SAM_0201_Fall2010

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1 | FALL 2010

SOUTHERN ALBERTA MAGAZINE

the changing seasons

features

One of the nice things about living in southern Alberta for me is the fact that we experience seasons. Some might say this summer we experienced all of the seasonal changes at once!

As the leaves change colour and fall off the trees, as we prepare for the winter ahead, we may look back and long for the days of summer. For me, however, fall is more a time of preparation and excitement for the upcoming year and the opportunities that are ahead.

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THE NEW MAHON ON CAMPUS

MARKIN HALL MAKES ITS MARK

Meet the U of L’s new president, Dr. Mike Mahon, and read about his vision for the future of the U of L.

The much-anticipated Markin Hall opens its doors. Come in and take a look inside.

This is also true of the University of Lethbridge this fall. With a new president at the helm; a renewal of direction in our midst; new buildings to call home; and a women’s rugby team that has won its fifth consecutive Canada West Championship – there is an energy here at the U of L that is igniting campus.

This issue of SAM is about all things new – new leadership, new discoveries, new facilities, new opportunities and new directions. I hope you enjoy.

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AN APPLE AND A BRAIN: WHAT’S THE CONNECTION? Tanya Jacobson-Gundlock, Editor

A new master’s program for teachers bridges the gap between brain development and learning.

TOUCHDOWN 2008 Grey Cup champion Brett Ralph is tackling his next big challenge at the U of L.

ON THE COVER: CARL BEAM, CROSS & SELF VALIDATE, 1980 (DETAIL) From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; acquired by the University of Lethbridge Native American Studies Department Carl Beam (1943-2005) was an internationally acclaimed contemporary Canadian artist of Ojibwa descent, whose work marks a milestone in the development of the Canadian Aboriginal voice on the international art scene.

Beam’s works represent juxtapositions between longheld perceptions and challenging alternatives. His well-known, appropriated images were cross-cultural symbols that he utilized to convey a universal message about the environment and the relationship between man, nature and the passage of time.

In 2000, Beam was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, and in 2005 he received the Governor General’s Award in Visual Art and Media.

10 THE NEXT GENERATION Dr. Robert Sutherland and his research team make a significant – and first in the world – advance in repairing damaged brains.

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RETURNING HOME

MUSE CONTROL

Desmond Kamara returns to Sierra Leone and tells the stories of child soldiers.

James Wade finds his own muse and wins the 2010 Play Right Prize.

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

ART GALLERY

Joy : the x factor, an annotated bibliography of contemporary design process by Emily Luce.

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SIGNIFICANT AND MENTIONABLE Find out what’s been going on at your U this fall.

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ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS Everything you need to know about alumni events, chapters, news and benefits.

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ALMA MATTERS Ever wonder what happened to your first-year roommates? Or where life took your bio partner?

News and notes from your former classmates will give you some answers.

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CREAM OF THE CROP

HOME SWEET HOME

Dr. Paul Hayes’ work may be small in scale, but it’s attracting awards, accolades and a lot of attention.

Community-minded U of L researchers explore homelessness and the Not In My Backyard phenomenon.

44 THE ART OF TRANSLATION U of L alumnus Dr. Blair McMurren is the 2010 Alumnus of the Year.

EDITOR: Tanya Jacobson-Gundlock

ILLUSTRATOR: Brennan Kelly

PRINTING: PrintWest

ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Alesha Farfus-Shukaliak Jana McFarland

CONTRIBUTORS: Jana de Waal Jane Edmundson Betsy Greenlees Jason Jones Rod Leland Photo Emily Luce Glenda Martens Jaime Morasch Maureen Schwartz Kristine Carlsen Wall Bernie Wirzba U of L Advancement Office

SAM is published by University Advancement at the University of Lethbridge three times annually. The opinions expressed or implied in the publication do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Lethbridge Board of Governors. Submissions in the form of letters, articles, story ideas or notices of events are welcome.

DESIGNER: Stephenie Karsten FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHER: Rob Olson Photography FEATURE WRITERS: Bob Cooney (& photography) Caitlin Crawshaw Natasha Evdokimoff Trevor Kenney Kali McKay

SAM is distributed free of charge to a controlled circulation list. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address, please contact us.

SAM – University Advancement University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive W Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 Toll-free: 1-866-552-2582 E-mail: sam@uleth.ca www.ulethbridge.ca To view SAM online, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/sam

New Mahon ON CAMPUS ON OCTOBER 15, 2010, DR. MICHAEL J. MAHON WAS OFFICIALLY INSTALLED AS THE SIXTH PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE. READ ON TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEW PRESIDENT, THE ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE HE TOOK OFFICE IN JULY AND HIS VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE U OF L. Once a week, a young Mike Mahon (pronounced Man) would catch the bus in his hometown of Winnipeg, Man., ride across the city and head to the swimming pool or gymnasium to work with people with intellectual disabilities.

The volunteer experience was part of a community-service expectation mandated by his high school, but Mahon wasn’t there simply to earn credit.

Having grown up in a household that valued community engagement, the idea of volunteerism was second nature, and he took to it innately.

“Growing up, that was just what I was exposed to, so the whole idea of volunteering just became a part of who we were as a family,” says Mahon.

“There was this fundamental belief that

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volunteering was an important part of living in a community.”

Mahon had no idea at that time this early community service opportunity would have such an influence over his future career. It would shape his graduate studies, research and now, as the new president of the University of Lethbridge, it continues to resonate.

Born in Manitoba, Mahon grew up with four siblings in a house that teemed with activity. A self-described sports junkie, he played a little of everything and eventually was a two-sport (football and track) student-athlete at the University of Manitoba. After completing a bachelor’s degree in physical education, he moved on to the University of Alberta (MSc in Physical Education) and then

the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (PhD in Education) for his graduate and doctoral studies respectively.

“When I started thinking about what I would do with my master’s degree, I did look back to that first experience,” says Mahon. “It had a tremendous amount of influence from a career perspective.”

His research, which focuses on adapted physical activity with an emphasis on older individuals and persons with intellectual disabilities, has garnered a number of honours, including: Fellow of the Academy of Leisure Sciences (2001); Award of Distinction from the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies (2000); the University of Manitoba Rh Award for Outstanding Contributions

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to Interdisciplinary Scholarship and Research (1995).

Mahon has since become a vigorous proponent of physical activity for people of every age and ability. Most recently, he has been working on several projects that bring a research focus to how sports and play can help children in developing countries. In that context he has been involved with Right to Play as well as Play Around the World, groups that supply sports equipment and programming support to children in developing countries.

He says the opportunity to conduct research with these organizations, as well as become involved on a volunteer basis, is particularly rewarding.

“The people I’ve known who have become volunteers have really, in the end, got more out of the experience themselves than they feel they’ve given,” says Mahon.

His academic career has virtually mirrored the path he took as a student, beginning at Manitoba before transitioning to the U of A where he spent two terms as the dean of the

Photo, previous page: Dr. Mike Mahon with his wife Maureen.

Photo, far left: Kristi Legge’s Dance Group Performers, ranging from Grade 6 to university students, were among the Installation’s highlights.

Photo, left: Chief Justice of Alberta Catherine Fraser congratulates Dr. Mahon.

Photos, next page: Dr. Mahon was introduced to the U of L and the southern Alberta communities through a series of “Meet Mike” events. These are just a few of the snapshots capturing the activities.

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“AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE MUST USE OUR EXPERIENCE AND COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AND IMPROVED ACCESS TO GRADUATE-LEVEL PROGRAMMING.”

Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation prior to his coming to the U of L. His arrival in Lethbridge appears to be a case of right Mahon, right time.

Family, community and developing an atmosphere for growth of the entire person are some of the ideals that Mahon brings to the U of L. As the University looks forward, Mahon sees its growth achieved through a learning environment that is dedicated to social responsibility and community engagement; that is dedicated to building a comprehensive university across the broad academy of disciplines; that is dedicated to creating a personfirst university environment for staff and faculty; and that is centrally focused on a student-first attitude.

Mahon recognizes he has inherited a confident and forward-thinking institution, and he looks to build off that foundation as he introduces new initiatives. He says, for example, that as much as the University and its students are already agents of influence in southern Alberta, there is opportunity to expand the impact the U of L has on society by formalizing its community outreach initiatives.

“Liberal education is about presenting students with an expansive opportunity of academic experience,” he says. “I’d like to think that part of that experience could be about being in the community and taking that liberal education concept that much further.”

Mahon looks to the example his parents, who were involved community

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members, provided as he grew up, and the opportunities he had to explore and understand community engagement.

As part of his future plan for the U of L, Mahon proposes introducing a framework whereby students earn academic credit for volunteerism.

“We have developed internationally recognized strengths in the areas of neuroscience, epigenetics and water research, and we’ve more recently moved into the study of demographics and population with the creation of the Prentice Institute,” says Mahon.

“I think this is a tremendous gift that we can give our students,” he says. “Having volunteer experience within the context of education is, on one level, a way that institutions can connect with and give back to the community, but on another level, it’s a wonderful way to help our students expand their horizons.”

“Now we’re searching for our next niche research areas that we can build capacity in, and how they will also integrate with our academic programs, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.”

The University of Lethbridge, having prospered under the leadership of former President Dr. Bill Cade, is emerging from its history as a primarily undergraduate university into a comprehensive institution that fully embraces a research culture, and is rapidly expanding its graduate studies opportunities.

“What I see is the continued integration of teaching and research, both at the undergraduate and graduate level.

The U of L has always had a unique approach to engaging undergraduates in research, and that’s something we will continue to do,” says Mahon.

“As we move forward, we must use our experience and commitment to excellence in undergraduate education as a springboard for the development of and improved access to graduate-level programming.”

The opportunities for expansion, he says, are numerous, with a track record of success already established.

The recent opening of Markin Hall, a building that houses the Faculties of Health Sciences and Management, provides a fertile ground for collaborative research efforts, and is a perfect example of the interdisciplinary focus at the U of L. Simply by putting talented minds together, it creates a conversation from which great synergies can emerge.

“Markin Hall is going to be very much like the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB),” he says. “When you bring people from different, yet related, disciplines together under the same roof, you start to see some interesting areas of research develop.”

Mahon recognizes that the U of L can only move forward with a people-first, student-first approach. It begins by creating an atmosphere where a positive work/life balance is celebrated.

“I want to see us build an institution that is committed to people and to creating that balance for our people, and that means students, staff and faculty. If I’m not a role model on that front, it’s

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hard to preach that this is a direction we should go,” says Mahon, who is regularly spotted in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gym, beginning the day with a run on the treadmill or a workout in the weight room.

Having been on campus since July, Mahon has gained an understanding of what makes the U of L engine run – its people. He says the liberal arts ideals that founded the institution, coupled with a student-first learning environment, will continue to be central themes as the University advances.

