A new scholarship is bolstering support for students in Canadian Studies and honouring the memory of Pamela Gravestock, an instructor, senior administrator and friend to many across the University of Toronto. Gravestock passed away in August 2020.
The Pamela Gravestock Memorial Fund was created to carry forward Gravestock’s legacy of supporting student success with three scholarships presented to Canadian Studies students for the first time this year. Thanks to the generosity of 58 donors, each of the inaugural students received $1,000.
The Pamela Gravestock Memorial Fund reflects everything that mattered to her: teaching, learning, the intellectual culture of this institution and, of course, the students.
Students are selected based on academic merit, with preference to Canadian Studies students who took the course that Gravestock built and co-taught with Emily Greenleaf: The University in Canada (CDN405).
“Canadian Studies students receiving financial help from this scholarship and recognition for their work is a wonderful acknowledgement of Pam’s enduring legacy,” said Emily Gilbert, a professor in the Canadian Studies program and a friend of Gravestock.
The Pamela Gravestock Memorial Fund reflects everything that mattered to her: teaching, learning, the intellectual culture of this institution and, of course, the students.
Interim dean of Arts & Science Stephen Wright echoed the significance of the scholarship to Gravestock’s memory and impact on students, saying: “The Pamela Gravestock Memorial Fund reflects everything that mattered to her: teaching, learning, the intellectual culture of this institution and, of course, the students at the centre of it all.”
In early May, family and friends honoured Gravestock’s memory in a service held at the Paul Cadario Conference Centre on campus. They gathered to remember Gravestock’s substantial contributions, both personal and professional, to the university and to celebrate the first Pamela Gravestock Memorial Fund recipients.
“Pam built many things that last,” Wright said at the event. “Her influence is visible in every faculty member she mentored, every course she touched, every staff member she supported, every student who sat in her classroom and in the three inaugural scholars we celebrate.”
Gravestock most recently served as the inaugural director of Teaching Support & Faculty Development within the dean’s office, but her journey at the university began as a 17-year-old undergraduate student at Victoria College.
She went on to earn two master’s degrees – in history and art history – and a doctorate in higher education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).
Gravestock’s first staff position came in 1997, as an administrative staff member at University College. She continued to act in increasingly senior positions at the university, juggling her graduate studies on the side for much of that time.
The hiring manager who brought her into the university fold almost 30 years ago spoke at her memorial service.
“I can say without reservation that Pam Gravestock was by miles the best hire I ever made,” said Carol Robb, who retired as director of human resources at Arts & Science. “Back then, I could not have envisaged the transformative and enduring impact Pam would have on improving the quality of teaching and learning across the university.”
Pamela Gravestock is remembered for her mentorship and her commitment to improving teaching and learning at the university.
Gravestock’s record of improving teaching excellence included leading the development of university-wide course evaluations and contributing to the establishment of the President’s Teaching Award, the highest honour for teaching at the University of Toronto.
Over time, Gravestock became a national expert in assessing pedagogical effectiveness in the tenure and promotion process.
“Pam was a champion for teaching excellence,” Robb said. “Through her work, she won the respect of deans, department heads and faculty.”
In 2011, Gravestock decided to bring all her knowledge to the Canadian Studies program by developing and teaching The University in Canada course alongside her friend, colleague and mentee, Emily Greenleaf.
Pamela Gravestock is remembered for her mentorship and her commitment to improving teaching and learning at the university.
“Pam recognized that her expertise on universities in Canada made her the right person to teach that subject,” said Greenleaf, who met Gravestock in the higher education PhD program at OISE. “She modelled for all of us how staff can bring deep knowledge and a scholarly approach to their roles in the university.”
Greenleaf and Gravestock taught the course from 2011 to 2020, and it is still running today under the instruction of Grace Barakat.
“This is a legacy of a special kind: a course for debate and exchange on what we and U of T students care about – universities in Canada,” said Markus Stock, principal of University College.
Gravestock’s impact through her work was matched only by her warmth, humour and unmistakable quick wit.
“She was the kind of person you’d talk to after an absence and it would feel like no time had passed,” Gilbert said.
“I often reflect on wide-ranging conversations we had, not only about career growth and professional development, but on a range of topics like being a working parent or intellectual issues or Scandinavian crime mysteries,” said Erin Macnab, director of Academic Operations & Strategic Initiatives at A&S.
Like Greenleaf, Macnab was both a friend and mentee of Gravestock’s.
“She taught me what it means to bring your whole self to work, not just your skills, but your values, your empathy and your sense of purpose,” Macnab said. “I so often think, ‘What would Pam do?’”
Mentorship and collaboration were a throughline in everything Gravestock did. She built a community wherever she went, lifting those around her and encouraging them to realize their own potential.
“Pam’s legacy is not only seen in the work she accomplished, but in the people she shaped,” Macnab said.
Greenleaf added: “Given Pam’s commitment to creating opportunities for others, celebrating a scholarship in her name feels very ‘Pam’ to me.”
Those interested in making a donation to the Pamela Gravestock Memorial Fund may contact Maria Ferreira at mh.ferreira@utoronto.ca or make a gift online.