Oct. 9, 2026
Siblings (L to R) Richard and Rosamond Ivey (Photo source: Shlomi Amiga)
Richard Ivey, HBA’72, LLD’13, and Rosamond Ivey, HBA’82, LLD’18, are deepening their family’s nearly 80-year connection to Western with a $13-million investment in faculty, research and teaching at Ivey Business School.
Also covered by: Academica’s Top Ten
Lara Descartes (Photo source: Iulia Costache/Faculty of Health Sciences)
Family studies professor Lara Descartes says lowering expectations can ease holiday stress and create more room to appreciate family traditions, navigate tricky conversations and enjoy time together.
Autumn Wright (Photo source: Submitted)
Autumn Wright is one of 11 first-year students at Western to receive a Schulich Leader Scholarship. Inspired by her father’s love of science, Wright is passionate about exploring solutions to global challenges and sparking curiosity in the next generation of scientists.
Students working in the makerspace at the Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Photo source: Western Communications)
Western climbed to 36th globally for undergraduate alumni entrepreneurs raising venture capital in the 2026 PitchBook rankings, up from 40th last year. The university also ranked 23rd for undergraduate female founders and 42nd for MBA alumni, reflecting the entrepreneurial impact of Western graduates.
The Impact Project
Explore how the Western community is collectively contributing to meaningful change in the world, today.
Chloe Grande (Photo source: Steven Anderson/Western Communications)
Chloe Grande: How vulnerability can normalize mental health disorders.
Coming Up
Oct. 10 (8 to 10 p.m.)
Public night at the Observatory
Explore Saturn and its moons at the Cronyn Observatory’s next free public night. Learn what it means for Saturn to be at opposition, enjoy astronomy demos and, if the skies are clear, observe the planet through the Observatory’s telescopes.
Oct. 15 (10 to 10:30 a.m.)
WTS training: Safe sharing in OneDrive
Learn practical ways to share and manage OneDrive files securely, including setting access levels, protecting sensitive documents and recovering lost or overwritten files. Registration is required for this Zoom session.
Working at Western
Lawson Hall (Photo source: Western Communications)
Help celebrate the Class of 2026
Autumn convocation is Oct. 21 to 22. You’re invited to participate and honour the academic journeys of our students. Join the Academic Procession by Oct. 14 or volunteer in one of 11 essential roles. Visit the convocation website to learn more.
Call for nomination: honorary degrees
You’re invited to nominate candidates to be considered for the conferral of an honorary degree. Visit the University Secretariat’s website to learn more.
Thanksgiving holiday
Western is observing Thanksgiving Day on Monday, Oct. 12.
Photo of the Week
Western’s Mustang Muscle team prepared to pull a 66,000-pound aircraft at the United Way Plane Pull on Sept. 29. The team was one of several from Western that took part in the event, helping raise more than $60,000 for the London-Middlesex community. The spirit of giving continued on campus this week with the launch of Western’s 2026-27 United Way campaign at a community chili lunch.. (Photo source: Terry Rice/Human Resources)
Western in the News
In addition to the news above, your colleagues have been featured in the following media outlets.
Paul van der Werf (Photo source: Submitted)
CTV News
A 'buy Canadian' Thanksgiving dinner is well within reach, experts say
Adjunct Ivey Business School professor Paul van der Werf says Canada is a major producer of many traditional Thanksgiving dinner items, including being the world’s second-biggest producer of cranberries.
New York Times
Can artificial intelligence learn the art of surgery?
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor Dr. Benjamin Chin-Yee shares concerns about how depending on AI could erode critical thinking skills.
The Atlantic
She wanted to have three kids. Then life happened.
Sociology professor Rachel Margolis offers insights into how women make decisions about family size.
