Council approves additional scholarship

November 03 2020

At its October 1 meeting, Council created a new scholarship, the Brian P. McGowan Scholarship for Resilience, in honour of the College’s fourth registrar.

Teacher candidates in an Ontario consecutive or concurrent teacher education program who will graduate in 2022 will be eligible to apply for the 2021-2022 scholarship. An award of $1,500 will be made annually to one student.

Applications will be assessed on a teacher candidate's demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity, their tenacity to overcome significant barriers to achieve their academic and social goals to pursue a career in the teaching profession.

Brian McGowan's entire career was in the field of education. He was a member of the research and writing team of the Royal Commission on Learning, which recommended the establishment of the College and its mandate to protect the public interest.

In both roles as the College Deputy Registrar (2003-2006) and Registrar (2006-2009), he was instrumental in reducing barriers to certification and supporting fair and transparent registration requirements for internationally educated teachers.

His role was key in ensuring the College was transparent by making discipline committee decisions publicly available. He also led an external review of the College's complaint resolution program, which provides alternative ways of dealing with complaints against College members.

McGowan was a true gentleman, a kind and positive individual with a big heart and a unique sense of humour. He was known for his ability to manage unexpected challenges with a positive focus, tenacity and strong connections with others.

He retired in 2009 and passed away suddenly in 2019.