When Bill Irwin quietly announced his retirement on LinkedIn in June 2024, he almost broke the Internet. His first post generated nearly 500 responses. Among the comments:
- “Thank you for being an amazing professor but more importantly, an amazing mentor. You changed the trajectory of so many people’s lives.”
- “You were the greatest prof I ever had. . . You significantly improved my university experience and helped prepare me for life beyond school.”
- “Your lessons on leadership have been truly transformative and your guidance has left a lasting impact on my journey. Thank you for your dedication and inspiration.”
A second post thanking those who had contacted him the first time brought in another 130 messages. A big man with a deep voice and arms covered in colorful tattoos, Irwin is past Chair of the Department of Management and Organizational Studies (MOS) at Huron University. He is a man who is admired, respected, and loved by a wide circle of people. At Convocation in June, he was honored with the title of Professor Emeritus.
Academia is actually Irwin’s third career, and it was hardly preordained. His parents left school in grade eight, and his grandparents had no formal education. He grew up in Oil Springs, Ontario and trained as a boilermaker. Faced with a lackluster economy in the early 1980s, he attended university as a mature student and earned not one, but two undergraduate degrees. He spent the next twenty years working with community organizations and taught courses in strategic planning, policy evaluation, community development, consumer behavior, and organizational psychology.
Returning to university, Irwin completed his PhD in 2012. While studying full-time, he also taught in Western’s Faculty of Media and Information Studies. He joined Huron in 2012, achieved tenure in 2019, and in 2021 became head of the department.
Irwin says that what he will miss most about his time at Huron is interacting with students. That comes as no surprise to Vanessa Tosic, a MOS graduate who now works at the University. “Bill created an open environment where you could give your opinion and feel heard and valued,” she says. “He made jokes in class, and you could banter with him — he was a friend as well as a professor.” Tosic adds that Irwin brought learning to life by sharing his experiences from outside academia: “He has lived a lot of different lives, and he brought that knowledge and wisdom into the classroom.”
Irwin did have one ironclad rule. If students were going to be late for class, they were required to bring him a coffee. Tosic remembers one day when seven students were delayed, and each arrived bearing steaming cups.
Irwin played a key role in the development of the MOS Department at Huron. The Department, which enrolls half of Huron’s students, offers innovative interdisciplinary management programs rooted in the liberal arts across six areas of concentrations. “I’m proud of the innovation and creativity in our department,” he says. Typically, he adds, “The credit doesn’t rest with me—a whole host of people have worked on this.”
He’s also proud that more than 35 of the department’s courses have an experiential learning component, with opportunities for students to engage with the broader community. Not surprisingly, the Department has grown rapidly during his tenure. It was recently recognized by membership in the Business Schools Association of Canada alongside Canada’s top institutions and is the only BMOS program across the Western campus to be a member.
Irwin says he plans to spend the first year of retirement “just chilling.” But that may be a relative term. He lives on a 2.5-acre property where he raises chickens and bees, and has 24 solar panels, seven gardens, and two greenhouses. Eventually he wants to get back to writing, looking to publish in practitioner journals like Municipal World.
There is no question Bill Irwin will be missed. Huron’s Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr. Geoff Read adds; “Bill’s energy drove MOS in creative and innovative directions. His legacy will live on in the many students who graduate from the programs he helped to shape.”
Lisa Jones Keenan is the Vice President of Sales at Xplornet Communications, the largest rural fixed wireless broadband service provider in Canada. 
Leigh Allen is the AVP, Global Strategic Research, Reinsurance Group of America Inc., one of the world’s largest global life and reinsurance companies.
Yola Ventresca is a Managing Partner, Lerners LLP, Secretary of Huron’s Board of Governors and a Huron Class of ’02 alumni. Selected as one of Canada’s “Best Lawyers,” she is passionate about the value of Liberal Arts in helping students succeed in their careers.
Susan Farrow is an Assistant Professor in The Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a Founding Partner and Co-Director of The Toronto Institute of Group Studies, an organization offering certified training and education in group leadership. 
Frank Holmes is CEO and Chief Investment Officer of U.S. Global Investors, as well as a business commentator, philanthropist and Huron Class of ‘78 alumnus. Holmes also serves as the Executive Chairman of HIVE Blockchain Technologies, the first cryptocurrency mining company to go public in 2017.
Kelly Meighen is an experienced philanthropist and volunteer. In her role as president of the T.R. Meighen Family Foundation, she has created a legacy of volunteerism and philanthropic giving in the areas of youth mental health advocacy, environmental conservation and cultural vibrancy. 
Ranjita is Executive Chair of the Oxford Global Partnership, advising investors, businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs on sustainable, inclusive and responsible value creation. A Business Fellow at Oxford University’s Smith School, Ranjita engages with companies on pursuing value with values, and teaches a postgraduate “Essentials of ESG & DEI” course.
Caleb Hayhoe is the Founder & Chairman of Flowerdale Group and a Huron Class of ’85 Alumnus. Flowerdale Group is a Hong Kong based family office with a global investment outlook across public markets, real estate and private investment. Hayhoe previously spent over ten years building a global sourcing business together with an exceptional team, and remains committed to entrepreneurialism and helping great ideas become sustainable companies.
