UNews - Supporting Our Students

Getting to know your new Supporting Our Students Co-Chairs

trevor.kenney — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 16:11:03 +0000

Supporting our Students is one of the easiest ways in which faculty and staff can contribute to student scholarships.

SOS Co-Chairs Tracy Oosterbroek, left, and Meagan Koshman are excited to spread the word about how we can all support our students.

Each year, two members from our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community assume roles as Co-Chairs of the annual SOS campaign and put their passion for student support into practice.

Your two new Co-Chairs for this year’s campaign are Tracy Oosterbroek, the assistant dean of our nursing program, and Meagan Koshman, one of our outstanding student recruitment officers.

Let’s get to know them a little bit.

What do you do at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and what’s your background?

Tracy: I am an Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean, NESA (Nursing Education of Southern Alberta) Programs.

Meagan: I am a Student Recruitment Officer and have worked here for almost five years. I am also a proud alumnus with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

Tracy: Geez, I don’t know! I live on a farm, have four kids, three dogs and two cats. I love the outdoors.

Meagan: Before my role here, I was a cosmetologist, so I got to play with makeup all day! I love spicy food, I have never broken a bone, and a day is not complete without walking my dog.

Why do you support SOS?

Tracy: It is so important to pay forward gifts received, and I received scholarships during my graduate programs. As a professor and assistant dean, I witness the challenges experienced by students, some of which include financial hardship. No student should be hungry or be required to withdraw from an academic program due to financial hardship. We all have a responsibility to contribute, even in small ways, to supporting student success and easing the financial strain.

Meagan: As a former student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, I love being able to give a little bit back towards scholarships each month. It’s a great way to help support students in an easy way!

Why did you want to take on a leadership role with SOS?

Tracy: I felt I could at this time in my career, and I thrive on service.

Meagan: I thought it would be a great opportunity to contribute to SOS in a different way. Everyone who is part of this committee is awesome to work with — so it has been a lot of fun.

What are your goals for SOS while you are Co-Chair?

Tracy: That’s a loaded question. I would like to see increased engagement among all staff and faculty at ULeth. It would be great to see an increase in regular/monthly commitments. It is a difficult time for everyone, but also a time when students need support more than ever.

Meagan: I aim to collaborate with the committee and come up with creative new ways to help students as well as educate more staff and faculty about what SOS is all about.

If you get an opportunity to speak with either Tracy or Meagan, let them share their passion for student support with you and how our community is stronger when we all work together.

To learn more, visit the Supporting Our Students web page.

Department of History recognized with new SOS honour

trevor.kenney — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 21:31:34 +0000

To promote awareness of the Supporting Our Students (SOS) fundraising campaign and to recognize donor participation, the Kevin Award has recently been created.

The U of L's Department of History has had 100 per cent participation in the SOS campaign for seven consecutive years.

Kevin, a bronze pronghorn statue, is named after the artist who created him, Kevin Sehn. As an artist and arts technician in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Kevin donated his talent and his time to SOS to create the statue.

Anyone donating monthly or who has made a one-time donation in the previous 12-month period will be eligible for the award, which will stay with the recipient for a two-month visit. Based on various criteria, donors will be selected about every second month between September and June.

SOS Co-Chairs Jacqueline Preyde and Chris Hosgood presented the first-ever Kevin Award to the Department of History on November 18. The history department has had 100 per cent participation in the SOS campaign for seven consecutive years. Congratulations history department!

Stay tuned to the Notice Board and digital signs for future Kevin Award presentations, and visit ulethbridge.ca/bridge/sos to sign up for monthly payroll deductions. Maybe you will get the next visit from Kevin!

Student support motivated by student experience

trevor.kenney — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 17:25:31 +0000

When Katherine Wasiak and her husband moved from Swift Current, Sask., to Tempe, AZ, in pursuit of master’s and doctorate degrees (respectively) at ArizonaState ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, they left a two-story four bedroom house behind in exchange for a two bedroom apartment – and they had their three young children along with them.

Katherine Wasiak not only gives to Supporting Our Students but is also a member of the program committee.

“Ed was getting about 20 per cent of his salary, and the Canadian dollar was worth about 60 cents American at the time,” recalls Wasiak with a laugh. “It’s amazing what you can learn to live without.”

Although her family’s apartment dwelling days are long behind her, Wasiak still remembers what it was like to be a student under financial strain.

“I empathize with students who are struggling financially,” says Wasiak. “Money is a challenge for most everyone who attends university, but pursuing an education is certainly worthwhile. If there are things we post-graduate ‘survivors’ can do to support students coming up through the ranks, I think it’s incumbent upon us to do so.”

Wasiak donates to Supporting Our Students (SOS) and contributes time to the program as a member of the SOS committee. As the director of public relations and communications for the Faculty of Fine Arts, Wasiak chooses to delegate her funding to the Abbondanza fund – an endowment that supports undergraduate and graduate scholarships in art, music, drama and new media. In Wasiak’s opinion however, where people choose to direct their donations isn’t nearly as important as making a contribution in the first place.

“Students are our business,” says Wasiak emphatically. “We’re here for them and because of them. It’s in everyone’s best interest, students and employees alike, to ensure that U of L students get the best education possible.”

