UNews - Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ

Alumnus Wensveen recognized by Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for master's thesis

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 17:11:57 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus Jonathan Wensveen (BA ’11) is being honoured by Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with a Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement after his graduate student’s thesis was deemed to be among the best submitted at the Ottawa, Ont. university this year.

His thesis, entitled Human Nature in Hobbes and Thucydides, challenges the notion argued by many political theory and international relations scholars that Hobbes’s interpretation of human nature is taken directly from Thucydides. Wensveen surmises that, although Hobbes and Thucydides share similar interpretations of human nature, there nevertheless remains a fundamental difference between how each thinker (one wholly modern and the other wholly ancient) understands the human condition – a difference that many scholars fail to recognize.

In reflecting on the award, Wensveen says he is passionate about the research topics he pursues and that being recognized in this manner is even more satisfying.

“I am honoured to have been awarded a Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement. In my view, I’ve been awarded for doing what I love to do – reading and studying the great books – and it doesn’t get much better than that.”

U of L political science professor Dr. John von Heyking says Wensveen’s work is a valuable contribution to the field of political science.

“Jonathan Wensveen's thesis is an outstanding example of how one looks to great philosophical and political thinkers, in his case Thucydides and Thomas Hobbes, to illuminate contemporary political debate and issues,” says von Heyking. “His work helps us to look further and deeper into just what a "realistic" political program looks like, which makes us better able to be more practical in our political decision-making.”

Wensveen, a native of Lethbridge, is currently applying to a number of universities to pursue his doctoral studies.

Horns basketball releases 2013-14 schedule

trevor.kenney — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:12:04 +0000

The 2013-14 Canada West conference basketball season will begin for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's and women's basketball teams with a road swing into the lower B.C. mainland with match-ups versus the Fraser Valley Cascades and Trinity Western Spartans,
Nov. 1-2.

The following weekend, the 'Horns host the Manitoba Bisons in a pair of games for the first home games of the new season.

One change 'Horns fans will see this season is in the start times for Saturday night games. Moving away from the traditional 6 and 8 p.m. starts for women's and men's games respectively, the Horns will now play at 5 and 7 p.m.

Also visiting the 1st Choice Savings Centre during the first half of the season will be the UBCO Heat, Thompson Rivers WolfPack and Regina Cougars.

In the New Year, the 'Horns will host an action packed set of games, welcoming traditional rivals ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, UBC Thunderbirds and Victoria Vikes, before closing out the conference schedule with a home-and-home series versus southern Alberta rival Calgary Dinos. The series with the Dinos kicks off at the 1st Choice Savings Centre Friday, Feb. 14 before concluding the regular season the next night in Calgary.

The Canada West best of three quarter-final series is scheduled for Feb. 21-23 with the Canada West Final Four being hosted by the highest remaining seed the following week. The CIS Final 8 will be hosted by Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Ottawa, Mar. 7-9, 2014.

On the women's side, the opening round is scheduled to start a week later but could move to the same weekend as the men's quarter-final if a scheduling conflict is created with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary hosting the CIS Volleyball Championships. The Canada West Final Four will be hosted by the highest remaining seed, Mar. 7-8 and the CIS Final 8 will be hosted by the three-time defending champion ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor.

Once again this season, all Canada West basketball games will be webcast on www.canadawest.tv.

Championing the U of L mandate

trevor.kenney — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:57:30 +0000

By RICHARD WESTLUND

A key part of most successful government relations strategies is to identify and utilize champions for your cause. For federal initiatives, the
U of L has found a literal champion of its own.

The Deputy Minister ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Champion Program is an initiative housed in the Canada School of Public Service, and is aimed at strengthening linkages between the Government of Canada and Canadian universities.

Earlier this year, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge was granted membership into this program. Subsequently, Dr. James Ralston, the Comptroller General of Canada, was named as the U of L's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Champion.

Ralston received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, his Master of Arts (Economics) from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ottawa and a Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science) from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Beginning his career with the Provincial Auditor of Alberta, he later joined a national accounting/consulting firm in Edmonton and Ottawa. He was appointed the Comptroller General of Canada after working for the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) for 15 years.

The role of a deputy minister champion is flexible. In speaking with my counterparts across Canada, it is clear that relationships between universities and deputy minister champions vary greatly and are unique to each institution. It is hoped that the relationship between Ralston and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will create new opportunities for our students and faculty, such as stronger co-op arrangements between the
U of L and the federal government, the facilitation of interactions that link U of L research and teaching strengths with appropriate federal departments and continuous information sharing of university and government directions and priorities.

