S O U T H E R N A L B E R T A M A G A Z I N E

U N I V E R S I T Y O F L E T H B R I D G EV O L U M E 6 | I S S U E 1 | F A L L 2 0 1 4

Welcome to the fall 2014 issue of SAM.

We are so proud to share with you stories about your University, and as Canada’s consummate storyteller Margaret Atwood tells us in this issue – we as humans are compelled to tell stories. Ms. Atwood will speak at our Calgary Alumni & Friends Dinner in March.

This issue contains stories about students keen on making a difference in the world. It includes stories of alumni who illustrate how the gift of time can make a profound difference in the communities we live, work and play in; and it includes stories about the incredible opportunities being realized at the U of L; philanthropic gifts that take us in new directions; and how preparations for our golden milestone are taking shape.

Our stories connect us. As we approach our 50th anniversary, I encourage you to share your story with us. Please send your story and U of L memories to sam@uleth.ca.

Enjoy!

Tanya Jacobson-Gundlock, Editor

ON THE COVER:

JANET WERNERYELLOW/STARING, 1996OIL, ACRYLIC, 56 X 47.5” (142.2 X 120.7CM)From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection

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story sharing

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge

CLASSROOM YOGIAs a certified yoga instructor

and a graduate student at the

University of Lethbridge, Kevan

Bryant (BA/BEd ’12) is working

to introduce yoga to students

across southern Alberta.

28

EDITOR:Tanya Jacobson-Gundlock ASSOCIATE EDITOR:Alesha Farfus-Shukaliak ART DIRECTOR:Stephenie Karsten DESIGNER AND PROJECT MANAGER:Three Legged Dog Design PHOTOGRAPHERS:Leslie Ohene-AdjeiRob OlsonJaime Vedres

CONTRIBUTORS:Sharon AschaiekKristine Carlsen WallNatasha EvdokimoffCourtney FaulknerBetsy GreenleesLee IllesTrevor KenneyDavid KirbyJana McFarlandKali McKayJosephine MillsMaureen SchwartzDana YatesCaroline ZentnerU of L Advancement

PRINTING:PrintWest

SAM is published by University Advancement at the University of Lethbridge twice 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.

SAM is distributed free of charge to a controlled circulation list. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address, please contact us. SAM – University AdvancementUniversity of Lethbridge4401 University Drive W.Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4Toll free: 1-866-552-2582Email: sam@uleth.caulethbridge.ca

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ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR 2014Lawrence Johnson says the

liberal education he received

at the U of L helped him

become a broad-range thinker.

features 2 | SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH 50 research Chairs by the University of Lethbridge’s

50th anniversary in 2017.

19 | UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE ART GALLERY

En Plein Air: an afternoon of art and music

at the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage.

23 | SIGNIFICANT AND MENTIONABLECatch up on what happened at the U of L this fall.

42 | ALUMNI NEWS AND EVENTS Learn about upcoming alumni events and ways to

get involved.

43 | ALMA MATTERSU of L alumni are always up to amazing and exciting

things. Alma Matters features news and notes from your

former classmates.

THE FORMIDABLEMARGARET ATWOODAs the speaker at the

U of L 2015 Calgary Alumni

& Friends Dinner, Margaret

Atwood will reflect on her

prodigious career.

12

HISTORY LIVED OUTTo honour Dr. Gerhard

Driedger’s lifelong love

of history, Driedger’s four

children made a $100,000

donation this fall to the

University of Lethbridge.

16

DREAM CATCHERFourth-year student in the

Bachelor of Fine Arts – Native

American Art program, Grant

Spotted Bull, draws from

within himself in order to

express himself to the world.

32 39

FIELD OF OPPORTUNITY Donors provide opportunity

to stimulate agricultural

research and agribusiness at

the U of L.

10

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge 1

50 RESEARCH CHAIRS BY THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE’S

50TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2017 IT’S AMBITIOUS. IT’S ASPIRATIONAL. AND ABOVE ALL,

IT AFFIRMS THE UNIVERSITY’S COMMITMENT

TO CONTINUING TO BUILD ONE OF CANADA’S

LEADING RESEARCH ENVIRONMENTS.

50x50502 SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge

S P O T L I G H T O N R E S E A R C HS P O T L I G H T O N R E S E A R C H

“Research Chairs are high-profile academic appointments that enable the University to attract and retain accomplished and promising scholars to lead research programs that confirm our strength and shape our future,” says U of L interim Vice-President (Research) Dr. Lesley Brown. “This initiative signals our commitment and strength as a comprehensive university.”

As of October 2014, the U of L’s research roster boasts 33 research Chair appointments, sponsored either through external agency support (23) or through institutional appointment as U of L Board of Governors Research Chairs (10).

In two short years, that number will increase to 50.

The new appointments will come from diverse disciplines. They will be leaders in their fields, nationally and internationally renowned for their research programs. They will come from beyond and from within the institution.

“The 50 X 50 initiative will enable us to grow, strengthen and build upon our existing research portfolio across the breadth of the institution,” says Brown. “It will enable us to diversify in more established areas as well as recognize our current U of L faculty members who are conducting high-profile research and creative performance.”

And with each research Chair appointment comes protected time devoted to research, sharing outcomes and translating knowledge, and

mentoring graduate and undergraduate students.

As a result, graduate programs will grow, and there will be even more opportunities to enrich the undergraduate experience by including students in research programs.

“This initiative will build exceptional capacity across all disciplines and will continue to enhance the student experience,” say Brown. “The results will extend well beyond campus, impacting communities across Alberta and around the world.”

MEET FOUR RECENT RESEARCH

CHAIR APPOINTMENTS.

50x5050BY SHARON ASCHAIEK

3SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge

For Dr. Brenda Leung, getting sick as a child meant facing a somewhat daunting remedy: a foul-tasting, homemade herbal concoction prepared by her mother that was tough to swallow – but ultimately did the trick.

“My mom would always brew these hideous teas, you know, noxious liquids, that I had to consume, but they always made me better,” Leung recalls.

That early introduction to traditional Chinese medicine not only helped treat Leung’s ailments, it ignited a lifelong interest in alternative health care and propelled her to study the field at university, train to become a naturopathic doctor (ND), and now, to be appointed the lead researcher and academic in this diverse and growing field at the University of Lethbridge.

Leung is the U of L’s new Faculty of Health Sciences Emmy Droog Chair in Complementary and Alternative Health Care. The $2 million endowed professorship is a first for the Faculty and is made possible through a $1 million gift from Alberta businessman

Dr. Tom Droog (LLD ’06), whose wife, Emmy, became an advocate for alternative health treatments during her three-year battle with cancer before succumbing to the disease in 2010.

“One of the main objectives of this five-year professorship is to create educational opportunities for health sciences students to integrate complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, strategies and modalities into their practice,” says Dr. Chris Hosgood, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

To that end, Leung is developing the University’s first courses on the subject that will be introduced in January 2015: Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Health Care, which will provide an overview of CAM therapies the public are using; and Evidence-Based Integrative Therapies, which will focus on the methodological rigour and scientific merit of therapies that have been more widely studied.

“Our graduates will see patients or clients already using some form of CAM, and who will come with

50x5050

TAKING A BIG-PICTURE

APPROACH TO HEALTH CARE

4 SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge

S P O T L I G H T O N R E S E A R C H

questions about how they can incorporate CAM therapy into their current treatment. So I think it’s very important for graduates to have some base knowledge about what clients and patients may be using and how that may affect their care,” she says.

The position’s other priority is to establish an evidence-based research program that explores the issues and care practices associated with CAM. Leung’s plans in this area include supporting CAM practitioners to undertake research projects by mentoring and assisting with developing proposals, applying for grants and conducting studies. She also wants to establish the U of L as an international centre of study on CAM by developing partnerships with researchers in the field across Canada and worldwide. She continues to foster interdisciplinary collaborations with scientists from neuroscience, mental health, maternal and child health, and nutrition.

“I want to develop models and strategies, and determine how evidence from CAM research can be effectively implemented into health care,”

Leung says. “We’re looking at the whole body, the mind/body connection, so in order for us to understand what’s going on, we need the experience and knowledge from different fields to get the big picture.”

When it comes to better understanding the approaches and benefits of holistic health care, Leung is more than up for the task. Her academic credentials include a PhD in epidemiology and an MSc in health research from the University of Calgary. She completed her ND at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. Prior to joining the U of L this past July, she was the director of research at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, had taught at the Canadian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and held various positions at the University of Calgary. She is currently a Research Fellow with the Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Technology, Sydney. She has numerous research papers and presentations to her credit, and has received multiple research grants.

Leung’s passion for CAM is fuelled by her innate interest in holistic and personalized health care, and its proactive approach of improving overall health. She’s far from alone: a 2007 report by the Fraser Institute found that in 2006, 74 per cent of Canadians had reported using at least one alternative therapy at least once in their lives. Her goal is to raise the profile of CAM research and provide viable health-care options for the public.

“Health care should be about the person, not just the disease,” Leung says. “I think Canadians want more control over their health, and more input into how to address their care.”

“WE NEED THE EXPERIENCE

AND KNOWLEDGE FROM

DIFFERENT FIELDS TO GET

THE BIG PICTURE.”

DR. BRENDA LEUNG

5SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge

The horizon for sustainable energy and cancer treatment may soon become a little bit brighter, thanks to pioneering new research being performed by Dr. Nehalkumar Thakor.

Thakor is the new Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair of Synthetic Biology and RNA-based Systems at the University of Lethbridge. Appointed to the seven-year position this past September, the microbiologist is undertaking an innovative research program that will explore two distinct aspects of gene expression regulation. The first will look at how to use metabolic engineering and gene expression to produce sustainable energy.

“Humankind is being challenged right now because we are running out of our fossil fuel supply and we need an alternative energy source,” says Thakor, who is also an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “My general objective is to study RNA-based system biology, particularly in the area of energy and environment.”

RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is a molecule involved in a variety of biological functions, including coding, decoding, regulating and expressing

genes. Thakor’s goal is to try to use RNA to adjust the genetic expression that occurs in the cells of microorganisms. Achieving that would make it possible to then feed microorganisms plant waste that they would then convert into glucose, a core ingredient of biofuel.

