UNews - Jan Newberry

New Community Bridge Lab serves as hub for connecting students to each other, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and community

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 18:08:38 +0000

Community Bridge Lab Showcase takes place Thursday, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Dr. Foster James Penny Building (324 5 St S)

One of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s greatest contributions to southern Alberta is the annual influx of bright, talented, eager minds ready to contribute to society. Building on that, ULethbridge opened the new Community Bridge Lab (CBL) in January — a specific space designed to support multi-disciplinary and community-engaged student research projects across the social sciences and humanities.

ULethbridge student Rebeca Spencer working in the field with environmentalists and stewards of land in southern Alberta.

The Community Bridge Lab acts as a hub for academic and community organizations that have research and project needs to connect with ULethbridge students who have project ideas and skills to contribute. The CBL enhances student training through expanded work-integrated learning opportunities and creates even more opportunities for community organizations to draw on the unique skill sets of ULethbridge students, even as it supports the core elements of a liberal education.

“Traditional lab spaces are a hallmark of the sciences but more often than not, are lacking for the social sciences — making this lab a wonderful addition to campus,” says Dr. Shelly Wismath, Dean of the School of Liberal Education. “Student-engaged and community-centric work is a strength of our university and until now, independent and group-research in the social sciences and humanities has largely been facilitated through independent studies, applied studies, and honours theses. This lab allows us to build on the strengths of these existing programs by further supporting our students to work collaboratively with faculty, community organizations, and each other.”

To build the same kind of shared lab space aimed at building teams and highlighting the strengths of qualitative research, Wismath and Dr. Jan Newberry (anthropology) proposed the idea of the CBL. In its first year of operation, they were joined by Drs. Jodie Asselin (anthropology), Julie Young (geography and environment) and Kaylan Schwarz (liberal education) as the core advisory group that serves as supervisors and mentors to undergraduate lab fellows working on community-engaged projects.

How it Works

Students engaged in community-oriented research through independent studies, honours projects, or research positions apply to become a lab fellow. Fellows then receive peer support through meetings with other student researchers, training through workshops and speakers, mentorship through faculty support, and lab space withing which to work and brainstorm. Fellows can also apply for CBL funding where appropriate.

“We anticipate holding an annual Community Bridge Day, meant to support creative and community-oriented discussions, where fellows will have an opportunity to publicly share their work,” says Wismath. “During this, the first summer of our collaboration, we supported five lab fellows who shared resources and met regularly to debrief about their experiences working on their independent projects.”

On Thursday, September 8, 2022, the Community Bridge Lab Showcase takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Dr. Foster James Penny Building (324 5 St S), where each student fellow will give a short presentation on their project.

The projects included Lily Overacker’s (anthropology and history) study on what community-engaged research looks like across Canada and in different community contexts, while also doing a local community scan of opportunities for community-engaged research.

Amy Cran (anthropology) examined how a grassroots outreach organization, SAGE Clan Patrol, makes use of traditional Blackfoot Knowledge in their work of assisting people experiencing addiction and homelessness in Lethbridge.

Rebeca Spencer (anthropology and psychology) conducted research using immersive, participant observation with environmentalists and stewards of land in southern Alberta to understand their motivations and their relationship to hope, while Joni Smith (education) worked on the MasterCard Foundation-supported Blackfoot Women’s Empowerment Project to assist in developing a social enterprise for her fellow Blackfoot women artisans and crafters.

Alyssa White (anthropology) continued her work building an educational resource about anthropology in collaboration with both faculty and students that is meant to be inclusive, diverse, and accessible to everyone in the community.

The fellows made use of the lab space, its computers, coding software and transcription tools, but say the most important benefits of the CBL were the opportunities for collaboration with one another, faculty mentors and community organizations.

“It was a great opportunity for me to be mentored by a variety of professors from different disciplines and expand my perspective on interdisciplinary qualitative research,” says Overacker.

Smith’s greatest takeaway was how the CBL connected her to the community.

“I was able to gather data through hosting events and doing surveys to establish a thorough understanding of what is lacking in the artisan industry, using social media and our BWE website to promote our events,” she says. “I also hosted a night market where I met so many Blackfoot women who are dedicated to improving themselves through their passion of being an artisan.”

