A Woman of Substance

BY LORI BONA HUNT

Janet Wardlaw, U of G's former associate vice-president (academic), has always been a woman ahead of her time. She's broken traditions, brought about change and been an inspiration to those who have followed in her path. Her lasting impact will be celebrated this week as she receives the Women of Distinction Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Guelph YMCA-YWCA.

Wardlaw was raised in Islington, then a village just outside Toronto, graduating from a small high school at a time when not many girls were expected to go on to university. She enrolled at the University of Toronto in 1942, majoring in household economics. "I was attracted to that field because it called for a lot of science classes like physics and chemistry, and I liked that," she says.

After graduation, Wardlaw worked as a dietitian for a Canadian Red Cross school meal study. She then attended the University of Tennessee, graduating with a master's degree in public health nutrition. After working as a nutritionist for several years in Michigan and Toronto - and after countless nudges from female professors who "would never let me off the hook" - she went on to earn a PhD in nutrition from Pennsylvania State University .

Wardlaw's mother, Molly, did not live to see her daughter earn her doctorate. But before Molly died, Wardlaw discovered that her mother had carefully cultivated her daughter's education plans. Starting when Wardlaw was a young girl, her mother began preparing her more traditional father for the fact that their daughter would expect to go to university. "She did a really good job because I never would have known that he didn't expect me to go on to college and beyond," says Wardlaw. "I never felt any pressure to stay at home."

She joined U of G in 1966 as a professor in the Department of Foods and Nutrition and was appointed to a committee searching for a dean designate to revamp the curriculum of the Macdonald Institute. The world was changing; there were more women in the workforce, and areas such as child and consumer studies were becoming increasingly important. The Macdonald Institute had always been considered a leader in the home economics field, so any revisions would have a ripple effect, she says. "It was terribly important. We were looking for ways to modify the program to meet the changing needs of society."

After several months of searching, Wardlaw grew frustrated. So she resigned from the committee and applied for the job herself. "It was a very difficult decision and quite presumptuous of me, but I felt it was something I should do."

She got the job as dean designate and slowly began the revamping process. She started with a survey seeking the opinions of alumni, then held lunchtime "brown bag briefings" for faculty and students. One of the undergraduate students at those "brown bag" sessions was Prof. Donna Woolcott, now chair of the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition. "She became a very powerful role model from the moment I first met her," Woolcott says of Wardlaw.

With the support of faculty, students and alumni, Wardlaw transformed the Macdonald Institute into the College of Family and Consumer Studies, a leader in its field in North America. "It was quite an achievement to capture the support of the many generations that were represented," Woolcott says.

Wardlaw was later named college dean - the only female dean at the time - a position she held for 15 years. In 1984, she became the first woman to break into the executive ranks at U of G by being named associate vice-president (academic). "I never, ever expected to be an administrator," she says. "When I was working on my PhD, one of my professors lined us up in the hallway one day and said: 'Some of you will have to be academic administrators one day.' I can still see her pointing at me. I remember thinking 'Oh, come on, no way.'"

During this time, Wardlaw was also named the first female chair of the board of governors of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a position once held by former Prime Minister Lester Pearson. The centre brings together researchers from developing nations and Canada.

But Wardlaw says she never really thought about her "first woman" status. She was in a field dominated by women and always had a lot of female professors. "I didn't have any of that 'men-are-a-threat' baggage when I became an administrator," she says. "Every now and then, especially when I would go to functions in the States, people would ask: 'Isn't it hard working with all those tough men?' I would say: 'Sometimes I'm the tough one.'"

Wardlaw retired from U of G in 1987 and continued to chair the IDRC until 1992. Now, she fills her time volunteering for numerous community agencies and remains connected to the University, sharing an office on campus with other retired professors. When asked how she feels about the lifetime achievement award, she smiles. "I never thought of it as a 'lifetime of achievement.' A lot of great opportunities just came my way. I think I encouraged some people to do things with their lives, at least I hope I did."

Woolcott agrees. When considering a leadership position on campus a few years ago, she asked Wardlaw what makes a good leader. Taking pleasure in your colleagues' achievements was one of Wardlaw's answers. "She does take great pleasure in the success of others," says Woolcott. "She contributes in major ways to their success, yet takes none of the credit or glory. She continues to be a powerful role model for me. I draw inspiration from her as a woman and as a leader."

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