Professor Mayo Moran, Dean Emerita Receives 2026 Vivek Goel Faculty Citizenship Award

The University of Toronto is proud to announce that Professor Mayo Moran, Dean Emerita, Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law, is the 2026 recipient of the Vivek Goel Faculty Citizenship Award. This award recognizes a faculty member whose sustained contributions and dedication exemplify exceptional citizenship within the University community.

Professor Moran was nominated by former Dean of the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law, Jutta Brunnée, with support from distinguished colleagues such as David Cameron, Frank Iacobucci, Brian Lawson, Rhonda McEwen, Cheryl Misak, David Naylor, Cheryl Regehr, and Sandy Welsh.

A Nomination That Speaks to Excellence

In her nomination, Dean Emerita Jutta Brunnée wrote:

“Professor Moran exemplifies the Vivek Goel Faculty Citizenship Award criteria through sustained and highly impactful contributions at the Faculty, college and university level which exceeded the expectations for her role, and through external work complementary to the University’s mission. Her scholarship encompasses public and private law and focuses on restitution, reparative justice, tort law and legal theory. Her scholarship and service are united by a belief in the capacity of law to prevent and to right life-altering wrongs, even when they are caused by law itself.”

Transformative Leadership at the Faculty and College

“In 2006 Professor Moran was appointed Dean of Law, becoming the first woman to hold this position. During her tenure she envisaged and secured the gift for the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, now a leading voice on constitutional rights, nationally and internationally. She also raised money for, and oversaw the design and initial construction of the award-winning Jackman Law Building. In 2014, Professor Moran was appointed Provost and Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College, where she established a ground-breaking mental health program, upgraded the administrative infrastructure, and envisaged and raised funds for the construction of the international award-winning Lawson Centre for Sustainability.”

Impact at the University and Beyond

Professor Moran’s contributions extend to institutional and public service:

“At the institutional level, she chaired UofT’s Expert Panel on Sexual Violence Policies and Procedures and is currently chair of the Standing Committee on Recognition. Her external contributions aligning with UofT’s mission include work on the Ontario Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act, a review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and chair of the panel to consider anti-SLAPP legislation for Ontario. She served as Chair of Canada’s Residential Schools Oversight Committee from 2007 to 2021, overseeing 38,276 claims and the awarding of $3.2 billion in compensation to survivors of the Indian Residential Schools system. She also advised on the recent reform of Germany’s Holocaust restitution process.”

Recognition of a Career Dedicated to Service

The Vivek Goel Faculty Citizenship Award is a prestigious recognition and will be formally announced in the University’s Bulletin Brief and on the Awards of Excellence website in the coming weeks.

In 2025, Professor Moran was also named the inaugural Irving and Rosalie Abella Chair in Justice and Equality at the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto, further recognizing her leadership and impact in advancing justice and equality.

Professor Moran joins a distinguished group of faculty recognized for their extraordinary leadership, mentorship, and contributions to the University and society at large.