UNews - Demetrios Nicolaides

Micro-credentials in health and business earn provincial funding support

trevor.kenney — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 21:19:39 +0000

Advanced Education awards $838,750 to support new programs in trauma-informed care and personal financial planning

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has once again been successful in securing funding for the creation of new micro-credentials, earning $838,750 from Advanced Education, part of an $8-million investment in micro-credential programming across the province.

The ULethbridge funding will support the creation of a Trauma-Informed Care Micro-Credential in the Faculty of Health Sciences and a Personal Financial Planner Micro-Credential in the Dhillon School of Business. In all, the Government of Alberta announced recently it would support the development of 69 micro-credential programs at 21 post-secondary institutions across the province. The ULethbridge award is the second highest in the province.

“Continuing education and non-traditional programming have long been a way for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to connect further with our communities and encourage lifelong learning,” says Dr. Erasmus Okine, ULethbridge provost and vice-president (academic). “Through micro-credentials, we can reach even more Albertans who are looking to upgrade their skills to enhance their careers or change course and meet the new demands of an ever-shifting job market.”

The Personal Financial Planning micro-credential, comprising nine short online courses, will allow individuals aspiring to a career in personal financial planning to pursue the prestigious Qualified Associate Financial Planner™ and the Certified Financial Planner® designations offered by FP Canada (pending curriculum approval by FP Canada).

“This is a tremendous opportunity for career switchers, existing students, and individuals with degrees in any discipline to open doors to a rewarding high-demand career helping individuals and families have a more secure financial future,” says Dr. Kerry Godfrey, dean of the Dhillon School of Business.

The Trauma-Informed Care Micro-Credential will feature an approach that emphasizes a different vision for how to care for people not only as health professionals but as human beings. The program consists of seven different learning series where students will acquire a better understanding of the sources from which troubling behaviours occur and diseases spring in the wounded human soul. The learnings will help guide people toward a path of individual and collective healing.

“Our schools are full of children with learning disabilities and mental health issues that are trauma-based but the average teacher never gets a single lecture on trauma. Our health-care system is full of clients with debilitating mental health issues and substance abuse issues that are largely the result of trauma, but the average health provider never gets a single course on trauma,” says Dr. Claudia Steinke (MSc ’01), associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences Nursing Program. “Most health-care providers are untrained to offer the support that is necessary for the well-being of the traumatized individual. I believe if we had a more trauma-informed society, we would have a society that is much more compassionate. This micro-credential program will help to fill a current gap that exists in our training of health professionals.”

Micro-credential programs support the Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs strategy by providing students with flexible and innovative learning opportunities to help them develop skills for jobs. The programs will align with priority industry sectors outlined in Alberta’s Recovery Plan, including health, technology, agri-business, aviation, veterinary medicine and software engineering, among others.

“Micro-credentials empower Albertans to develop the job-ready skills they need to be successful and build new careers, while ensuring employers have access to the talent they need to grow their business,” says Minister of Advanced Education, Demetrios Nicolaides. “I’m thrilled we’re able to expand this program in a meaningful way that supports our students, post-secondary institutions, employers and industry to secure Alberta’s future.”

In 2021, the Government of Alberta had its first call for proposals for micro-credentials and ULethbridge received $550,000 to develop micro-credentials for the film and creative industry. The Visual Design Micro-Credential has since been created and includes classes such as digital culture and communication; digital video storytelling; foundations of new media; introduction to web development; mobile media; and visual communications basic. The program is set to launch in January 2023.

Alberta Government providing $20 million to upgrade the U of L’s heating and cooling centre

caroline.zentner — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 18:35:44 +0000

The provincial government announced on Thursday, June 9 that it will provide $20 million to upgrade the U of L’s heating and cooling plant located in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall opened in 1971 and the upgrade is critical to the continuing operation of the U of L. Student residences, academic spaces and research labs will all benefit from a more efficient and functional system.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is one of the top research universities of its kind, and it’s also a strong pillar of the regional economy,” says Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Advanced Education. “This funding will not only guarantee a high-quality campus experience for years to come, it will also help many Albertans in the Lethbridge area find gainful employment and provide for their families.”

Funding for the U of L project is part of an additional $98-million commitment to post-secondary institutions for accelerated capital maintenance and renewal, which is expected to create about 533 full-time jobs around the province. In the Lethbridge area, the project is expected to create about 112 jobs.

“The investment in a new energy centre at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge not only creates immediate employment, but will lower our carbon footprint and provide ongoing operational savings through energy efficiency,” says Mike Mahon, president and vice-chancellor. “The new plant and supporting infrastructure will reliably meet the heating and cooling requirements for approximately 80 per cent of our campus buildings.”

Advanced Education worked with post-secondary institutions to identify projects, with a focus on addressing existing maintenance issues, ensuring compliance with building codes and regulations, increasing access to services, and reducing operational costs. Government also prioritized projects that will help create jobs, and are ready for work to begin. The U of L project is part of more than $10 billion in infrastructure spending announced as part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan.