Blackfoot Women’s Empowerment project highlights community and collaboration

caroline.zentner — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 18:18:01 +0000

When Tanya Pace-Crosschild (BSc ’98), director of the Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society, saw a call for proposals from Women and Gender Equality Canada in 2018, she immediately recognized an opportunity to develop a project to foster the economic empowerment of Indigenous women in southern Alberta.

“Many of our families are living below the poverty line and Blackfoot women don’t have the same opportunities as a lot of other Canadian women,” says Pace-Crosschild. “We wanted to look at what economic prosperity means to Blackfoot women and how to go from economic security to prosperity, keeping in mind many of our women aren’t even at the security level.”

Pace-Crosschild reached out to her network of women, including, from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Drs. Carol Williams (history, women and gender studies) and Jan Newberry (anthropology) and Rhonda Crow (BMgt ’99), coordinator with Indigenous Governance and Business Management at the Dhillon School of Business. They submitted a proposal and succeeded in getting $350,00 in funding for a three-year project called Blackfoot Women’s Empowerment from Security to Prosperity.

From left to right are Crystal Good Rider, Marjie Crop Eared Wolf (BFA ’09), Dr. Carol Williams, Dr. Jan Newberry, Rhonda Crow, Marsha Wolf Collar (BA ’11), Robin Little Bear, Tanya Pace-Crosschild, Coby Royal and Melissa Shouting (BHSc ’19), U of L graduate student.

“We’re really excited about Blackfoot Women’s Empowerment because it’s a grassroots initiative,” says Pace-Crosschild. “It acknowledges the voices of women, the strengths of Indigenous women, specifically Blackfoot women, and it gives us a basis to move forward. Our goals and dreams with this project are to empower women.”

Now in their final year of funding, they recently launched the Blackfoot Women’s Empowerment website, a portal for Blackfoot women to access resources to enhance their entrepreneurial skills and learn more about traditional ways of life. In addition, the website highlights two projects the group has funded — the Paahtómahksikimi Cultural Centre online craft store and the Red Woman Talks series.

The online gallery and store showcases the talents of 10 artisans and includes artwork, jewelry, accessories, clothing, moccasins and more available for purchase through the click of a mouse. Red Woman Talks is designed to be a series of seven interviews featuring Indigenous women’s successes in communities within the Blackfoot Confederacy. Still in the planning stages, the goal is to inspire, empower and motivate by having role models talk about the challenges they faced and how they overcame them on their path to success.

This fall, the Blackfoot Women’s Empowerment group partnered with the Dhillon School of Business. Starting in January, Drs. Tanya Drollinger and Katie Lafreniere will lend their expertise in promotion to the two projects.

“We needed help in marketing and developing an online presence,” says Crow. “Hopefully, it will be an ongoing partnership because we’re hoping this project doesn’t end when the government funding ends. We’re looking at sustainability and how we can ensure this becomes a permanent program.”

The project began in 2018 with the formation of an Indigenous women’s council. With the help of Coby (Eagle Bear) Royal (BA ’08), they organized a series of meetings with Blackfoot women, both on and off reserve. Along with meetings in Lethbridge and Calgary, they met with women from the Siksika, Piikani, Kainai and Blackfeet First Nations to ask them how they define economic prosperity and what it means to them.

“The results were similar to what I had expected,” says Pace-Crosschild. “Economic prosperity to Indigenous families is not just based on money. It’s based on relationship — relationship with each other, to the land, and to the resources within the community.”

Following the meetings, the women developed a community plan and were asked to submit proposals to Blackfoot Women’s Empowerment. Crystal Good Rider (Ba/BEd ’04, MEd ’10) was hired as project manager to help implement the successful proposals.

“The website was developed in response to what the women were saying in the community needs assessment,” says Good Rider. “When you empower the women, you empower the whole community. There are so many challenges, but this is one positive. Everything we do has been guided by the Blackfoot women’s voices.”

The women identified needs for including cultural content, showcasing Blackfoot women role models and providing entrepreneurial opportunities for women.

“With the website, we’ve been able to work with the Paahtómahksikimi Cultural Centre to highlight artists within the community,” says Good Rider. “With that project, we were really focused on the collective effect of their proposal.”

Newberry says Blackfoot Women’s Empowerment highlights the many connections between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the larger community. Almost all the women involved in the project are either employees, faculty or alumnae of the U of L.

