Arts retirees for 2023: Dr. Peggy Day
Wed. Oct. 18, 2023
This year saw the retirement of two of our Faculty of Arts professors. Knowing they'll be greatly missed this fall, we asked some of their colleagues, friends, and former students to share their thoughts. Here we highlight Dr. Peggy Day's retirement from the Department of Religion and Culture.
Dr. Rory Dickson shares that "[Peggy Day] leaves a profound and positive legacy in our department."
Photo credit: Naniece Ibrahim
Dr. Mark Ruml, Professor, Religion and Culture: I will always remember the support that Peggy gave me when I was just starting out teaching at the UW, how she celebrated the completion of my PhD, and the compassion she showed me during one of my life’s most difficult moments. I admire Peggy for her intellect, her humanity, and the support that she has always given junior faculty over the years.
Ms. Heather Patrick, instructor, Religion and Culture: I first got to know Dr. Day through courses I took with her as a graduate student. I can remember being immediately taken by her breadth and depth of knowledge about all things “ancient Israelite” and the way in which she enthralled her students when speaking to subjects as wide-ranging as prophecy, gender, and metaphor to twentieth-century findings at Qumran and Nag Hammadi. Dr. Day continually challenged us to be close readers of primary texts, nudging us to set aside preconceived notions and to develop intellectual and methodological rigor.
During my early teaching career, I was fortune to be mentored by Dr. Day. Her remarkable dedication to her students, her colleagues, the department, the University of Winnipeg, and to academia at large became quickly apparent, as did her insatiable passion for her research and studies. The Department of Religion & Culture has been so very fortunate to enjoy Dr. Day’s long tenure with the UW, including her many years as Chair. She is a consummate professional and her love of academia is infectious.
Peggy has influenced me in countless ways as a teacher, mentor, colleague and friend. She approaches everything she does with a rare degree of integrity, a strong sense of fairness, prodigious energy, and with her marvelous dry sense of humour! I look forward to celebrating Peggy’s next adventures and to hearing about her ongoing research and travels to Southeast Asia. Best of luck, Peggy, as you enjoy retirement.
Dr. W. Rory Dickson, Associate Professor and Chair, Religion and Culture: The Religion and Culture Department has been immeasurably enriched by Dr. Day's contributions as a consummate scholar, effective teacher, outstanding administrator, and supportive colleague. She leaves a profound and positive legacy in our department, and we wish her all the best with the next chapter!
Dr. Tracy Whalen, Acting Dean, Faculty of Arts: Dr. Peggy Day has been a force in the department of Religion and Culture. A long-serving Chair, dedicated teacher, and prolific researcher, Dr. Day is a highly respected member of both the department and university. I’m delighted that she’s continuing as Senior Scholar here at the U of W. I have no doubt Dr. Day's research will continue to be important and propulsive.