Faculty of Management introduces Ellis as dean

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:16:30 +0000

Believing that the foundation of a successful business begins by developing strong interpersonal relationships, Dr. Robert James Ellis is looking forward to taking on his new role as dean of the Faculty of Management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, an institution rooted in its personal approach.

"I have always found people to be the most interesting aspect of business," says Ellis. "So much of business and so much of administrative work involves building relationships with other people, with students and with faculty members. I've had the opportunity to meet with both students and faculty at the U of L and I was tremendously impressed by how forward looking and enthusiastic they were. The innovative things the faculty are doing, both in their research and in their programs, has me very excited about the future."

Ellis, who is taking over for Dr. Murray Lindsay as he returns to the academic community, comes to the
U of L from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Northern British Columbia where he has served as Chair for the School of Business since 2005. Prior to that, he served in a variety of roles over the span of 24 years at Wilfrid Laurier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, including associate dean of business: faculty development and research. Ellis takes up his new position at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge on July 1, 2010.

"Dr. Ellis is known as someone who is a strong recruiter of talented faculty, and is adept at creating an environment that both supports excellence in teaching and innovative research," says Dr. Bill Cade, the U of L's President and Vice-Chancellor. "He has displayed a unique skill of being able to develop relationships with the business community and subsequently integrate those affiliations into the creation of original programming."

With a background in psychology, Ellis gained the notion that he could marry his field of study with the business world by following the lead of his masters' advisor, who held a joint PhD in business and psychology. It led him to focus his research interests on issues related to management and organizational behaviour, leadership skills, group dynamics and motivation.

"I focused on the human side of business rather than on the numbers side," says Ellis. "Topics such as teamwork, motivation, leadership – those were always my areas of interest, and I think that's why I went into administration. I've always been able to work well with people and so much of administrative work is about building relationships with other people."

A father of two, his sons have followed in his footsteps, each gravitating to one aspect of his research personality. One son is set to graduate from UNBC in May with a degree in finance and marketing while the other is completing a psychology degree.

Ellis looks to the U of L as a place of incredible opportunity. He enters the Faculty of Management as it is poised to take up residence in the brand new Markin Hall building.

"Markin Hall will be a wonderful place to study management education, and for management educators, faculty and staff to work together and exchange ideas about how to create new programs and courses for our students," says Ellis.
His current research interests are also uniquely suited to the southern Alberta area.

Keen on creating increased opportunities for students, Ellis is particularly interested in opening the business world to the aboriginal population.

"One of the things I've been thinking about very much is how we can increase access for aboriginal peoples within our business programs," he says. "The number of students pursuing business who are aboriginal is very low all across Canada, and I think it's important to increase their opportunity to study."

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ affords great opportunity

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:17:03 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Dr. Bill Cade chats about what's happening in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community

I consider myself very fortunate to be in a position that affords me the opportunity to meet truly exceptional people from all walks of life. In recent weeks I have shared the company of two such people, Mike Babcock and Ron Sakamoto, who are not only accomplished in their respective fields, but who are personable, genuine and generous friends of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Babcock headlined the inaugural Calgary Alumni & Friends Dinner, a wonderful affair that packed the grand ballroom at The Westin. Recently crowned as an Olympic champion, Babcock turned the event into a very special evening by taking his audience into the dressing room and behind the bench of the Canadian Men's Olympic Hockey Team. At the same time, his message of humility and being true to your roots, as he is with the strong connection he maintains to the U of L, resonated with the crowd.

If you had told me 10 years ago, when I first came on as President, that we would be able to fill a ballroom of that size, in Calgary, with our alumni, I never would have thought it was possible. We have come a long way in that time and our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is evolving to where we now have alumni who are well into their own careers and are in a position to give back to their alma mater. This is a very important bond that's been established and events like the one in Calgary will only nurture that relationship going further.

Just recently, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the Faculty of Fine Arts had a sneak peek at the new digital audio arts studio, and with that came a very valuable contribution from Ron and Joyce Sakamoto. Ron had always said he'd do something significant for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ while I was still President, so this announcement was very special to me and will benefit students for years to come.

Ron is someone I've really enjoyed over the years. He's been a lot of fun to be around and is a keen supporter of the U of L. In 2003, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ granted him an honorary degree and Ron regaled the convocation crowd by yodeling his acceptance speech. It remains one of the three most memorable honorary degree speeches of my time as President. It ranks with Tom Droog's electric presentation and Chava Rosenfarb's heartfelt address, which both took place in 2006. I still cannot listen to Chava's speech without crying.

When I look at the lives of these three unique individuals, they are very similar in that none of them had a formal education and they all have been extremely successful while also using their talents to benefit other people.

On another note, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ continues to hum along with exciting news from every corner of campus. Congratulations to Dr. Robert James Ellis, the new Dean of the Faculty of Management. With a new Dean in place and Markin Hall readying to open, the future is very bright for this Faculty.

As well, congratulations to the people in the Alberta Water and Environmental Sciences Building. The recent announcement of federal funding to support the establishment of a Water and Environmental Sciences Hub and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's significant role in this project further illustrates the research excellence that exists on campus.

UNews - Robert James Ellis

Faculty of Management introduces Ellis as dean

Related Topics

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ affords great opportunity

Related Topics

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ affords great opportunity