Annual Public Lectures

Sefton-Williams Memorial Lecture

This annual lecture is named in honour of Larry Sefton and Lynn Williams, both notable Canadian union leaders. The lecture series (previously known as the Sefton Memorial Lecture) began in 1983 and is hosted by Woodsworth College and the Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources and supported by the United Steelworkers International Executive Board and its members.

Saul Goldstein Memorial Lecture

This annual public lecture (formerly Fall Lecture) has been presented since 1993. In 2007, it was renamed in honour of Saul Goldstein, a Woodsworth College student who was part of the senior citizen student cohort at the College. He graduated at the age of 93. Following his death at age 96, the family chose to endow the lecture in his honour.

Some notable speakers have been: Professor Margaret McMillan; the Honourable Bob Rae, former premier of Ontario; Professor Janice Stein; the Honourable Frank Iacobucci, a former Supreme Court justice; and Professor Meric Gertler, the current U of T president.

Morley Gunderson Lecture in Industrial Relations & Labour Economics

The Morley Gunderson Lecture, which began in 2015, is jointly sponsored by the Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources, Woodsworth College and the Department of Economics. The lecture was named for Professor Gunderson to honour his contributions to Canadian labour economics and industrial relations over the past five decades.