“Whether it is in academic programs and research, how we recruit and orient our students, our class sizes, our residences, recreation and sport opportunities, health services, or the environment of our campus, we must ensure that we bring to life this concept of student-first,” he says.

Part of that is recognizing and celebrating how integral a place the U of L occupies in southern Alberta.

“I’ve learned that the U of L is a real treasure, and it’s because of our people,” says Mahon. “We have staff and faculty who are committed to the success of the University and to the experiences of our graduate and undergraduate students. Combine that with where we are situated, our beautiful campus, small class sizes and world-class faculty – and this is truly a premier university.”

Go Pronghorns

Congratulations to the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Women’s Rugby Team for winning its fifth consecutive Canada West Championship in October and representing the conference at the CIS Women’s Rugby Nationals in Peterborough, Ont.

Markin Hall

MAKES ITS MARK

AFTER YEARS OF PLANNING, LOOKING AT BLUEPRINTS AND IMAGINING THE OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY MARKIN HALL, THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE, TOGETHER WITH THE PREMIER OF ALBERTA, OFFICIALLY OPENED THE BUILDING ON OCTOBER 21, 2010.

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“The University community is thrilled to be celebrating the opening of Markin Hall,” says U of L President Dr. Mike Mahon. “Markin Hall is a wonderful addition to campus and will provide outstanding opportunities for students, faculty and staff for years to come.”

Markin Hall was a main priority in the University of Lethbridge’s Legacy of Leadership campaign, which concluded in December of 2007. The campaign was the most ambitious in the University’s 40-year history and raised more than $35 million for students and

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infrastructure. When combined with government funding, the campaign resulted in a $113 million investment in the U of L. In 2005, Dr. Allan Markin (LLD ’06) made a generous contribution to the Legacy of Leadership campaign. His visionary gift was combined with early private funding and support from the Government of Alberta, national corporations, U of L friends and alumni. Construction of Markin Hall began in 2008.

Now complete, the building is home to the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management.

“By improving facilities on campus, the University is investing in its students,” says University of Lethbridge Students’ Union President Taz Kassam. “Markin Hall provides a hands-on and interactive learning environment for U of L students and ensures we have the best resources and infrastructure to support our education.”

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In addition to providing some much needed space for both undergraduate and graduate students, Markin Hall includes dedicated research areas for faculty members and their research teams, a purpose-built Addictions Counselling Lab, a Simulation Health Centre with wireless high-fidelity patient simulators and Western Canada’s first finance trading room.

“This is the most modern and forwardlooking facility in Western Canada for studying business and management,” says Faculty of Management Dean

Inside Markin Hall: Markin Hall, home to the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management, provides space for an additional 450 students. The state-of-the-art facility improves teaching, learning and research facilities at the University, helping meet the changing needs of the next generation of health-care and management professionals.

Dr. Robert Ellis. “As well as classrooms with state-of-the-art capabilities, Markin Hall has 18 rooms where groups and individuals can study and work on projects together.”

In Markin Hall’s collaborative environment, the U of L will address Alberta’s most crucial issues and continue to invest in energetic, effective and strategic leaders in the fields of health care and management.

“Markin Hall provides an opportunity for continued collaboration between

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Markin Hall is a $65-million project.

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Markin Hall covers 10,400 square metres on four floors and houses approximately 230 faculty, staff and graduate students.

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The building provides space for more than 420 health sciences students and 1,600 management students.

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Markin Hall includes $1.6 million of audio-visual equipment.

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Markin Hall is certified silver by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

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The building includes two video-conference rooms used to offer courses via video in Calgary and Edmonton.

These classrooms double as case rooms for the Faculty of Management, offering closely tiered seating for 50 students, with adjacent breakout rooms for smaller group work.

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In addition to the Simulation Health Centre, the Addictions Counselling Lab and the Markin Hall Finance Trading Room, which all provide hands-on experience, there are four experimental research labs used by the Faculty of Management to conduct behavioural research such as focus groups.

the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management, including the development of a new combined degree in Public Health and Management. We look forward to many opportunities to develop innovative program and research collaborations in the coming years,” says Dr. Chris Hosgood, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

By improving teaching, learning and research facilities, Markin Hall helps the U of L meet the needs of a shifting economy and a changing province.

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DR. ROBERT SUTHERLAND AND HIS RESEARCH TEAM MAKE A SIGNIFICANT – AND FIRST IN THE WORLD – ADVANCE IN REPAIRING DAMAGED BRAINS. The human brain is a remarkable organ. From the day we’re born until the day we die, our brains evolve as we experience the world and expand our knowledge.

But the brain is also vulnerable to dementia-related diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, which kills the brain’s cerebral cortex cells and erodes short-term memory.

This summer, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) neuroscientist Dr. Robert Sutherland made international headlines when he and his research team became the first in the world to regenerate cerebral cortex brain cells in adult rats.

The research focused on a part of the brain called the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped region of the brain responsible for short- and long-term memory storage and retrieval. This is an area that is especially sensitive to illnesses or injuries that can create memory loss, explains Sutherland. It’s also a part of the brain that throughout adult life spontaneously creates new

cells that are able to easily find their correct position in the brain’s circuitry.

The team began by killing off about half of these cells by depriving them of corticosterone, an important hormone the cells need to function, causing the rats to develop memory issues very similar to humans suffering with dementia. Through a combination of a specific protein therapy, an enriched living environment and exercise, the researchers were able to re-grow the lost brain cells and prove that the rats had regained their memory function.

Regenerating brain cells is a problem neuroscientists have been struggling with for many years, with limited success. The challenge stems from the nature of the brain itself. “If you open up a laptop and take a look at the circuit board, every portion you look at has a sophisticated set of connections with other pieces,” says Sutherland. “The brain is even more complicated.”

Sutherland and his team at the U of L’s CCBN – including undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral trainee

Dr. Robert Sutherland is an Alberta Heritage Medical scientist; the director of the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience; and a professor of neuroscience at the U of L.

Jen Lai and doctoral candidates Simon Spanwick and Fraser Sparks – began working on the problem about five years ago.

Sutherland’s history at the U of L goes back to 1980, when he completed postdoctoral training in neuropsychology and became a psychology faculty member until 1991. After a decade teaching and researching at the University of New Mexico, he returned to the U of L to help launch the CCBN, Canada’s first department of neuroscience, in 2001.

Sutherland says the facility offers excellent infrastructure (including high-tech lab space and funding), and a critical mass of expertise. “It’s a highly collaborative place. I’ve worked and published with virtually every faculty member,” he says.

The CCBN is also an important training ground for up-and-coming neuroscientists, like doctoral candidate Fraser Sparks, who helped with the brain cell regeneration project. Sparks says Sutherland’s lab has a unique research environment, encouraging

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“IT IS URGENT THAT WE FIND WAYS OF PREVENTING, REVERSING AND REPAIRING INJURED BRAINS. OUR FINDINGS ARE A SIGNIFICANT ADVANCE IN THAT DIRECTION.”

The CCBN is an important training ground for up-and-coming neuroscientists, like doctoral candidate Fraser Sparks (left), who helped Dr. Sutherland with the brain cell regeneration project.

students to assist on each other’s research programs and allowing them the chance to explore anything they find intriguing. “One thing we’re not afraid to do in the Sutherland lab is criticize theories – including our own,” says Sparks.

While Sutherland’s regeneration technique is a major discovery, it is only the beginning. The next step will be to translate the research into therapies that

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work for patients. Sutherland and his team have received a second five-year grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to continue the project.

“Part of what we’re doing is refining the treatments to get closer to an actual effective clinical therapy, and in an absolutely convincing manner, show that these cells are functioning the way they should,” says Sutherland.

For patients with dementia diseases, a clinical therapy is desperately needed.

Sutherland points out that at the current rate of growth, in 30 years, someone will develop dementia every two minutes.

“The total cost of dementia could reach $153 billion per year by 2038, up from the current cost of $15 billion per year. Without fundamental scientific advances such as ours, it is certain that

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the burdens will grow dramatically,” says Sutherland. “It is urgent that we find ways of preventing, reversing and repairing injured brains. Our findings are a significant advance in that direction.”

“I am proud of my continued and varied involvement with Pronghorn Athletics. I give back to ensure that student athletes receive the funding they need to remain competitive.” Dr. Gary Bowie, professor emeritus

Giving Back

Dr. Gary Bowie’s involvement with Pronghorn Athletics spans many decades and includes time spent as athletic director, professor and coach.

The Pronghorn Annual Fund raises money for today’s athletes, helping ensure a level of athletic and academic excellence that makes the University, its alumni and fans proud.

Your gift can be designated to the sport of your choice and will be used to help the University meet the pressing needs of our student athletes.

www.ulethbridge.ca/giving University Advancement | University of Lethbridge | 4401 University Drive W | Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4 403-329-2582 | 403-329-5130 | advancement@uleth.ca

Returning Home DESMOND KAMARA RETURNS TO SIERRA LEONE AND TELLS THE STORIES OF CHILD SOLDIERS TO HELP FORMER CHILD SOLIDERS.

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If you visited Sierra Leone today, you would see a picturesque and peaceful country, a lush tropical land on the coast of West Africa that is vibrant with culture. Most of the people you’d meet there would greet you with a warm smile, many purveying a selection of woven mats, fine fabrics, pots and pans, and other market items in the colourful and bustling streets of Freetown, the capital city.

The unsettling underbelly of modernday Sierra Leone is a truth that U of L alumnus Desmond Kamara (BA’10) knows very well. Desmond, or Dez, as he prefers to be called, was born and raised in Sierra Leone, and was a young man when the war erupted. What occurred in the years that followed would forever change the face of Sierra Leone, and set Kamara’s life on a course he would never have predicted.

But if you looked a little further, if your instincts ran a bit deeper, you’d notice that underneath the vitality of Sierra Leone is an undercurrent of tension and heartbreak. Colonial buildings, once glorious, now slump sadly on street corners, decaying from neglect. Poverty is rampant and trust is rare. Everywhere you go, suspicious eyes are lowered over hushed voices, and all too often someone is missing an arm, a leg or an ear – haunting visual reminders of the darkest days in the country’s history, a period of civil war that raged from 1991 to 2002.

War is never pretty, but the civil war in Sierra Leone bears a particularly ugly scar. Child soldiers, some as young as seven, were the binding thread in the fabric of the rebel resistance. It is estimated that up to 50,000 children between the ages of seven and 18 were traumatically removed from their homes by rebel forces during the violent upheaval and were subjected to weeks of brutal “training” – most often under the influence of drugs that they were forced to take. Anyone who tried to escape was shot in front of the others, in many cases by a fellow child soldier. Countless children saw their parents shot dead, or watched helplessly as their mothers

and sisters were dragged off to become bush wives and sex slaves. Villages were pillaged and then burned to the ground.

With no family left and no home to run to, these children took up the automatic weapons that had been thrust into their hands and put them to use as instructed.

