UNews - Parkway Service Complex

The people's President

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:04:03 +0000

He readily admits he was not ready for the job of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge president 10 years ago and even jokes that he might not be ready for it today. Such is the self-effacing manner in which Bill Cade has guided the U of L for the past decade, a 10-year period of unprecedented growth and achievement for the institution.

"I think you grow into jobs and anybody who thinks they are ready for any complex job probably doesn't know the job yet," says Cade, who will conclude his 10-year tenure as president at the end of June.

"I remember saying at the outset, "I'm joining your team, you're not joining my team." And to join the team, you've got to know the team. I don't care if it's football, baseball or a team of 800. I spent a fair amount of time getting to know people and learning things about them so I'd understand the role they played here."

That's something Cade never let lapse throughout his 10 years on campus. Considered by many to be the most personable "boss" they'd ever worked for, Cade embodies the personal, supportive environment the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ trumpets as one of its tenets.

"Right from when Bill came to the U of L, he was one of us," says Joan Zimmer, a Telecom assistant with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Info Tech team. "He didn't walk around with his nose in the air looking for subservience as so many do. He showed that he was in the trenches with us working for the good of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ."

Cade's ability to bring the U of L community together is universally lauded.

"Bill has an amazing capacity to see the strengths in people, to nurture those strengths and to challenge individuals to grow," says Senate and Board of Governors member Janice Varzari. "He is very appreciative of others' efforts and is very quick to acknowledge them. His capable and creative leadership has contributed very significantly to the excellence in the education of students at the U of L and the growth of programs."

What amazing growth there has been. Over the course of the last 10 years, the U of L has seen the rise of facilities such as the Library Information Network Centre, the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (both initiated under prior president Dr. Howard Tennant), the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building, Turcotte Hall, the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness and most recently, the Community Sports Stadium. Throw in a new residence complex, a daycare facility, the Parkway Service Complex and soon-to-be-opened Markin Hall and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has made building openings seem like an annual event. Cade has been at the forefront of these initiatives, introducing the new U of L campus to the world.

"I think one of Bill's great strengths has been his ability to promote the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," says Senate member Wendy Fox. "He is a true advocate and champion for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ."

Lethbridge West MLA Greg Weadick agrees.

"He is the greatest cheerleader the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has ever seen – it must be the Texan in him," says Weadick. "Under his watch, the U of L has become a stronger community partner and a source of immense pride for all southern Albertans. It would be impossible to list all of Bill's accomplishments but for me, his most enduring legacy will be the passion and joy that was always contagious whenever I spoke with him."

Cade doesn't like to discuss legacies, saying he'll leave that to somebody else to write. He does however, take great pride in how the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has evolved during his watch.

"When I first came here, academically I thought we were in pretty good shape, especially when it came to undergraduate programming," says Cade. "I still believe we're in good shape there but we've been able to add so much more, including many outstanding graduate programs.
"The research side of our mandate has also grown tremendously and is as high a quality as you could find."

He'll officially leave the position of president June 30, but anticipates returning in the fall to see the opening of Markin Hall, one of the most difficult, but now, satisfying projects undertaken during his tenure.

"Markin Hall had been wished for, for years," says Cade. "It had been at the top of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's priority list for 10 years and we'd gotten nowhere with it. We clearly had to get the Faculty of Management moved out of its location, but to make it happen, we knew we had to construct the building with other academic groups."

The new Faculty of Health Sciences proved to be the right fit, and Cade still has the letter from the provincial government authorizing its $50 million contribution.

"That was a very challenging project to work on and to be able to come back in the fall and open that building will be wonderful."

With a new Strategic Plan in place, Cade is confident the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is on secure footing as it moves forward. He sees his time as president as a continuation of the legacy established before him and one that will endure after he leaves.

"The great success of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge did not just happen," says Cade. "A group of visionaries persisted, overcame obstacles and founded the U of L. Many people followed and worked many years to grow and nurture our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.
"Today, we have one of the finest universities in Canada. The future of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is very bright. I am confident the next four decades will be even more successful for the U of L."

Campus wide fire drills Wednesday

trevor.kenney — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:55:25 +0000

The regularly scheduled campus wide fire drills will be held Wednesday, May 5, beginning at 9 a.m. and rotating throughout campus.

When the general fire alarm sounds in your building, occupants will be required to exit that building and follow the instructions of the area Fire Wardens or Assistant Fire Wardens.

Building occupants will not be able to return to their building until the fire bells have been silenced or you have been instructed to do so by a Fire Warden or by U of L Security personnel.

