UNews - Canadian Association for Continuing Education

Welcoming Shirley

trevor.kenney — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:42:22 +0000

Chancellor-elect Shirley McClellan wants everyone to know that she is more than aware of the distance from her farm in New Brigden, Alta. to Lethbridge.

Her family made the more than 400 km drive regularly while her daughter Tami (BEd '89) attended the U of L. She also has four hockey-playing grandchildren who travel to Lethbridge and southern Alberta on a regular basis. Indeed, the former politician, rural advocate and veteran community volunteer has been on the road as much as some long distance truck drivers.

Since leaving the Government of Alberta in 2007, after a 20-year career as a member of the Alberta Legislature, McClellan has matched her interests in farming and education with a long tradition of community service, most recently as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta's Rural Economy/ALES Faculty Office and The School of Business.

"I am very honoured to be selected to serve as the U of L's Chancellor," says McClellan, who was elected by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate on Feb. 5. "I've had a strong affinity for the U of L which dates back to my days not only as a parent of a U of L student, but in the continuing education field, where we worked with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the college in the early days of Campus Alberta to develop credit programming for rural communities."

McClellan says that over the years, she has followed the development of the U of L's water research programming with a lot of interest.

"I was Minister of Agriculture twice, and in my area of the province, water and irrigation issues are critical to the success of the agriculture industry. The U of L is a real leader in that area, and many more. I am looking forward to participating in as many activities as possible to help tell the U of L story."

McClellan has been involved in bringing advanced education to rural areas, serving on the board of directors for the Alberta Association of Continuing Education and the Canadian Association for Continuing Education. She also served as co-ordinator of the Big Country Further Education Council for 12 years, among other volunteer roles.

"I've also been involved in the development of the Prairie Baseball Academy, which serves students at both the U of L and Lethbridge College," says McClellan. "A lot of young people who had academic talent as well as baseball skills had to go to the United States, and this model has really shown what they can do. I really like that they develop the whole student, not just the sports aspect. It's exciting to see more of these academies develop in such places as Vauxhall and Oyen."

She adds that as a proponent of Campus Alberta, she was aware that the U of L has always shown strength in the area of developing strategic liaisons with other institutions.

"I really want that process of collaboration to continue in as many ways as possible," says McClellan.

U of L president Mike Mahon says McClellan's small-town roots will be a great benefit to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Students come from all over the country to attend the U of L, and many of them are from smaller communities, so it is helpful to have a Chancellor that relates to their circumstance.

"Shirley appreciates the challenges they face and the interests they have," says Mahon. "We are fortunate to have her on our team."

GET THE FACTS

• McClellan served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Drumheller-Stettler constituency from 1987 to 2007. During that time she had a number of diverse portfolios, including finance minister. She also served as deputy premier.

• McClellan is a member of the Olds College Board of Governors, and is active in the governance of Horse Racing Alberta.

• McClellan now farms near New Brigden, Alta., with her family, which includes husband Lloyd, son Mick and daughter Tami (BEd 89) who, with her spouse Jeff, have four children ages 10 to 14.

• Several community organizations have named facilities in McClellan's honour, in particular Olds College, which unveiled the Shirley McClellan Riding arena in 2009. The town of Oyen also dedicated their aquatic centre to her.

• In 2010, McClellan received an honorary degree from the U of L.

For a look at the February issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Dr. Shirley McClellan is the U of L's 12th Chancellor

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:24:05 +0000

Dr. Shirley McClellan, an advocate for education, veteran Alberta politician and former deputy premier of the Province of Alberta, was selected on Feb. 5 by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate to serve as the institution's 12th Chancellor.

Chancellor-elect McClellan succeeds current Chancellor Richard Davidson, QC, whose four-year term will conclude on Mar. 15, 2011.

"On behalf of the U of L, I look forward to welcoming Shirley into our community in the same way I was welcomed when I began my term," says U of L President Mike Mahon. "As she settles into her new role, I am confident that she will bring a new perspective to the role of Chancellor."

Dr. Shirley McClellan is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's 12th Chancellor.

