Next month, a long-time member of our HR community will be leaving U of T. Louise Oliver, Senior HR Consultant at University of Toronto Mississauga Human Resources is retiring after more than 34 years at the University.

Louise began her professional life in the Office of Admissions of McGill University. She ventured west briefly, working at the University of Calgary for one year before returning to McGill for several years and eventually finding her way to Ontario and U of T in November 1986. She began working at the University as a casual employee in Temporary Personnel Services (TPS) in the Faculty of Medicine. After working in several roles across the University, including more than ten years in the Faculty of Pharmacy (with two years as President of the U of T Staff Association), Louise joined HR in 1998.

Throughout her career, Louise enjoyed the ever-changing work environment in both LR and several HR offices. She supported a large number of faculty, staff, and librarians at the University and always appreciated the university community’s incredible diversity. “There was always an infinite variety of questions that I’d be asked every day, initially from students, then from staff and managers. I was always learning something new and could never become bored,” said Louise. “There were always things changing in our work environment and culture. We have so many opportunities available to us while working at a University, from taking courses or attending seminars to the phenomenal libraries we can access. We never have to stop learning while we are here.” Louise even completed two degrees during her career, one from McGill and one from U of T.

It was Louise’s relationship with her coworkers that kept her inspired in her daily work over the years, however. This is one of the many reasons we will miss Louise when she retires next month. Louise loved being a resource to people, and many of us will recognize her as a wealth of historical knowledge and a fantastic resource for her colleagues and friends. For over 30 years, Louise has devoted herself to the University, diligently and professionally serving hundreds of clients and bringing a bright and warm humanity to all of her work. Since joining HR, she has been the consummate HR service provider, and we are deeply grateful to her for her years of dedication.

Never one to stop learning, Louise is looking forward to developing her skills in photography in her retirement. While she has a stack of reading to catch up on, she also plans to explore her newly reawakened interest in creative writing. Like all of us, she hopes that the COVID restrictions will lift soon so that she can reconnect in-person with her friends and family.

While we will be unable to gather to thank Louise for her years of service and to celebrate this incredible milestone, we invite you all to join us in showing appreciation to Louise and congratulating her on this next step in her life. Louise, we wish you health, happiness, and a fulfilling retirement.