News

Thorneloe University is pleased to announce the following new additions to its faculty and staff:

Mr. Bill Lane has been hired as a Lecturer in Theatre Arts. Mr. Lane will be replacing Dr. Ian Maclennan for one year while he is on sabbatical. Bill’s record of creation in Canadian theatre goes back to the early seventies, when he developed and directed now-historic productions of the work of George F. Walker, Erika Ritter, Tom Walmsley and many others. Since that time, he has directed productions at theatres across Canada, and served as Director of Play Development at Factory Theatre in Toronto from 2004 to 2008. Since 1982, he has also worked regularly at CBC Radio where he has developed and produced well over five hundred original radio dramas. He holds an M.A. in Social and Political Thought from York University. His Ph.D. dissertation, “Signs of Wanting,” examines alternative post-Freudian models of character motivation in drama.

Dr. Andrew Muncaster has been hired as an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, replacing Dr. David Humbert while he is on his one-year sabbatical. Andrew hails from northern Ontario, having been born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie. He holds a B.A. (Hon.) and a M.A. in Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University, as well as a Ph.D in Religious Studies from McMaster University. He has several years of interdisciplinary teaching experience at a variety of schools, including Algoma University, Lake Superior State University, and Memorial University of Newfoundland. His current research interests include the religious and philosophical treatment of human nature in Shakespeare, cross-cultural philosophy of religion, and the thought of George P. Grant. Andrew also writes and plays music with the folk band “The Granola People.” They have released five albums so far, with more expected soon. Andrew has been known to occasionally bring his guitar or banjo to class.

Mrs. Rachel Perry has been hired as the Assistant Chaplain for the University. Rachel comes to us from southeast Manitoba, where she has lived for most of her life. She recently moved to Sudbury with her husband Tim and three children –Calvin, Sara, and Hugh. Rachel has worked with people in a variety of contexts, including restaurant management, the banking industry, lay ministries in the church, and being involved in the lives of students at Providence College and Seminary where she studied theology and her husband taught theology. She feels called to ministry in the Anglican Church and is especially interested in pastoral care and spiritual direction.

Mr. Markus Rukkila has been hired as the Dean of Residence. Raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Markus is a married father of two and a relatively new resident to Sudbury. The past 13 years has been spent travelling in pursuit of his academic dreams. First to Finland and Sweden where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and most recently to beautiful British Columbia where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree at Vancouver’s Regent College. Markus’ wife Alina is a new Canadian citizen, having immigrated from Finland seven years ago. Alina is also familiar with post-secondary education having earned a bachelor’s degree in health sciences while living in Tampere, Finland. Markus is also a licensed minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and moved to northern Ontario in the summer of 2010 to pastor at Siion Church in south-end Sudbury. In his spare time, Markus enjoys spending time with Alina, Armas (5) and Josiah (3), as well tinkering on guitars.