“This is a very exciting project,” she says. “It’s been going on for a while and we’re finally seeing some of the fruits of our labour. We used an assets-based model and the projects we’re supporting definitely build on the strengths that already exist among Blackfoot women.”

Care labour the focus of Liberal Education Symposium

trevor.kenney — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:26:15 +0000

The global pandemic has shone a light on many different facets of society but perhaps none more than on those who provide care. Care labour — what is it, what does it mean to you, how does it affect the economy, how is it related to ethics, gender, sexuality and ability? These are just some of the questions that will be explored at the School of Liberal Education’s fourth annual Liberal Education Symposium.

For the first time, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will offer the symposium in an online format, inviting the community at large to participate. The event takes place Friday, September 25 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and registration is free.

“When we talk about essential workers like doctors, nurses, teachers, daycare providers, janitors and housekeepers, we are talking about those who take care of others. Although the term care labour has been taken up recently to describe this kind of work, the questions it prompts have been around a long time,” says Dr. Jan Newberry, a professor in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Department of Anthropology and one of the three keynote symposium panelists. “What does it even mean to say that we care? For the planet? For our communities? For one another?”

In her talk, Newberry will use relationality to consider forms of care and what the renewed questions about care labour tell us about humans, our connections to others, and social justice.

She will be joined by Tanya Pace-Crosschild (BSc ’98), the director of Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society, an Indigenous Family Resource network that provides programs and services for urban Indigenous families in southern Alberta. Pace-Crosschild will discuss the importance of accessible, affordable and quality driven childcare.

As well, Dr. Sienna Caspar, an associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, will share her research on care aid engagement.

“There is now an overwhelming body of evidence to show that engaged staff really do deliver better health care. By engaged staff I mean staff who are committed to their organization and emotionally invested in their work,” says Caspar. “Yet despite the evidence, most long-term and continuing care settings are unsuccessful in creating a truly engaged workforce.”

The symposium opens at 1 p.m. with introductory remarks, followed by the keynote panel presentation at 1:15 p.m. and a question and answer session at 2 p.m. Participants can then choose from a selection of break-out sessions on a broad range of topics, each with a host to present a topic and facilitate discussion.

“This is an entirely different format than we have presented in the past, and it may also bring more people into the conversation by offering these discussions online,” says Shelly
Wismath, dean of the School of Liberal Education. “Care labour is such an important issue and in the midst of a pandemic situation, everyone is understanding just how essential care is to the health and well-being of our society.”

Registration is free for the symposium and is available on the conference web page.

New Take Two speaker series to focus on U of L research

caroline.zentner — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 17:34:17 +0000

As Associate Vice-President Research, Dr. Claudia Malacrida wants to demonstrate the diversity and depth of research done at a small, liberal arts institution like the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. To that end, she created a new speaker series called Take Two. Once underway, the Take Two sessions will feature two researchers who approach a topic from different perspectives.

For the inaugural talk, Malacrida will provide the community a report on the federal review panel, of which she was a member, and its findings on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 3:30 p.m. (Markin Hall Atrium). Attendees will have the opportunity to sign a petition to increase support for research funding that will be submitted to the Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan.

Dr. Claudia Malacrida

“Part of my rationale for wanting to give this talk is to galvanize our response to the recommendations of the review panel and to garner support for the idea that fundamental research in Canada should be a level playing field for universities, regardless of their size,” says Malacrida.

Following consultations across the country, evidence gathered by the panel points to a research system that is underfed and overworked. The Alliance of Canadian Comprehensive Research Universities, to which the U of L belongs, has thrown its support behind the panel’s recommendations and is advocating for increases to annual federal spending on research and that it be distributed fairly to universities, both large and small.

The balance of the Take Two series will take a different direction, offering fresh insights on research being done at the U of L. The events will offer talks by two researchers who take different approaches to a related issue. Each researcher will have about 20 minutes to present, followed by a question-and-answer session.

“We wanted to create a novel format for the Take Two series,” says Malacrida. “We are asking these researchers to talk across disciplines in a way that will help people understand that exciting work happens here. We want to show that we have people working in all areas on campus who are contributing to our understanding of our social, cultural and physical worlds.”

