At the Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement’s first public event, community members and visitors enjoyed a free-flowing conversation on effective leadership styles, the challenges facing today’s youth and the role of the college and other institutions in nurturing future leaders.

Mark Hill, former elected chief of Six Nations of the Grand River; Steve Paikin, journalist and host of TVO’s The Agenda; and Medora Uppal, chief executive officer of YWCA Hamilton, joined moderator and Wilson College external director Sara Wolfe for a panel discussion around leadership, civic engagement, and the important connections between the two.

Sara Wolfe, an executive leader and Indigenous advocate, has been named the inaugural external director of Wilson College.

As external director, Wolfe will oversee Wilson College’s external advisory council, which is made up of leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors and advises the College’s academic director and internal governing board.

Wilson College’s first public lecture will be a panel discussion on leadership and civic engagement featuring Medora Uppal, CEO of YWCA Hamilton, Mark Hill,  former elected chief of Six Nations of the Grand River, and Steve Paikin, journalist and host of TVO’s The Agenda. The panel will be moderated by Sara Wolfe, Wilson College’s newly appointed external director.

The event will take place on Wednesday, April 3 starting at 7 p.m. in the L.R. Wilson Concert Hall on the McMaster campus. The event is free, but registration is required.

In this op/ed, Wilson College academic director Dr. Don Abelson shares his thoughts on how best to develop a new generation of empathetic leaders who are motivated to listen to those around them and make a difference.

Madeline Van Impe is the newly appointed assistant director, planning and administration, of Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement.

In her role, Van Impe will provide direct administrative and operational support to the Wilson College leadership team.

Read more about Madeline Van Impe in this Q and A.

Wilson College academic candidates with research and teaching specialties that align with the College’s vision, including those that offer critical and interdisciplinary perspectives. The successful candidate will be appointed as assistant professor (tenure stream) or associate professor with tenure to an existing department in McMaster’s Faculty of Humanities or Faculty of Social Sciences and be affiliated with Wilson College.

McMaster University seeks outstanding candidates for the prestigious Wilson College Endowed Chair in Leadership and Civic Studies.

Through mentorship, guidance, problem-based learning sessions, participation in community projects and financial support, Wilson Leaders learn the foundational skills to help them become leaders in solving complex problems within Canadian communities.

As L.R. “Red” Wilson looked out on the crowd gathered in the concert hall of L.R. Wilson Hall — a building bearing his own name — he thanked his wife, children and grandchildren for being there.

For more than six decades, L.R. “Red” Wilson has been a champion of McMaster University. View a timeline of his many contributions.

Read more about the Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement in the Globe and Mail.

Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement, a program at McMaster dedicated to learning about leadership in all its facets, is launching thanks to a $50-million donation from philanthropist Lynton (Red) Wilson, that McMaster officials say is the largest single gift to liberal arts education ever in Canada.

A former McMaster University executive, who spent 50 years in public service and private industry, is set to gift the institution $50 million for a leadership and civic engagement college.