It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Linda Carson. Linda was a Continuing Lecturer at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business and a wonderful colleague and friend to many in the Faculty of Arts and at the University.
As a lecturer at the Stratford School, Linda made tremendous contributions to curriculum, teaching and community life. She was best known for her outstanding contributions to interdisciplinary teaching and creative collaboration and is one of the few individuals to be awarded degrees from three different faculties at the University of Waterloo: BMath (1985), BA (Fine Arts, 1990), MSc (Kinesiology, 2004), and PhD (Psychology, 2013), as well as earning an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan (1993).
Before joining the Stratford School, Linda also taught in the Department of Fine Arts, Psychology, the Arts First Program, Knowledge Integration (a program she developed), Independent Studies and WatPD. Linda developed numerous courses designed to assist students with the transition to academia, to enrich existing program offerings, or to provide new opportunities for creative collaboration. She had a passion for improving access for students, especially those from marginalized groups, and was a mentor and advocate for countless students, faculty, and staff.
Linda set up a bequest to the University to establish two new student awards:
- The Linda Carson Memorial Interdisciplinary Award will be awarded to full-time undergraduate students (from any Faculty) based on the excellence of an interdisciplinary project that has been completed for academic credit.
- The Belonging Award will be awarded to support students who may feel, for whatever reason, like they do not belong in post-secondary education.
A private memorial service will be held at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo on Wednesday, December 1 at 2:00 pm. The service will be livestreamed via a link that will be available on the online obituary.
Condolences for the family and donations to the two new awards are appreciated and can be arranged through https://waterloo.imodules.com/LindaCarson.
Photo of Linda Carson from Overlap Associates.