The University of Winnipeg is proud to honour two exceptional faculty members – Dr. Sante A. Viselli and Dr. Nora Casson – during our 121st Convocation on Friday, October 14.
Dr. Sante A. Viselli: Professor Emeritus
Dr. Sante A. Viselli is a well-respected scholar, academic, and teacher who has made remarkable contributions to the promotion of French language, literature, and culture.
Since his arrival to UWinnipeg in 1986, Dr. Viselli has left an indelible mark on the University. He is an outstanding researcher in the field of 18th century fiction, respected by colleagues in Canada and around the world, and is also a poet who writes mainly in French.
Throughout his career, Dr. Viselli has published more than 60 reviewed academic articles. He has authored and co-authored several books on French literature in the 17th and 18th centuries, and his work on Pascal, Montesquieu, and Sénac de Meilhan is internationally praised.
In addition, he has also studied the relationship between the French philosophers and Italy in the classical period, and the Italian-Canadian writers who write in French. His recent publications on Alexandre L. Amprimoz have been well received.
In 2021, Dr. Viselli was made an honorary member of the Canadian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, which is the highest recognition in Canada in this field. In addition, he was also named a Knight in the Order of Academic Palms of the Republic of France, an honour given to academics for distinguished service to education and science.
Dr. Viselli is active within the Société d’analyse de la topique romanesque/Society for the Analysis of Narrative Topics (SATOR). In 1992, he organized SATOR’s sixth International Symposium, which took place at UWinnipeg. Dr. Viselli has since continued to play an important role in the works of SATOR, of which he remains a member today.
Dr. Nora Casson: Erica and Arnold Rogers Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship
Dr. Nora Casson is a scholar, teacher, and mentor whose innovative research helps us understand the ways in which human activities impact lakes, streams, and wetlands.
As an internationally renowned environmental and climate scientist, Dr. Casson holds the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Environmental Influences on Water Quality. Since arriving to the Department of Geography at UWinnipeg in 2014, she has attracted more than $2 million in research funding and published more than 30 peer-reviewed papers.
Her research program is collaborative and interdisciplinary, with some of her most notable work investigating the impacts of winter climate change on ecosystems and communities. She has also published extensively on carbon and greenhouse gas dynamics in boreal ecosystems.
Dr. Casson is a dedicated mentor and has trained more than 50 undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees in her lab at UWinnipeg. She also co-launched the Master in Environmental and Social Change, which is an interdisciplinary graduate program that equips students with the knowledge to address the grand environmental challenges facing our world.
Dr. Casson’s strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion has earned her a reputation as a leader across our institution. She co-directs the Pathways to Graduate Studies program, which introduces Indigenous students to research opportunities in the natural sciences and engineering.
In recognition of exceptional service, achievement, and distinction, The University of Winnipeg presents a variety of awards to deserving members of the University family and wider community twice annually at Convocation. Learn more about our 121st Convocation.