The second session on Oct. 25 will focus on understanding childhood and difference. Dr. Jeffrey MacCormack (Education) conducts research on attentional issues in the classroom in children who experience difficulty socializing and regulating emotions. He’s interested in how play-based interventions can help regulate and modulate children’s behaviour in the classroom. The other speaker, Dr. Jan Newberry (Anthropology) will discuss the partnership between the U of L’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies and the Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society. Through the Raising Spirit project, they’ve been collecting stories and images for a digital storytelling library to highlight Indigenous ways of knowing and to build community capacity collaboratively.

“Despite differing approaches, both researchers’ work is not about fixing kids who don’t fit in; it’s about changing the way we think about what ‘in’ ought to look like,” says Malacrida.

The third session on Nov. 23 brings together Drs. Maura Hanrahan and Monique Giroux (Native American Studies) to talk about their research. Hanrahan examines policy, especially as it relates to the way current approaches to Indigenous health research can operate to exclude the health concerns of Métis peoples. Giroux is both a scholar and fiddler. She studies how Métis identity is produced and regulated through dramatic works, as well as through performances at fiddling contests and cultural festivals.

In the fourth talk scheduled for Feb. 1, Dr. Chris Hopkinson (Geography) will talk about his research using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors to create three-dimensional topographical maps used by governments and industries to assess flood hazards, manage wildlife habitat or create greenhouse gas strategies. Leanne Elias, a New Media professor, will talk about her experimental visualization of agricultural data, such as crop production.

“Elias visualizes those data through sound, light and visual images to produce art but also to convey information,” says Malacrida. “Both she and Hopkinson are working very different approaches to sustainability and environmental visualization.”

The fifth session of the series features Drs. Paul Vasey (Psychology) and Suzanne Lenon (Women and Gender Studies) talking about their research into gender, sex and sexuality. Vasey does fieldwork looking at both gender and sexuality in two cultures that recognize a third gender, the fa’fafine of Samoa and the muxes of the Istmo region of Oaxaca, Mexico. Lenon’s research focuses on the history and material aspects of marriage law, with respect to race, gender and sexuality, especially regarding same-sex marriage and polygamy.

Talks are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., with the Sept. 21 session taking place in the Markin Hall Atrium. Light refreshments will be provided and everyone is welcome to attend.

Building rapport key to success of the Raising Spirit project

caroline.zentner — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 21:51:11 +0000

Taylor Little Mustache couldn’t have asked for a better summer job. As a research assistant with Raising Spirit: The Opokaa’sin Digital Storytelling Project, Little Mustache says she felt honoured to work on a project where she learned so much.

“I feel humbled by being a part of this creation,” she says about the project that features photos of Blackfoot family life and audio recordings where Blackfoot Elders and children come together for the telling of traditional cultural stories.

Raising Spirit is a collaborative project of the Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS). The purpose is to help ensure Blackfoot history, language and values endure and shape future generations, as well as build research capacity and understanding of intergenerational knowledge transmission that was interrupted by residential schooling. Once completed, the goal is to produce a digital library that will be a community resource.

Little Mustache, who’s entering her third year of studies at the U of L, is working on a combined education, Native American Studies and history degree. She also has a love of athletics, especially basketball. She has coached for the Alberta Summer Games and the Junior Pronghorns teams. She became part of the Raising Spirit project after taking a history of childhood course and an independent study with Dr. Kristine Alexander, the director of I-CYS.

Her fields of study and experience working with youth and community organizations have served her well in her work with the Raising Spirit project. She’s been busy building rapport with the Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society and the Piikani and Kainai First Nations. Little Mustache has worked with children aged four to seven and youth up to 18 years of age. She has presented on the project at conferences, met with Elders, collected and organized data, and transcribed interviews. In addition, Taylor has supervised the growing research skills of two high school summer students, Hudson Eagle Bear and Tesla Heavy Runner.

Little Mustache says she found the field work component of her job especially engaging. She attended a Blackfoot immersion camp, slept in a teepee for the first time and furthered her knowledge of cultural traditions.

“I’ve learned so much from the elders I got to meet over the summer. They hold so much knowledge,” she says. “I’m well connected to my culture but this field work made the connection even stronger.”

At first, she wondered how she could contribute to the research team — Tanya Pace-Crosschild (BSc ’98), executive director of Opokaa’sin, and the Opokaa’sin staff, U of L professors Jan Newberry and Kristine Alexander and Erin Spring, a post-doctoral fellow and Amy Mack (MA ’16). Michelle Hogue and Francis First Charger serve as advisors on the project.