This type of biofuel, Thakor says, is more sustainable than the most common alternatives currently available — biodiesel and bioethanol, both of which rely on using agriculture (canola for biodiesel and corn for ethanol) for their production.

“The problem is that lots of arable land is required to produce those biofuels, and this ultimately competes with food production,” he says. He adds that ultimately his research could improve the sustainability of other biotechnological processes, such as those involved in producing antibiotics and biodegradable plastics.

Thakor’s second research priority is to examine the role of gene expression regulation in protein translation during oncogenesis, or the formation of cancer. Specifically, he wants to understand why a regular cell exposed to stress — such as being deprived of oxygen or nutrients — will die, but a cancer cell will survive.

Much of the existing research on this subject has shown that cancer cells increase the rate of protein synthesis — a vital cellular process that regulates growth and metabolism — which ultimately promotes the survival and progression of cancer. Thakor will investigate the cellular, biochemical, molecular and structural aspects of the regulation of protein translation to determine how these processes affect the development of cancer.

“By learning more about how protein translation occurs in cancer cells, it may provide us with insights into how we can create more effective cancer treatments,” he says.

In addition to his research, Thakor is also developing two new graduate-level elective courses: one on gene expression in health and disease, which he will start teaching in January, and another on immunology.

“I hope my research and teaching can provide students with a basis of understanding different environmental- and health-related aspects of science and help them go on to become skilled scientists and good doctors,” he says.

MAKING STRIDES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND MEDICAL SCIENCE

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SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge6

When it comes to the evolution of the brain, bigger doesn’t always mean better, says Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk (MSc ’00).

Iwaniuk is the newly appointed Canada Research Chair in Comparative Neuroanatomy in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge. Over his five-year term, he will combine evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology and neuroscience to chart the historical course of the brain in order to improve our understanding of brain anatomy and function, both in animals and humans. A key goal is to debunk the notion that larger brains are always more cognitively powerful than smaller ones because they contain more neurons, the cells that process and transmit information.

“This theory doesn’t necessarily hold true, because there are different densities of neurons in the brains of different animals,” says Iwaniuk, who is also an associate professor of neuroscience. “For example, birds pack in more neurons in their brains than primates, even though primates are currently at the top of the list in terms of the number of cells in their brains.”

What we know about bird brains is scarce: data on bird brain anatomy is available for only four

per cent of the world’s 10,000 bird species. To that end, Iwaniuk has developed the largest comparative avian brain collection in the world, with more than 600 specimens representing more than 160 bird species. Studying the brains of birds will continue to be one of Iwaniuk’s key research priorities during his CRC term.

Another will be to explore and seek to answer questions such as: Why did primates evolve large brains? What are the pros and cons of relatively large brains? And, what mechanisms underlie the evolution of relatively large brains? He will look for the answers in existing data on human fossil history, and on the evolutionary trajectories of animals such as birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians.

Examination of bird brains will not be limited to the species around today, as Iwaniuk will also examine brains of extinct species through digitally reconstructing their brains from skulls. This is important, he says, because the anatomy of the brain can be used to determine the sensory and cognitive abilities of extinct species. He is currently collaborating with a researcher at National Museums Scotland to study the brain of the dodo, a species symbolic of extinctions caused by humans, to determine its sensory abilities, how

it fit into the ecology of its home on the island of Mauritius, and why the species became extinct.

Finally, Iwaniuk will develop a publicly accessible electronic archive of his collection of avian brain data in order to better facilitate existing and future national and international research collaborations. Ultimately, he would like to establish his lab as a top Canadian centre for evolutionary neurobiology.

In the classroom, Iwaniuk will create a new course that focuses on the natural behaviour of animals in the environment and how that behaviour is modulated by species differences in the brain. He will also create opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from around the world to gain hands-on learning experiences by assisting with his research.

As his research progresses, Iwaniuk hopes the insights that emerge about brain evolution will tell us more about what makes the human brain unique, which could ultimately affect the way we treat human diseases.

“Better understanding the fundamental differences in how different brains are organized relative to one another can teach us about more effective ways to treat neurological conditions and disorders,” he says.

S P O T L I G H T O N R E S E A R C H

RETHINKING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF BRAIN EVOLUTION

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge 76

“Neuroscience today is like physics was in the 17th century. We are living in an era that is rapidly changing the way we think about the brain and its ability to process and remember information and recover from injury, just like 400 years ago when we had a rapid advancement in our understanding of the universe. It is an exciting time as we really are just beginning to understand how the brain works and what we can do to improve its functioning.”

That’s how Dr. Majid Mohajerani describes what to him is both the challenge and the thrill of his work as a neuroscientist at the University of Lethbridge. And now as the University’s Campus Alberta Innovation Program Chair in Brain Health and Dementia, Mohajerani is diving deeper into the mysteries of the brain by studying what happens after it is injured.

Specifically, Mohajerani is researching how the brain is affected by micro stroke, also referred to as a transient ischemic attack, or the transient disruption of blood flow in the brain resulting in neurological dysfunction. He wants to understand how such an event impacts the structural and functional changes in the brain circuit that affect

neuroplasticity, the processes involved in human development, learning and memory formation.

“After a stroke happens in the brain, not only are there motor deficits, it also causes problems in cognitive function and memory, and results in dementia,” Mohajerani says. “We really don’t know how this phenomenon or process works, but it is an important question to answer because dementia is a huge problem in Canadian society.” Indeed, a 2012 study commissioned by the Alzheimer Society of Canada found that the number of Canadians living with cognitive impairment, including dementia, stands at 747,000, and will double to 1.4 million by 2031.

Mohajerani originally trained to become a biomedical engineer, but while completing his master’s degree at Amirkabir University of Technology in Iran, he learned how to use artificial neural networks to analyse brain functional activity. The subject got him fascinated with the brain’s complex processes, including how it learns and how it heals after an assault, and he ultimately switched to the field of neuroscience.

In his lab at the U of L’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Mohajerani is studying

the details of brain activity right before, during and right after a stroke occurs in the brains of mice. He is conducting these experiments using narrow band imaging technology, a cutting-edge research tool that provides an in-depth picture of the brain, the underlying neural circuits of the brain and how the brain uses its own plasticity mechanism to recover from neural damage.

He will also share his passion for better understanding the brain with U of L students through a new fourth-year elective undergraduate course he is developing in neural technology that he will start teaching next semester. In 2016, he will teach another new course that he will create, a mandatory undergraduate course for neuroscience students about molecular cellular neuroscience.

By the end of his seven-year term, Mohajerani hopes his brain mapping and stroke recovery research will yield insights into how to more effectively address stroke-related symptoms such as dementia.

“My ultimate goal is to contribute to the development of tools and pharmacology therapies that help improve the quality of life for people who have dementia, and provide preventative treatment to those who don’t.”

EXPLORING HOW THE BRAIN RECOVERS FROM A STROKE

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8

The Destination Project – a three-phase project that includes a new science and academic building; a new energy/utility centre; and the revitalization of the iconic University Hall – has taken a monumental step forward.

In November 2014, the U of L Board of Governors approved the building massing option for the new science and academic building. “The Hub” will transform campus and define the University’s direction for the future.

Imagine – a vibrant hub formed at the centre of the building where paths between lab blocks and the general campus intersect, encouraging interaction and spontaneous collaboration between faculty, students and the community.

A curved atrium on the east that extends the coulee landscape into the building and provides a spectacular outlook to the river.

Framed views of the High Level Bridge, a grove of trees and the Coulee Quad connecting the building to the landscape, community and campus.

Imagine – a place for community engagement and outreach; a research incubator; a place where undergraduate and graduate research opportunities develop; where knowledge moves from the lab to industry; a place the next generation of researchers, scientists and scholars will credit for the start of their science careers.

To date:• The project has received a $200-million

investment from the Government of Alberta

• KPMB/Stantec Architecture will lead the design process for the new science and academic building and new energy/utility centre

• PCL Construction Management Inc. will lead the construction

Destination Project: Academic & Science Building

Massing Option 3: The Hub

From Scenic Drive Interior View Looking East

Concept Drawing

From Aperture Drive

Destination Project: Science & Academic BuildingDestination Project: Academic & Science Building

Massing Option 3: The Hub

From Scenic Drive Interior View Looking East

Concept Drawing

From Aperture Drive

Destination Project: Science & Academic Building

Imagine the possibilities. We are.destination-project.ulethbridge.ca

Last fall, we set out imagining possibilities. No idea was too big. No innovation too daring. Today, the results of our collective efforts are beginning to take shape.

SAM-ad.indd 1 14-11-12 8:34 AM

From droughts and pests to crop disease and unseasonable snowstorms, farming in this semi-arid section of Alberta’s big sky country comes with big challenges. But from the early First Nations peoples to the homesteaders of the 1900s to today’s technologically savvy crop and livestock producers, Albertans have a long history of ingenuity and resilience. And thanks to forward-thinking donors, University of Lethbridge researchers and trailblazing initiatives for agriculturalists-in-training, that strong tradition of inventiveness will continue in the future.

“As global food demand increases, the need for Alberta agriculture is becoming stronger than ever,” says Dr. Matthew Letts, the U of L’s interim associate vice-president (research). “To take advantage of this opportunity, there is a critical need for innovative agricultural research and data-driven agribusiness.”

These types of activity, he notes, are happening at – and are supported by – the U of L.

The University is located in the heart of southern Alberta, where farming and ranching are among the most important regional sources of jobs and wealth. Many faculty are experts in fields connected to agriculture, including biotechnology, remote sensing, economics and management.

In addition, the University is a leading-edge learning environment for aspiring agriculturalists. An increasing number of graduate students are in agriculture-related disciplines while the Agricultural Studies program enables undergraduates to learn about the physical and economic interrelationships between agricultural

production, marketing, trade and nutrient management, water, grazing, rangeland and riparian management.

Indeed, the University’s reputation for excellence in agricultural research and education is what led Cor Van Raay, a leading Canadian cattle producer, to make a major gift to the University. Last June, the founder of Cor Van Raay Farms donated a total of $5 million to the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College to establish the Cor Van Raay Southern Alberta Agribusiness Program.

Through this initiative, a joint program offered by the University and the College will be created, focusing on agriculture-related educational opportunities in economics, business development, entrepreneurship, finance, management, commodities trading and leadership, all with an emphasis on agricultural innovation. Van Raay’s donation will support endowed student awards, enhanced academic programming, an innovation and entrepreneurship program (at the U of L) and an agriculture entrepreneur-in-residence (at LC).

