Arbor Awards honour volunteers
Every year, the University of Toronto acknowledges how much the academic community runs on the fuel of volunteers. The 2023 honorees of the prestigious Arbor Awards from the Faculty of Dentistry are five alumni who have worked hard, shared ideas and made Dentistry a better place.
Ralph Grose 6T3, Jack Gerrow 7T9, Chris McCulloch 7T6, 8T2 PhD, Elizabeth MacSween 8T0 and Michael Glogauer 9T3, 9T9 Dip Perio, 9T9 PhD are this year’s Dentistry recipients.
Grose is being lauded for his diligent efforts to organize class reunions for the graduates of 1963. “I was happy to bring my classmates together, and had help from many. Being with that group is special to me and a wonderful reminder of the times we shared in dental school,” he says.
Grose — who has served as a teacher and clinical instructor, plus volunteered in organized dentistry — passed the baton to classmate Peter Rorke 6T3 to put together the 60th reunion, which was held in 2023. Twenty grads were able to attend, which is a fine legacy for a close-knit class.
The other four honorees put in years of important work serving on the dean’s advisory council, which was struck in 2019 and provided foundational insights behind the launch of the Defy Gravity fundraising campaign for the Faculty.
Gerrow says the council’s most important contribution was steering the advancement conversation towards what would make the best fundraising priorities for the school and it was clear that physical infrastructure was where the alumni fundraising should focus. This isa new approach that truly defines Defy Gravity. “We have such good students. The advisory council said we’ve got to give those students the facilities they need to be able to learn properly.”
The Arbor Award comes as a surprise for Gerrow, who has served in various volunteer roles in the dentistry community and has worked at the Faculty for many years, and is currently adjunct professor. “It’s always nice to get recognized. The work on the advisory council was meaningful to me, and I hope helpful to the school. I’m truly thankful,” he says.
MacSween recalls the early conversations of the council about focusing fundraising efforts. But by mid-2020, the group shifted to how the Faculty would thrive amid Covid-19 and ensure students and patients had what they needed at a time of so much change.
“No one really understood what the real need was going to be moving forward, so we were trying to look to the future needs of the school, which was really difficult,” she recalls of that stressful era. Fortunately, that worry soon gave way to a stronger sense that the Faculty and the profession’s deep understanding of infection control would hold them in good stead.
For her, investing in infrastructure is about continuing the Faculty’s legacy of excellence and enticing top talent. “We need to maintain our desirability for the best students, the best researchers and staff. Serving on the council was a pleasure and felt good to be able to offer advice, deliberate with the dean, advancement and other alumni about the direction the campaign could take.”
McCulloch appreciates being honoured with an Arbor Award, partly because it raises the profile of volunteerism. “These awards reflect on the idea of giving back,” he says. “I was a student of this university and I’ve been here a long time and believe in the idea of supporting this university. So I’m very pleased with this honour and was happy to participate as and advisor.”
Along with working on the council, he actively encourages others to give money and time. “We always need more volunteers.”
As for Glogauer, an alum who has spend most of his career working and serving at U of T and the Faculty, he says: “I believe in giving back. And that includes to this place that has given me so much.”