“When I first met them I felt a little under-qualified because I was just an undergraduate. However, they made me feel comfortable and I want to acknowledge their mentorship,” says Little Mustache. “This project really opened doors for me.”

One of those doors is a co-operative placement with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada this fall. She’ll be working as a junior program analyst in the education branch.

“I’ll be conducting policy research and analyzing indigenous education issues,” she says. “I’m super excited and the position is a good fit for my research skills.”

Blackfoot culture and identity explored in joint project between Opokaa'sin and U of L institute

trevor.kenney — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 16:26:23 +0000

The Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society, with support from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS), is helping to ensure that Blackfoot history, language and values will not only endure but help shape future Blackfoot generations.

On Saturday, March 5, 2016, a special photo exhibit titled Raising Spirit: The Opokaa’sin Digital Storytelling Project opened at Park Place Mall. The display features photos of local Blackfoot families in everyday moments of childrearing, a testament to Blackfoot culture and identity as it continues to thrive despite disruptions such as the residential schooling system, among others.

The storytelling project, featuring photos such as this, builds on the earlier work done between Opokaa’sin and I-CYS, led by principal investigator Dr. Jan Newberry, a U of L anthropology professor.

The exhibit runs for two weeks and is one facet of a larger project, of the same name, in which Blackfoot Elders and children will come together to develop interactive digital recordings of traditional cultural stories – a way to preserve the past and help its rich heritage influence future generations.

“We are very excited about this project because it speaks to the strengths of the Blackfoot people,” says Tanya Pace-Crosschild (BSc ’98), executive director of Opokaa’sin. “Blackfoot people were traditionally very family-oriented. With the colonization of our people, we saw significant challenges to our traditional way of life, especially in respect to childrearing practices.”

The storytelling project builds on the earlier work done between Opokaa’sin and I-CYS, led by principal investigator Dr. Jan Newberry, a U of L anthropology professor. That project was initially featured in a small exhibition at the Galt Museum & Archives and will now reach a wider audience as it makes its way into a busy community space. In addition to the photos, participant-photographers, people at powwows in Blackfoot territory and Elders were asked to respond to the pictures. A book featuring the photos and the responses is in the works.

“The intergenerational transmission of stories, language and values is central to the project. What’s terrific here is the inter-disciplinary reach of the project and how all of this aids a local community organization in raising issues of First Nations families,” says Erin Spring, a Post-Doctoral Fellow for I-CYS. “Not only does this raise community awareness of Opokaa’sin’s work and the resilience of local families, it also showcases how powerful local, collaborative research can be.”

The Raising Spirit project will enhance Blackfoot language skills, transmit stories from generation to generation and create an archive of material that will be available in both Blackfoot and English. It has already involved multiple areas of the U of L campus, from the humanities, social sciences and fine arts.

The display in Park Place Mall also involved collaboration with museum studies faculty.

"It was a really wonderful opportunity for Star Crop Eared Wolf, our first major in Native American Art History/Museum Studies, and Amy Dalton, a museum studies intern, to curate the digital display," says their supervisor, Dr. Anne Dymond of the Faculty of Fine Arts.

The project also has the potential to incorporate high school students in the future.

“We are currently working on securing STEP (Summer Temporary Employment Program) funding that will give local high school students the chance to work on the project and enhance their research and digital skills,” says Newberry. “Eventually, we want to share this digital library with the southern Alberta community as a whole.”

Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society is an Aboriginal child and family organization that was a joint initiative created in 1996 by various Aboriginal service agencies that shared a commitment to improving the well-being of all Aboriginal children. Among its founding principles is a belief that supportive relationships with grandparents and Elders helps decrease anti-social behavior and increase social competency, thus fostering resiliency in children.

“Raising Spirit is a project that captures traditional core values that are still evident with today’s Blackfoot families,” says Pace-Crosschild. “It examines traditional value systems in a strength-based approach that align with Opokaa’sin’s ideology of drawing on the strength of our Indigenous people and recognizing of the strength in our traditional cultural systems.”

The photo exhibit appears in Park Place Mall March 5-19, 2016. A formal public reception for the opening of the exhibit will take place on Monday, March 21, 2016 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society.