These initiatives will be complemented by the University’s new Research Chair in Potato Science. This position, announced in July, will be supported by a $1-million investment over five years from the Potato Growers of Alberta, McCain Foods, ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston and Cavendish Farms.

The Chair in potato science will expand research in the province’s potato industry, which is worth more than $1 billion annually. It is anticipated that the chairholder will collaborate with producers and industry partners, create additional learning opportunities for graduate

and undergraduate students and help develop new potato varieties.

Together, the Cor Van Raay Southern Alberta Agribusiness Program and the Research Chair in Potato Science are expected to stimulate agricultural research and agribusiness at the U of L’s new Centre for Agricultural Research and Agribusiness Innovation (CARAI). Centre researchers will study pest and disease mechanisms, develop surveillance and detection mechanisms, and explore the use of remote sensing to produce data-driven agriculture.

The CARAI will prepare the agribusiness leaders of the future. Students will have access to fellowships and co-op placements, and will benefit from industrial research partnerships with producers and processors. In the end, graduates will be primed to develop solutions that will meet the demands of a growing global population.

“Collectively,” concludes Letts, “all of these initiatives will strengthen our position as a leader in agricultural education and research.”

BY DANA YATES

“COLLECTIVELY, ALL

OF THESE INITIATIVES

WILL STRENGTHEN OUR

POSITION AS A LEADER IN

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

AND RESEARCH.”

DR. MATTHEW LETTS

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge10

IF YOU ASK A FARMER WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORK THE LAND IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA,

YOU WILL LIKELY GET THIS RESPONSE: IT ISN’T EASY.

(TOP) U of L President Dr. Mike Mahon announces the new research Chair in Potato Science.

(BOTTOM) Cor Van Raay with Dr. Mahon (left) and Lethbridge College President Dr. Paula Burns (right) at

the announcement of his $5-million donation to the U of L and LC. (Photo courtesy of Lethbridge College)

11SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge

Regarded as one of Canada’s finest living writers, Margaret Atwood is a poet, novelist, story writer, essayist and environmental activist. Her work has received critical acclaim in the United States, Europe and, of course, Canada, and she has received numerous literary awards, including the Booker Prize, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Governor General’s Award, twice.

As the speaker at the University of Lethbridge 2015 Calgary Alumni & Friends Dinner, Atwood will reflect on her prodigious career, the landscape in which it took shape and how writing can be a vote of confidence in the future.

Readers around the world know her name and rightly associate her with feminism, environmental activism and futurism. Margaret Atwood is considered an authority on any one of these topics, among others, but it’s the collusion of these spheres in her novels, stories, poems, essays and even tweets that make her work so compelling and give rise to her reputation as a beloved cultural figure in Canada.

While her books are regularly bestsellers, Atwood adamantly maintains that she is just like anybody else with a story to tell.

“I’m not that different from other writers. In fact, I’m not that different from other people because human beings are by nature storytellers; it’s just

what we do,” explains Atwood. “The narrative interest is a human interest; writers are just people that do it publicly.”

For Atwood, the real interest lies in the stories themselves.

“What is it about certain stories that interest people enough to make them spend time developing and honing them?” she asks.

The author, whose works include speculative fiction classics The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake, clearly has wide-ranging interests and acknowledges she reads everything she can get her hands on, referencing the current issue of Harper’s Magazine, the work of legendary science fiction author Ray Bradbury and a recent article in the Globe and Mail, all within the span of a few short minutes. But for Atwood, none of this has any meaning outside of its current context.

“You aren’t a writer apart from your time,” explains the 75-year old matter-of-factly. “I’m not a Victorian novelist because I’m not living in the 19th century. So, the question becomes: what century am I living in and what is it about that century – or centuries, because in my case there’s now two of them – that have made it possible for a person such as myself to do what I’ve been doing?”

Born in 1939, two months after the start of World War II, Atwood’s particular experience was largely defined by the radical cultural shift

BY KALI MCKAY (BA ’06, MA ’10)

PHOTO BY JEAN MALEK

The Formidable Margaret Atwood

12

“I’M NOT THAT DIFFERENT FROM

OTHER WRITERS. IN FACT, I’M NOT

THAT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER

PEOPLE BECAUSE HUMAN BEINGS

ARE BY NATURE STORYTELLERS.”

MARGARET ATWOOD

13

of the 50s and 60s. As the birth control pill and the mini skirt first captured popular attention, second wave feminism was gaining momentum.

“Those moments are moments I indeed lived through,” reflects Atwood, noting that ultimately it is experience that shapes the individual. “There’s quite a difference between a contemporaneous cultural experience and an archaic reference.”

As an aspiring woman writer in Canada during this period, Atwood encountered a number of obstacles to her literary development.

“In 1960, there were five novels published in the whole year by English Canadian writers and English Canadian publishers. Count them: five. There were

20 books of poetry but that included chat books that people had published in their cellar,” says Atwood, whose career took shape within this crucial period in Canadian literary history.

Compare the scene now and it’s quite different. From our current perspective, Canada is a major player in the literary world and Atwood is an established and internationally respected writer whose critical success is matched only by her popularity amongst readers.

Interestingly, her latest work will remain unseen for the next 100 years.

Atwood was named as the first contributor to an innovative new conceptual art and literary project in Norway. Led by Scottish artist Katie Paterson, the Future Library project kicked off this past summer with the planting of a forest of 1,000 trees just outside Oslo. Starting this year with Atwood and continuing every year until 2114, one writer will be invited to contribute a new text to the library collection.

“You can produce only one copy and you can’t tell what’s in it,” says Atwood, who was intrigued by

the project, which locks her most recent work away with only the title and author’s name visible. “One hundred years later, Sleeping Beauty wakes up and they open all the boxes. Keeping that in mind, my first move was to get some archival paper and some non-fade ink so that when they open the box they don’t find a bunch of yellowed shreds.”

For Atwood, her involvement signals a vote of confidence in the future – that there will be libraries, readers and a need to share our story.

Atwood herself clearly feels a need to tell stories and as the speaker at the University of Lethbridge 2015 Calgary Alumni & Friends Dinner next March she will do just that.

“If you’re asked to give a speech, it’s best to talk about things you know something about,” says Atwood, avoiding specifics. “It would be a violation of the rules of writing for me to talk about everything I’m going to put in my speech.”

Drawing inspiration from literary giant Charles Dickens to sum up her formula, Atwood says, “Make ‘em laugh; make ‘em cry; make ‘em wait,” thereby leaving us all in suspense.

FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015 WESTIN CALGARY | 320 4 AVE SW | CALGARY, ALTA.

Join guest speaker Margaret Atwood, Booker Prize-winning author of the Blind Assassin and Payback.

$175 PER TICKET OR $1,400 PER TABLE Tickets available November 24, 2014. To purchase tickets, visit: ulethbridge.ca/conreg/calgarydinner. For more information, contact University Advancement at 1-866-552-2582 or advancement.events@uleth.ca. Tickets are limited.

“THERE’S QUITE A DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN A CONTEMPORANEOUS

CULTURAL EXPERIENCE AND AN

ARCHAIC REFERENCE.”

MARGARET ATWOOD

14

“Patients undergoing chemotherapy often report cognitive after-effects, such as attention deficit and memory loss. We want to look at what is happening on a molecular level in the brains of animals exposed to chemo drugs to see if we can profile what the drugs are doing to the brain cells. If we can understand the mechanics of what’s going on at the base molecular level in the brain, we could be better enabled to find ways to help people who, after having chemotherapy, suffer these side effects.”

Anna Kovalchuk2014 Dr. Cyril M. Kay Graduate Studentship recipient,

Alberta Cancer Foundation

What is your passion? What will you discover?The U of L offers master’s degrees in arts, counselling, education, fine arts, health sciences, nursing, management, music and sciences as well as PhDs in education, sciences and multidisciplinary areas.

Apply now to be eligible for competitive funding opportunities.

ulethbridge.ca/graduatestudies

It’s a question graduate student Anna Kovalchuk (BSc ’14) is seeking to answer.

How can neuroscience help chemotherapy patients?

14

THERE ARE DEFINING MOMENTS IN EACH LIFE. WE REMEMBER THE EXACT TIME, PLACE AND FEELINGS THAT

WERE SPARKED – THOSE MEMORIES STAY WITH US, SHAPING WHO WE ARE AND THE JOURNEY WE TAKE.

DR. GERHARD DRIEDGER’S STORY HAS BEEN FULL OF MANY SUCH MILESTONES, FANNING A DEEP

APPRECIATION OF HISTORY AND THE LESSONS THAT DERIVE FROM KNOWLEDGE OF THE PAST. 

BY JANA MCFARLAND

PHOTOS BY ROB OLSON

History Lived Out

16

For Driedger, it began in Grade 3. His teacher used a sandbox to create a model showing the protective dikes of the mighty Vistula River, which largely runs through Poland. It intrigued and fascinated him. Later, both he and a classmate would look back at that experience as a pivotal point, an awakening to their own curiosity of history. At the time, the two children were blissfully unaware of how they would leave the town of Werder, Germany, and they certainly had no idea how their lives would be intertwined: going on to be married for 69 years, surviving the war and raising four children together, two of whom would be born in West Germany. 

“I still remember it very clearly,” recalls Driedger. “I was about 14 years old when the war broke out. My dad was sure something was going on. He turned on the radio and woke us up. Hitler had started the war. I had never seen my dad like that.

He cried. He swore. My mother couldn’t settle him down. He was afraid my brother and I would have to go to war. He had been a veteran of the First World War, and he knew what war was like.”

The fears of Driedger’s father became reality when Driedger and his older brother enlisted in the German army. His brother died in combat; Driedger, while working in medical service, was taken as a prisoner of war by the British Army. Lucky to have avoided being taken by the Soviet army, Driedger continued to serve in various army hospitals and married his former classmate, Hilda. After being discharged by the British Occupational Forces, Driedger carried on in pursuit of a medical career at the Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel and graduated in December 1948.

After three years in general practice, he and Hilda knew it was time for them to leave Germany

because of threats of the Cold War. When they stepped off the Beaverbrae in Saint John, N.B., Canada, they had a growing family and a scant $10 to their names.

