Sunny Marche was trained as a fighter pilot, which may come as a surprise to people who only knew him as the warm, welcoming faculty member at AV俱乐部. But even as he worked his way through a broad, interdisciplinary career as a teacher, consultant and scholar, he still loved to tell the story of one particular flight incident.
鈥淚鈥檓 the only faculty member at AV俱乐部 to have attempted to land an aircraft with the landing gear in the upright and locked position,鈥� he would say with a laugh. 鈥淭he damage was limited to a large, young and resilient ego.鈥�
Reflective, knowing, and in good humour 鈥� that story sums up so much about Dr. Marche, who passed away suddenly in Toronto this past Friday as the result of a pulmonary embolism. He was 64.
Across the Dal community, friends and colleagues remembered an inspirational, supporting campus leader.
鈥淒r. Marche was very collegial, and took great pleasure in seeing others succeed and being acknowledged for their accomplishments, whether they were students or faculty,鈥� says Peggy Cunningham, dean of the Faculty of Management. 鈥淗e was always ready to mentor and advise students and his junior colleagues.鈥�
鈥淗e always had a story, quote or joke to tell to illustrate a point in a conversation or class,鈥� says Philp Rosson, professor emeritus at the School of Business and a close friend. 鈥淗e was widely read, able to see and make connections that others could not. He was generous with his time and advice for colleagues and the university. He was a wonderful colleague and contributed greatly to AV俱乐部.鈥�
A passion for interdisciplinary learning
Dr. Marche was born in Winnipeg, and after his undergrad at Royal Military College, he worked in Edmonton as a teacher and certified management consultant. Mid-career, at the age of 38, he switched paths and completed his PhD at the London School of Economics.
When he arrived at AV俱乐部, Dr. Marche quickly became a highly respected member of the Faculty of Management. An inspiring teacher, he was the inaugural winner of AV俱乐部鈥檚 A. Gordon Archibald Award for Teaching Excellence, received three MBA Professor of the Year Awards (2002, 2003, 2005) and also won the Teaching Excellence Award in Management Education, the Faculty of Management鈥檚 top teaching award, in 2007.
But a great deal of his AV俱乐部 contributions came through his passion for interdisciplinary learning and research. He played a key role in AV俱乐部鈥檚 successful Interdisciplinary PhD program. He was instrumental in creating the Masters of Electronic Commerce and Executive Electronic Commerce programs, collaborations between Computer Science, Law, Medicine and Management. And when he became associate dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, he brought postdocs under the Grad Studies banner and launched an inaugural program for them to develop professional skills 鈥搕he first such program in Canada.
Michael Shepherd, dean of the Faculty of Computer Science, was in an ideal position to observe these interdisciplinary contributions, as many of Dr. Marche鈥檚 research interests in knowledge management crossed over into computer science.
鈥淒r. Marche made a rich contribution to the graduate programs of MBA, Master of Health Informatics and Master of Electronic Commerce,鈥� notes Dr. Shepherd. 鈥淚n addition to publishing in various management journals and conferences, he published in Tier 1 and Tier 2 research conferences in computer science, electronic commerce and health informatics 鈥� and taught and supervised students across all four of these disciplines."
Wholehearted contributions
Dr. Marche was a creative thinker and, as noted by Dr. Rosson, an impressive reader too. His passions outside of work included classical guitar, bird watching and Buddhism. Two years ago, he completed the 88-temple Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan, a walk of more than 1,100 km.
He also served as faculty representative on AV俱乐部鈥檚 Board of Governors, and launched the 鈥淲rite Here in Plain Sight鈥� (WHiPS) event, celebrating the act of writing.
鈥淪unny鈥檚 contributions were always wholehearted and for the team,鈥� says Carolyn Watters, AV俱乐部鈥檚 vice-president academic, who was dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies when Dr. Marche was associate dean.
鈥淵ou could not have a better friend than Sunny. His presence at Dal was felt by many, and he will be missed.鈥