Newberry earns 2015 Distinguished Teaching Award

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 May 2015 21:22:58 +0000

Dr. Jan Newberry has hit her stride, and her students continue to reap the benefits.

Newberry, in her 14th year of teaching anthropology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the current Chair of the department, is the 2015 recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award, an honour many feel is a longtime coming.

Newberry's success is rooted in a student-centred approach that endeavours to make students active partners in their education.

Ask Newberry how she feels about the award and she’ll humbly admit that it’s “nice” before quickly adding that, “all the hoopla is not my favourite thing in the whole world”. Her favourite thing – that would be why she’s receiving the award.

“I love teaching, I love being in the classroom, it’s one of the things I really feel I’m able to do,” says Newberry. “I may struggle some when it comes to my research, but in there – I know what to do.”

Her success is rooted in a student-centred approach that endeavours to make students active partners in their education. Infectiously passionate and enthusiastic, Newberry doesn’t just take her students on a ride through anthropology, she puts them in the driver’s seat, presents a road map and challenges them to determine where they want to go. Known for her use of group work, Newberry highlighted that philosophy in an essay she wrote for the Teaching Centre’s Light on Teaching publication.

“I’m not one of those teachers who thinks, ‘here’s the goal and now I just need to get you to the goal’,” she says. “I don’t actually know what the goal is entirely – other than thinking – and what I want students to do is wander around and make up their own mind. A little struggle doesn’t bother me.”

It has taken some time for Newberry, a naturalized Canadian who grew up in Springfield, Missouri, to find herself as a teacher after working as an archaeologist and then assistant dean at an Ivy League college. Ironically, her goal to help students find their voice and to involve them as active learners is a far cry from her student experience.

“I sat in the back and was super, super quiet and just did my work. I never challenged anybody,” says Newberry, who came to the U of L from Bryn Mawr College, a women’s liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. “I’m now much more about learning to talk in the classroom. I guess I’m trying to reach that quiet kid in the back and get them involved, because we tend to teach to the loudmouths – they get our attention. It’s those quiet ones who just show up and do the work that can get forgotten, so I try and get to that middle ground.”

Newberry sees teaching as central to the mission of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, a value that must be balanced with its research goals. And while her style is entirely unique, it connects.

“I make jokes, it’s like slapstick comedy some days but that’s a little bit of who I am,” she says. “Until you figure out who you are and what that voice is, you will struggle in the classroom.”

Newberry has definitely found her voice. Her Distinguished Teaching Award is the second such honour she’s received in the past year, having previously been recognized with the American Anthropological Association/Oxford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Press Award for Undergraduate Teaching in Anthropology.

Newberry has devoted considerable time to work beyond the classroom, readily accepting responsibilities as a supervisor for independent study projects, applied studies, honours theses and graduate students. Heavily involved in improving the excellence of teaching on campus through the Teaching Centre, she served a one-year term as a Teaching Centre Fellow in 2010-11 and was appointed to a two-year term as the Board of Governors’ Teaching Chair in 2011.

Newberry also jumped on board with the Liberal Education Program and helped create the Liberal Education 2850: Mapping Self, Career, Campus and Community course through her committee work for the Recruitment and Retention Project. She has continued her attention to effective interdisciplinary teaching through her involvement with the Liberal Education Revitalization Team.

Again, all her work is geared towards improving the student experience, and helping students find their way.

“I think we have to provide a lot of support as students first make that transition from high school to university,” she says. “I’m very present in that first year and then every successive year I kind of step back until it’s mostly them. They might get scared at times but that’s OK.”

Now that she’s been recognized formally as one of the best at what she does, Newberry is able to look back at her maturation as a teacher.

“The big thing for me is that years of experience make you less nervous and less frightened of making mistakes. Actually, your mistakes become the best thing sometimes,” she says. “I think you get more resilient in the classroom after 14 years. You do better teaching when you are there, you feel more confident about what you’re doing.”

She then laughs at the notoriety the awards carry, shining the spotlight her way.

“In some ways, they make me think, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to work harder now’.”

It’s hard to believe that is possible.

Newberry’s teaching excellence acknowledged by American Anthropological Association

caroline.zentner — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:21:19 +0000

Dr. Jan Newberry, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge anthropology professor, is passionate about teaching anthropology and having that recognized by the American Anthropological Association (AAA) is a special honour.

