Wilson College’s Kristina Llewellyn is part of a group of interdisciplinary researchers at the University of Waterloo’s Games Institute leverage immersive technologies to power a social justice project.

“It is an environment in which technology does not drive the research, but rather the need to address a community concern drives the research and how we engage with technology.”

Together with her colleagues, Llewellyn launched the Digital Oral Histories for Reconciliation (DOHR) project. The project is an educational virtual reality (VR) curriculum rooted in restorative justice.

March break’s “A Day in the Life with Wilson College of Leadership & Civic Engagement” was an experience designed to inspire students to delve into the vibrant community surrounding McMaster University, potentially igniting a spark that could lead them to call it home one day.

As governments around respond to COVID-19 with a variety of strategies, one constant was the way leaders had to persuade everyone to abide by strict rules to protect public health, even if it came at a heavy economic and social price.

Sara Wolfe, external director of McMaster’s Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement, explores the qualities effective leaders showed through the pandemic turbulence, and what it can teach us about nurturing the next generation of leaders.

McMaster’s Wilson College has appointed professor emeritus Stephen Jones as the acting academic director of Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement.

Jones will be in the role through August 2025, at which point a search will begin for a permanent academic director.

We caught up with Jones to discuss his background, why Wilson College is so important and what he does in his free time.

Wilson College’s Kristina Llewellyn will be giving this talk as part of the J.J. Talman Lecture Series at Western University on Thursday, March 20^th at 2:30pm.

Please join us to learn about youth civic activism through the stories of O:se Kenhionhata:tie Land Back Camp. O:se Kenhionhata:tie Land Back Camp started in the summer of 2020, when a collective of Indigenous Two-Spirit individuals started occupying space in Victoria Park, Kitchener. Their intention has been to create a long-term space for Urban Indigenous communities, particularly youth, to have open and free access to land.

Together we will watch the short film Stories of Land Back Camp. We will then have the honour to learn about the activism of the land back movement from the co-founders of the camp Amy Smoke and Bangishimo.

 In honour of International Women’s Day, Kristina Llewellyn, Affiliate Professor with Wilson College, celebrates and honours the achievements of Lulu Gaiser, the first woman to join the faculty at McMaster University in this op/ed for The Hamilton Spectator.

Professor Emeritus Stephen Jones has been appointed acting academic director of Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement.

“I am honoured to take on the role of acting academic director for Wilson College. I look forward to working with the College’s staff and faculty as we prepare to welcome their first cohort of full-time undergraduate students in September,” says Jones, who was chair of McMaster’s department of Economics from 2015 to 2020.

“Our society needs young people who are able to navigate and engage with the world around them with confidence and integrity.”

Dr. Cornel West is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary (UTS) in New York City. He teaches on the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as a range of courses in Philosophy of Religion and African American Critical Thought. Formerly, Dr. West was Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. West is an author of 20 books and editor of 13.

When: February 27, 2025, 7 pm 

Where: Live on YouTube

Join us for our first Speaker Series featuring Branka Marijan, senior researcher at Project Ploughshares and a CIGI Senior Fellow.  

Branka Marijan is a senior researcher at Project Ploughshares and a CIGI Senior Fellow. She is a lecturer in the Master of Global Affairs program at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.  

When: February 26, 2025, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM 

Where: In-person at LRW 3001 

Wilson College and the Faculty of Social Sciences welcome sociologist and expert on digital media and civic life Zhifan Luo.

An assistant professor in the department of Sociology, Luo comes to McMaster from Concordia University, where she studied the interplay of digital technologies, political power and civil society, and its implications for civic engagement and public discourse.

Two-time McMaster graduate Samantha Nutt has been named as one of the 2025 Inductees to Canada’s Walk of Fame, a prestigious national recognition of excellence. Nutt is being honoured in the category of Humanitarianism for her tireless efforts advocating for children and families in war-torn regions around the world.

As the founder of War Child Canada and War Child USA, Nutt’s leadership has brought hope and resources to vulnerable communities across the globe, addressing critical issues such as access to education, health care, and justice in areas affected by conflict.

With two weeks to go before Americans cast their vote, Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement at McMaster University hosted a discussion between experts in political science, communications and leadership to explore the election’s impact on Canada-U.S. relations.

Faculty members Don Abelson, Karen Bird and Terry Flynn joined moderator and Wilson College external advisory council member Giancarlo Da-Re, who is the director of policy and stakeholder relations for Ontario’s Solicitor General, for the timely panel discussion.

Join us on October 31, 2024 to learn more about The Prophetic and the Crisis of American Democracy with Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Hosted by Dr. Henry A. Giroux and Dr. Don Abelson.

One of the nation’s most prominent scholars, Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., is an educator, author, political commentator, and public intellectual who examines the complex dynamics of the American experience. His writings, including Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul, In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America, and his The New York Times bestseller, Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own, take an exhaustive look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States, and the challenges we face as a democracy. His latest book, We Are The Leaders We Have Been Looking For is a radical and passionate call for everyday people to take responsibility for saving democracy.

Our Academic Director, Dr. Don Abelson, recently participated as a panelist in the inaugural McMaster Dialogues, a university-led series focused on addressing global challenges through multilateralism and collective action. The discussion explored strategies for enhancing international peace and security in today’s complex world.

As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, McMaster University’s Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement is bringing together political experts to explore how the results could redefine Canada’s future.

“The Choice 2024: The U.S. Presidential Election and its Implications for Canada”, on Oct. 22, 2024, will provide a deep dive into the election’s social, political and economic impact on Canada, featuring diverse perspectives and expert analysis.

Join us for an insightful conversation with Gurratan Singh, former MPP for Brampton-East and a McMaster University alumnus (BA Religious Studies and Philosophy).Gurratan will share how his background in the social sciences and humanities provided a strong foundation for success in law school and his career in public service.

Historian Kristina Llewellyn has been named an affiliate faculty member with the Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement, the first from the faculty of Humanities. Llewellyn, who has spent the past 15 years at the University of Waterloo’s departments of Social Development Studies and History, is also joining McMaster’s department of History.

She holds a PhD in Educational Studies from the University of British Columbia and an MA from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

Llewellyn’s work focuses largely on oral histories, and how those can be used to teach young people about historical injustices to lay the groundwork for meaningful responses and action.

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.

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.