Arbor Awards
Explore the award
Status: The 2025 nominations are closed.
Recognizing exceptional volunteers
Our volunteers personify the very best attributes of the university’s motto, Velut Arbor Aevo – “May it grow as a tree through the ages.” Their work represents both our roots and our branches, which have served to anchor our traditions and spread the mission of this university – to meet global challenges and prepare global citizens.
We are proud to honour and celebrate the contributions of the university's exceptional and longstanding volunteers with the prestigious Arbor Award.
This award is the highest honour granted by the university to volunteers, and is given for sustained contributions to specific academic units, such as faculties, colleges or institutes, or for broader contributions to the university at large.
2024 Arbor Awards recipients
Congratulations to 2024 Arbor Award recipients! This is our highest honour for volunteers, recognizing extraordinary levels of commitment to the University of Toronto.
Nominate an outstanding volunteer
The Arbor Awards recognize U of T volunteers who, through their exemplary generosity, make sustained and valuable contributions to the experience of U of T students, faculty members, staff and alumni.
This award is the highest honour given to U of T volunteers; therefore, the expectation is that the nominating division has honoured their nominee appropriately at the divisional level before submitting them for an Arbor Award.
Note that nominations must come from a divisional alumni office and cannot be submitted directly by alumni or friends of the university. Please contact the appropriate nomination coordinator if you wish to suggest someone for an Arbor Award.
We recommend you do not inform alumni they are being nominated for an Arbor Award.
- Nominees must have provided (or currently be providing) outstanding volunteer service to either:
1) one Division in order to be eligible in the Divisional Category
or
2) more broadly across the University, focused on more than one faculty/college/department in order to be eligible in the Central Category
- Nominees must be alumni or friends of the University with a minimum of 3 years of continuous service as a U of T volunteer as of the date of the nomination. This service must be within one year immediately leading up to the nomination deadline.
- Volunteer service as a student is ineligible; eligibility commences once the student has graduated and become an alumnus/a of the University.
- Nominees cannot have previously received an Arbor Award.
- Nominees cannot be sitting politicians, elected or appointed officials or currently serving on Governing Council.
- Nominees must be living alumnus/a or friend of the University of Toronto.
- Posthumous nominations are ineligible.
Nominations closed on Friday, May 2nd, 2025.
The nomination form must be submitted by a division and cannot be submitted by alumni.
Several fields in the nomination form are mandatory; please ensure you have all the required information or you will be unable to submit your form.
Each nomination must be submitted separately. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Questions? Email us at arbor.awards@utoronto.ca
Nomination coordinators
To suggest someone for an Arbor Award, please contact the corresponding coordinator below.
Applied Science and Engineering, Faculty of
Sonia De Buglio
T: 416-946-8143
E: sonia.debuglio@utoronto.ca
Architecture, Landscape, and Design, John H. Daniels Faculty of
Stacey Charles
E: stacey.charles@daniels.utoronto.ca
Arts and Science, Faculty of
Bilal Khan
E: alumni@artsci.utoronto.ca
Commerce, Rotman
Sarah Tron
E: sarah.tron@utoronto.ca
Dentistry, Faculty of
Roshaan Hajira
T: 416-864-8203
E: roshaan.hajira@dentistry.utoronto.ca
Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in
Natalie Neumann Butler
T: 416-978-5047
E: natalie.neumannbutler@utoronto.ca
Information, Faculty of
Regan Tigno
E: regan.tigno@utoronto.ca
Kinesiology and Physical Education, Faculty of
Carlo Siochi
E: carlo.siochi@utoronto.ca
Law, Faculty of
Justin Landry
E: justin.landry@utoronto.ca
Annette Paul
E: annette.paul@utoronto.ca
Management, Rotman School of
Alexandra Brennan
E:a.brennan@rotman.utoronto.ca
Medicine, Temerty Faculty of
Julie Vickerman
E: julie.vickerman@utoronto.ca
Music, Faculty of
Brittney Cathcart
E: brittney.cathcart@utoronto.ca
Nursing, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of
Jade Shortte
E: jade.shortte@utoronto.ca
Pharmacy, Leslie Dan Faculty of
Claire Simpson
E: claire.simpson@utoronto.ca
Public Health, Dalla Lana School of
Daniel Downey
E: daniel.downey@utoronto.ca
Social Work, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of
Olesya Zaremba
E:olesya.zaremba@utoronto.ca
Innis College
Shayla Anderson
E:shayla.anderson@utoronto.ca
New College
Brenda Registe
T: 416-978-8273
E: brenda.registe@utoronto.ca
University College
Sarah Head
E:sarah.head@utoronto.ca
Woodsworth College
Carolyn Peralta
E: carolyn.peralta@utoronto.ca
St. Michael’s College, The University of
Lisa Webb
E: l.webb@utoronto.ca
Trinity College, The University of
Andrea Herrmann
E: andrea.herrmann@utoronto.ca
Victoria University
Helena Herscovici
T: 416-585-4503
E: h.herscovici@utoronto.ca
University of Toronto Mississauga
Kristin Lovell
T: 905-569-5740
E: kristin.lovell@utoronto.ca
University of Toronto Scarborough
Shannon De Mello
E: shannon.demello@utoronto.ca
Central Libraries
Mimosa Kabir
E: mimosa.kabir@utoronto.ca
Continuing Studies, School of
Muneeb Syed
E: mun.syed@utoronto.ca
Hart House
Peter Wambera
T: 416-946-3993
E: peter.wambera@utoronto.ca
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