Ralston has been an eager and willing partner with the U of L from the outset of the champion program. He had already taken the time to tour the U of L and meet with a variety of folks from different parts of campus, including meetings with President Mike Mahon, Provost Andrew Hakin, the Career Resources Centre and our co-op programs office. He also toured the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building, the Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience and the U of L Art Gallery.

Now that Ralston has an understanding of the programs offered and research conducted at the U of L, he is in a better position to identify links and opportunities between the federal government and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Furthermore, he is in a better position to represent U of L interests and, when appropriate, facilitate and advise on effective strategies.

Richard Westlund is the Director of Government Relations at the U of L. In an effort to better inform different parts of our campus and external communities about the various government relations activities that occur at the U of L, he has started a blog. Visit it at blogs.ulethbridge.ca/government-relations

Recreating a glorious past

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:39:57 +0000

One dimensional, black and white photographs represent much of the aboriginal history we know. While serving adequately as depictions of an era, they hardly tell a story or set a scene.

Dr. Linda Many Guns of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Native American Studies (NAS) department is trying to fill in those gaps, reconstructing a rich history one bead at a time. By crafting traditional aboriginal clothing such as dresses, war shirts and moccasins using actual trade cloth and intricate glass beads of a bygone time, she is using colour to recreate history and help it leap off the page.

"For me it's a source of pride," says Many Guns, who is in her second semester of teaching at the U of L. "I don't want to see just black and white pictures of our people keeping the memory alive. By creating these items, you see the incredible colour and beauty of that time, and it's awesome. You get a sense of how dynamic and incredible meeting our people must have been."

Linda Many Guns assembles a display of historical Aboriginal bead work in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library.

Born in southern Alberta into the Blackfoot tribe, she was registered at the Tsuu T'ina Reserve, later transferred to Siksika Nation. Now an educator completing a doctorate degree, Many Guns has worked in a variety of fields, from being a chef to a high-steel construction worker.

What has always resonated with her is the history of her people.

"I've always been proud of my culture and my heritage and like so many of the students I teach here, have spent a good part of my lifetime reconstructing what I know since so much of that was fragmented growing up," she says. "I've never seen myself as assimilated, I see myself as indigenous and am very proud of that."

While working as a chef in the Banff Springs Hotel, Many Guns often visited local museums and was intrigued by the visual history of aboriginal people. She recognized that the clothes they crafted spoke volumes about the lives they lived.

"These pieces could not have been produced by a society that had no structure or no intellectual capital," she says. "Beauty comes from its environment and you must have a peaceful environment and some sense of identity. It spurred these questions in me about my background."

In her quest for knowledge, Many Guns encountered all manner of persons that helped her reconstruct the past. From 90-year-old women with stashes of highly prized, trade-route beads to a society of mountain men who literally experienced life of a bygone era, she unearthed the tales and symbols of her ancestors.

As she learned to create clothing in the traditional way, she gained an understanding of the trade route system, the value of the beads in aboriginal society and the symbols of the past.

"Aboriginal people were no different than any other people, they were always looking for ways to demonstrate status in a community. Having trade cloth was a demonstration of status, as were the beads," she says. "It was truly a sign of wealth to have any number of those beads."

She worked with an experienced group of beaders to craft her first dress, before tackling the challenge of a second by herself. She created the dress she wore when she received her doctorate at Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the spring of 2010.

The current display at the front entrance to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library depicts beads and pieces created over various eras of aboriginal history. The breathtaking colours and intricate craftsmanship create a whole new representation of history. It's that dynamic cultural past she strives to rekindle and introduce to her students.

"I believe that this is just one small example of what the NAS department offers, not just to aboriginal students but to all people," Many Guns says. "We're bringing an awareness and understanding to aboriginal people's lives and their culture, how rich and beautiful it was, to validate the complexity of the nations. We're here, we're still here, still creating these items, and we don't want the culture to die."

GET THE FACTS

· Many Guns has a BA from St. Thomas ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Fredericton, N.B.), a master's degree from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Ottawa, Ont.), a law degree from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ottawa and a doctorate from Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Peterborough, Ont.).

· A mother of two, she is also a grandmother of three.

· Many Guns credits Dr. Leroy Little Bear for the support he's shown in allowing her to "open new doors of discovery" in the NAS department.

· The beads featured in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library display date all the way back to the 1800s. Examples of their value include the largest blue beads that could fetch up to 10 buffalo hides per bead in trade.

· One of Many Guns' greatest sources of beads is a woman in Blackfoot, Idaho who has rows upon rows of cases of beads that she'll sell in large quantities.

· Each dress that Many Guns makes takes over a year to construct. "One of the things you learn is the meaning of patience because sometimes you can't get enough product (leather, hides, beads) to put it all together, but I think that is very similar to the way it was back then."