“Teaching is where I really feel like my career comes together, my research and the interaction with students. It’s where I feel the most satisfied and complete in what I am doing. To have that acknowledged is tremendous,” says Newberry.

She will receive the AAA/Oxford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Press Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching of Anthropology award at the AAA annual meeting from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes teachers who have contributed to the field of anthropology and encouraged others to study it.

Newberry is a cultural anthropologist who conducts fieldwork in Java, Indonesia. She has studied the politics and economics of women’s work and her current focus is on early childhood education and how that has changed as a result of globalization.

Before coming to the U of L in 2001, Newberry taught at Bryn Mawr, a women’s liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. Every year, her enthusiasm for anthropology has spread to her students, many of whom still keep in touch.

Their comments in support of Newberry’s nomination for the award describe her as a wonderful mentor, an incredible professor, and a gifted and exceptional teacher who is dedicated, kind, generous, brilliant, inspiring, creative and genuine.

Those adjectives hit the mark because, for Newberry, anthropology is a field alive with ever-changing opportunities.

“One of the things I tell my students is that anthropology is about human liberation,” she says. “Learning about other societies helps you understand your own and it helps you understand the possibilities of humanity.”

Throughout her career as a university teacher, Newberry has engaged students with new ideas that stimulate discussion and get them thinking about what it means to be human.

“That’s something I’m always endeavouring to teach in my class. I use specifics to get at what are, ultimately, these ethical and philosophical questions,” she says. “When a student says ‘You made me think’ then I’m just blown away.”

Newberry has always been committed to helping students gain real world experience. At Bryn Mawr, Newberry started Praxis, a community-based program that integrates theory and practice through community service learning. She also designed a liberal education pilot course at the U of L called Mapping Self, Career, Campus, Community. The first-year course, created when Newberry served as Board of Governors Teaching Chair and in response to a recruitment and retention project, helps engage students in their post-secondary careers.

“Teaching is how I change the world,” she says.

In addition to her duties as a professor, Newberry is also co-director, along with history professor Dr. Kristine Alexander, of the Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS), a multi-disciplinary research institute formed to build understanding of the young.

The institute has brought together researchers from neuroscience, literary studies, education and psychology, in addition to anthropology and history, to help answer the question of what it means to be a child.

One of the motivations for the institute came from a student who was taking classes from both Newberry and Dr. Louise Barrett, a U of L evolutionary psychologist who studies vervet monkeys. The student was interested in the human practice of ‘wearing babies’ or carrying infants in slings.

“Louise and I worked together with this student and we weren’t even sure we could talk to each other,” Newberry says. “We discovered, through the work on the child, that we did have much that we could say and our different perspectives were really interesting and productive. Any problem, in this case the problem of humans understood through the young, can be understood from multiple perspectives.”

For example, an evolutionary psychologist might look at the commonalities in baby carrying between humans and primates while a cultural anthropologist might look at how wearing babies is shaped by local practices, such as beliefs about when a baby should be encouraged to walk. A neuroscientist and a health practitioner might be interested in the effect the practice has on the developing brain. And a historian might consider changes in such practices across time.

I-CYS members are working to develop an undergraduate major in child and youth studies because of its broad appeal to students across faculty, disciplinary and divisional boundaries.

Mirau and Newberry to lead Supporting Our Students campaign

trevor.kenney — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 16:51:38 +0000

Heather Mirau and Dr. Jan Newberry have teamed up on several projects at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in the past, but their current joint effort is one the duo is particularly passionate about: Co-Chairing the 2014-15 Supporting Our Students (SOS) campaign.

Heather Mirau, left, and Dr. Jan Newberry are the Co-Chairs for the 2014-15 Supporting Our Students campaign. Last year, the U of L awarded 2,100 scholarships and bursaries to students, more than $3.5 million in total, and SOS is an essential part of that support.

Newberry, a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology and long-time SOS contributor, says the opportunity to Co-Chair has given her a broader perspective on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, something she says her counterpart, Mirau, has always had.

“As director of Integrated Planning, Heather has a comprehensive view of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, which as a faculty member, I don’t always see,” says Newberry. “Being Co-Chair of SOS gives me a sense of the U of L on a global scale and how important it is to create a caring university community.”