“Our government is working to make smart and responsible investments,” says Nathan Neudorf, MLA for Lethbridge-East. “This new capital maintenance funding for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge – funding that has been deferred for over a decade – is a welcome influx of capital to Lethbridge. This is spending that will benefit students, help control the cost of future maintenance to the university, and will also help the community by ensuring that well-calculated and focused projects are creating jobs right here in Lethbridge.”

View the government news release online.

Opening of Science Commons ushers in new era for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge

trevor.kenney — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 15:30:42 +0000

A new era in scientific research and education has dawned with today’s official opening of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s $280-million Science Commons.

The spectacular facility, which brings together the departments of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Neuroscience, Physics & Astronomy and Psychology, is designed to foster transdisciplinary research by providing exceptional opportunities for collaboration and discovery.

At 38,500 sq. metres, it is the largest development on the U of L campus since the original construction of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall began in 1969.

“The history of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is steeped in a tradition of community visionaries coming together to make the improbable possible, just as they did in establishing the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ over 50 years ago,” says Dr. Mike Mahon, U of L president and vice-chancellor. “It took a great community effort to bring the dream of Science Commons together as well. From our incredible faculty and staff, to alumni and donors, our Board of Directors and Senate and all our partners throughout southern Alberta, Science Commons will stand as a testament to visionary thought and perseverance and represent the very best our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has to offer.”

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the addition of Science Commons at the U of L is a boon for the province.

“On behalf of the Government of Alberta, I congratulate the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge on the opening of Science Commons,” says Kenney “This facility will help thousands of students to learn, innovate and collaborate for decades to come. This project will receive $260 million from Alberta taxpayers, underscoring our province’s commitment to scientific progress, which is critical to our long-term prosperity.”

Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education, adds that the province’s investment will bolster intellectual capital and strengthen the economy.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has an outstanding reputation for discovery research. The addition of this state-of-the-art facility will further attract international students and inspire more innovation, creativity and growth,” says Nicolaides. “A modern university research centre brings top talent and business to Alberta which builds the workforce and supports a stronger economy.”

Setting the stage for the next 50 years of scientific discovery and education at the U of L, Science Commons is a facility where science transcends disciplines. Large, flexible lab spaces designed with a shared-space ideology encourage collisions among researchers with diverse backgrounds and approaches. Researchers at all stages of their careers, from postdocs to doctoral, masters and undergraduate students and from kindergarten to Grade 12 will come together, sparking conversations and igniting discovery.

Setting the stage for the next 50 years of scientific discovery and education at the U of L, Science Commons is a facility where science transcends disciplines.

“From the outset, the vision of our faculty members was to stay true to our liberal education roots. The key to the success of this facility is to foster a culture of discovery and innovation that is outward-facing, responsive to societal needs and inspires the next generation,” says Dr. Matthew Letts, interim dean for the Faculty of Arts & Science. “Science Commons will build upon our collaborative approach to research and our experiential approach to learning.”

The facility also creates greater opportunity for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to build on its relationships with southern Alberta industry partners.

“The U of L has long been an economic driver in our community and Science Commons will expand our ability to foster partnerships as we translate knowledge from the lab to industry,” adds Mahon.

Dr. Ute Kothe, a researcher in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, says the world-class research already being conducted at the U of L will be further enhanced by the amenities within Science Commons.

“This building will draw scientists to Lethbridge, and that will really ensure we are bringing the best minds to Lethbridge to conduct world-class research here,” says Kothe. “They will work in state-of-the-art facilities and they will learn to work collaboratively because this is really the philosophy of the U of L — to bring people together and cross disciplinary boundaries and generate the best ideas.”

With glass the defining design feature of Science Commons, it embodies the concept of science on display, serving as an open invitation to the public to see the world’s brightest minds as they work to solve today’s greatest challenges. Further, the facility offers dedicated spaces that will double the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s capacity for science outreach activities — a true science centre for southern Alberta.

“What makes Science Commons so extraordinary is by the manner in which the architecture and the facility have been structured to foster research, teaching, collaborative space, public space, all in a domain that actually brings together multidisciplinary researchers and the public at large,” says Dr. Fred Wrona, chief scientist, Alberta Environment and Parks, Government of Alberta.

Students are taking notice. New Fall 2019 registrants to Bachelor of Science (BSc) programs offered by the Faculty of Arts & Science are up over 23 per cent from last year, while total BSc registrants are up nearly 10 per cent.

“The open concept allows for a lot of collaboration between different labs, so I’m excited to learn with new tools and new techniques that I might not have had access to before,” says Catrione Lee, a fourth-year biochemistry student.

Already one of the country’s leading research universities, Science Commons positions the U of L at the forefront of science research and education, inspiring the next generation of research scientists and setting the stage for an unprecedented era of discovery.

Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, Alberta Innovates Strategic Chair in RNA Bioengineering, Tier I Board of Governors Research Chair in Biomolecular Design and Function and the founding director of the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI), is succinct in his appraisal of Science Commons.

“I’m convinced that this facility is the best facility for research and science education in Canada.”

UPDATE

Just prior to the offical opening ceremony, Science Commons was blessed and elder Francis First Charger bestowed the Blackfoot name Isttaniokaksini on the facility. Its meaning refers to deep knowledge and awareness rising out of the unknown into the known.

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