The effects of these horrific experiences, not surprisingly, caused massive social fallout. Dozens of organizations from around the world rushed to Sierra Leone to work with former child soldiers, rehabilitate them and reintegrate them into society. Cause Canada was one of the organizations involved in the effort, and Kamara, who was a teenager at the time, was hired by Cause Canada in 2001.

“Most of the kids I was working with didn’t know anything different than war,” says Kamara. “Some had spent almost half of their lives in combat, and had been forced to do terrible things.

They were brainwashed. They needed an incredible amount of counselling and support to return to normal life, and we worked tirelessly to try to help them.”

Kamara worked out of St. Michael’s rehabilitation centre in Freetown, where he met a man by the name of Robert Cornellier from Montreal. A film director by profession, Cornellier was in Sierra Leone to shoot a documentary entitled Lost Childhood, a film that follows the lives of six child soldiers after the war. Kamara and Cornellier hit it off, and Cornellier quickly realized that Kamara would be an invaluable asset to the production. He enlisted Kamara as a consultant/researcher, and Kamara was happy to provide background knowledge and expertise on the kids involved.

“I knew the kids very well. I lived, worked, ate, played and prayed with them. I knew their stories. I could tell when they were being honest, and how to make them comfortable enough to share experiences. They trusted me,” says Kamara. “It was always my goal to honour these kids, and tell their stories in a way that was respectful and truthful.”

“I KNEW THE KIDS VERY WELL. I LIVED, WORKED, ATE, PLAYED AND PRAYED WITH THEM. I KNEW THEIR STORIES. I COULD TELL WHEN THEY WERE BEING HONEST, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO SHARE EXPERIENCES. THEY TRUSTED ME. IT WAS ALWAYS MY GOAL TO HONOUR THESE KIDS, AND TELL THEIR STORIES IN A WAY THAT WAS RESPECTFUL AND TRUTHFUL.”

Desmond Kamara (photos submitted)

A year after the film wrapped, Kamara was in Canada leading a youth delegation under the auspices of Cause Canada. While here, he decided to take the first step in fulfilling a dream he’d always had of someday studying abroad.

With encouragement from the Canadian staff, Kamara applied to a college in Calgary, and was accepted. He moved to Canada to begin the program in 2004.

“I always wanted to continue my education outside my country,” says Kamara. “With the atrocities I’d seen, I wanted to experience something completely different. I knew that my work in Sierra Leone was not complete, but to really make the difference I wanted to make, I needed to go out into the world and bring what I learned back home with me.”

After two years in college, Kamara was accepted at the University of Lethbridge to study anthropology. In 2007, he decided to contact Robert Cornellier and sent him an e-mail message to say hello. As it happened, Cornellier was also trying to connect with Kamara.

“Robert had been calling random people in Sierra Leone, trying to locate me, but no one he spoke with knew how to get in touch with me in Canada,” says Kamara. “I sent that e-mail message to him at just the right time.”

Cornellier was looking for Kamara because he was preparing to do a followup film to Lost Childhood called The Kids of St. Michael’s. Cornellier wanted Kamara back for the second project, and

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Kamara was keen to accept. He went to his U of L professors for their opinions on what to do.

“The support I got was phenomenal,” says Kamara. “My professors unanimously told me that I absolutely had to do it, that I couldn’t possibly know where this might take me. I contacted the Applied Studies office, and we made it happen.”

The Kids of St. Michael’s became an applied study in Kamara’s degree program. Kamara took a much bigger role in the process the second time around, co-directing and narrating the film, as well as working in front of the camera as host. The premise of the project was to find the six children from Lost Childhood and see how they were faring, but the concept proved impossible to fulfill.

“The kids were spread out over the country, and a few we couldn’t locate at all, so we had to change our plans,” says Kamara. “The film became a road film, following me as I searched for the children, and the discoveries I made about the current situation of child soldiers.”

Only three of the six previous child soldiers featured in Lost Childhood were found during the making of The Kids of St. Michael’s, and to Kamara’s dismay, not much had changed.

“In fact, their situations were worse,” says Kamara. “There is very little support for them. Reconciliation and reunification programs are being cut

Kamara in Sierra Leone in 2010 with children at a mission school. The child with the sunglasses is the son of a former child soldier.

short, funding has dried up. There is so much work left to do, and no real way to do it. In Africa we say that it takes a village to raise a child. These children fought for up to ten years of their lives.

To just put them back into society is not enough. The objective of reintegration has been met, but has to be properly followed up. We need to support the kids even if it takes ten more years.”

Kamara is already working with Cornellier on plans for a third film that will focus on furthering the reconciliation process in Sierra Leone, and increase support for former child soldiers. Although he feels his work for the cause isn’t yet done, Kamara speaks reflectively and openly about what his future might hold.

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“Two years ago, I never thought about being the co-director of a film,” he says.

“Right now I’m still contemplating the direction that I want to go; I’m considering what I really want to do.

I’m just going to go with the flow. If an opportunity arises that will allow me to help the world become a better place, I’ll take it.”

Photos, bottom: Some of the former child soldiers from St. Michael’s rehabilitation centre.

Main photo, previous page: In June 2010 Kamara showed the documentary, The Kids of St. Michael’s, at the University of Lethbridge and the Lethbridge Public Library.

MUSE control

JAMES WADE FINDS HIS MUSE AND WINS THE 2010 PLAY RIGHT PRIZE.

RUSHMORE, STARRING BILL MURRAY, DIDN’T ATTRACT LARGE SR CROWDS OF MOVIEGOERS WHEN IT DEBUTED IN 1998, BUT THE L F CULT CLASSIC MADE AN IMPRESSION ON U OF L FINE ARTS STUDENT EH JAMES WADE. THE 23-YEAR-OLD, WHO WAS ONLY 11 WHEN THE SA MOVIE PREMIERED, REMEMBERS WATCHING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME .DE YEARS AFTER IT WAS RELEASED.

from these and other movies into everyday conversations because for him they have developed a personal relevance.

“I remember every detail. The Germans wore grey, you wore blue,” says Wade, illustrating his point using a line from Casablanca.

For Wade, narrative is an art form that transcends geographic, cultural and social boundaries, offering a connection between people who have never met.

“I don’t know if I knew it at the time, but that movie inspired my interest in narratives,” says Wade. “There’s a scene in Rushmore where Bill Murray’s character is so vividly portrayed that I relate to him on a personal level.

That sense of shared experience is extraordinary because in that moment it doesn’t matter that the person I’m connecting with is a character in a movie.”

“He’s fictional, but you can’t have everything,” jokes Wade, quoting a line from Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo.

Wade’s playful attitude belies the seriousness of his endeavour. He is a self-professed movie buff whose top picks include the classic Casablanca, fanfavourite Annie Hall and box-office hit Jurassic Park. He is able to drop quotes

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“Narrative is ideological,” explains Wade. “Stories take shape in response to experiences and in relation to values and beliefs. Regardless of the story being told, narrative is always part of a larger conversation.”

Eager to be part of the discussion, Wade started writing his own scripts. Inspired by a summer lecture he attended two years ago, he began investigating the idea of the muse and its role in contemporary society.

“The figure of the muse played an important role in Greek culture; they believed in spirits that would visit them and inspire their artistic creations,” explains Wade. “The figure of the muse has lost that significance in today’s culture, and we now believe in an artistry that comes from within the individual.”

Having found a subject that interested him, Wade began work on what was to become Muse Control. Treating the muse as a literal character, the play plunges audiences into the fantastic life of a struggling author, desperate to break his writer’s block. Reality is suspended and twisted as his muse encourages and exposes his creative and personal truths.

“Muse Control is quirky and eccentric but that’s what makes it real,” explains Wade.

“While writing it, I worked with some of my own neuroses as an artist, and I hope that comes across in the characters when people read the script or see the play.”

Wade’s self-reflection paid off as Muse Control won the 2010 U of L Play Right Prize, earning Wade a $1,500 cash award and a public reading of his play.

“Winning the Play Right Prize was obviously an honour and went a long way toward validating my work,” says Wade, who is hoping for a future in writing.

The U of L Play Right Prize is one of two awards geared at young writers made possible by the generous support of U of L alumnus Terry Whitehead (BA ’94).

“My time at the U of L was a very formative period in my life,” says Whitehead. “My education and campus involvements helped shape my world view. I am happy

S AM | So u t h e r n A l b e r t a M ag az i n e | U n i v e r s i t y o f Le t h b r i d g e

to support the Play Right Prize as a way to ensure that both current and future students are given the same opportunities to explore their creativity.”

In addition to winning the Play Right Prize, Muse Control is the first play from the competition to be produced at the University of Lethbridge. The play opened the 2010/11 TheatreXtra season.

“TheatreXtra provides great opportunities and experience to students with a passion for theatre,” says Wade, describing the primarily student-run productions. “I’ve envisioned Muse Control in my head for so long, it’s great to see it brought to life on stage by a group of my peers.”

Wade accepts the accolades humbly and enjoys the process of producing, but he remains true to the writing process believing it to be cathartic.

“You are what you love and not what loves you,” says Wade, quoting Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation.

Maybe one day someone will be quoting lines from a James Wade movie.

OGEIVOM FO SDWORC EGRAL TCARTTA T’NDID ,YARRUM LLIB GNIRRATS ,E U NO NOISSERPMI NA EDAM CISSALC TLUC EHT TUB ,8991 NI DETUBED TI NEHW 11 YLNO SAW OHW ,DLO RAEY-32 EHT .EDAW SEMAJ TNEDUTS STR TI RETFA SRAEY EMIT TSRIF EHT ROF TI GNIHCTAW SREBMEMER ,DEREIME AELER

“THE FIGURE OF THE MUSE PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN GREEK CULTURE; THEY BELIEVED IN SPIRITS THAT WOULD VISIT THEM AND INSPIRE THEIR ARTISTIC CREATIONS. THE FIGURE OF THE MUSE HAS LOST THAT SIGNIFICANCE IN TODAY’S CULTURE, AND WE NOW BELIEVE IN AN ARTISTRY THAT COMES FROM WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL.” Poster credit: Danielle Kat Photo, above: Top Row (L-R), Camille Pavlenko, James Wade Bottom Row (L-R), Brett Gartley, Devon Brayne

Generously supported by U of L alumnus Terry Whitehead (BA ’94), the Play Right Prize and Striking Prose competitions aim to encourage excellence and development in student playwriting and shortstory writing. Open to all undergraduate students at the U of L, prizes are awarded annually in each competition, with $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $250 for third place.

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An Apple and a Brain: What’s the connection?

NEW MASTER’S PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING At the central Alberta school where Melissa Pasolli (BEd ’91) works as a special-education coordinator, there’s a little girl with Down syndrome who studies with kids just a year younger.

For the most part, she follows along when the group learns simple math or works on art projects. If a lesson goes beyond her capabilities, she does a special project with a teaching assistant.

