NEWS
T H E S H E A F P U B L I S HI NG S OC I E T Y // DE C E M B E R 0 6 , 2 0 1 8
I SS UE 1 4 // VO L . 1 1 0
Usask professor emeritus bestowed with Governor General’s Award for history This retired academic has educated people on Saskatchewan’s history through a number of talks, books and even radio and TV programs. JONAH EGAN-PIMBLETT
One of Saskatchewan’s most distinguished historians is being awarded a Governor General’s Award for his contributions to the field of history and heritage on Jan. 28, wherein Canada’s Governor General will present him the nation’s top honour in Ottawa’s Rideau Hall. Dr. Bill Waiser is, perhaps, one of Saskatchewan’s most prominent figures in terms of celebrity historians. The University of Saskatchewan professor emeritus of history has shared his wealth of knowledge on Western Canada through his CBC Radio segment, Mining the Past, his bi-weekly column in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, called History Matters, and his CBC Saskatchewan TV production, Looking Back. It is for contributions like these that Waiser has been named the recipient of the 2018 Governor General’s History
Award for Popular Media, the Pierre Berton Award. The accolade aims to acknowledge an individual or organization that has helped popularize Canadian history and heritage through various media forms. For Waiser, engaging the public has been a rewarding task and also one that Saskatchewanians actively want to participate in. “The matter of reaching out and connecting with the general public, it can be very rewarding and gratifying,” Waiser said. “Everyday people want to talk history and figure things out on where they fit in and why things have happened in a particular way, and I think by having an understanding of history, you’re better armed to deal with some of the challenges we face today.” Waiser’s forthcoming award is not the first time that his work has been recognized by the Governor General. Waiser was the recipient of the 2016 Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction for his book, A
World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan Before 1905. Although both accolades have been a important to Waiser, the Pierre Berton Award is a special one as it recognizes his entire of body of work rather than just one contribution. Waiser says that his work as a public educator has been as important to him as his academic work within the U of S. “I see my job as bringing history to the Saskatchewan public and not simply to the university,” Waiser said. ”I find that people in this province want to know about their history — they want to talk and debate about their history… [Knowing history] can help in terms of their own identity, where they fit in… History also provides a sense of place — it provides perspective — and history helps explain why things happen in particular ways.” In fact, Waiser says that history should not be separated into popular and academic realms.
Bill Waiser / Supplied Bill Waiser poses for a photograph at the U of S.
“I don’t believe there should be a dividing line between popular and academic history. As a writer, it’s my job to make it interesting and engaging… As a writer, you need to use creativity to make people care, and I try and do that through my writing. “I write for the general public or everyday people so that anyone and everybody can read it, understand it and appreciate it. I wouldn’t want to do the research that I do and then write
it in such a way that only a few people can understand it. I don’t think that’s the way it should be.” While he is thankful for the recognition of his previous work, Waiser is already working on new projects. Waiser says that he is currently working on a book that he hopes to release in fall 2019. The book will be about Almighty Voice, a man who was born in the late 1800s in One Arrow First Nation near Batoche, Sask.
Season’s greetings With the holiday season fast approaching, I want to take a moment to acknowledge some of the special moments we have celebrated in 2018 and to thank you all for your contributions to the University of Saskatchewan. This year has been an exciting one for our campus community, highlighted in October by the unveiling of our new university plan to guide our institution through to 2025. Titled The University the World Needs, and gifted the Indigenous names nīkānītān manācihitowinihk (Cree) and ni manachīhitoonaan (Michif), the plan is a bold new vision to position the university as a leader locally, nationally and internationally with research and programming that provide global impact. Global connections are also a key to our new International Blueprint for Action 2025, which coordinates USask international activities in research,
4 / NEWS
teaching and the student experience. We are now enrolling more international students than ever before, from more than 100 countries. Our rising enrolment also includes a record number of Indigenous students as we continue the process of Reconciliation and Indigenization. The skyline of campus has changed this year with the opening of the Merlis Belsher Place multi-sport complex and the Collaborative Science Research Building along with the new hotel. It has also been a year of milestones at USask: Edwards School of Business celebrated its centennial in September, while the College of Dentistry celebrated its 50th anniversary, as did the College of Arts and Science departments of computer science, archaeology and anthropology, regional and urban planning, and international studies. Four of our faculty were inducted into the Royal Society of Canada, and two into its College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists—a total we have not seen before. Medicine, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine
and the Edwards School of Business all received accreditation; our Tri-Council success rates climbed; and we rose in the Academic Rankings of World Universities. We are proud to be a member of Canada’s prestigious U-15 group of the top medical-doctoral universities in the country and we now have more than 150,000 alumni world-wide. As we look back at the accomplishments of 2018, we are also excited about what 2019 has in store, including bringing back our convocation ceremonies to campus to be celebrated in Merlis Belsher Place. As we approach the holiday season, I hope you enjoy time with family and friends, and I wish you all the best in the new year.
President Peter Stoicheff