UNews - Alumni Relations

Alumnus Turner earns TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowship in Advancement

trevor.kenney — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 21:12:18 +0000

An engaged and enthusiastic leader who founded and served as the first president of PACT (Philanthropy, Advancement, Community and Traditions) at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has earned a 2021 TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowship in Advancement.

Kierian Turner initiated and served as the first president of the PACT club. PHOTO BY Nathan Hughes

Kierian Turner (BMus ‘20), a graduate of the Digital Audio Arts program in the Department of Music, is currently working as an alumni engagement assistant in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Advancement office. The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowship provides funding to support his position for a further 12-month term, and strongly emphasizes the professional growth of each fellow, ensuring the strength of tomorrow’s advancement professionals. Turner is one of only two recipients selected from across the country to receive the award and the second U of L student in the past three years (Karissa Hartley (BA ’18)).

Turner initially began working as a caller in the student call centre. He has excelled in student engagement, relationship-building and event management. In leading the establishment of PACT, Turner spurred the group’s executive to develop and execute two new programs that supported the connection between students and alumni and promoted young alumni giving.

“I learned a great deal during my inaugural PACT presidency, but perhaps the greatest revelation was the degree to which our community is eager to give back time, talent and treasure to offer support to students,” he says. “This shared belief will be the guiding light of my fellowship, especially as members of our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community look to one another for support during this especially difficult year.”

Turner has quickly grown into his role with Advancement and brings a full slate of talents to the team.

“His knowledge of the inner-workings of Advancement combined with his cross-institutional experience are just what we need to steward the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ towards a culture of philanthropy,” says Lyndsay Montina, manager, Alumni Relations. “Kierian is an exceptional young leader with unmatched enthusiasm, and I can guarantee he is worthy of this fellowship.”

Turner was the 2020 Department of Music Most Distinguished Graduate and won multiple scholarship awards, including: 2019 MusiCounts Scholarship; 2019 Fine Arts Shining Student and 2019 Arts & Science Shining Student; 2018 Joyce & Ron Sakamoto prize for Research and Development in Digital Audio Arts.

Turner is excited to lay the groundwork for the creation of a culture of philanthropy amongst students, beginning with a research project that will ultimately inform a student engagement plan tied to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Annual Day of Giving. The proposed project will be foundational in building an environment where students understand, celebrate and engage with philanthropy while simultaneously building stronger affinity.

U of L partners with TD Life and Health Insurance

trevor.kenney — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 21:03:31 +0000

For more than a dozen years, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has received support from TD Insurance. The long-standing TD Home and Auto Insurance partnership provides U of L alumni with special benefits and privileges, and the program’s total contributions to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ are valued at nearly $1 million.

“Since 2008, TD Insurance has supported ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumni, faculty, staff and students with exclusive rates on home and auto insurance and $953,000 in sponsorship,” says Lyndsay Montina, manager of Alumni Relations. “The sponsorship from TD Insurance has been instrumental in the development and growth of programming that supports alumni and student engagement.”

The new sponsorship agreement is through the TD Life and Health Insurance Affinity Program and gives ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumni premium savings on eligible TD Term Life Insurance. Alumni are eligible to apply for life insurance with TD Term Life Insurance and may be approved for up to $500,000 in coverage.

“This is a significant opportunity for our alumni to feel confident knowing life insurance coverage can help protect their family’s financial future,” adds Montina. “That the TD Life and Health Insurance Affinity Program also supports alumni activities is a win-win situation.”

U of L alumni interested in the program can obtain a life insurance quote by calling 1-866-883-5647 or visiting tdinsurance.com/ULETH-termlife

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge introduces Nourish program in continued effort to eliminate food scarcity for students

trevor.kenney — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 17:57:33 +0000

Of the many challenges facing post-secondary students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has long worked to make sure food scarcity does not impact their ability to achieve their academic goals. Bringing together a long-established network of food-related initiatives from across campus, the newly launched Nourish program is the next step in ensuring U of L students are well fed in their pursuit of excellence.

Based on research carried out by Campus Chaplain, Erin Phillips, and a team of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and college faculty, Nourish connects the dots between existing programs and raises awareness about food scarcity on campus with a goal of increasing access to healthy food for students.

Finding and being able to afford healthy food options should never be a barrier for students.

“There is a recognition on campus that food security is an issue and, over the years, a number of initiatives have been created to address our students’ needs,” says Phillips. “The research we’ve done in recent years has clearly demonstrated the need is there and Nourish will help pull all these pieces together into one envelope, allowing us to coordinate efforts to reach as many students as possible.”

