By Tashika Gomes
Buzz Hargrove, the former president of the Canadian Auto Workers union, will be joining the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) as a visiting professor for at least a year.
Hargrove will not be teaching a specific class, but will be giving lectures at both the undergraduate and graduate level in the management program and human resources classes.
Hargrove, 65, arrived at Ryerson on March 1, participating in Integrative Week, an event held by the School of Management in mid-semester for management students.
At the event, he addressed the audience on the current problems facing the auto industry and later judged students’ reports and presentations.
“I’m absolutely thrilled. It’s a very diverse university; it has a history of working class families and kids that have come here. It’s progressive, it’s open. So I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity,” said Hargrove.
James Tiessen, the director of the school’s MBA program, said the students have been very receptive to Hargrove’s lectures.
“He’s a very straightforward, knowledgable, intelligent character, who’s got lots of experience and lots they can learn from,” said Tiessen.
Hargrove recently retired as president of the Canadian Auto Workers union after 16 years of leading one of Canada’s largest unions.
Ken Jones, the Dean of the Faculty of Business, said Hargrove’s presence at the school is a good thing.
“Anything we can do to prepare our students with an understanding of negotiation, of labour-management relations, of mediation…of how that works within an economy, is a real benefit to our students,” said Jones.
Leave a Reply