“I will never forget; I was so proud. They did not refer to us as immigrants but as New Canadians,” Driedger recounts.

After landing in Canada, Driedger worked in general medical practice for three years before he went on to complete his studies in orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. Later, he and Hilda returned to Lethbridge, Alta., where they would put down roots.

It’s an understatement to say that Driedger has had many life-defining experiences, but his knowledge transcends texts, having lived through the real pages of time.

1716

Understanding that memories can easily fade and be forever lost, Driedger wrote a book, The Werder, in his retirement years, an account of his homeland. Writing meant more than relaying details and dates; Driedger wanted to engage the next generation so that the same mistakes could be potentially avoided.

“I will not say that politicians will learn the facts of history before they engage in warfare, but we can inform people to look at history, so they do not go blind into that venture,” says Driedger.

In a desire to honour Driedger’s lifelong love of history, his four children made a $100,000 donation to the Department of History at the University of Lethbridge this fall.

“My father was an orthopedic surgeon, but he always had a great interest in history and wanted to do something to promote it,” says

Walter Driedger, one of Gerhard and Hilda’s sons. “Fundamentally, he doesn’t want the next generation to be totally ignorant of the history of Eastern Europe.”

Half of the donation will be used to support the history department for events like lectures, guest speakers and conferences. The remaining half will establish a scholarship that will be given to fourth-year history students of high academic standing, covering 50 per cent of their tuition and fees.

“Generous donations to the University of Lethbridge like that of the Driedger family, in addition to strengthening the programs offered by the departments that receive them, also allow some students to attend university who might otherwise not be able to, or avoid falling into debt during their studies,” says Dr. Christopher Epplett, Chair of the Department of History.

“I would simply like to thank the Driedger family for their exemplary generosity. Our department will certainly strive to use the Driedger gift in as many ways as possible to further the study and appreciation of history, both at the University of Lethbridge and in the wider community.”

It’s a goal that resonates with Driedger, who frequently quotes John Knox, “Though the facts, here recited, are known, how long will that knowledge continue, if they are trusted merely to memory?”

Back row (L-R): Maria Kimber, Walter Driedger, Bernhard Driedger, Peter Driedger Front row (L-R): Hilda and Gerhard Driedger

“I WOULD SIMPLY LIKE TO THANK

THE DRIEDGER FAMILY FOR THEIR

EXEMPLARY GENEROSITY.”

DR. CHRISTOPHER EPPLETT

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge18

ON AUGUST 24, 2014, THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

ART GALLERY AND THE FACULTY OF FINE ARTS HOSTED

EN PLEIN AIR: AN AFTERNOON OF ART AND MUSIC AT THE

COUTTS CENTRE FOR WESTERN CANADIAN HERITAGE

NEAR NANTON, ALTA.

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

Artists from across southern Alberta were invited to an afternoon of sketching, painting and taking photographs in the gorgeous gardens. Despite a lack of cooperation from the weather, dozens of artists spent an enjoyable day and produced a wide range of works.

art +people =x series

BY JOSEPHINE MILLS

PHOTOS BY JON OXLEY AND AMANDA BERG

19SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge

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

20

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

One of the artists in attendance was U of L alumna Beany Dootjes (BFA – Art ’02). As a child of Dutch immigrants, Dootjes learned the importance of gardening – and the skills to do the work – from an early age. She grew up on a farm in Manitoba and as an adult has lived in various rural regions of the prairies. Now settled in Lethbridge, Dootjes is well known for her urban garden: her entire yard produces fruit and vegetables that she stores for the winter and generously shares with her friends. Her garden is also the frequent subject of her artwork and so the call for artists for En Plein Air was a perfect opportunity for her.

(OPPOSITE LEFT) BEANY DOOTJES, THE TAPP HOUSE (COUTTS HOMESTEAD), 2014

(OPPOSITE RIGHT) BEANY DOOTJES, GARDEN AND TOOLSHED (COUTTS HOMESTEAD), 2014

(TOP LEFT) BEANY DOOTJES, GRAINERY AND BARN (COUTTS HOMESTEAD), 2014

(BOTTOM LEFT) BEANY DOOTJES, MACHINE SHED SHOP (COUTTS HOMESTEAD), 2014

21

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

The afternoon concluded with a jazz concert by the Groove Apostles. The artists were also able to submit their work for an exhibition held at the U of L’s Dr. Foster James Penny Building in October 2014.

art +people =x series

(RIGHT) BEANY DOOTJES, THE CHICKEN COOP (COUTTS HOMESTEAD), 2014

22 23

art +people =x series

S I G N I F I C A N T A N D M E N T I O N A B L E

The Pronghorns men’s hockey team has a new voice behind the bench this season as Spiros Anastas was hired out of the Detroit Red Wings organization to take over as head coach. For

Anastas, an Ontario native who spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapid Griffins, it is his first head coaching opportunity. Anastas previously

worked with Mike Babcock and Bill Peters, both former Pronghorns head coaches, during his time in the Red Wings organization.

The University of Lethbridge continues to affirm its place as one of the country’s top destinations for students, maintaining its top-three position for the third successive year in the Primarily Undergraduate category of the annual Maclean’s University Rankings.

The U of L ascended to the third spot in its classification two years ago, its highest-ever Maclean’s ranking, and has held steady ever since, all the while earning gains in many of the ranking factors. In the 2015 report, the University maintained or bettered its category rankings in nine of 12 indicators and continued to show its strength as a leading undergraduate research institution.

“These rankings once again reflect the core values of our institution, namely the personal and supportive atmosphere we strive to create that drives academic excellence and engaging research opportunities,” says University of Lethbridge President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. “It’s a philosophy that has been embraced by our faculty and staff and continues to move the U of L forward.”

The University achieved a first-place ranking in the average size and number of peer-adjudicated

research grants secured by its faculty, specifically realizing a five-point raise in grants through the social sciences and humanities. Not coincidentally, the U of L’s reputation ranking also received a boost, moving up three spots to fourth of the 19 schools in the Primarily Undergraduate classification.

“The research work being done here on campus is of an exceptional quality and our faculty are continuing to raise the profile of the U of L through their active research programs,” says Mahon. “All the while, we are at heart a liberal-education-based teaching institution, where our researchers are actively engaging students in discovery both in the classroom and in the lab.”

Many of the underlying indicators used to create the rankings lists included data from national surveys of high school guidance counsellors, university officials and heads of organizations, as well as CEOs and recruiters at corporations across the country. These results showed marked gains for the U of L in terms of recognition.

“We are still a relatively young institution and it’s exciting to see the U of L evolve and enhance its profile,” says Mahon. “As we look ahead to the realization of the Destination Project and how that will impact southern Alberta, it will only augment our ability to attract the best and brightest faculty and students to our campus.”

This is just a sampling of all the extraordinary

stories we have to share. Stay up-to-date with the

official news source of the University of Lethbridge:

ulethbridge.ca/unews

CANADA’S TOP-THREE – AND HOLDING STRONG

NEW HORNS HOCKEY COACH HAILS FROM DETROIT RED WINGS

22 23

S I G N I F I C A N T A N D M E N T I O N A B L E

This fall, the U of L celebrated the achievements of 309 undergraduate and graduate students who were awarded degrees, diplomas and certificates at the Fall 2014 Convocation. The U of L alumni family now includes more than 38,000 members, including former U of L Vice-President (Academic) Dr. Séamus O’Shea (below), who was recognized with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, for the positive impact he has had on the institution and on the post-secondary sector in Alberta and beyond.

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!

Recognizing an increased need for registered nurses at the graduate level, the University of Lethbridge will offer a Master of Nursing program starting the fall 2015 semester.

The program will be delivered through an online format with face-to-face sessions at set times throughout the semester to allow for discussion with fellow students and faculty members. Students will be able to complete the program on a full- or part-time basis.

The MN program will have a distinct community focus and promote education that is dynamic and

responsive to emerging local, regional and global realities. Graduates will be prepared for advancement in professional roles in multiple areas of health care. They will be equipped with the capability to take on leading roles in nursing practice, education and research as well as to move on to PhD studies.

Eight to 12 students will be admitted next fall. Alberta-licensed registered nurses, nurse practitioners and registered psychiatric nurses are welcome to apply.

For more information or to apply, visit ulethbridge.ca/healthsciences or ulethbridge.ca/graduatestudies

UNIVERSITY INTRODUCES MASTER OF NURSING PROGRAM

At this year’s New Student Orientation in September, the U of L celebrated the very first Commencement ceremony. In addition to introducing students to the University’s history and traditions, we also introduced a new U of L tradition. Each student who attended received a commemorative challenge coin to mark the beginning of his or her post-secondary journey.

Challenge coins are used around the world to symbolize belonging. Unique to our university, the front of our coin features the U of L’s coat of arms, representing signature elements of the University; the back includes the University’s shield along with the word “Commencement” and the year.

The University is in the process of implementing the new Doctor of Philosophy in Education. This new PhD program will provide a theory-rich, research- intensive, dissertation-focused series of study. Students will study theory and identify critical problems, issues and questions in one of the three concentrations:

Learning, Teaching and Curriculum; Formal and Distributive Leadership; or Counselling Psychology. Graduates will be well prepared to conduct and provide leadership in research in a variety of settings and in their career contexts.

COMMENCING NEW TRADITIONS

NEW PHD IN EDUCATION

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge24

S I G N I F I C A N T A N D M E N T I O N A B L E

BY CAROLINE ZENTNER

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

Global Citizens

KEEN TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD, A HANDFUL OF UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE STUDENTS

LEFT THEIR HOMES AND FAMILIES TO WORK IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES THIS PAST YEAR. WHAT THEY COULDN’T

HAVE KNOWN BEFOREHAND WAS HOW MUCH THEY WOULD BE CHANGED IN THE PROCESS.

Their journeys were facilitated in part through the President’s Grant for International Community Engagement. The grant program, funded by an anonymous donor, will give students the chance to participate in international development work in the years ahead. In its first year, the grant helped seven students make a lasting contribution in three developing countries.