Since leaving the Government of Alberta in 2007 after a 20-year career as a member of the Alberta Legislature, McClellan has matched her interests in farming and education with a long tradition of community service, most recently as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta's Rural Economy/ALES Faculty Office and The School of Business.

She is also a member of the Olds College Board of Governors, and is active in the governance of Horse Racing Alberta.

Mahon says that her time in government, and her work since leaving government, has focused strongly on education issues and supporting rural and regional interests.

"Our students come from all over the country to attend the U of L, and many of them are from smaller communities," says Mahon. "As a parent of a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate, Shirley understands and appreciates the challenges they face and the interests they have. She is also a strong ambassador for Alberta and the Campus Alberta program, so we are fortunate to have her on our team."

Louella Cronkhite, a member of Senate and Chair of the Chancellor Selection Committee of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, says that as the U of L moves forward as an institution and grows its programs and services across the province, finding a person with a broad view of what the U of L stands for was a key selection criteria.

"Shirley is well known and well respected both locally and provincially. We believe her enthusiasm for education and her commitment to our goals will be helpful in taking the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge forward in many different ways."

McClellan served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Drumheller-Stettler constituency from 1987 to 2007. During her six terms in office she held such diverse ministerial portfolios as health, community development, agriculture, food and rural development, international and intergovernmental relations. Additionally, she served as deputy premier and finance minister.

"I am very honoured to be selected to serve as the U of L's Chancellor," says McClellan. "I've a had a strong affinity for the U of L, which dates back to my days not only as a parent of a U of L student, but in the continuing education field, where we worked with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the college to develop credit programming for rural communities."

McClellan says that over the years, she has followed the development of the U of L's water research programming and other programs and services with keen interest.

"In my area of the province, water and irrigation issues are critical to the success of the agriculture industry, and the U of L is a real leader in that area, and many more," she says. "I am looking forward to participating in as many activities as possible to help tell the U of L story."

McClellan has been involved in bringing further education to rural areas, serving on the board of directors for the Alberta Association of Continuing Education and the Canadian Association for Continuing Education. She also served as co-ordinator of the Big Country Further Education Council for 12 years, among other volunteer roles.

She retired as an MLA in 2007 and now farms near New Brigden, Alta., with her family, which includes husband Lloyd, son Mick and daughter and U of L graduate Tami (BEd 89) who, with her spouse Jeff, have four children ages 10 to 14. New Bridgen is approximately 250 km north of Medicine Hat, Alta. near the Saskatchewan border.

She shares a notable connection with members of the internationally famous musical group Nickelback – her hometown is also Hanna, Alta., where she was born in 1942.

Several community organizations have named facilities in her honour, in particular Olds College, which unveiled the Shirley McClellan Riding arena in 2009, and the Town of Oyen, which dedicated their aquatic centre to her. In 2010, McClellan received an Honorary Degree from the
U of L.

Convocation to celebrate Honorary Degree recipients

trevor.kenney — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:59:08 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will hold its Spring 2010 Convocation ceremonies this week, June 3-4, at which another distinguished group of individuals will receive honorary degrees.

2009 Honorary Degree Recipients

Dr. Vincent Di Lollo

Dr. Vincent Di Lollo is recognized in the international scientific community as a leader among researchers of cognitive systems.

Early in his career, Dr. Di Lollo researched the fields of animal learning, human psychophysics and human visual perception. He focused his program on vision studies and iconic memory, or the continued visibility of an image for a brief period after the physical stimulus has been turned off.

His research findings in this area were listed by the American Psychological Association among contributions that significantly changed the direction of psychological research in the twentieth century.

Dr DiLollo has also been a continuous supporter of the development of research intensive universities like the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for his entire career, actively pursuing research relationships with U of L researchers, inviting them to participate on editorial boards, hiring boards and funding review panels.

Ike Lanier

Ike Lanier is a leading member of the agricultural community in Alberta and Canada, and has operated NeverIdle Farms near Lethbridge, since 1955.