The value of education was instilled in Wasiak early on, and its effects have rippled across her entire life. Wasiak’s parents were both teachers, each of her seven siblings has at least one post-secondary degree, Wasiak herself has two, her husband has four, and their children are now grown and university graduates as well – two of the three of them from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Wasiak says if she knows one thing for sure, it’s that a good education is a necessity in today’s world.

“An education gives you choices,” Wasiak says. “It gives you flexibility and skills and tools. We live in a world that is changing very quickly. There are jobs out there that no-one could have imagined would exist 20 years ago. A solid education teaches you to think critically and creatively, and thrive in a fast-paced changing world. We need people who can lead us forward, which means we need to foster education however we can. Contributing to SOS is a great way of doing our part.”

Supporting Our Students plays role in student achievement

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 May 2014 18:18:16 +0000

On May 29 and 30, the campus will be dressed up by caps and gowns, flowers and photographs as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge community comes together to celebrate convocation and the accomplishments of more than 1,400 graduates.

The next Supporting Our Students campaign milestone is to achieve 250 donors, another 30 participants, before May 31, 2014.

Many people play a supportive role in the life of a student. From friends and family to faculty and staff, a strong support system is crucial to student success. Less conspicuous in the everyday life of a student, scholarships and bursaries also play an important part in helping students achieve their dreams and aspirations.

In 2013, approximately 2,100 scholarships and bursaries were awarded to students, totalling more than $3.5 million. Part of that contribution comes from faculty, staff and retirees who donate to the Supporting Our Students campaign. So, as the 2013-2014 campaign comes to a close, SOS Co-Chairs Lorne Williams, dean of Northern Campuses, and Linda Embury (now retired) want to remind the U of L community that their ongoing support is essential.

In summarizing the 2013/14 campaign, Williams is both proud and optimistic.

“Convocation is a good reminder to reflect on all of our accomplishments, and that includes those of the SOS committee. By the end of 2013, 377 faculty, staff and retirees were participating by supporting students and together we raised more than $177,000,” says Williams. “Each January we set new goals for the upcoming calendar year, so that we can ensure the dollars are there when students need. So our next milestone is to achieve 250 donors, another 30 participants, before May 31, 2014.”

As our campus community gets ready to celebrate convocation, Williams leaves an important reminder.

“As you participate in Convocation, please remember that each and every student is there because of the contributions of many individuals, and I believe we should all take great pride in the part we play. Our job as instructors and administrators is to facilitate student success in ways that most benefit the individual. Giving to SOS, in large or small ways, helps students go forward and become positive forces in the world. So if you haven’t yet made your SOS gift, there is still time”, Williams emphasizes. “Please join the SOS Committee members, your colleagues and peers, and donate to help students succeed."

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To make a gift to SOS, or for more information, please visit: www.uleth.ca/giving. You may also sign up to make monthly gifts through payroll deduction at www.uleth.ca/bridge/sos. Your gift is tax deductible and you may give to any area on campus that is meaningful to you.

Williams says support offers a brighter big picture

david.kirby — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 16:03:59 +0000

In the 20-plus years that Lorne Williams has worked and studied at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, he’s seen some significant changes. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has grown, introduced new programs and Faculties, expanded to Alberta’s two largest cities, and become renowned as one of the top-research universities in the country. But for all the positive changes that have occurred, Williams says there is one particular thing close to his heart that requires our collective attention – the stress level of many students on campus.

“Having worked every day with student residents in the past, teaching in the classroom and having lived the university experience myself, I know how difficult student life can be,” says Williams. “It’s more expensive than ever to attend university and students today are under more conflicting demands than ever before. A little bit of assistance goes a long way, and the benefits are something we reap as a society.”

Williams is a long-time monthly contributor to the U of L’s Supporting Our Student (SOS) fund – a cause he feels so passionate about he is the co-Chair of the 2013/14 SOS campaign.

Lorne Williams and Linda Embury are co-Chairs of the Supporting Our Students campaign.

“Students are the reason we’re here,” says Williams about U of L faculty and staff. “Our job as instructors and administrators is to facilitate student success, and that goal has to reach beyond the classroom. In giving to SOS we help students go forward and become positive forces in the external community.”

As assistant dean of northern campuses, a position he accepted after more than a decade as a director, instructor and coordinator at the U of L Calgary campus, Williams has a unique perspective on student life. He says the realities of achieving a post-secondary education are especially diverse and complicated for students.

“There is a huge non-traditional student base today. Many students work full time while pursuing their education, out of sheer necessity in a lot of cases. They have families and other major responsibilities on top of their course work. It’s a lot to juggle, and students struggle because of it. Anything we can do to help alleviate some of that pressure is important and worthwhile, and contributing to SOS does that.”

Having earned four degrees, including a Bachelor of Management and Master of Education from the U of L, a Bachelor of Arts from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and a Master of Arts from Royal Roads ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, all while balancing a professional career and family, Williams personally empathizes with students and sees his contributions to SOS as a small part of a bigger picture.

“��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ education is meant for everyone. We have a role to fulfill, an obligation to society – we exist to make communities better,” he says. “The lifeblood of any community is the people who live there, and the U of L is a community filled with citizens who take what they learn here out to the world. We have a responsibility to foster our people. Contributing to SOS, in large or small ways, is a fantastic way of doing that.”

UNews - Supporting Our Students

Getting to know your new Supporting Our Students Co-Chairs

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