Pasolli is a firm believer in including kids with learning disabilities, however mild or pronounced, in a regular classroom. “As long as I see that there’s an increase in knowledge or skills, I feel the classroom is the proper place,” says the U of L alumna. “Kids with different learning abilities can both learn with each other and from each other, especially where social skills are concerned.”

But Pasolli knows it can be tough for teachers, who don’t often receive formal education about learning disabilities but are increasingly required to work with kids who have them. That’s why she’s glad to hear of a new U of L program

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designed to fill in the knowledge gaps for teachers encountering students with learning and behavioural issues.

“Just accepting the idea that not every student learns the same is huge and can only make you a better teacher,” says Pasolli.

The U of L’s new Inclusive Education and Neuroscience Master of Education program is the first of its kind in Western Canada. When the program launches in 2011, it will bring educators and neuroscientists together, and put brain-based neuroscience research directly into the classroom.

Dr. Nancy Grigg, education professor and program coordinator, explains that it’s only in the last five years that efforts have begun to bridge the gap between neuroscience and education. “There’s a deeper understanding of how the development of parts of the brain relates to how kids learn, and how specific regions relate to certain deficits in areas such as comprehension, concentration and memory,” she says.

With this awareness, teachers can use more effective methods of intervention to help children with learning disabilities develop strategies that compensate for their weaknesses by relying on other, and better-developed, cognitive processes.

But just as the development of the brain affects how kids learn, the way they learn can influence how the brain develops, explains Dr. Bryan Kolb, a world-renowned researcher at the U of L’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience.

“Using the right interventions can make a tremendous difference,” he says.

“Children are like sponges. They soak things up as they go along and this changes their brains. Different experiences put kids on different trajectories.”

Kolb stresses that the U of L’s new master’s degree will focus on neuroscience principles and how they relate to teaching, rather than hard science. “There’s no reason for teachers to know all of the details of molecular neurobiology. It’s about knowing what it means and how to translate it to the classroom,” says Kolb.

For Alberta teachers, the creation of the new program couldn’t come at a

better time as the challenges teachers face continue to grow. “We’re serving more children, and children from more diverse backgrounds with different needs,” says Grigg.

The program will also come into being around the time Alberta Education’s new Setting the Direction Framework comes into place, which requires schools to take all children, regardless of any special needs, and place them in regular classrooms.

“All teachers will be dealing with learning and behavioural needs,” Grigg says. “Our goal is to have a direct impact on improving how teachers can help their students.”

The Inclusive Education and Neuroscience MEd program will launch in the summer of 2011. The program is geared at working teachers, offering a blended model of instruction with summer institutes and distance courses the rest of the year. For more information, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/education

grigg & kolb

Drs. Bryan Kolb and Nancy Grigg

“OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON IMPROVING HOW TEACHERS CAN HELP THEIR STUDENTS.”

DR. NANCY GRIGG

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Performing Arts Events THEATRE & MUSIC November 22 | Ode to Joy (Beethoven’s Symphony #9) 8 p.m., Southminster United Church Lethbridge Symphony and Vox Musica with soloists Janet Youngdahl, soprano; Sandra Stringer, mezzo-soprano; Blaine Hendsbee, tenor; and George Evelyn, bass-baritone. Tickets: 403-329-7328.

December 4 & 5 Magnificat & Messiah 8 p.m., Dec. 4 | 3 p.m., Dec. 5, Southminster United Church | The LSO with the U of L Singers perform Bach’s Magnificat and the Christmas part of Handel’s Messiah. Tickets: 403-329-7328. LSO Master Series

November 23-27 | Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind (English Translation by Jonathan Franzen) 8 p.m., University Theatre Written in 1891 and not performed uncensored for decades, this “children’s tragedy” is as much a statement about sexual morality and bourgeois hypocrisy today as it was a century ago. A group of teens experience a sexual awakening, becoming curious about their bodies, each other, masturbation and more.

Teachers and parents fight to protect them, with both hilarious and disastrous results. Mature content.

January 22 | Big Band Cabaret 8 p.m., U of L Ballrooms (Students’ Union Building) | Enjoy a silent auction, door prizes, and dancing to the music of the Lethbridge Big Band.

November 26 U of L Wind Orchestra Concert 8 p.m., Southminster United Church November 30 | Magnum Mysterium (Great Mystery) 8 p.m., Southminster United Church | Vox Musica and the U of L Women’s Chorus.

December 1 | Birth of the Cool 8 p.m., University Theatre | The U of L Jazz Ensemble performs music from the famous album Birth of the Cool and other well-known Miles Davis songs, including All Blue and So What.

December 3 Classical Percussion Concert 8 p.m., University Theatre | The U of L Percussion Ensemble performs compelling modern and classical repertoire with a touch of Christmas.

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ART

January 20-22 | TheatreXtra 8 p.m., David Spinks Theatre Matinee: 2 p.m., Jan. 22 January 22 | Classical Winds 8 p.m., University Recital Hall Features Thomas Staples, horn; Margaret Mezei, clarinet; and Deanna Oye, piano; with friends. Faculty Artists & Friends Series January 23 | Classical Winds 2 p.m., Medicine Hat Esplanade Studio Theatre | The concert is followed by a U of L alumni reception. Faculty Artists & Friends Series January 27 | Schubertiade 7:30 p.m., Lethbridge Public Library Theatre | A celebration of Franz Schubert’s music presented by music faculty and students. Free admission.

January 28 | Original Brass 8 p.m., Southminster United Church U of L Faculty Brass Quintet: Trudi Mason, trumpet; Keith Griffioen, trumpet; Thomas Staples, horn; Gerald Rogers, trombone; Nick Sullivan, bass trombone. Tickets: 403-329-7328. LSO Chamber Series

January 29 | Abbondànza 6 p.m., CoCo Pazzo Italian Café The 10th annual memorable evening of gourmet food, fine art and fun, to raise funds for Fine Arts student scholarships.

Tickets limited, book early: 403-329-2227.

February 7 Happy 50th Birthday LSO! 8 p.m., Southminster United Church The Lethbridge Symphony, with the Musaeus String Quartet, performs works

by Leonard Bernstein, Tchaikovsky and U of L Professor Emeritus JohnPaul Christopher Jackson. | Tickets: 403-329-7328. LSO Master Series February 11 & 12 An Evening of Chamber Opera 8 p.m., University Recital Hall Giancarlo Menotti’s comic radio opera The Old Maid and the Thief headlines this Opera Workshop performance, which also includes Samuel Barber’s A Hand of Bridge and the delightful 18th century comedy La Cantarina by Franz Joseph Haydn.

February 15-19 The Seagull by Anton Chekhov 8 p.m., David Spinks Theatre Konstantin loves his mother but is jealous of her fame and depressed about his lack of success as a playwright. He despises the celebrated young writer who lives with her and seems to have captured the attention of the girl he adores. Passions abound and idealism is challenged by triviality in this absorbing drama from the master of comic realism.

November 20 Button Making with Trap/door What’s the most creative thing you can fit onto a 1” round button? Here’s a great way to test your eye for things on a smaller scale. Buttons are $1 each, or 5 for $3. All the proceeds go to Trap/door Artist Run Centre.

January 15 | Prairie Ink Drawings In celebration of A Little History on the Prairies, you can make your own prairie ink – just like they did waaaaaay back when. Use your ink to draw a prairie landscape that may or may not contain a little house!

February 5 | Printmaking An annual favourite, all materials are provided and it’s easy to do, not to mention lots of fun.

EXHIBITIONS U OF L MAIN GALLERY November 5 to January 7 Promising Objects January 14 to February 25 A Little History on the Prairies

HELEN CHRISTOU GALLERY October 29 to January 14 Lethbridge National Park (art + people = x series) January 21 to April 8 Projects by Museum Studies Interns

For more information about any of these events, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/finearts/events

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U N I V E R S I T Y O F L E T H B R I D G E A RT G A L L E RY

art + people = x series

joy : the x factor an annotated bibliography of contemporary design process

by Emily Luce For many designers, or any person who formulates a plan, standard processes and protocols, informed evaluation and didactic reasoning are primary tools. Joy, on the other hand, is unaccountable. It is a surprise. It can’t be contained. It’s un-designable.

Kenojuak Ashevak, Multifeathered Bird, 1961 From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Gift of Toni Onley, 1988.

Unknown, Two Fashion Drawings in One From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Bequest of Roloff Beny, 1987.

Joy is not, however, the antithesis of design. It is an extension of it. Joy can be facilitated by generosity, by happenstance, by wit, by presence, by an open door.

A person can try to make it happen, and hope it works out, but that’s it. Forcing joy is goingthrough-the-motions; insisting on joy is a joke.

Joy is the best possible consequence of a compound of influences. Joy makes a connection, and lifts off. The potential for joy, combined with the processes and protocols we work with to achieve a designed outcome are intrinsic to our discipline. The unknown and the uncontainable are welcome in this register of design.

Presented in the next pages is a concentric diagram of the design process. Elaborating on each of the points in the diagram are quotes that explore, challenge and attempt to capture joy in the design process. Illustrating the diagram are works from the University of Lethbridge Art Collection.

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U N I V E R S I T Y O F L E T H B R I D G E A RT G A L L E RY

Punchlines that need to be explained are neither funny nor memorable.

—Sean Wilkinson, on the cold, hard truth.

Unknown, The Milk Maid, c. 1950s From a private local collection.

evaluation

Give what you don’t have to someone who may not want it.

—Debra Parr, on design in our time David Thauberger, Blackbirds in a Snowstorm, 1975 From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Gift of the artist, 1993.

sharing | duplication

You have a bug bite on your face but I’ll just photoshop it out. —Margo Halverson, in the moment, on skirting obstacles.

execution

Eric Cameron, Cup, Saucer and Spoon, 1979-1992 From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Gift of the artist, 1993.

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The way you’re thinking about the problem might be the problem.

—Rick Griffiths, on the basics. awareness | assignment | question

Napatchie Pootoogook, The First Policeman I Saw, 1978. From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Purchased in 1988.

I remember the moment a dog became a part of my writing practice.

—Gabrielle Esperdy, on finding the combination that worked.

Kazuo Nakamura, X-mas Card, 1957 From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Acquired in 1986.

orientation | inventory

The rules are optional.

—Amelia Irwin & Nicole Killian, on questioning everything and arriving at a conclusion.

Rebecca Singleton, How to wear a dress, 1981, 1998 From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Anonymous gift, 1999.

plan of action

By the time you’re old, you have the face you deserve. —John Hines, commenting on the speed and power of experience.

preparing knowledge and skills

Chris Cran, Self-Portrait Accepting a Cheque for the Commission of This Painting, 1988. From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Gift of Peter Boyd, 1995.