Phillips and her group conducted a survey that shed light on how pervasive food concerns are to students at the U of L. When asked if students ever ran out of food and didn't have enough money for more, 19.2 per cent responded with “sometimes” and 7.5 per cent said “often” or “all the time.” As well, 14.8 per cent of students said they had gone a whole day without food because they couldn't afford any and, of the students who said they hadn't eaten for a day, 28.2 per cent said that this happened at least once a week or more often.

“These are sobering numbers and something we’re working hard to address,” says Phillips. “What’s also telling is that only 7.4 per cent of students reported having used the ULSU food bank.”

Nourish intends to raise the profile of the Student’s Union Food Bank, as well as the many campus initiatives in place to assist students in need of food. It also looks to raise awareness and further engage the community to find collaborative solutions to meet student need.

Some of the programs already in place to help combat food scarcity include: Buy a Student Breakfast and Dinner for Six (supported by Alumni Relations and the student club PACT); Campus Food Pantry and Campus Care Parcels (supported by Campus Chaplaincy); Food For Thought (supported by Agility); ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students’ Union Food Bank donations (supported across campus).

“We have a very caring campus community that has shown over the years they are eager to help and, through Nourish, we see the opportunity to bring people and their ideas together to increase our students’ access to healthy food,” says Phillips.

Community has the power to play a vital role in the lives of U of L students and Nourish is a means for the community to come together to address an issue of great importance.

Backgrounder on campus food initiatives

Buy a Student Breakfast
Students are gearing up for the last few weeks of the semester, a time that can be very stressful for many. Help make this final exam season a little bit easier for our students by getting their day off to the right start. For $10, you can buy two students a breakfast sandwich and a coffee or tea.

Student Pantry Project
Monetary donations are being collected to help launch a student pantry project on campus. The Ecumenical Campus Ministry is launching this project to provide free, grab-and-go type food for students in an effort to fight student hunger. The student pantry project will launch in early 2020 with four locations on campus.

Campus Care Parcel
Now in its 18th year, the Campus Care Parcel program provides reusable bags full of non-perishable food for students. Donations are being accepted on campus in room AH148 during the week of November 25-29. Donations can also be dropped off at the Immanuel Lutheran Church (20 Rocky Mountain Blvd W). Volunteers are needed to help fill parcels. If you're interested in getting involved, please email alumni@uleth.ca.

Donate to the ULSU Food Bank
Food and cash donations are accepted year-round at the ULSU Food Bank and other local food banks. This time of year, many ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ holiday events are collecting donations, so please give generously.

Alumna awarded prestigious fellowship

trevor.kenney — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 22:37:27 +0000

Less than a year into her role as alumni engagement coordinator for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Karissa Hartley (BA ’18) has made quite the impression.

Karissa Hartley, alumni engagement coordinator, earns a TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowship in Advancement.

Overseeing the development of alumni programming initiatives, including the expansion of the alumni chapters program and the creation of an alumni Instagram account, has equipped this young alumna with the skillset and passion necessary to create lasting impact.

Her hard work is not going unnoticed, and Hartley was recently selected as a recipient of the TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowship in Advancement. The fellowship provides funding to support the position for a 12-month term, and strongly emphasizes the professional growth of each fellow, ensuring the strength of tomorrow’s advancement professionals. As one of only two recipients selected each year, the magnitude of this recognition is not lost on Hartley.

“This fellowship is a complete game-changer for my career,” says Hartley. “The people I’ll meet and the things I’ll learn over the next year will challenge me to be the best I can be in this field.”

Hartley first got a taste for work in Advancement – specifically in Alumni Relations and Communications – through an applied study she completed in the last year of her undergraduate degree. She hosted focus groups with alumni and students as part of the 2017 Needs Assessment and now spends her time turning that data into actionable change.

“Karissa has proven herself to be a valuable member of our team over the last year,” says Lyndsay Montina, the manager of Alumni Relations and Hartley’s supervisor. “She is incredibly deserving of this recognition.”

Throughout her fellowship year, Hartley will lead in the creation of an alumni communications suite, which includes producing a podcast and developing a program for sharing alumni-curated content and articles. With this suite, alumni will contribute their ideas, stories and experiences to the larger U of L community, bringing a voice to the label “alumni.”

UNews - Alumni Relations

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