Professor Mark Duggan appointed Director of the Munk School

On November 12, Professor Mark Duggan was appointed Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, replacing founding Director Janice Stein. Duggan will serve in the role from September 1, 2026, to June 30, 2031. Stein’s term as Interim Director, which started on July 1, 2024, has been extended to August 31, 2026.

Duggan is a Professor of Economics at Stanford University, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. In his research, Duggan has investigated the economics of the healthcare sector, the impacts of large government programs like Social Security and Medicaid, and the effectiveness of public policy in reducing homelessness. 

U of T launches $24 million initiative to bolster independent research

Byline: Junia Alsinawi, Deputy News Editor

This week, the university announced the launch of its $24 million program designed to increase independent research. Central to this plan is the creation of 100 two-year post-doctoral positions across all three campuses for the “best and brightest.” This $20.9 million initiative, which begins in 2025–2026, is part of the Research Excellence Postdoctoral Fellows Program, and recipients will receive a salary and $10,000 annually in additional research funding.

An additional $3 million has been allocated to the Postdoctoral Competitive Awards Research program, which begins in 2026 and will award smaller $10,000–$30,000 research grants to fellows. 

These initiatives expand on last November’s base-funding increase for graduate students, and are in line with the university’s goal of attracting top global research talent. 

Division I representatives elected, but “no part time rep” in UTMSU fall by-election 

Byline: Arunveer Sidhu, UTM Bureau Chief 

The annual University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) fall by-election was held to elect two new Division I first-year representatives and one new Division III part-time representative member of the BOD. A total of 3,000 students were eligible to vote during the voting period, but only 264 ballots were cast, with four abstentions.

The Medium reported that Mekayel Omier and Maryam Kashif Zeeshan won the Division I positions. 

The Chief Returning Officer (CRO) reported that five students submitted a Division I nomination package, but no one collected or submitted a nomination package for Division III. “So, there will be no part time rep for this year,” the CRO said during the UTMSU BOD meeting.

During the election, two candidates violated the Elections Procedure Code, one enough to disqualify a candidate. 

UTSC academic appeals have tripled since 2017–2018 

Byline: Ella MacCormack, News Editor

In an October 16 UTSC Academic Affairs Committee meeting, Shelby Verboven, Registrar & Assistant Dean, Strategic Enrolment Management, presented the Subcommittee on Academic Appeals, which reported that UTSC academic appeals have tripled since 2017–2018.  

Academic appeals are made after a formal petition has been denied, which requests exemptions for academic regulation or policy. Common petition topics include deferred exams, withdrawal from courses without academic penalty, term work extensions, or taking a course for a third time. 

The number of appeals submitted increased from 2,812 in 2017–2018 to 6,034 in 2024–2025, outpacing university enrolment increases. Deferred exams were the most common appeals, and Verboven noted international students were disproportionately represented in petition cases.