Complementing her scholarship, Sue brought issues of leisure and gender into the classroom by developing undergraduate and graduate courses which have afforded, from feminist perspectives, gender-based insight into people’s lives. She consistently earned perfect classroom ratings from both undergraduate and graduate students.
Sue advocated for women in the workplace, with focus on female academic staff. She served the Organizing Committee for the Action Conference sponsored by the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women. She chaired the World Leisure and Recreation Association’s Task Force on Women. Sue was a member of the Professional Women's Association Executive Committee, co-chaired the UW Feminist Caucus and served 17 years on UW’s Status of Women and Inclusivity Committee.
Sue Shaw served the broader Waterloo community as Department Chair, Associate Dean, Faculty Association Board of Directors, Senate and Senate Graduate Council, University of Waterloo Commission on Institutional Planning, and on Tenure and Promotion committees. She has tirelessly advanced the cause of women in academia with respect to hiring and retention practice, inclusive workplace environments, and family-friendly policy.
On October 21 at a dinner ceremony at the Royal York Hotel, Sue was presented with the OCUFA (Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations) Status of Women Award of Distinction to honour her lifetime contributions to advancing the status of women professors, academic librarians, and other members of academic staff at Ontario universities. It honours and recognizes the dedication of those whose leadership has helped improve the lives and working conditions of academic women and, by extension, their families, friends, and colleagues. The award recognizes the exceptional people whose efforts to advance the position of academic women have improved the profession.