Service to the University winners announced

Claudio Brun del Re and Sébastien Grammond are each winners of the 2006 President’s Award for Service to the University through Media and Community Relations, awarded for sharing their insight and expertise with the community through the media.

Claudio Brun del Re, assistant director, planning and programming, understands the complexities of developing the University’s campus in the heart of an established community. His skilled diplomacy and openness have laid the foundation for building important relations with uOttawa’s Sandy Hill neighbours. He is also applauded for his work fostering links with the construction industry to raise the profile of the University as one of the region’s major employers. The changing face of the University, including the many new buildings, has been Brun del Re’s focus earning the University recognition from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

Sébastien Grammond, assistant professor in the Faculty of Law, Civil Law Section, knows how to make the complex legal issues comprehensible to the public at large. A renowned specialist in aboriginal issues and constitutional affairs, he is called upon by national and local media to comment on subjects as varied as the recent standoff in Caledonia to the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of Canada. Grammond recognizes the importance of communications in projecting a strong image of the University and its role in attracting faculty and students to the University. He was one of the first “graduates” of the Civil Law Section’s media training sessions and actively encouraged his colleagues to follow suit.

Both winners were recognized at a ceremony on October 10th, which also featured a round table discussion with national reporters Lisa LaFlamme, CTV News and Patrice Roy, Radio-Canada.