TORONTO, February 8, 2019 – Susan Hillock, an associate professor at Trent University, has won the 2018 Equity and Social Justice Committee Award of Distinction, presented by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).
The award, sponsored by OCUFA’s Equity and Social Justice Committee, recognizes faculty whose work has improved the lives and working conditions of academics who are Indigenous, women, racialized, LGBTQ2S+, living with disabilities and/or belong to other historically marginalized groups.
“Susan has shown an inspirational motivation to make a difference in the lives of her co-workers and her community,” said Cathy Chovaz, Vice-Chair of the Equity and Social Justice Committee. “She has been steadfast in her commitment to equity throughout her career through her research, service work, and advocacy.”
Professor Hillock is the founding director of the Department of Social Work at Trent University. In her work, she uses a feminist lens to explore gender, sexuality, and anti-oppression training in social work. She has worked tirelessly to engage Trent staff in discussions of equity in terms of gender and queer equality. In particular, she has focused on recruitment, hiring, and retention of faculty and staff, as well as the recruitment and retention of students. Susan organized a campus-wide “Queering the Academy” campaign with the goals of making the campus climate more welcoming and inclusive for all community members.
She is currently working on the first Canadian textbook about teaching sexuality in higher education, with a focus on queer sexualities, boys, masculinities, sexualities, sexuality and disability, and Indigenous views on sexuality.
“OCUFA is committed to advancing and protecting the personal, professional and academic interests of women in the academy,” said Gyllian Phillips, President of OCUFA. “That is why we are so thankful for Susan Hillock’s leadership, and so proud to present her with this honour for her exceptional commitment and contributions to the struggle for equity.”
Professor Hillock will receive her award at a ceremony hosted by OCUFA in Toronto on February 9, 2019.
Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty and academic librarians in 29 faculty associations across Ontario.
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