Last year, the U of L awarded 2,100 scholarships and bursaries to students, more than $3.5 million in total. SOS is an essential part of that support. Participation in the program reached its highest level in 2013, with a total of 377 faculty, staff and retirees supporting the campaign – a number that Mirau and Newberry would like to see increase.

“It doesn’t matter if you give $5 or $100, your participation is what matters,” says Mirau. “Through SOS, we have the opportunity to make a real difference with students and have a positive impact on campus life. SOS donations go directly to students to help pay for books and tuition, enabling them to graduate. With SOS, everybody wins. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ isn’t just a place to attend classes – it’s a community unto itself. We have a responsibility as faculty and staff to help create a positive, caring community.”

Kathy MacFarlane, manager of development programs and a long-time SOS contributor, says that SOS helps to inspire and support student potential, and is a great example of why the U of L is Alberta’s Destination ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

“The U of L is a phenomenal place to be, as a student and as an employee,” says MacFarlane. “If we can show students and each other that we care about our people, that speaks directly to the kind of university the U of L aims to be.”

Among the thousands of recipients of SOS funds is Kevan Bryant (BA/BED ’12), a graduate student completing a Master of Education degree in counselling psychology. Bryant says that the support she received through SOS was game changing on many levels.

“The scholarships I received took a lot of pressure off. I was able to focus on my studies, pursue other interests and avoid working excessive hours while attending school,” says Bryant. “I’m not sure I would have continued with a master’s program if it weren’t for SOS – and it wasn’t only academic achievement I was rewarded for. I received awards for volunteering and leadership as well. SOS made me realize that going the extra mile is really worth it.”

And at the end of the day, that’s what Newberry says SOS is all about.

“We are all here because of students, so it’s only right to support them. I’m happy to support today’s students because they’re the people who will build and shape our future.”

Support our students and contribute to SOS today. Sign up through payroll deduction.

Open Mike - September 2014, Welcome to the fall 2014 semester

trevor.kenney — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 21:17:28 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mike Mahon, addresses faculty and staff about what's happening at the U of L

Welcome to the fall 2014 semester at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

As we get ready to welcome approximately 8,300 students to our campuses in Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton tomorrow, including approximately 2,300 new students, I would like to thank each of you for your hard work and dedication to make this happen.

Because of you, our university is one of Canada’s top-ranked universities and leading research institutions. When our students graduate, they are prepared not only for the careers of tomorrow – but to create a better tomorrow. The results of our efforts are evident in communities around the world.

Thank you for making our university, Alberta’s Destination ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

September is shaping up to be a busy and exciting month.

At this year’s NSO we celebrated our very first Commencement ceremony. Commencement is a way to introduce students to the U of L’s history and traditions. This year, we also introduced a new U of L tradition. Each student who attended received a commemorative coin to mark the beginning of his/her post-secondary journey.

Challenge coins are used around the world to symbolize belonging. Unique to our university, the front of our coin features the U of L’s coat of arms, representing signature elements of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ; the back includes the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s shield along with the word 'Commencement' and the year.

In a few weeks, the Supporting Our Students program will proudly welcome this year’s co-chairs, Dr. Jan Newberry and Heather Mirau, and their team of dedicated volunteers. Last year, 2,101 awards were given out, totalling $3,512,193. These funds support student scholarships. I thank all faculty, staff and retirees for supporting our students and the volunteer committee for leading this important initiative.

On September 23, Pronghorn Athletics will host the 2014 Pronghorns Scholarship Breakfast. This year’s featured speaker is Brian Burke, president of Hockey Operations for the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames and one of the most accomplished and prominent personalities in professional hockey. He has spent time with professional hockey organizations in Hartford, Vancouver, Anaheim, Toronto and now Calgary over the last 20-plus years. If you haven’t already purchased your tickets, they are available online (uleth.universitytickets.com). Thank you for supporting our student athletes.

That same week, Stantec Architecture and KPMB architects will be on campus presenting three possible design concepts for the Destination Project. I encourage you to attend the presentation at 11 a.m. on September 24 in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre and help shape the future of our university.

September promises to be an exciting month. I hope you will take a break from your busy schedules and reconnect with your colleagues at the annual Welcome Back BBQ, which will be held on September 8 at noon on the South Plaza Patio, just outside the SU Building.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Mike Mahon, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor
��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge

UNews - Jan Newberry

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