acting) 1988-1989
Roy T. Bowles 1989-1995
Alena Heitlinger 1995-1998
James Conley 1998-2004
Stephen Katz 2004-2007
Barbara L. Marshall 2007-2010
Susan Apostle-Clark 2010-2013
Deborah White 2013-2016
Gillian Balfour 2016-2018
Momin Rahman 2018-2022
Peri Balantyne 2022-