Recognizing recipients of the 2025 President's Award for Service Excellence

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 May 2025 17:33:27 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President's Office is pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of the President's Awards for Service Excellence.

Corinne Steele (APO)

A longstanding financial leader in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Corinne Steele (BMgt ‘94), financial analyst, is the 2025 recipient of the President’s Award for Service Excellence (APO).

For nearly three decades, Steele has been a pillar of operational support at ULethbridge, expertly managing complex financial portfolios and offering strategic guidance to faculty, administrators and staff. Her work underpins nearly every aspect of academic life — from budgets and research accounts to space planning and faculty recruitment — and she does it all with professionalism, empathy and care.

Now supporting the Faculties of Arts & Science, Fine Arts and Liberal Education, Steele is widely respected for her practical insight and calm leadership. Her ability to navigate challenges, offer sound advice and make systems work better has made her an essential part of operations across campus.

Her work often happens behind the scenes, but its impact is felt widely. Steele played a central role in transforming underused spaces — like the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall language lab — into vibrant, student-focused facilities. She has also supported infrastructure upgrades across Science Commons and helped secure essential research equipment and services for labs and teaching spaces. In all she does, Steele finds practical, cost-effective solutions that enhance academic life at every level.

One of her most notable contributions came in fall 2024, when a situation required faculty to rearrange their books and research materials in their offices. Steele took the lead on organizing and communicating the process but also went well beyond expectations — assisting faculty directly with packing, delivering bins and offering hands-on support. She coordinated a temporary “free library” for donated materials. Her efforts transformed a disruptive situation into one marked by clarity and community.

Steele’s quiet leadership, deep dedication and genuine kindness have shaped the day-to-day experience of countless colleagues. Her work reflects the best of what it means to serve a university community — with competence, compassion and a willingness to help.

Shamsuddin Mamun (AUPE)

Technician by title, innovator by nature, Shamsuddin Mamun (Mamun) has been awarded the 2025 President’s Award for Service Excellence (AUPE).

In his 14+ years as a member of the Aquatic Research Facility (ARF) team, Mamun has built a reputation for going above and beyond in any task he undertakes. Motivated by a genuine care for the animal species within the ARF and a deep commitment to supporting research, Mamun takes the initiative to identify and improve deficiencies in the facility. His contributions range from mechanical room revisions to installing UV and irrigation systems. A notable example of his creative thinking is the tank level alarm system he engineered for all holding tanks within the ARF. To ensure its success, Mamun enrolled in coding classes at ULethbridge and taught himself how to operate varying electronic systems. The result was a system that alerts staff of low water levels and performs automatic refills — an innovation that has since attracted interest from other institutions looking to implement the same system in their facilities.

Mamun’s impact extends beyond his technical expertise. His passion for supporting research projects across numerous departments has translated into a mentorship role for students and highly qualified personnel conducting research. He shares his expertise in equipment operation and maintenance, ensuring others can conduct their research with confidence.

His ability to innovate has positively impacted research projects, particularly in a study involving hatching rainbow trout. Despite the use of aquaculture grade hatching jars designed for trout eggs, high mortality rates threatened the viability of the project. Using supplies obtained from the Dollar Store and Home Depot, Mamun constructed new hatching jars, achieving a survival rate greater than 90 per cent, ensuring the study would have sufficient embryos to conduct research.

Mamun’s approach to problem-solving is characterized by his caring nature, creative thinking and passion for the success of the ARF. The first to step in during emergencies and after-hours duties, Mamun’s unwavering willingness exemplifies his selflessness and reliability. While his innovations have helped develop the ARF and greenhouse — often at a fraction of the expected cost — it is his consistent support and the trust he’s built with colleagues that will continue to have a lasting impact.

Calgary Campus Administrative Team (Team)

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is proud to present the Calgary Campus Administrative Team with the President’s Award for Service Excellence (Team).

Over the past three years, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Calgary Campus has undergone a remarkable transformation. From an enrolment of roughly 600 students, it has grown to over 1,000 — an unprecedented surge that has had a significant impact on daily operations. Rather than being overwhelmed by the challenge, the Calgary Campus team, including Calgary Campus manager, Kristin Galicia (BMgt ‘03), academic advisors Sydney McNally (BMgt ’10), Jessica Jones (BA/BMgt ’21) and Spencer Simkin (BMus ’16), international student advisor Brana Kumovic, Career Bridge advisor Emmanuel Akinlabe, learning specialist Zainab Yeekan, IT support Sean Good, administrative specialist Theresa Tran, office clerk Khushpreet (current ULethbridge student), wellness advisor Tiffanie Leal, recruiters Callum Hakin (BMgt ’22) and Hana Hubley (BMus ‘23) and international recruiter Jason Ng embraced it as a defining moment to shine.