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge24 25

NURSING IN UGANDA

A group of five nursing students received a grant for their final clinical practice at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Tracey Christoffersen, Danielle Clearwater, Melissa Collins, Renae Nedza and Zoe Sultani spent three months working alongside nurses and doctors at Mulago, thanks to connections established by Dr. Jean Harrowing (BSc ’78), a nursing professor and their supervisor, when she did her doctoral research there.

Soon after their arrival in Kampala in May, they began working at Mulago Hospital and learned how the health-care system operates in one of the poorest countries in the world.

“Initially, it’s very overwhelming because of the lack of resources, both financial and physical, like people and actual equipment,” says Nedza. “Once I adjusted to that, I saw how hard the nurses and intern doctors really do work and how many barriers they have to overcome. We talk about burnout, barriers, workload and staffing shortages in Canada. They have those same problems, yet a union doesn’t support them. For those men and women to come in every single day and work 10 hours a day for seven days a week, that’s something to respect.”

Resources like prescription drugs and medical

supplies are limited in Uganda and one or two nurses will staff units with 40, 60 or 80 patients.

“We witnessed conditions and situations that we probably wouldn’t ever see at home. It really broadened our perspective on what kind of medicine is out there,” says Collins. “Just the simple things were appreciated by the patients and families in Africa, things that patients in Canada probably take for granted.”

Part of nursing is teaching patients how to care for themselves, says Clearwater. Without the resources available in countries like Canada, she had to improvise. While she helped patients cope better with their illnesses, she also added foundational skills to her nursing practice.

“I became more confident in my nursing judgment. My communication skills definitely flourished. I developed a sense of global health and became more assured at working within a different culture and with a diversity of clients,” she says.

Working at a small rural hospital for a week put ethical questions in the forefront of Sultani’s mind. The hospital had limited amounts of antibiotics so she and Collins, who also worked at the rural hospital, bought as many antibiotics as they could and left them

with a nurse to give to the sickest patients.

“If we hadn’t done it, the patients would have been discharged home and they would have just got worse. But, once we left at the end of the week, no one else was going to be buying these medications,” she says. “It’s a much deeper question than ‘Why don’t they have what we have?’ It has a lot to do with the country’s economy, the government, the policies and the lack of distribution of funds in the country.”

Harrowing says students go through a process when they go to Uganda. At first they’re horrified by what they see at the hospital. Then they get angry and upset before they come to accept the situation.

“Sometimes they also get to the point where they realize that witnessing it and then coming home and talking about it or even thinking about it, is the first step of creating change,” she says.

When they weren’t working at the hospital, the students soaked up as many experiences as they could, including attending a cultural dance, kayaking on the Nile, and making friends.

“Even though we were only there for three months it felt like we were part of the community,” says Christoffersen.

(L-R) Danielle Clearwater, Zoe Sultani, Tracey Christoffersen, Renae Nedza and Melissa Collins

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge26

Sara Bieniada, a management student, is using her grant for an internship with Lethbridge-based Bridges of Hope, a network of organizations that works with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice around the world.

During her internship this fall, Bieniada will work for a month in the local office and for two months in Ouagadougou, Bobo and Boura, Burkina Faso.

In Lethbridge, Bieniada will help with administrative duties, conduct research and organize fundraising events. In Burkina Faso, Bieniada will help with micro-financing opportunities, teach English as a Second Language, work at village schools and help care for children at the Boura Children’s Center, a home for orphans under age two.

“This internship will be about making a positive difference in the lives of Burkinabe people. I want to learn and absorb as much as possible so I know how to most effectively plan my future endeavours around making a long-term impact. My hope is that this internship will be a springboard to the rest of my life, which I plan to spend working in an overseas development context,” she says.

Brandon McNally, a fourth-year political science student, spent the past summer in Nepal doing a co-op work term with Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA). ECCA, a non-governmental organization (NGO), works to build sustainable communities with emphasis on agriculture, drinking water and waste management.

“I did a lot of research on different funding opportunities available for the organization. That really fit into my political science degree because a lot of international aid comes from other governments around the world,” he says. “I feel I got a broad experience in what international NGO work is like, everything from being in the field to being in the office.”

In addition to his work with ECCA, McNally conducted independent research on the Navadurga religious tradition in Tantric Hinduism. The Navadurga, or nine goddesses, are believed to be reflections of Shakti, the feminine energy. The goddesses are protectors of Bhaktapur, one of three cities in the Kathmandu Valley.

CONSERVATION IN NEPALBRIDGES IN BURKINA FASO

Sarah Bieniada Brandon McNally (third from right)

“I FEEL I GOT A BROAD

EXPERIENCE IN WHAT

INTERNATIONAL NGO

WORK IS LIKE, EVERYTHING

FROM BEING IN THE FIELD

TO BEING IN THE OFFICE.”

BRANDON MCNALLY

27

28

Her eyes smile when she speaks. The tone of her voice is calm and assuring. Her skin practically glows. You feel good just being around her, and deep down you want to know what her secret is.

Yet Bryant’s radiance isn’t a secret at all. In fact, it’s something she’s intent on sharing – yoga. The mental, physical and spiritual disciplines aimed to transform the mind, body and spirit.

As a certified yoga instructor, a junior high school teacher and a graduate student in the Master of Education Counselling Psychology program at the University of Lethbridge, Bryant is working to introduce yoga to students across southern Alberta.

“Yoga completely changed my life,” says Bryant, who’s been an instructor since 2011. “The mental aspects of the practice alone are life altering. Yoga taught me to be

more compassionate – to myself as well as to others. It made me curious about who I really am, taught me how to look within and really get in touch with what’s going on inside me. It changed the way I look at everything for the better.”

Bryant graduated from the U of L in 2012 and taught for a year before returning to U of L in pursuit of a Master of Education degree. She’s currently working full time as a teacher counsellor while she completes her graduate studies – a position that will continue once Bryant graduates from the U of L for the second time next spring.

“The Faculty of Education is renowned for its programs,” says Bryant. “When I completed my undergraduate degree I felt thoroughly prepared to be a teacher, so I know that when I leave the master’s program I will be thoroughly prepared to be a counsellor as well.”

THERE’S A WARMTH TO KEVAN BRYANT (BA/BED ’12)

THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERLOOK.

Classroom YOGI

BY NATASHA EVDOKIMOFF (BA ’95, BMGT ’97)

PHOTOS BY LESLIE OHENE-ADJEI

29

“YOGA COMPLETELY CHANGED MY LIFE.

THE MENTAL ASPECTS OF THE PRACTICE ALONE ARE LIFE ALTERING.”

KEVAN BRYANT

30

Bryant began looking for ways to bring yoga into schools since she decided to become a teacher. Maybe it was karma, but she landed in the right place to do that during her PS3 teaching internship. Bryant’s teacher-supervisor was also a yoga devotee, and she encouraged Bryant to follow her instincts about bringing yoga into schools. Bryant created an after-school yoga club and began teaching techniques to students two days a week. The experiment was a huge success, and the effect on students was incredible.

“I had the students fill out surveys on how they felt coming into yoga class versus how they felt afterward,” says Bryant. “The feedback was incredibly positive. Students reported feeling less stressed, their anxiety levels dropped, and there was increased self-awareness among all participants. From that point on, my goal has been to bring yoga into mainstream education.”

Bryant hopes to create a yoga-for-mental-health program for physical-education classes at public schools.

According to Bryant, the implementation of such a program could address serious mental-health conditions such as anxiety, stress and depression, and give students tools to help cope with these and other related issues day-to-day.

“Yoga is a preventative practice,” says Bryant. “If integrated into the education system, it could help alleviate mental-health conditions before they arise. The simplest techniques can have amazing results, and students will take those techniques forward with them throughout their lives.”

After seven years of education at the U of L, Bryant is anxious to delve into professional life. She is already offering a variety of yoga classes for both students and teachers at her school, she’ll be running a mental-health group for students later this year, and a proposal that Bryant put together for implementing yoga at schools has been approved for the 2015 Alberta Teachers’ Convention – all positive signs that educators everywhere are interested in what yoga can do for students.

“When people start to see the benefits of teaching students yoga, it’s pretty hard to ignore,” says Bryant. “Young people today have a lot going on; their minds are very busy, and yoga helps to calm that mental whirlwind. It gives kids important tools at a critical age, which can wind up making a huge difference to them both short-term and long-term. There is amazing potential in bringing yoga into schools, both on campuses and for society at large.”

“THE SIMPLEST TECHNIQUES

CAN HAVE AMAZING RESULTS,

AND STUDENTS WILL TAKE THOSE

TECHNIQUES FORWARD WITH THEM

THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES.”

KEVAN BRYANT

31

Grant Spotted Bull talks in a quiet and reflective tone. From the moment he begins to speak, you get the sense that each of his words is carefully measured. He’s purposeful in what he says, almost as though he’s creating a picture with the use of language – which stands to reason, because Spotted Bull is in fact an artist who draws from within himself in order to express himself to the world.

Spotted Bull is a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Fine Arts – Native American Art program at the University of Lethbridge. The U of L library recently acquired four of Spotted Bull’s paintings. Entitled Medicine Wheel Series, the four oil paintings, now adorning the walls of the library’s tenth floor, are the culmination of an idea that had been germinating in Spotted Bull’s mind for more than 20 years.

“The idea for the series came to me in a dream when I was about 19 or 20 years old,” says Spotted Bull. “It was a very vivid image and it stuck with me. I always wanted to create it in painting, but I didn’t have the skills to do it until now.”

Artistic ability comes naturally to Spotted Bull. Although he didn’t have any formal training before his twenties, as a child Spotted Bull says he was constantly doodling – at home, in school, wherever he may be. Both of his parents were artistically inclined, and his maternal grandmother was somewhat of a prodigy.

“My mother told me stories about my grandmother, Mary Eva, and how the nuns thought she should go to school for art back East. Her parents wanted her to marry instead so she put her dreams aside,” he says. “My grandmother has been an inspiration for me. In a way, I feel I am fulfilling my grandmother’s potential.”

Prior to enrolling at the University of Lethbridge, Spotted Bull had a diverse professional past, working in areas ranging from retail to the automotive industry. He knew he loved art and began feeling compelled to express himself that way in his early twenties, but wasn’t sure about attending university until he discovered the Bachelor of Fine Arts – Native American Art (Art Studio) program at U of L, which was launched last fall.