For the past 25 years, Lanier has been practicing a minimum tillage system. This is seen as a major advance in agriculture which saves fuel, reduces soil erosion and preserves the ecology of the soil.

As well, Lanier, who holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queen's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (1953) has pioneered new crop development in southern Alberta, is an active proponent of different ways to market and transport grain and actively worked to change agricultural policies.

His record of service to the agricultural community is long standing. He has served on many provincial and national committees such as the Western Barley Growers, the Winter Wheat Commission, the Canola Commission, the Canadian Wheat Growers Association and Alberta Terminals Ltd. among many others.

In 1996, Lanier was a member of an advocacy group called Farmers for Justice, and one of 14 farmers fined and briefly jailed for attempting to sell grain in the United States on the open market.

Dr. Hank A. Margolis

Dr. Hank A. Margolis, a professor in the Faculty of Geography and Geomatics at Laval ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Quebec, is known as a driving force for Canadian research into the carbon cycle of forests and wetlands, and has been instrumental in the development of several national and international efforts to better understand climate change.

Dr. Margolis has made significant and long-term contributions to public service in Canada. The major form of this public service has been in the role of principal investigator and program leader of three national research networks in Canada.

Research conducted during these national programs has addressed important issues related to ecosystem carbon cycling and climate change.

New knowledge created by these scientific activities has contributed in several important ways, including improvement in forecast models used in global weather prediction (BOREAS) and in developing policy related to controlling greenhouse gas emissions in Canada (FCRN & CCP).

Shirley Mclellan

Shirley McClellan is a veteran Alberta politician and former deputy premier of the province of Alberta who has matched her interests in farming and education with a long tradition of community service, most recently as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta's Rural Economy/ALES Faculty Office and The School of Business.

McClellan served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Drumheller-Stettler constituency from 1987 to 2007. During her six terms in office she served as minister of health, community development, agriculture, food and rural development, international and intergovernmental relations and, most recently, as deputy premier and finance minister.

She retired as an MLA in 2007 and now farms in New Brigden, Alta., with her family.

McClellan has been involved in bringing further education to rural areas, serving on the board of directors for the Alberta Association of Continuing Education and the Canadian Association for Continuing Education.

Dr. Tom Melling

Dr. Michael (Tom) Melling is one of Lethbridge's longest-serving physicians, the inventor of a device to assist people with their mobility, and the founder and operator of a much-needed Lethbridge cancer clinic in addition to an enviable career as a community volunteer, school board member, and medical advisor to the government of Alberta on substance abuse and addictions issues.

He came to Lethbridge in 1966 from Scotland, and founded a medical practice in north Lethbridge, a medically-under-served area of the city.

Dr. Melling also founded, staffed and ran a cancer clinic for a decade in Lethbridge. He invented the first walker with a seat for handicapped people, an aid to daily living that has improved the quality of life for scores of people of all ages.

He served two terms on a city school board, sat on the parks and recreation commission and served six years on the board for AADAC. In addition, he was medical advisor to AADAC for two years under the Getty administration and travelled North America as a volunteer speaker on substance abuse recovery for more than 30 years.

2009 Honorary Degree recipients

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:25:44 +0000

Dr. Vincent Di Lollo

Dr. Vincent Di Lollo is recognized in the international scientific community as a leader among researchers of cognitive systems.

Ike Lanier

Ike Lanier is a leading member of the agricultural community in Alberta and Canada, and has operated NeverIdle Farms near Lethbridge, since 1955.

In 1996, Lanier was a member of an advocacy group called Farmers for Justice, and one of 14 farmers fined and briefly jailed for attempting to sell grain in the United States on the open market.

Dr. Hank A. Margolis

Research conducted during these national programs has addressed important issues related to ecosystem carbon cycling and climate change.

Shirley Mclellan

She retired as an MLA in 2007 and now farms in New Brigden, Alta., with her family.

Dr. Tom Melling

He came to Lethbridge in 1966 from Scotland, and founded a medical practice in north Lethbridge, a medically-under-served area of the city.

UNews - Canadian Association for Continuing Education

Welcoming Shirley

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