Prior to 2022, most Calgary Campus students, often working professionals, preferred a “learn-and-leave” campus. With over half of the student population now made up of international learners navigating a new country and culture, the needs of learners have quickly diversified, requiring the implementation of additional services and supports. The team adapted with grace, empathy and resourcefulness.

Wearing many hats is now part of daily life on campus. The team has launched and sustained multiple new initiatives to meet the growing and diverse needs of students: a laptop lending program, a peer tutoring squad, a writing centre, new software to effectively manage student drop-in traffic and comprehensive instructor and student success guides. Social events like the Halloween Howler, Spring Carnival, winter tubing and Christmas Carols and Cookies have brought much-needed connection and joy to students far from home.

The launch of the ULethbridge International College Calgary in September 2024 added another layer of complexity. Though the addition of a new unit on campus added to the intricacy of operations and required the staff to pivot and problem solve, the Calgary Campus team welcomed this new group of students and staff with warmth and professionalism, setting a gold standard for partnership integration.

Through dedication, adaptability and teamwork, the Calgary Campus staff have elevated the ULethbridge experience and provided outstanding and customized service and support to the Calgary Campus’s diverse group of students. Their unwavering loyalty to the ULethbridge mission and values, willingness to innovate and refusal to let challenges dim their spirit make them truly deserving of recognition.

Animal Care Services Team earns President's Award for Service Excellence

trevor.kenney — Mon, 17 May 2021 16:49:51 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is proud to recognize the Animal Care Services Team with the President's Award for Service Excellence.

Animal Care Services Team

The Animal Care Services (ACS) team often goes unnoticed in their support of groundbreaking research that has positioned the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as one of Canada’s leading research institutions.

ACS is responsible for maintaining a gold standard for animal welfare and care for the more than 5,000 research and teaching animals per year housed in the new Rodent Research Vivarium in Science Commons, the Aquatic Research Facility in the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building and Biological Sciences Laboratory in Science Commons.

Staff in all facilities are experts in their fields, holding higher education degrees in aquatic research or specific registered laboratory animal technician training, and dedicate their professional lives to the animals they care for.

In addition to safeguarding the welfare of animals and ensuring the highest ethical standards are upheld, the ACS team also trains undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and visiting scholars in the animal handling and biomethodology training related to their research.

When COVID-19 struck, the ACS team became essential workers – a fitting title for this team which continued to come to campus to care for the animals. Due to the urgent and full-time nature of animal care, the ACS team provides uninterrupted training and support to our animal research community, seven days a week, 365 days a year on-call or in-person, regardless of the time of day. This team shows immeasurable resilience, commitment and strength, going above and beyond to ensure research continues at full capacity. ACS had two Canadian Council on Animal Care assessment visits during this already stressful time and received high commendations on their exceptional work.

The ACS team is defined not only by their incredible knowledge and support of students and researchers, but their utmost compassion and respect for animals and dedication to the advancement of research at the U of L.

The Animal Care Services Team includes:

Isabelle Gauthier, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Veterinarian/Director, Animal Care Services
Karen Dow-Cazal, Rodent Research Facility Coordinator
Moira Holley, PAM & Rodent Training Coordinator
James Cazal (BSc ’15), Rodent Colony Management Technician
Carla Navratil, Rodent Animal Care Attendant
Erin Falkenberg (BSc ’06), Rodent Animal Care Attendant
Holly Shepherd, Aquatic Research Facility Coordinator
Shamsuddin Mamun, Aquatic Research Facility Technician
Molly Tilley (BSc ’19), Weekend Aquatic Research Facility Technician
Eric Stock (BSc ’12), Weekend Aquatic Research Facility Technician and Previous Interim Aquatic Research Facility Coordinator
Lauren Zink, Weekend Aquatic Research Facility and assists with Biological Sciences Facility

UNews - Shamsuddin Mamun

Recognizing recipients of the 2025 President's Award for Service Excellence

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Animal Care Services Team earns President's Award for Service Excellence

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