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U N I V E R S I T Y O F L E T H B R I D G E A RT G A L L E RY

“The adventurous mind is a high house. To enjoy life, the adventurous state of mind must be grasped and maintained. The essential feature of adventure is that it is going forward into the unknown territory. The joy of adventure is unaccountable. This is the attractiveness of art work. It is adventurous, strenuous and joyful.”—Agnes Martin Emily Luce spent a week at DesignInquiry on Vinalhaven, Maine studying joy with an outstanding group of artists, designers, architects, philosophers and scholars. Melle Hammer presented the concentric diagram there, and the people quoted in the article above are all DesignInquiry participants. When she’s not untangling cords or packing for a trip, Luce is a member of the Department of New Media at the University of Lethbridge.

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Ray Arnatt, The Image as a Mathematical Icon (chair), 1983. From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Gift of the artist, 1986.

Etidlooie Etidlooie, Airplanes Becoming Sea Animals, 1981 From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Inuit gift, 1986.

art + people = x series

TOUCHDOWN 2008 GREY CUP CHAMPION BRETT RALPH IS TACKLING HIS NEXT BIG CHALLENGE AT THE U OF L.

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AT 28 YEARS OF AGE, BRETT RALPH IS JUST ENTERING HIS PRIME AS A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE, A FLEETING WINDOW OF TIME WHEN THE WISDOM ACQUIRED THROUGH EXPERIENCE MESHES WITH THE ATHLETICISM OF YOUTH.

Yet, Ralph, a five-year Canadian Football League (CFL) veteran and 2008 Grey Cup champion, is not weaving his way through opposing defences looking for the end zone. Instead he is navigating the halls of the University of Lethbridge with his sights set on a new goal – a teaching degree from the Faculty of Education.

“I got to the point in my career where I felt I needed to start thinking long term,” says Ralph, who is married and a father of three. “I still think my best years in football are probably ahead of me, but the one thing I didn’t want to lose was the desire to go back to school.

A part of me was scared that if I was to play five more seasons, I may not want to come back to get a degree and would move on and do something different.”

His retirement announcement, on the eve of the Calgary Stampeders’ 2010 training camp, caught many people by surprise, but it is consistent with Ralph’s character and reflective of his upbringing.

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“I’VE WANTED TO TEACH SINCE I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT.“

Raymond High School. His brothers Dustin (who teaches at Stirling High School) and Brock (who has a teaching degree but is still playing for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers) have also chosen to follow an academic path.

“Watching my dad as I grew up, his lifestyle attracted me to teaching more than anything,” says Ralph, who lauds the familial nature of the profession.

“I’ve wanted to teach since I was a high school student,” he says.

“You have the same hours as your kids, you’re home in the summers with your kids and you have the ability to coach as well. You won’t be rich by any means but for me it’s worth the lifestyle and the opportunity to become a positive influence in kids’ lives.”

He comes from a family of educators, led by his father Jim Ralph (BA ’83, MEd ’06), who holds two degrees from the U of L and is the principal of

The U of L is Ralph’s fourth postsecondary school after brief stints at the University of Wyoming, Boise State University and the University of Alberta,

all while pursuing his football career.

Now in his second full semester at the U of L, he’s finding his niche as a student.

“I’ve never been able to go to school without having to go to practice afterwards,” he says. “I don’t have to be on the road for football games anymore; I can actually put all my focus into my schoolwork. I don’t think people understand how hard it is to be at your best academically when your time is split with athletics.”

Ralph admits he wouldn’t have had it any other way, but now that he’s not facing two-hour practices, personal training sessions and film study, he’s been able to immerse himself in his schoolwork. It’s given him a clear view of his future as a teacher, something that was reinforced by a U of L class that took him into a public school setting.

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“I compare teaching to coaching in a lot of ways,” says Ralph, adding he values lessons learned outside the traditional classroom. “Obviously, you are required to follow a curriculum but I think the relationship you build with kids is far more valuable than maybe the things they learn out of a textbook.”

The U of L’s personal approach is proving to be a good fit for these ideals. Ralph says his early experiences with University professors and the one-on-one approach they employ is something he can take with him as he looks to cultivate positive relationships with his students.

And while Ralph is fully committed to his new life as a student and only a student, it’s hard to imagine him not missing football, especially now that he’s in school for the first time during a CFL season. He says there are no regrets.

“I miss playing with our receiver group because we were together for a long time, and I miss the atmosphere,” he says. “But I really don’t think it’s any more difficult than I anticipated, or any easier. Now, if they are holding up a Grey Cup in November, my emotions might mess with me a little bit.”

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“WE PREPARE CATALYSTS THAT CONVERT A CHEMICAL FOUND IN CORN OR BEETS INTO A PLASTIC-LIKE MATERIAL CALLED POLYLACTIDE.” 8

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Cream of the

[CROP] DR. PAUL HAYES’ WORK MAY BE SMALL IN SCALE, BUT IT’S ATTRACTING AWARDS, ACCOLADES AND A LOT OF ATTENTION. When U of L chemistry researcher Dr. Paul Hayes sees a cornfield, he looks much deeper than the rows, the stalks or even the kernels.

He envisions matter at the molecular level and sees corn as a source for biodegradable material, such as a plastic drinking cup, rather than just a common vegetable.

In fact, Hayes looks at many common materials and thinks up ways to improve them at the molecular level by making them more useful, energy efficient and, like biodegradable corn-based drinking cups, more environmentally friendly.

His award-winning research focuses on synthetic chemistry, or the making of molecules. More specifically, he prepares new molecules – called catalysts – that are able to convert one chemical into another without themselves being consumed or altered.

One of his recent projects focuses on the challenge of making new materials that are both biodegradable and biocompatible.

“We prepare catalysts that convert a chemical found in corn or beets into a plastic-like material called polylactide,” explains Hayes.

“Polylactide can be made into a wide variety of manufactured goods, such as drinking cups or other biodegradable products. We can either shorten or extend the biodegradable lifespan of the product based on how we fine-tune the molecular structure of the polylactide.”

The ability to manipulate these characteristics opens up possibilities for many new and useful materials in the future.

For example, Hayes explains packaging materials can have readily adjusted biodegradation rates to accommodate the need for various shelf lives of different items, providing an alternative “green” plastic for food packaging.

Hayes’ research also has medical applications like absorbable sutures, matrices for the slow release of pharmaceuticals and polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Hayes, who has been at the U of L for four years, continues to develop his thriving independent research program, which has produced numerous publications in top-tier journals and received more than $1.4 million in funding from provincial and national agencies, such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Canada School of Energy and Environment and GreenCentre Canada.

As a result of these successes the young researcher has earned province-wide accolades, including the prestigious Alberta Ingenuity New Faculty Award.

Most recently, Hayes accepted a Distinguished Academic Early Career Award from the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations for his ongoing accomplishments and future research potential.

It’s a promising future for all Albertans, really, thanks to leading academics like Hayes, who just happens to be tackling world issues at the molecular level.

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SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH

THE NOT IN MY BACKYARD (NIMBY) PHENOMENON IS PERVASIVE IN TOWNS AND CITIES RIGHT ACROSS NORTH AMERICA, AND IT’S HAPPENING RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN BACKYARD IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA. THAT’S WHY AN INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUP OF RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE HAS TEAMED UP TO STUDY THE NIMBY PHENOMENON, ITS IMPACT ON HOME RENTERS AND HOMEBUYERS IN LETHBRIDGE, AND ULTIMATELY, HOW TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM.

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SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH

Community Minded RESEARCH PROJECT EXAMINES REACTIONS TO FIRST NATIONS RENTERS AND HOMEOWNERS WITH AN EYE TO CREATING GREATER INCLUSION

Kim Smith* is well acquainted with racism, especially when it comes to the Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) phenomenon. For most of her adult life, the long-time Lethbridge resident has encountered landlords who wouldn’t rent to her because she is First Nations.

Those who would accept her were often slumlords that didn’t maintain their properties or respect their tenants.

Smith’s story isn’t uncommon. Dr. Yale Belanger, a professor of Native American Studies at the University of Lethbridge, says NIMBY is happening in Lethbridge.

That’s why he’s working with his U of L colleagues, Dr. Jo-Anne Fiske (Women’s Studies) and Dr. David Gregory (Health Sciences), to study the phenomenon.

The team has interviewed dozens of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Lethbridge to better understand how NIMBY works, its impact on First Nations people and

what can be done to eradicate the problem.

“Wherever people feel there might be social changes or impacts on the value of their home, or encounter people with whom they’re not familiar, you’ll find NIMBY,” explains Fiske.

For victims, NIMBY means more than struggling to find a place to live. “The sense of exclusion, marginalization and discrimination has a major impact on a citizen’s well-being,” she says.

The effects of the phenomenon are harsh, and as Gregory notes, this kind of discrimination has psychological consequences. “It undermines one’s self-worth and self-value,” he says.

NIMBY has a long history in Lethbridge.

Belanger, who’s trained as a political historian and is the project’s principal investigator, points out that until the 1860s and ’70s, many Americans came to the Lethbridge area thinking they could set up homesteads, farms and ranches free of any interaction with First Nations people.

“They brought with them the notion that native people were a scourge of the frontier,” says

Belanger. “Not everyone exercised those ideas outright, but because they were in place, there was a strong disconnect between the first white settlers and the First Nations people.”

Over time, the area’s First Nations people were forced onto reserves by the government, further dividing people.

Even after the government stopped monitoring and controlling their movements, most of them continued to stay on the reserve, only coming into town to do errands.

The first urbanization of Aboriginal people in Lethbridge happened in the 1970s. Now 40 years later, there are about 5,000 Aboriginal people living in the city. After close to a century of segregation, two groups that have traditionally had little interaction are now living next door to each other, explains Belanger. In many cases, frustrations have reached a boiling point, resulting in some residents being openly hostile to their First Nations neighbours.

But Belanger is quick to point out that the First Nations people weren’t the only ones to be openly marginalized in Lethbridge. Around 1911, for example, a town council proclamation led to the consolidation of the Chinese business owners working in Lethbridge onto Second Ave. South where Chinatown is located today.

This “history of ghettoization,” as Belanger puts it, is alive and well today with NIMBY. The discrimination comes in many variations and degrees. During interviews with the researchers, some people openly admitted that they didn’t want Aboriginal people living next to them, but in many cases, prejudice was far subtler.

“Some people actually considered themselves supportive of First Nations groups, even though they didn’t want them living nearby,” says Belanger.

“The stereotypes are entrenched, and people may not realize they’re projecting a racist or discriminatory attitude,” says Belanger.

Fiske agrees. “Attitudes run deep,” she says, and often these attitudes are rooted in fear. In the case of a native women’s transition centre slated to be built in Lethbridge’s Stafford area a couple of years ago, protesters expressed concern for neighbourhood safety, operating under the assumption “that native women posed a threat to the city,” says Fiske.

She and the other researchers are actively working to bring their research to the community in the hopes of stimulating social change. In the last year or so, they’ve presented their work at academic conferences, community groups and city council.