BY NATASHA EVDOKIMOFF (BA ’95, BMGT ’97)

PHOTOS BY JAIME VEDRES (BFA ‘07)“THE IDEA FOR THE SERIES CAME TO

ME IN A DREAM WHEN I WAS ABOUT

19 OR 20 YEARS OLD. IT WAS A VERY

VIVID IMAGE AND IT STUCK WITH ME.”

GRANT SPOTTED BULL

32

33

“The program allows me to express my art in a manner, spirit and meaning that’s deeply understood by other Native American and First Nations artists. It gives me a platform upon which to explore issues that matter to me, and fully invest my time thinking about ways to represent them visually,” says Spotted Bull.

Spotted Bull’s Medicine Wheel Series is an expansion on the medicine wheel he envisioned in his dreams more than two decades ago. He painted four incarnations of the wheel, each measuring approximately six feet square. Titled in order they are: Creation, The Medicine Wheel, Fractured and Post. Each piece is symbolic of a period in First Nations history.

“For me a medicine wheel is about healing, and the series is a way to express the need for that healing,” says Spotted Bull. “Creation is symbolic of the time before the Earth was made – a sort of preexistence. The Medicine Wheel represents North America before colonialism, Fractured represents the impact of residential schools and our disconnection from each other and from nature at that time. And the final painting, Post, is reflective of my generation and where things stand today.”

Spotted Bull estimates he spent more than 1,000 hours creating the series. Fractured and Post each took less than two weeks to complete, but The Medicine Wheel took him almost an entire semester to finish. Often he’d be in the studio for up 40 hours at a time with no sleep, working in a kind of trancelike state to get the vision he’d carried for so long out on canvas.

“When I paint it’s very relaxing – it’s almost a meditation,” says Spotted Bull. “When I get in that place, I’m really just a vessel. The work just flows through me.”

As far as the future goes, Spotted Bull’s philosophy is in keeping with his culture and artistic free spirit. He plans to graduate in spring 2015 and isn’t too concerned with where he might go from there.

“In my culture we tend to not look too far into the future. We can prepare for the future, but we don’t know what it will hold. I came to the U of L to gain skills and knowledge. I’ve done that, and I have faith that what I’ve learned will take me where I’m supposed to be.”

“THE PROGRAM ALLOWS ME TO EXPRESS MY

ART IN A MANNER, SPIRIT AND MEANING

THAT’S DEEPLY UNDERSTOOD BY OTHER NATIVE

AMERICAN AND FIRST NATIONS ARTISTS.”

GRANT SPOTTED BULL

34

U of L alumni are stepping forward to show their support for their University.Your gifts help fund research and programs; scholarships, busaries and other student awards; and institutional initiatives like the Destination Project. Most importantly, your support says U of L alumni care.

Please join Shabana, James and Kaye.

“Great universities have a great alumni body. There are a lot of very successful U of L grads doing a lot of amazing things. If we all stood together, showed our pride and gave back a little, the effects would be huge.”

Shabana Manji (BA ’11)

“The U of L provided me with the foundation to build a great career and a network of incredible professionals to collaborate with. The time I spent at the U of L is still opening doors for me. I hope my contributions will help others in the same way.”

James Bilcox (BMgt ’01)

“I believe in education. I know the difference a good education can make in someone’s life, and if I can help create that difference for students at a university I know and love, I’m going to do that.”

Kaye Fisher (BEd ’71, BA ’77)

WHY ALUMNI GIVE BACKRead their stories: ulethbridge.ca/giving

Make a gift today.To make a contribution, simply go online at: ulethbridge.ca/giving

development-ad.indd 1 14-11-17 4:55 PM

While the banner that hangs in the rafters of Nicholas Sheran Arena pays tribute to the accomplishments of the 1994 University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team, the true legacy of that group of young men is still being realized today.

With as many as 15 players and coaches from the U of L’s first national championship team contributing to hockey from the Timbit level all the way to the National Hockey League, the tangible impact of that special season cannot be captured by a dusty piece of cloth.

“I think of all the things I learned from Mike that year and the importance of never forgetting where you came from and what it means to be a part of a community is right near the top,” says former Pronghorn David LeGrandeur (BA/BEd ’00, MEd ’10) on his then head coach, Mike Babcock,

now the bench boss of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.

“You look at all the guys from our team, and then from many of the teams that followed, who are involved with hockey at the grassroots level and it’s remarkable.”

Perry Neufeld (BSc ’01) was in his fourth year when the Horns embarked on their championship run, now celebrating its 20th anniversary. He’d been on teams that finished last in the conference and had never advanced to playoffs, but he said those struggles steeled him and his teammates and prepared them for success. Now, coaching with a group that includes four other Horns alumni, he looks to pass those lessons on.

“For me, coaching is about having a good perspective, being grounded and making sure the

kids are having fun and learning to love the game of hockey,” says Neufeld, a senior development manager for an Alberta-based real estate developer and coach for both his son and daughter. “It’s not so much about the skills of being a better hockey player, it’s also the lifelong values that they are going to carry forward in terms of hard work, dedication, perseverance, commitment and working as a team. Hockey is the medium to pass along some of these values to children.”

Babcock is now a two-time Olympic gold- medal-winning coach for Team Canada and a Stanley Cup champion, and the highest profile name from that 1994 group. However, his method for success and ability to see the bigger picture has not wavered.

“Mike Babcock has not changed one bit from 1994 to 2014. He spoke about his family the same

Champions’ LegacyBY TREVOR KENNEY

PHOTOS BY ROB OLSON

Coach Mike Babcock and the 1994 U of L Pronghorns championship hockey team. (Photo courtesy of U of L Archives)

36

way in 1994 as he does today,” says alumnus Peter Rajcic (BA/BEd ’96), a middle school teacher who currently coaches with a group of four Horns alumni at both the novice and atom levels.

“He found a way for us to commit to his program and to believe in ourselves and I know it’s been a part of all of us in regard to following through and making the most of what we were intended to do in our lives, both in hockey and outside of hockey.”

LeGrandeur has been coaching for five years and currently is involved in both novice and atom programs. A school principal, LeGrandeur sees himself as a teacher as much as he is a coach. Ironically, it is the same way that Babcock has always described himself.

“When I read his book, one of the things he talks about is that he and his wife are raising difference makers and he brings that to everything he does,” says LeGrandeur. “I had never really thought about it until I read it but that’s what I’m trying to do too.”

Success, says LeGrandeur, can be determined in many different ways, but he recognizes something special came out of that 1994 team – something far greater than the trophy that was won and the banner that was raised.

“I think everyone on that team has become successful in whatever they are doing beyond hockey, and finding a way to make an impact in their community – that says something.”

And our communities are better for it.

Champions’ Legacy “HE FOUND A WAY FOR US TO COMMIT TO HIS PROGRAM AND TO

BELIEVE IN OURSELVES AND I KNOW IT’S BEEN A PART OF ALL OF US...”

PETER RAJCIC

“FOR ME, COACHING

IS ABOUT HAVING A

GOOD PERSPECTIVE,

BEING GROUNDED AND

MAKING SURE THE KIDS

ARE HAVING FUN AND

LEARNING TO LOVE THE

GAME OF HOCKEY.”

PERRY NEUFELD

Perry Neufeld (left) and Peter Rajcic (right), both members of the 1994 championship team, providing guidance.

Pronghorns alumni Brad Dersch, Perry Neufeld, Peter Rajcic, Dino Caputo and Ryan Christie during practice.

37

John GillMemorial Golf

TournamentThank You Participants & Sponsors

Save the date:John Gill Memorial Golf Tournament

June 19, 2015Henderson Lake Golf Club

The University of Lethbridge Alumni Association thanks all participants and sponsors.

EVENT TITLE SPONSOR

Janice & Glenn Varzari

BE PART OF THE TRADITION Order your official University of Lethbridge alumni ring today.

Available only to University of Lethbridge graduates, the Fiat Lux Ring is an enduring symbol of your achievement and an emblem of pride that ties you to the University and your fellow alumni.

Cast in sterling silver, the ring is available in a wide or narrow band and features a number unique to each owner engraved on the inside. For more information or to order, visit ulethbridge.ca/alumni.

The research station at CFB Suffield outside of Ralston, Alta., has been the site of hundreds of military and scientific tests since 1941, and when Lawrence Johnson (BASc (BSc) ’78) was just 16 years old, he got his first job there – a summer job stacking TNT for explosives trials.

It was an auspicious start for a future nuclear scientist, although Johnson himself says he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life until a couple of years after high school when he came to the University of Lethbridge and began to study chemistry.

Four years later, with a Bachelor of Science degree and the Faculty of Arts & Science gold medal to his credit, Johnson went to work for Atomic Energy of Canada. He put in 20 years with the company as a scientist and later department manager for nuclear-waste research,

39

ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR 2014 – LAWRENCE JOHNSON

BY NATASHA EVDOKIMOFF (BA ’95, BMGT ’97)

PHOTOS BY JAIME VEDRES (BFA ‘07)

39

leading studies to develop engineered barriers for nuclear-waste disposal. Johnson’s work at the company played a central role in the Canadian Environmental Assessment and Review Process conducted between 1994 and 1997.

By 1999, Johnson was ready to make a career move. An opportunity at the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra) took him, his wife and youngest teenage son all the way to Europe.

Nagra is a Swiss-based company whose mandate is to prepare and implement solutions for the safe, long-term disposal and management of nuclear waste. Johnson’s role as research and development coordinator for Nagra involves the planning and coordination of research projects on radioactive- waste repositories in Switzerland. He also manages studies on spent nuclear fuel under disposal conditions, and is responsible for developing new design concepts for disposal canisters. He is the author of more than 120 publications and is a consultant to numerous international waste-disposal organizations.

“Switzerland is powered 40 per cent by nuclear energy, which may surprise a lot of people,” says Johnson. “The reactors naturally produce waste, and we have to resolve what to do with it. I try to find the right balance of research to be done on the subject – how much of this type of study, how much of that one – which over 15 years has allowed me to become knowledgeable in a lot of different disciplines.”

Johnson says the liberal education he received at the U of L helped him become a broad-range thinker with the ability to delve into different fields.