Following are the approximate times that fire drills will be held in each building:

WEDNESDAY MAY 5

8:45 a.m. – Centre for Sports and Wellness and Regional Aquatic Centre

9 a.m. – Hepler Hall

9:15 a.m. – Students' Union Building

9:30 a.m. – Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience

9:40 a.m. – Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building

9:55 a.m. – ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall & ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Centre for the Arts

10:20 a.m. – Turcotte Hall

10:35 a.m. – Library Building

10:45 a.m. – Anderson Hall

10:55 a.m. – Parkway Service Complex

Please be aware that the above times are only approximate and that the actual drill could start earlier or later
then stated.

Campus garden reaps harvest

trevor.kenney — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:03:15 +0000

Its roots may be humble but the legacy of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's first campus garden is truly grand.

An initiative with community in mind, the garden enjoyed its first harvest this fall. There should be many more to come.

"For a first year, I think we did really well," Stephen McGlenn, president of the Campus Roots Garden Cooperative, says. "We weren't expecting an incredibly huge garden because the first year takes a lot of work and a lot of co-ordinating of volunteers. It was challenging at times but in the end, everyone felt really good about it, especially the community building aspects of what making a garden is all about."

Located near the Parkway Service Complex, the fenced facility consisted of nine private plots (each 144 square feet) and a large communal plot. McGlenn estimates some 35 people were directly involved in renting and planting the plots but at any given time, with the involvement of family members, more than 60 people contributed to the garden's success.

Challenges were what you'd expect from a typical garden, including the co-ordination of volunteer weeding efforts. One unique difficulty was a lack of water available to the gardeners due to construction activities on campus.

"Water conservation was a huge challenge. With the area construction, our water was turned off for the better part of three weeks, and it forced us how to learn to use water effectively," says McGlenn, a fourth-year Native American Studies major.

Learning, it would turn out, proved to be a common theme throughout the summer.

"The cross-generational learning from the veteran gardeners, their experience and their love of gardening, really translated to the younger students who maybe didn't have that knowledge but really wanted to learn," says McGlenn. "That sharing of knowledge really got people excited about the project."

Students, staff, faculty and extended family members all had a hand in maintaining the garden and in the end, reaped benefits from its harvest. All extra produce was earmarked for local food banks.

Plans for next year's garden include planting specific plots for different campus departments.

"We're going to try and have a plot specifically for the daycare, one for the Native Studies Department and so on so that departments can hold events using food that they've grown on campus," says McGlenn.

It doesn't stop there, as the group submitted a proposal to the City of Lethbridge's Plan Your City project about incorporating the community garden concept into the city plan.

"Our proposal talked about how beneficial these gardens are, not only for healthy eating, community building and active living, but also for lessening our dependence on fossil fuels and promoting sustainable technologies."

GET THE FACTS

• The garden featured a variety of vegetables, including potatoes, peas, beans, carrots, varieties of lettuce and selected herbs.

• The communal plot included companion plants like marigolds to attract certain predators that would aid in the control of pests.

• Student Kyle Robinson initiated the community garden project before McGlenn took over. Following his graduation in Apr. 2010, a new executive will be created. "For me, it's almost been the climax of my undergraduate degree. Putting something together and having something tangible that I can point to in the future and say, "We put that together," is pretty fulfilling," says McGlenn.

Campus garden reaps harvest

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:47:58 +0000

Its roots may be humble but the legacy of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's first campus garden is truly grand.

An initiative with community in mind, the garden enjoyed its first harvest this fall. There should be many more to come.

Learning, it would turn out, proved to be a common theme throughout the summer.

Students, staff, faculty and extended family members all had a hand in maintaining the garden and in the end, reaped benefits from its harvest. All extra produce was earmarked for local food banks.

Plans for next year's garden include planting specific plots for different campus departments.

It doesn't stop there, as the group submitted a proposal to the City of Lethbridge's Plan Your City project about incorporating the community garden concept into the city plan.

GET THE FACTS

• The garden featured a variety of vegetables, including potatoes, peas, beans, carrots, varieties of lettuce and selected herbs.

• The communal plot included companion plants like marigolds to attract certain predators that would aid in the control of pests.

Campus Roots Garden celebration

trevor.kenney — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:02:11 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus is just a little bit greener this fall, all thanks to a student initiative that not only took root, but prospered.

The Campus Roots Cooperative Garden will celebrate its first successful growing season Thursday afternoon, 5 p.m. at its campus location.

The garden is located on Parkway road just east of the Parkway Service Complex. Just head south from the new daycare and you'll run right into the garden.

Everyone is welcome to come out and share in this successful pilot project.

UNews - Parkway Service Complex

The people's President

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