(L-R) Drs. Jo-Anne Fiske, Yale Belanger and David Gregory

“WE’RE PURSUING THIS RESEARCH FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE COMMUNITY.” DR. YALE BELANGER While NIMBY is a phenomenon many Aboriginal people experience, there’s been precious little research on it.

In fact, urban Aboriginal people are often overlooked by researchers. “In

Canada, the majority of research with respect to First Nations people focuses on reserves,” says Gregory. “But, with increasing numbers of Aboriginal people moving to the cities, there’s a misalignment.”

He’d like to see more work on urban Aboriginal people and is working with his two colleagues to establish the Regional Centre for Urban Aboriginal Research.

“We have been networking with the local First Nations and Aboriginal

communities in an effort to establish working relationships to enhance the University of Lethbridge’s research capital within the local urban context,” Gregory explains.

In addition to doing work with, about and for Aboriginal people, the research centre would bring together researchers from different disciplines, much like the NIMBY project. “It’s more comprehensive, with multiple perspectives coming to bear on a phenomenon,” he says.

All of the researchers stress that the research isn’t about pointing fingers at Lethbridge’s citizens and painting the city as a racist place.

“We’ve all chosen Lethbridge; it’s our home. It’s not simply a research project – we’re pursuing this research for the betterment of the community,” says Belanger.

For more information on the Regional Centre for Urban Aboriginal Research, visit: www.urbanaboriginalresearch.com *Kim Smith is a pseudonym.

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SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH

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SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH

of

homeless the meaning

FOR MONTHS, GABRIELLE WEASEL HEAD HAS MADE REGULAR VISITS TO A LETHBRIDGE SHELTER TO INTERVIEW ITS BLACKFOOT RESIDENTS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES.

In the tradition of Blackfoot storytelling, Weasel Head is exploring what homelessness means to Blackfoot people. She has collected five narratives, and now faces the challenge of capturing the stories she’s heard. “It’s hard to reproduce their stories without having my heartstrings pulled,” she says.

As a Blackfoot person herself, the U of L master’s student in Native American Studies has insights many researchers don’t. “We have this element of intergenerational trauma and abuse, the devaluation of self, loss of identity,” says Weasel Head.

Everyone who she has interviewed has had a very different story, but all share a “profound sense of loss on every level,” she says. Her interviewees have lost their sense of self – largely because of addiction and discrimination – and also their loved ones.

“To be truly homeless, is to be without community relations,” she says. “Even though the Blackfoot have cultural

ties to the area and the land itself is considered ‘home,’ the people I interviewed are deeply disconnected from the community.”

But there’s a hopeful side to Weasel Head’s work. Research like hers can help the public look at the homeless as real people, rather than a social problem, and this can help inform social policies that make a difference.

“By better understanding the causes of Native homelessness, as told by those experiencing it, the tools to combat it through adequate programming and policy development are more wisely and appropriately allocated,” she says, adding that Lethbridge community group Social Housing in Action (SHIA) is closely following her work.

Weasel Head is also giving a voice to a group of people who have traditionally been without one in mainstream Canadian society. “The people I spoke with appreciated the chance to tell their stories,” she says.

As for Weasel Head, the experience has helped her find her own voice and gain a deeper understanding of who she is.

“I’m rediscovering where I come from and remembering who my people are.”

Gabrielle Weasel Head

“BY BETTER UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF NATIVE HOMELESSNESS ... THE TOOLS TO COMBAT IT THROUGH ADEQUATE PROGRAMMING AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT ARE MORE WISELY AND APPROPRIATELY ALLOCATED.”

Significant AND MENTIONABLE

When Dr. Janay Nugent was an undergraduate student at the U of L, she was influenced by professor Dr. James Tagg’s belief in community involvement. Now a professor herself, Nugent helped establish an award in Tagg’s honour that the entire department generously supports.

HISTORIANS SCORE 100% The University of Lethbridge History Department celebrated 100 per cent participation in Supporting Our Students for the second year in a row.

“This is an incredible accomplishment,” says Debi Sandul, who is co-chairing this year’s SOS campaign.

“Students have always been at the centre of what we do and this demonstrates the continued commitment of the History Department to enhance the student experience and create opportunities.”

Supporting Our Students is an annual internal fundraising campaign to raise money for student awards. Faculty and staff donations are matched by the Government of Alberta’s Access to the

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Future Fund, doubling the impact of all contributions.

The goal for this year’s campaign is 300 contributions and thanks to the dedication of faculty and staff like those from the History Department, the campaign already has 255 participants.

“This year’s campaign is about participation and this group has come together to demonstrate the strength of the U of L community,” explains Dr. Rob Wood, the campaign co-chair.

“We are very proud of what we’ve been able to do as a group and I hope this is just the beginning,” says History Department Chair Dr. Chris Epplett, who went on to issue a friendly challenge to other U of L departments.

GRAD STUDENTS HONOURED When the School of Graduate Studies and the Office of Research Services handed out their Research Excellence awards recently, there were no trophies, only cold hard cash to the tune of more than $700,000, which was shared by 36 student recipients of graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral studies awards.

NATIONAL RANKING SHOWS DRAMATIC GROWTH FOR U OF L RESEARCH FUNDING The U of L is ranked second nationally by Re$earch Infosource in terms of research income growth over the decade 19992009 for undergraduate universities – with an overall growth rate from $3.295 million to $15.956 million.

The investment in research funding directed toward candidates in master’s and doctoral programs is critical to help grow the U of L’s research programs and its place as a comprehensive research university.

“This is the highest gain of any Alberta school and any Western Canadian school – and we are still growing,” says U of L Vice-President (Research) Dr. Dan Weeks.

The research funding was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Alberta-based agencies Alberta Ingenuity Fund, Alberta Innovates Health Solutions, the Alberta Cancer Foundation, and the Alberta government-funded Ralph Steinhauer Awards of Distinction.

“These figures do not reflect the additional people we have attracted, the income from this past year or the many new programs that we have launched.”

As assessed by RE$EARCH Infosource, the list ranks universities by their research income and research intensity (research funding per faculty member).

ACCESSIBILITY AND INNOVATION LEAD TO RECORD ENROLMENT This September brought with it the largest student enrolment in the U of L’s history. The official enrolment number is 8,472, with the growth being credited to the University’s dedication to being an accessible and innovative institution.

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SIGNIFICANT AND MENTIONABLE

STUDENTS’ UNION HELPING PAINT A BRIGHTER FUTURE exterior of their property. There is no cost to the homeowner and the program operation is based solely on volunteers.

EDUCATION STUDENTS TAKE A STAND AGAINST BULLYING The third annual University of Lethbridge Anti-bullying and Cyberbullying Awareness Week was held Oct. 4 to 6. Organized by the Education Undergraduate Society, the event is the only student-organized anti-bullying campaign in Alberta and aims to increase the awareness of cyberbullying and bullying in the community.

The ever-increasing use of technology among children is rapidly leading to a transformation in the traditional forms of bullying, with cyberbullying becoming more prevalent.

The anti-bullying campaign highlighted the need for schools to develop policies and procedures related to cyberbullying, while providing teachers with techniques and tools to address the issue.

GLOBE & MAIL REPORT CARD The Globe and Mail’s annual report card on Canadian University performance is out and the University of Lethbridge has been given high marks, ranging from B’s to A’s in more than 80 per cent of 17 categories.

University of Lethbridge Students’ Union Executive Council worked on their home-improvement skills this past summer by volunteering with Project Paintbrush.

Working with Volunteer Lethbridge and Project Paintbrush, the students laboured to fix up homes for those who are not able. Specifically, the four council members grabbed brushes and aided in painting the exterior of a local home.

Project Paintbrush focuses on assisting seniors and individuals with special needs who are physically and/or financially unable to maintain the

CONGRATULATIONS! The U of L extends sincere congratulations to the following members of our community for their awards and recognitions this fall.

Taz Kassam, SU president, believes that “making positive changes through volunteering in the community provides for greater experiences and opportunities for all.

Lethbridge supports its students and it is important for students to support Lethbridge, too.”

By taking part in this project, the ULSU hopes to not only spark knowledge of Volunteer Lethbridge and Project Paintbrush, but also showcase the impact volunteering has on individuals and the community.

“At the end of the day, we can look back and realize that we made a difference, and the families are more than grateful for the help,” says Kassam.

Dr. Trevor Harrison, sociology professor, was awarded a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Canadian Studies at Kennesaw State University.

IGEM TEAM CLEANS UP A group of University of Lethbridge undergraduate chemistry, biochemistry and neuroscience students has been awarded a $20,000 international research grant from the Oil Sands Initiative to find a biological solution to improving the environmental sustainability of Alberta’s oil sands.

The students are members of the U of L’s multiple-award-winning International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) team, which competes each year at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, Mass.

Regarded as the premier undergraduate synthetic biology competition in the world, the conference attracts competitors from around the world but the U of L group was the only team to receive a $20,000 award.

The money will help support the development of a petrochemical-eating bacteria that the group plans to design. If successful, the bacteria could be used to help clean up water in ponds that have been polluted in the refining process.

Dr. Susan McDaniel, director of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, was named Vice-Chair of the Council of Canadian Academies’ Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).

U of L Chancellor Richard Davidson was named one of the 50 most influential people in Alberta by Alberta Venture magazine.

The Honourable Rick Casson, who is a Member of Parliament for Lethbridge and a former U of L employee, was appointed to the Queen’s Privy Council of Canada.

Dr. Joseph Rasmussen, biological sciences researcher, was appointed to the National Oil Sands Review Panel.

The survey was prepared by higher Education Strategy Associates in partnership with the Globe and Mail, and asked more than 35,000 students 100 questions that were distilled down to the final 17 categories. Individual scores (such as the U of L’s) are based on a minimum number of responses from U of L students.

The Faculties of Health Sciences and Management recorded high marks from students for providing a quality education, and “A” level grades were received for the number of small class sizes, the quality of student/professor interaction, and the institution’s athletics and recreation services.

“This survey is a solid reinforcement of our strength as an undergraduate university, but we’re moving along a new path to become a comprehensive research university – without losing sight of the very important factors that put all of our students first,” says U of L President Dr. Mike Mahon.

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SIGNIFICANT AND MENTIONABLE U OF L’S CANDO PARTNERSHIP NETS STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP Faculty of Management student Shermayn Menicoche (photo, right) is one of three people to receive a $3,000 National Indigenous Economic Education Foundation (NIEEF) scholarship from the charitable arm of the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO).

The U of L is now one of nine postsecondary institutions accredited by CANDO to deliver courses that help economic development officers working in First Nations communities obtain an Aboriginal Economic Developer Certificate in addition to their U of L degree.

CANDO is an Aboriginal-controlled, community-based group that builds partnerships with educational institutions, Aboriginal leaders and senior corporate and government representatives.

Show your

PRONGHORNS PRIDE while you shop.

Visit the U of L Bookstore or www.gohorns.ca to get your hands on stylish new Horns gear and support today’s student athletes. A portion of every purchase made will go toward Pronghorn Athletics.