“My job requires that I have a working knowledge in a variety of disciplines. At the U of L I had the freedom to take a number of courses outside my major that I was simply interested in taking, which gave me an appreciation for different areas of study. Undergrads should come away with a wide range of knowledge – they should learn how society functions, about history, about literature, in addition to having a strong base in their chosen discipline. To be able to assimilate a breadth of information you have to be schooled in how to think that way. That’s one of the great strengths of the U of L.”

Due to Swiss law, Johnson will take mandatory retirement from Nagra in 2015, but plans to continue working as a consultant. He intends to move back to Canada with his wife and settle in Winnipeg so the couple can be close to their two sons and first grandchild.

Like himself, both of Johnson’s parents were scientists (his father, Olafur Johnson, worked at Defence Research Establishment Suffield, and his mother, Hope Johnson, was a well-known southern Alberta paleontologist who received an honorary doctorate from the U of L in 1981). Interestingly, both of Johnson’s sons chose to work in the film industry – an area that’s about as far from the field of nuclear-waste management as you can get.

“I didn’t even try to encourage my sons to go into science. I told them to do what they love doing,” says Johnson. “It’s the same advice I’d give to anyone – don’t chase after a career for money or prestige or any such reason. If you love what you do, everything else tends to fall into place.”

After hearing about his nomination as Alumnus of the Year, Johnson was pleased and admittedly surprised.

“I had a friend jokingly say there must have been a mix-up on the call between Alumnus of the Year and the alumnus with the most parking tickets,” says Johnson with a laugh. “I don’t feel I’ve done anything particularly extraordinary – I’ve just done what interested me. That’s taken me a long way.”

“IT’S THE SAME ADVICE I’D GIVE

TO ANYONE – DON’T CHASE

AFTER A CAREER FOR MONEY

OR PRESTIGE OR ANY SUCH

REASON. IF YOU LOVE WHAT

YOU DO, EVERYTHING ELSE

TENDS TO FALL INTO PLACE.”

LAWRENCE JOHNSON

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge40

“TO BE ABLE TO ASSIMILATE A

BREADTH OF INFORMATION YOU HAVE

TO BE SCHOOLED IN HOW TO THINK

THAT WAY. THAT’S ONE OF THE GREAT

STRENGTHS OF THE U OF L.”

LAWRENCE JOHNSON

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge 4140

A L U M N I N E W S & E V E N T S

2014/15

U of L AlumniAssociation Council

PresidentGrant Adamson (BSc ’03)

Vice-PresidentRandy Kobbert (BMgt ’86)

TreasurerJason Baker (BMgt ’02)

Past PresidentKathy Lewis (BN ’83, MEd ’99)

SecretarySharon Malec (BEd ’73)

Alumni Association DirectorsNeil Boyden (BASc ’73, BEd ’85, MEd ’94)

Jeff DeJong (BFA ’98)Michael Gabriel (BASc ’04)

Terrah Jong (BA ’05)Ted Likuski (BEd ’74)

Jeff Milner (BFA ’06, BEd ’12)Jan Tanner (BA ’04, MA ’06)

Board of Governors RepresentativeRichard Masson (BMgt ’92)

Students’ Union RepresentativeSean Glydon

Graduate Students’ Association Representative

Mark Carrell (BA ’13)

Calgary Chapter PresidentJeff Wilson (BMgt ’05)

Edmonton Chapter PresidentJacob Christian (BMgt ’03)

First Nations, Métis and Inuit Chapter Chair

Michael Bruised Head (BASc (BA) ’80, BEd ’98)

Alumni RelationsMaureen Schwartz

Director, Alumni Relations

Contact us:University of Lethbridge Alumni Association

4401 University Drive WestLethbridge, AB T1K 3M4

Phone: 403-317-2825Toll-Free: 1-866-552-2582

Email: alumni@uleth.ca

As a graduate of the University of Lethbridge, you are a lifelong member of the Alumni Association. Stay connected to make the most of your membership. Visit ulethbridge.ca/alumni

LIKE our Alumni page at facebook.com/ULethbridgeAlum

Follow us: @ULethbridgeAlum

Join our LinkedIn group: University of Lethbridge Alumni, Students, Faculty & Staff

JDC West and Faculty of Management

Tailgate Party

Friday, November 21, 2014 | 6 p.m.

1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness

Lethbridge, Alta.

Calgary Chapter Food Bank Assistance

Join your fellow alumni and lend a hand at

a local food bank.

Date to be determined.

Calgary Alumni & Friends Dinner

Featuring guest speaker Margaret Atwood

Friday, March 27, 2015 | Reception 5:30 p.m.

Dinner 6:30 p.m. | Dessert Reception 8:30 p.m.

Individual tickets are $175 | Table (8) $1,400

ulethbridge.ca/conreg/calgarydinner

Spring Alumni Celebration

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

University of Lethbridge Spring Convocation

May 28-29, 2015

1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness

Lethbridge, Alta.

John Gill Memorial Golf Tournament

Friday, June 19, 2015

Henderson Lake Golf Club | Lethbridge, Alta.

For more information about these events

or to RSVP, please email alumni@uleth.ca

or call 1-866-552-2582.

UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS

Alumni Benefits & Services

A L U M N I N E W S & E V E N T S

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UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS

Alumni Benefits & Services

Doreen Kooy (BEd ’88)“After many years in Edmonton, Alta. teaching, career advising and consulting, I moved to Calgary, Alta. in September 2013 to work at my alma mater as the Co-op Field Advisor for the Edmonton/Calgary campuses in the Faculty of Management. It has always been a goal of mine to work with students in post-secondary and to be at the U of L is great!”

Rhona-Mae Arca (BA/BMgt ’95)“After a year of testing, revising, editing and designing, I released a brand new music practice aid, called

Maestro’s Music Tricks, in August. This system is packaged as a customizable deck of 34 practice drills that address 12 ‘trouble spot types,’ and is heavily influenced by tabletop and video games. It’s been a crazy road to reach this point, one that would not have been possible without the help of my testers and editors. To see my work, visit mmt.musespeak.com.”

Mark Bevan (BA/BEd ’95)After 20 years of working in the education sector in Alberta, Mark Bevan recently moved to the Government of Alberta’s Executive Council to serve as Director, Leadership and Talent Development. He attributes much of his success to the depth and breadth of

the program provided by the University of Lethbridge, the amazing team of professors who mentored him, the talented colleagues and friends he learned from and worked with, and the leadership opportunities he gained as a member of Residence Council.

In addition to his work with the Government of Alberta, Bevan is a senior partner with Bevan International, an organization dedicated to executive coaching and leadership development.

Stephanie Baldwin (BSc ’03, MSc ’05)“I moved back to Lethbridge in 2008 after completing my physiotherapy

training at McMaster University. In 2012-13 I took a year leave from my job in Lethbridge to work in the intensive care unit at Calgary’s new South Health Campus hospital.”

Aaron Dittrich (BSc ’02, MSc ‘03)“After graduating from the U of L, I completed my MSc in Computing Science at the University of Alberta in 2004. Although I had planned to continue with PhD studies, I decided instead to pursue my childhood dream of becoming a pilot. I completed training for my commercial pilot license in 2006 and spent the next seven years as an Alberta air ambulance pilot. I now fly Boeing 737s for Canadian North Airlines, based out of Calgary, Alta.”

AlmaM A T T E R S

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.

Let your classmates know what you are up to by sharing a note about your life.Share your news with us by Email, phone or mail.

Alumni Relations – University of Lethbridge4401 University Drive West, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4Toll-Free: 1-866-552-2582Email: alumni@uleth.ca

WHAT’S NEW?

1990

1980

2000

University of Lethbridge alumnus Jim Steacy (BASc ’09) recorded the most significant victory of his stellar throwing career in July when he captured the gold medal in hammer throw at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

A two-time Olympian and 10-time Canadian hammer throw champion, Steacy has battled injuries for the better part of the last five years but with returned

health has begun to rediscover his championship form. Steacy, the Canadian record holder in the hammer throw, is preparing for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

THROWING FOR GOLD

Membership in the Royal Society is considered one of the highest honours for an academic in Canada. The University of Lethbridge is proud to recognize two alumni who recently received this distinguished honour: Dr. Austin Mardon (BA ’85, LLD ’14) and Dr. Andrew Staniland (BMus ’00).

Mardon, who received an honorary degree from the U of L at Spring 2014 convocation, was named a Specially Elected Fellow for his extensive work in the field of mental illness.

Recognized as one of Canada’s leading classical music composers, Staniland was inducted into the Royal Society’s recently formed College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, Canada’s first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of Canada’s intellectual leadership.

ALUMNI NAMED TO ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA

A L M A M A T T E R S

43SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge

Yuan Liu (BSc ’06)“After spending the past three years working with California State University (in Sacramento) where I was responsible for the campus learning management system, I am ‘graduating’ and moving to Shanghai, China. I am going to be a Senior IT Manager there at UM-SJTU Joint Institute.”

Jamie Medicine Crane (BEd ‘05)Jamie Medicine Crane, also known as Ahsistowakim meaning Brave Women, along with Curt Young, recently won Best Blues CD at the 2014 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards. As First Nations artists, they perform and promote contemporary and traditional forms of music, dance and art while sending a positive message of “Be your own person, and follow your dreams.”

Joanne Pitman (BA/BEd ’00, MEd ’08)“Most recently my husband (also an educator) and I took a sabbatical to travel around the world for one year with our family. Having just returned to Canada, we are excited and rejuvenated to continue our work in the Grande Prairie Public School District (GPPSD). Our worldwide adventures have served to bring us closer as a family and have certainly challenged us to pursue strong relationships in all aspects of our lives. Over the course of my career, I have moved from teacher to vice-principal to principal, and this fall took on the role of district principal.”

Kevin Rumsey (BSc ’00)“I left government life in 2013 after 25 years, moved to Victoria, B.C., to pursue a new career and further education in climate-change adaptation, sustainability for consulting.”

Anthony Vander Schaaf (BFA ’03)“After obtaining my BFA (Art) from the University of Lethbridge, I completed a master’s (2005) and a PhD (2010) in philosophy at the University of Guelph. Currently, I am teaching at Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages in Shaoxing, Zhejiang.”

Katie Klingvall (BFA ’04) Katie Klingvall works at Alberta Theatre Projects (Calgary, Alta.) as a dresser after having returned from more than a year on the road with Cirque du Soleil.

