Terry Litovitz, a senior lecturer who was instrumental in building U of T at Scarborough’s management program, died March 6 after a courageous battle with cancer.
A member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, Litovitz received a bachelor of commerce degree from U of T in 1972 and a master’s in business administration from York University in 1987. In the years before joining the faculty of U of T at Scarborough in 1980, Litovitz worked at the Toronto office of Coopers and Lybrand where she was the only female auditor.
After three years she left the firm to accept a position doing in-house education, research and recruiting at William Eisenberg & Co., a large local firm. It was through teaching these in-house courses that her love of teaching was born.
“Terry was instrumental in building the management program, said Professor Ragnar-Olaf Buchweitz in notifying the UTSC community of her death. “ Not only was she a dedicated and excellent teacher but for many years she served as supervisor of studies. She will be deeply missed by her many colleagues, students and friends at UTSC.
During her career with the Division of Management, Litovitz served as acting associate chair for two years and supervisor of studies for seven. In 1991 she was honoured with an appreciation award from the U of T Commerce Management Students’ Association (now the Management and Economics Students’ Association) for outstanding effort and performance in education — an award created specifically for her. In 1992 she received the annual Scarborough College Teaching Award and was described by her students as “a tough but fair and compassionate instructor".
Her dedication to preparing students for demanding careers in accounting was well known.Litovitz also believed that the efforts of high-achieving students should be recognized and honoured. With this in mind, she created the Terry Litovitz Merit Award in Management in February and the endowment continues to grow with contributions from faculty, staff, friends and her family.
The award, to be granted annually, will be given to a student entering the bachelor of business administration program directly from secondary school who demonstrates excellent academic achievement and leadership in school or the broader community. Donations to the scholarship can be made in her memory through the office of advancement at UTSC.
“She was a powerful woman and the driving force behind the Division of Management, said Professor Sandra Daga, a friend and colleague. “She did not hesitate to speak her mind, which if it’s possible, is an understatement. Her opinion was almost always right, so we would always listen. Terry had such a quick mind and quick wit. She was a wonderful person who will be dearly missed by all of us but remembered forever.