Your support helps ensure the level of athletic and academic excellence that makes student athletes, the University and fans proud.

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ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

2010/11

U OF L ALUMNI ASSOCIATION COUNCIL President Don Chandler BASc ’73 Vice-President Kathy Lewis BN ’83, MEd ’99 Treasurer Lanny Anderson BMgt ’06 Secretary Rachel Yamada BMgt ’07 Past President Sheila McHugh DipEd ’84, MEd ’97 Directors Grant Adamson BSc ’03 Ted Likuski BEd ’74 Cheryl Meheden MgtCert ’97 Jeff Milner BFA ’06 Rebecca Remington BSc ’90 Shaun Serafini BMgt ’02 (on leave until ’11) Faisal Shaffi BMgt ’03 Jan Tanner BA ’04, MA ’06

UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS Annual Food Bank Assistance (Calgary) Dec. 18 | Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank 5000 11 Street SE, Calgary The Calgary Chapter invites you to lend a hand with them at the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank as they sort and prepare goods for the upcoming holiday season.

For more information on these and other events, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/alumni

Calgary Chapter Ski Trip Jan. 21-23, 2011 | Panorama Mountain Village $299/person. Package includes bus transportation from Calgary, two-nights accommodation and a two-day ski pass. This event is held in partnership with the U of L Management Students’ Society.

Calgary Chapter AGM Feb. 3, 2011 | Saltlik Restaurant 101 8 Avenue SW, Calgary Join the Calgary Chapter as they review the year and seek input for the year ahead.

Board of Govenors Reps Don Chandler BASc ’73 Kevin Nugent BMgt ’88 Senate Rep Holly Debnam BA ’97 Students’ Union Rep Taz Kassam

Display your degree

WITH PRIDE 4 New Frames Available

Calgary Chapter President Georgina Lieverse BMgt ’07

Showcase your hard-earned degree in one of seven official University of Lethbridge degree frames. All styles include an archival quality mat which features the University of Lethbridge shield.

Edmonton Chapter President Jeanette Dotimas BMgt ’01

To view or order a frame, visit: www.uleth.ca/alumni.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit Chapter Chair Leroy Little Bear BASc ’72, DASc ’04

All frames are Canadian made using ‘Eco’ friendly materials under fair labour conditions.

Alumni Benefits & Services Contact us: The University of Lethbridge Alumni Association 4401 University Drive W Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 Phone: 403-317-2825 Toll-Free: 1-866-552-2582 E-mail: alumni@uleth.ca

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As a graduate of the University of Lethbridge, you have earned a free lifelong membership into the Alumni Association.

Stay connected to make the most of your membership.

Visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/alumni

Join facebook group: U of L Alumni – Official Site Join LinkedIn group: University of Lethbridge Alumni, Students, Faculty and Staff Follow: @ULethbridgeAlum

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FACULTIES OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT REUNION

Management Alumni Gather to Celebrate The Power of 25 Standing (L-R) U of L President Dr. Mike Mahon, Bill Forward, Dan Laplante, Kevin Sassa, Blaine Kunz, Karen Reid, Elizabeth Jong, Patrick Forrest, Gord Jong, Winston Chow, Kevin Nugent, Jennifer Chang, Dean Setoguchi, Vivian Moody, Faculty of Management Dean Dr. Robert Ellis, Kim Moody, Richard Masson, Roger Swierstra and Lisa Swierstra Seated (L-R) Stefanie Forward, Kelly Shannon, Bert Griffin, Niki Button, Brent Button and Terry Mah Not pictured Raj S. Bhogal, Cindy LaValley, Glen Mackey, Warren Pashkowich, Art Robinson, James Szarko and Anonymous (2)

On Sept. 24, more than 250 health sciences and management alumni and friends returned home to celebrate the opening of Markin Hall.

The evening included tours of the new state-of-the-art facility, a “U” photo booth and the chance to catch up with fellow alumni and professors. In addition, both faculties hosted dinners to honour the individuals who helped make Markin Hall possible.

The Faculty of Management celebrated the completion of the Power of 25 initiative, a unique project envisioned by U of L alumni Dan Laplante (BMgt ’88), Kevin Nugent (BMgt ’88) and Dean Setoguchi (BMgt ’89) to recruit 25 alumni to give a minimum of $25,000 each to support Markin Hall.

In the end, the Power of 25 initiative raised more than $2 million, including matching dollars and additional contributions from the participants. More importantly,

A NEW YEAR FOR THE EDMONTON AND FNMI CHAPTERS On Oct. 21, the Edmonton Chapter of the Alumni Association had the opportunity to review its first successful year of operation at an Annual General Meeting. The year had focused on further establishing the chapter and in reconnecting with alumni. In addition, the chapter hosted two alumni receptions and a family BBQ. With Jeanette Dotimas (BMgt ’01) elected as the new president, the chapter will continue to build on these endeavours.

The First Nations, Métis and Inuit Chapter held its Annual General Meeting on Nov. 2. Chaired by Leroy Little Bear (BASc ’72, DASc ’04), the chapter will continue to foster a spirit of partnership between the FNMI alumni and students on campus. Participation in activities such as Native Awareness Week and student advisory panels will carry on in the year ahead.

it united a group of successful leaders who share the same passion, appreciation and pride for the U of L. Similarly, the Faculty of Health Sciences hosted faculty, staff and friends at the inaugural Friends of Health Sciences Dinner. Former U of L President Dr. Bill Cade and his wife Elsa were honoured with the first Friends of Health Sciences award for their support in growing the Faculty.

FIAT LUX RING DESIGNS The University of Lethbridge Alumni Association invites alumni, students and the general community to submit designs for a University of Lethbridge Fiat Lux ring. This ring for alumni will be part of a new tradition in building pride at the University of Lethbridge.

For more information or to download the submission form, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/alumni.

Proposals must be received by Nov. 26, 2010.

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DR. BLAIR MCMURREN – 2010 ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

What do you get when you cross a multiple scholarship winner with an Oxford graduate, Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Translation, senior analyst for the Canadian Privy Council Office, published author and an accomplished musician? You get one remarkable guy by the name of Blair McMurren (BA ’96), who just happens to be the U of L’s 2010 Alumnus of the Year.

Born and raised in Lethbridge, McMurren graduated from the U of L with Great Distinction, receiving the Faculty of Arts and Science Gold Medal and the Governor General’s Silver Medal for Highest Undergraduate Class Standing. His pursuit of academia didn’t stop there. McMurren was selected as a Rhodes Scholar and immediately went to Oxford to pursue graduate studies.

An English major at the U of L, particularly fond of the works of James Joyce, McMurren focused his attention at Oxford on furthering his understanding of English literature.

He earned an Honours BA in English language and literature, and went on to earn a Doctor of Philosophy in comparative literature as well as an MA in translation from the University of Surrey at Guildford.

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Ask McMurren what he initially planned to do after completing his education, and he’ll admit that he wasn’t really sure.

“Some far-sighted senior officials with the federal public service came recruiting at Oxford, and they made a compelling pitch for returning to Canada and making a difference in public policy,” he says. “The idea of working on a variety of key files and having some influence on what would be happening in my country resonated with me.”

McMurren returned from the U.K. in 2002 to begin work with the Department of Canadian Heritage. He also helped to launch a government initiative that has since become the Recruitment of Policy Leaders program.

Since 2009, McMurren has been a senior analyst with the Priorities and Planning secretariat at the Privy Council Office – the department that supports the Prime Minister and Cabinet in all policy and decision-making actions.

He is the lead analyst responsible for briefing senior officials and engaging with federal departments on Cabinet decisions related to climate change, clean energy and the environment.

McMurren concedes that the connection between English literature, translation and public policy isn’t obvious, but says that his academic background fostered intrigue for the work he does today.

“Closely examining James Joyce’s approach to translation is where many things started to come together for me,” says McMurren. “So much of human history comes to us through the lens of translation. Freud, Marx, the Bible, what have you – all historyshaping works, and all are translated.

Joyce was obsessed with the concept of translation, which ultimately got me thinking about how cultural politics work, and how ideas and issues move from one cultural context to another.

It’s not a huge stretch from there to cultural policy, which is all about how you tell your story as a country. It’s a complex task, and in Canada we do it bilingually and multiculturally, which makes it richer but even harder.”

While McMurren intends to continue his career in public policy, he would also like to branch out, perhaps by teaching sessional courses at a university. He’s also very keen to give back to the school where his illustrious career began.

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“I’d like to help U of L students find out all that’s available to them after they leave the university,” he says. “This award is a very humbling thing. I’d like to offer my experience to students and perhaps do something to help bridge the famous policy/research divide. I think we all have an interest in getting a broader, better dialogue going about the issues facing Canadian society.”

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS The Alumni Association is now accepting nominations for the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and Alumni Honour Society awards.

To obtain a nomination form, contact Alumni Relations: e-mail alumni@uleth.ca or call toll free 1-866-552-2582.

The nomination deadline is Feb. 1, 2011.

David Kawai Photo 45

Alma MATTERS 1970 Ralph Dilworth BASc ’74, BEd ’85, MEd ’92 Dilworth, a teacher-librarian at Western Canada High School in Calgary, was featured in a Calgary Herald article called: Librarians We Love. Originally from Camrose, Alta., Dilworth is a former diplomat who, after graduating from the University of Lethbridge, went on to work with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa and then at embassies in Poland, France and Yaounde, Cameroon; he speaks English, French, Spanish and Polish. Before becoming a teacher-librarian, he served as a teacher and writer of textbooks including a Social Studies 30 classic, written in French and used regularly in classrooms for a decade until it was recently updated.

If stranded on a desert island, Dilworth cited The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky as his book of choice.

Annalee Hearn BEd ’74 “After teaching for 30 years, I have retired and moved to Vegreville to be near my two granddaughters. I also have two grandsons living in Abu Dhabi.”

JoAnn St. John BEd ’75, DipEd ’92, MEd ’03 “I’m very excited to be coordinating and working in the FastForward High School Completion Initiative with Lethbridge School District #51. I have the opportunity to support, engage and assist young adults in completing their high school careers and moving onto post-secondary studies.”

Let your classmates know what you are up to by sharing a note about your life.

Share your news with us by e-mail, phone or mail.

Alumni Relations University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive West Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 Toll-Free: 1-866-552-2582 E-mail: alumni@uleth.ca

Submissions chosen for publication may have been edited for length and clarity. The requested information is collected under the authority of the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, for the purpose of managing the alumni records for use in University of Lethbridge publications. Questions concerning the collection, use and disposal of this information can be directed to University Advancement.

1980 KEYS TO THE CITY

Lynette Duncan BEd ’81 “We are enjoying our first grandchild, Cameron Reed Stone Shackleford, born March 21, 2010.”