Barbara Tomik (BSc ’04)“After receiving my degree in 2004, I returned to the Food Safety Division of Alberta Agriculture in Edmonton, Alta. and became the Senior Technologist for the Containment Level 3 laboratory. It was a hectic few years while the lab was built, equipped, commissioned, certified, and re-certified, and I got to work with some amazing people. I retired on Sept. 30, 2013, and moved back to my hometown of Pincher Creek, Alta. I plan to travel, quilt, sew, read and exercise.”

Subir Chowdhury (BSc ’04, MSc ’13)“My wife, my brother and I are all graduates from the U of L. I did both my BSc (computer science and GIS) with a co-op designation and my MSc (geography/remote sensing) at the U of L. My two-year co-op work experiences and my graduate work helped me get a permanent position as a remote-sensing specialist at the Alberta Geological Survey, Alberta Energy Regulator. I am very thankful to the U of L Co-op program and the School of Graduate Studies for helping me find my dream job at a world-class energy regulator.”

Jolane Houle (BFA ’12) Jolane Houle was hired as the Head of Wardrobe at Alberta Theatre Projects (Calgary, Alta.) this summer.

Grady Pasiechnyk (BMgt ’12)“I’ve just purchased a business with stores in Kimberley and Cranbrook, B.C. It’s Wine Works Cranbrook and Wine Works Kimberley, a UBrew/UVin company.”

Chelsea Woolley (BEd/BA ’14)“I was accepted as one of two writers to attend the National Theatre School – Playwriting in Montreal, Que.”

A L M A M A T T E R S

2010

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION Congratulations to a most deserving group of alumni who were recognized at the YWCA’s 2014 Women of Distinction: Myrna Greene (BEd ’76), Gail McKenzie (BMgt ’07, MSc (Mgt) ’09), Kristina Larkin (BA/BEd ’12), and Lea Switzer (BEd ’76, BASc (BA) ’77).

UNCHARTED WATERS

Two-time alumna Dr. Lorraine Nicol (MA ’05, PhD ’13) isn’t afraid to carve her own path to take advantage of amazing educational opportunities.

Nicol started working as a sessional instructor in the Department of Economics in 2001, where she studied water-management policy and issues, concentrating much of her research on irrigation water management. Wanting to combine her background in economics with her passion for water issues, Nicol decided to pursue a master’s degree in agricultural studies at the University of Lethbridge – the first of its kind in the history of the institution.

Working closely with Drs. Kurt Klein and Henning Bjornlund, Nicol was able to build a program that met her own individual interests.

“My experience in the master’s

program heavily informed my doctoral research,” says Nicol, who completed her master’s program in 2005. “My research focuses on water and city-regionalism, studying the dynamics of water within the Calgary Regional Partnership.”

Nicol completed a PhD in Biosystems and Biodiversity at the U of L in 2013.

“I’m proud (and very thankful) to say I was the first person at the U of L to earn a master’s degree in agricultural studies and the first person to earn a PhD in the social sciences,” says Nicol. “When I look back on my journey, it has been quite simply amazing.”

Nicol is currently working on a project that aims to identify impediments to improving Alberta’s water market and the economic consequences of the water market’s inability to reallocate water.

A L M A M A T T E R S

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge44

A L M A M A T T E R S

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BIG-TIME SMALL BUSINESSES

Many U of L alumni are following their passion to start unique small businesses that are garnering big attention. Here are just a few we caught up with this fall: Paije (Morris) Ottoson (BMgt/BEd ’04): Inspiring artists of all ages, Smudge Art Studio Inc. is the winner of the New Venture, New Business Award (Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and Business Development Bank of Canada).

Lisa MacBeth (BASc ’02): You may have seen her big pink food truck, Fries and Dolls, around Lethbridge this fall serving up unbelievably delicious fries and Eastern charm. Alex Luu (BMgt ’12): A recent graduate, Alex is already immersed in the world of small business, running one of Lethbridge’s most unique and successful new businesses, Umami Shop - World Grocery Boutique.

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge44 45

I N M E M O R I A M

In Memoriam The University of Lethbridge’s founding president Dr. W. A. Sam Smith (LLD ’90) always maintained that “people matter ultimately.” This sentiment has remained at the heart of the U of L over the last 47 years. We are deeply saddened by the loss of the following members of our community. We thank them for letting the U of L be part of their story, and we extend our sincere condolences to their family and friends.

Valerie Morley (BEd ’80)

Passed away October 30, 2013

Thomas Johnson (BMgt ’94)

Passed away December 1, 2013

Mark Popp (BMgt ’00)

Passed away February 10, 2014

William McIntyre (BASc ’71)

Passed away May 1, 2014

Patricia Siemens (BN ’96)

Passed away May 3, 2014

Farley Mowat (LLD ’73)

Passed away May 6, 2014

John Thibault (BSc ’05, MSc ’10)

Passed away May 10, 2014

Salvatore Marra (BEd ’77)

Passed away May 14, 2014

Katherine Chiste, Faculty

Passed away May 23, 2014

Hazel Dudley, Former Staff

Passed away May 26, 2014

Greta Williamson (BEd ’76)

Passed away June 4, 2014

Douglas Forsyth (BASc ’81)

Passed away June 6, 2014

Sipke Scholten (BSc ’94)

Passed away June 9, 2014

William Skelton,

Former Senate Member

Passed away June 15, 2014

David Husdal (BMgt ’92)

Passed away June 19, 2014

Leah Christensen (BASc ’05)

Passed away June 24, 2014

Linda Addison (MEd ’95)

Passed away July 22, 2014

Nadiene Nielsen (BEd ’73)

Passed away July 22, 2014

Harry Cox, Former Board of

Governors and Senate Member

Passed away August 14, 2014

Edward McNally (LLD ’05)

Passed away August 19, 2014

Hazel Penny, Friend of the U of L

Passed away September 21, 2014

Robert Hironaka (DSc ’02)

Passed away September 22, 2014

Val Matteotti (LLD ’04)

Passed away October 17, 2014

List as of October 31, 2014. We make

every effort to ensure the accuracy of

this list. If you note an error or omission,

please accept our sincere apologies

and contact Alumni Relations at

403-317-2825 or alumni@uleth.ca.

EDWARD MCNALLY (LLD ’05)

Edward McNally, best known as the founder of Calgary-based Big Rock Brewery, was a generous supporter of the University of Lethbridge. In 2008, he established a scholarship for every graduate nursing student at the U of L. He made a similar gift in subsequent years, providing a McNally-funded award to every masters-level nursing student in every year of his or her studies. He was recognized with an honorary degree in 2005 and received the Friend of Health Sciences Award in 2014.

ROBERT HIRONAKA (DSC ’02)

An active volunteer and community leader, Dr. Hironaka contributed greatly to the success of the University of Lethbridge. In 1983, Dr. Hironaka took on a three-year term as a member of the U of L Senate and was proud to return to the University in 1995 to serve as Chancellor. He received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the U of L in 2002.

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge46

I N M E M O R I A M

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As a graduate, we hope you display your success with pride. The University of Lethbridge Alumni Association offers a selection of professional frames to showcase your degree, each elegantly emblazoned with the U of L’s shield.

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The University of Lethbridge Alumni Association – Calgary Chapter would like to extend its sincere thanks to all 2014 Calgary Alumni Golf Tournament Sponsors.

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SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge46

At New Student Orientation each fall, we make a promise to our students:

“A promise to do our best, so they can be their best.”

“A promise to foster exploration, to share ideas and information, to teach but also to learn.”

“A promise to build the buildings, acquire the technology, cultivate the partnerships, and welcome the people essential to advancing an environment that excites and ignites learning.”

“A promise to create an environment where professors and students are colleagues and everyone grows together, an environment that recognizes the power of every student’s dream. And helps that dream come true.”

This issue of SAM provides a glimpse into that promise.

From institutional priorities like the 50 X 50 initiative and the Destination Project, to developing new research centres, new programs and new opportunities for students, we are doing our best so our students can be their best.

We are very proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s top-three universities in the annual Maclean’s University Rankings (Primarily Undergraduate Category) for the third successive year. As alumni and friends, I hope you share this pride.

Looking to 2015, we are incredibly honoured to welcome internationally renowned writer and Canadian icon Margaret Atwood as the guest speaker at the Calgary Alumni & Friends Dinner in March. We are looking forward to having her share her stories.

As alumni and friends, you are a part of the U of L’s story and you’re an important part of our future. Please stay connected with us and each other, and share your story.

Sincerely,

Mike Mahon, PhD President and Vice-Chancellor

from the president

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge48

SAM | Southern A lber ta Magaz ine | Un ivers i t y o f Le thbr idge48

Publications Mail Agreement No. 0040011662Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:

University AdvancementUniversity of Lethbridge4401 University Drive W.Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4

The University of Lethbridge is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year and is inviting all alumni and friends back to campus for Homecoming 2012, a weekend of lectures and lunches, tours and talks, dinners and dialogue.

We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate all that is the U of L –

past, present and future. For more information or to register, visit

www.ulethbridge.ca/alumni/homecoming.

HOMECOMINGOctober 12-14, 2012

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It may be the friendships you made, the professors who helped you along the way, the view of UHall nestled in the coulees, cheering on the Horns or the feeling you had when you crossed the stage at convocation.

Today, your university is one of Canada’s leading universities, recognized as Canada’s Research University of the Year (Undergraduate Category) and ranked as one of Canada’s top-three undergraduate universities in Maclean’s.

Share your experience. Help us inspire the next generation of U of L students and encourage someone you know to apply now.

INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION

When you think back to your U of L days, what do you remember?

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THE NOMINATION DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 1, 2015. The University of Lethbridge Alumni Association is currently accepting applications for the 2015 Alumnus of the Year and the 2015 Alumni Honour Society awards.

For nomination packages, please visit ulethbridge.ca/alumni/awards

For more information, please contact Alumni Relations at 403-317-2815 or email at alumni@uleth.ca. All nominations are confidential.

CALLING ALL U OF L ALUMNI From boardrooms to classrooms, hospitals, laboratories, farms, galleries, small towns, big cities and beyond, you – our alumni – are changing the world by advancing knowledge through education, research and creative endeavours.

DO YOU KNOW A FELLOW ALUMNUS WHO DESERVES TO BE RECOGNIZED?