On Oct. 7, a number of notable residents of southern Alberta, including many with ties to the University of Lethbridge, received a key to the city from former Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck. Friends of the U of L included The Hon. Rick Casson (former U of L employee), Senator Joyce Fairbairn (LLD ’04), Gary Kirk (2004 Faculty of Management Scholarship Dinner honouree), U of L researcher Dr. Ian Whishaw (DSc ’08) and Rochelle Yamagishi (BASc ’71, MEd ’91). U of L alumna and author, Rochelle Yamagishi, is pictured here, as she receives a key to the city of Lethbridge.

Dawn Ronne BEd ’84 “I am principal of Sunnyside School, an elementary school with Palliser Regional Schools.”

Daniel Lynn BMgt ’85 “Last year I migrated from Hong Kong to Vancouver, B.C.” Doug MacLaren BMgt ’88 MacLaren is presently the CEO of the Resource Training Organization (RTO) in British Columbia. RTO oversees the management and development of apprenticeship training for the resource sector in B.C.

1990 Glen Trafford BEd ’92 “Marie, Kyle and I moved to Okotoks in September 2009 so that I could become the general sales manager of Kia City in Calgary. Marie has opened a remedial massage therapy clinic in Okotoks and we are settling into being back in Alberta.”

Caroline Velie BA ’94 “I obtained a bachelor of social work degree from the University of Calgary in 2004 and obtained a master of social work degree from Dalhousie University in 2008.”

Amanda Chow BA ’96 “Hi everybody! I just want to keep in contact with the U of L – I have been missing the people, scene and life stories happening there. I am now a lecturer and teach social work in Hong Kong.

Let’s keep in touch, I miss you all.”

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WHAT’S NEW?

WOYKIN FEATURED AT TIFF Cameron Woykin’s (BFA ’03) dramatic short film Open Window was shown at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival. Open Window was selected to premiere as a part of the Short Cuts Canada programme, highlighting short films by established and emerging directors from Canada.

Since graduating from the University of Lethbridge, Woykin has completed numerous short films, screening his work throughout Canada and internationally. Woykin currently resides in Toronto, where he is completing a master of fine arts in film production at York University.

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ALMA MATTERS John Granzow BA ’99, MSc ’10 Michael Granzow BA ’06, MA ’10 John and Michael, sons of the late Carl Granzow, both received their master’s degrees at the 2010 Fall Convocation ceremony. John is currently pursuing a PhD at Stanford University and Michael is now living in Montreal. Their sisters, Andrea Klassen (BA ’97, BEd ’01) and Kara Granzow (BA ’99), are University of Lethbridge graduates as well.

2000 Aaron Barr BFA ’02 Barr was a character surfacer for the newly released 3D movie Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. Among numerous other projects, he also worked on the movies The Ant Bully and The Wild. Barr currently works as a surfacer/ modeller at Image Engine Design Inc. in Vancouver, B.C. Nathan Crosby BA ’04, BEd ’06 Lisa (Polley) Crosby BSc ’05 “Lisa and I just got married on Sept. 25, 2010. Although we did not meet at the U of L, we were both friends with people at the U of L who knew each other. Small world!”

Jarrod Charron BMgt ’05 “I recently accepted a media planning supervisor position at PHD, one of Canada’s leading media and communications agencies. I will be overseeing media plans for Scotiabank.

In January I was nominated for the 2010 Media Planner of the Year.”

SOLIE AWARDED GRIFFIN PRIZE Karen Solie (BA ’93) was the Canadian winner of the prestigious 2010 Griffin Poetry Prize for her collection of poems, Pigeon. One of Canada’s acclaimed young poets, Solie first launched onto the scene with Short Haul Engine (2001), a finalist for the 2002 Griffin Poetry Prize and winner of many other awards and citations.

Sheena DeVries BMgt ’06 “I am currently working for MIX 97.7 FM in Calgary. I previously worked at the Calgary Herald.”

Michael Macintyre BA ’06 Macintyre was recently installed as the new pastor for St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Spruce Grove, Alta. After graduation from the U of L, Macintyre moved to Saskatoon to attend Lutheran Theological Seminary. While at Seminary, he spent three weeks in Peru as a part of a cross-cultural experience. In April 2010, he graduated with a master of divinity degree.

Cyndy Packard BMgt ’07 Packard passed the Chartered Accountants Uniform Evaluation (UFE) in 2009. She previously worked at KPMG in Lethbridge from September 2006 to May 2009. She is currently a manager at Quon & Associates in Calgary.

PAST AND PRESENT During the summer of 2007, Darren Joblonkay (BSc ’10) travelled with fellow U of L students under the direction of professor Dr. Shawn Bubel (BSc ’96) to Tel Beth Shemesh, an archaeological site 20 km west of Jerusalem.

“I think the real ‘aha moment’ that led me to my career [in archaeology] was attending the field school at Tel Beth Shemesh,” says Joblonkay.

DOW FINDS EARLY CAREER SUCCESS After graduation, Jazlyn Dow (BFA ’10) worked on the millinery team for the Albert Ballet show Love Lies Bleeding, a contemporary ballet set to classic songs composed by Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Dow is now on a 10-month contract with the Canadian Opera Company as a wardrobe coordinator.

“This chandelier headdress for the Love Lies Bleeding production was so enormous that we had to build a separate crate just for it to travel,” explains Dow.

Since then, Joblonkay has spent every summer working at archaeological digs around Israel. Joblonkay is now pursuing a master’s degree in Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Toronto. In the summer of 2011, he will be digging at Tell Tayinat in Turkey, which he hopes will lead to his dissertation.

“I would like to eventually be a professor in Near Eastern Archaeology. I believe it was one of my mentors who told me once that ‘any archaeologist would be lying if they said they didn’t like digging up treasures,’ but our discipline runs deeper than that,” he says. “We attempt to preserve and understand humanity’s cultural history. We are all captivated by what humans were able to achieve in the past.”

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ALMA MATTERS

Madeleine Baldwin BA ’09 Baldwin won the 2009/2010 Urban and Regional Studies Prize from the Alberta Professional Planners Institute.

She is currently enrolled in the master’s program at the School of Urban Planning at McGill University.

Ruth Hummel MA ’10 Hummel graduated in June 2010 as the U of L’s first Master of Arts graduate with a major in Education. Her research topic was alumni philanthropy.

Dan Juhlin BSc ’10 “I am a GIS and data manager for a natural resource consultant. I am also working with local schools to develop geography awareness.”

Glenda Watson BHS ’10 “I am working as a caseworker at the Lethbridge Shelter and Resource Centre, which has been great.”

Jeffrey Wilson BMgt ’10 “I am currently on a six-month CIDA internship through the College of the Rockies; working as a tourism and business development officer at Kimathi University College of Technology in Nyeri, Kenya.”

In Memoriam The University of Lethbridge wishes to extend its sincerest condolences to the families and friends of the following members of the University community:

ALUMNI TROUPE HIT THE FRINGE (L-R) Cliff Kelly (BFA ’07), Amanda Blair (BFA ’08) and William Banfield (BFA ’06) in Happy Whackin’ Jim McCrackin.

Happy Whackin’ Jim McCrackin, directed by Brent Felzien (BFA ’06) and Neil LeGrandeur (BFA ’06) and written by Amos Altman (BA ’04, BFA ’05), tells the comedic story of a veteran hit man who engages in some soul-searching while attempting to complete his last job.

Presented at the 2010 Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, it received top reviews from the Edmonton Journal and SEE Magazine. The production featured William Banfield (BFA ’06), Amanda Blair (BFA ’08), Cliff Kelly (BFA ’07) and Kimberlee Stadelmann (BFA ’06) as stage manager.

Guy Sabey BEd ’72 passed away on June 20, 2010.

Samual Aubrey Earl (former faculty) passed away on July 7, 2010.

Marie Sanderson DSc ’00 passed away on July 12, 2010.

Edward Peszat BMgt ’90 passed away on July 14, 2010.

Gary Paynton BASc ’79 passed away on July 17, 2010.

Tanner Timoruski BMgt ’09 passed away on July 18, 2010.

Judy Hilland BASc ’84 passed away on July 23, 2010.

U OF L ALUMNUS TO LEAD LETHBRIDGE On Oct. 18, Rajko Dodic (BASc ’78) was elected as mayor of Lethbridge. Fellow alumni joining Dodic on Lethbridge City Council as alderman are: Jeff Carlson (BFA ’92), Liz Iwaskiw (BASc ’77), Joe Mauro (BASc ’83) and Bridget (Pastoor) Mearns (BA ’95).

Robert Rasmussen BEd ’73 passed away on Aug. 8, 2010.

Robert Cook (Dean Emeritus) passed away on Aug. 9, 2010.

Craig Gilbertson BEd ’77 passed away on Aug. 17, 2010.

Hope Johnson LLD ’81 passed away on Aug. 24, 2010.

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SURIANO LOOKS TO ENGAGE AN ONLINE GENERATION

Heidi List BA/BEd ’10 (awarded posthumously) passed away on Aug. 25, 2010.

Jason Suriano (BA ’01) is using gaming as a means to enlighten a new generation of kids about science, history and technology.

Recently, he launched Seek Your Own Proof, a new online game at Discoverykids.com. The game targets six to 12 year-olds and follows the story of three investigative siblings who discover a secret underground agency known as the Central Institute for Exploration (CIE).

Dennis O’Connell LLD ’05 (former Board of Governors member/senator) passed away on Sept. 15, 2010.

The teens are quickly drawn into a chase through time and history against enemy agents who are plotting to rewrite the past, change the present and alter the future. Online users can play the game in traditional form but also have the option of taking field missions to real museums. The debut field mission involved facts around the King Tut exhibit at the Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York, N.Y. Other mission locations include the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton and the Galt Museum in Lethbridge.

Marjorie Little (former Board of Governors member) passed away on Oct. 2, 2010.

S AM | So u t h e r n A l b e r t a M ag az i n e | U n i v e r s i t y o f Le t h b r i d g e

Willa Fedor BEd ’73 passed away on Sept. 24, 2010.

Duane Filkowski BASc ’69 passed away on Sept. 24, 2010.

Pamela Davies BEd ’93 passed away on Oct. 4, 2010.

Kevin Petrie BMgt ’92 passed away on Oct. 7, 2010.

William Webster BEd ’72 passed away on Oct. 7, 2010.

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Thinking of Grad Studies?

When U of L alumnus Chad Befus was considering grad school, the U of L was at the top of his list. He says he returned to the U of L because he was confident in his supervisor and the university. At the U of L, Chad combined his love for music with his passion for computer science and completed his Master of Science. Now he’s at the University of London pursuing his PhD. For more information on the School of Graduate Studies, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/graduatestudies

“I chose to return to the U of L for my master’s because I wanted to work for a professor who I knew would challenge and support me. The highlight of my U of L experience has been the people – the friends I’ve made and the professors and colleagues I’ve connected with.”

Chad Befus (BSc ’08, MSc ’10)