Ellis named new Dean of Management

trevor.kenney — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:18:58 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors has appointed Dr. Robert (Bob) James Ellis as the institution's new Dean, Faculty of Management. Ellis follows Dr. Murray Lindsay, who spent the past five years in the position and is returning to the academic community at the U of L.

Originally from Vancouver, BC, Ellis is an accomplished administrator who successfully bolstered business programs at both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Northern British Columbia and Wilfrid Laurier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. With a collaborative and visionary approach, he has a strong track record of attracting accomplished faculty and raising the research profile of the programs with which he has been associated.

"Dr. Ellis is known as someone who is a strong recruiter of talented faculty, and is adept at creating an environment that both supports excellence in teaching and innovative research," says Dr. Bill Cade, the U of L's President and Vice-Chancellor. "He has displayed a unique skill of being able to develop relationships with the business community and subsequently integrate those affiliations into the creation of original programming. We are very pleased Bob has chosen to join our team, and look forward to having him in the community."

With an educational background in psychology, Ellis continues to conduct research in the areas of leadership, teamwork and creativity, and also writes business case studies to capture the issues confronting Canadian organizations. His current research focuses on increasing educational opportunities in society, specifically for aboriginal students in a business environment.

Currently, Ellis is on sabbatical from his role as Chair, School of Business, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Northern British Columbia, a position he has held since 2005. Prior to that, he served in a variety of roles over the span of 24 years at Wilfrid Laurier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, including Associate Dean of Business: Faculty Development and Research. Ellis takes up his new position at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge on July 1, 2010.

Ellis says he is looking forward to becoming a part of the U of L and the creative atmosphere he sees within the faculty.

"I'm very excited to be joining the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and becoming Dean of the Faculty of Management," says Ellis. "I've had a lot of administrative experience in my career and my focus has always been to try and increase opportunities for students through the development of new courses or new programs. The faculty here are very innovative and I think at the forefront of management thought and action."

In addition to publishing numerous scientific articles, chapters, and research monographs,

Ellis has served as a visiting professor internationally, both at the Huazhong ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, and at Budapest ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Economic Sciences in Budapest, Hungary. A past winner of the Excellence in Case Writing Award, Case Track, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Annual Conference, Ellis is a member of the Academy of Management, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada and the North American Case Research Association.

Ellis joins the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and specifically the Faculty of Management, at a keystone moment, as the U of L readies to open Markin Hall, the new home for the Faculty of Management.

"I think it will be a wonderful place to study management education, and for management educators, faculty and staff to work together and exchange ideas about how to create new programs and courses for our students," says Ellis. "It will also be a place of welcome for our community. Having a great facility provides a springboard for building relationships between colleagues and our community, and for developing innovative teaching and research programs."

Ellis holds a BA with first class honours in psychology from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (1974), an MA in psychology from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Waterloo (1978) and a PhD in psychology from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Waterloo (1981).

Recreating a glorious past

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:07:04 +0000

One dimensional, black and white photographs represent much of the aboriginal history we know. While serving adequately as depictions of an era, they hardly tell a story or set a scene.

Linda Many Guns of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Native American Studies (NAS) department is trying to fill in those gaps, reconstructing a rich history one bead at a time. By crafting traditional aboriginal clothing such as dresses, war shirts and moccasins using actual trade cloth and intricate glass beads of a bygone time, she is using colour to recreate history and help it leap off the page.

What has always resonated with her is the history of her people.

As she learned to create clothing in the traditional way, she gained an understanding of the trade route system, the value of the beads in aboriginal society and the symbols of the past.

She worked with an experienced group of beaders to craft her first dress, before tackling the challenge of a second by herself. Currently, she's creating the dress she'll wear when she receives her doctorate at Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the spring.

GET THE FACTS

• Many Guns has a BA from St. Thomas ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Fredericton, N.B.), a master's degree from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Ottawa, Ont.), a law degree from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ottawa and will complete her doctorate from Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Peterborough, Ont.) this spring.

• A mother of two, she is also a grandmother of three.

• Many Guns credits Dr. Leroy Little Bear for the support he's shown in allowing her to "open new doors of discovery" in the NAS department.

• The beads featured in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library display date all the way back to the 1800s. Examples of their value include the largest blue beads that could fetch up to 10 buffalo hides per bead in trade.

• One of Many Guns' greatest sources of beads is a woman in Blackfoot, Idaho who has rows upon rows of cases of beads that she'll sell in large quantities.

• Each dress that Many Guns makes takes over a year to construct. "One of the things you learn is the meaning of patience because sometimes you can't get enough product (leather, hides, beads) to put it all together, but I think that is very similar to the way it was back then."

Alumna part of nursing's first class

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:15:04 +0000

Internationally recognized for her outstanding achievements and contributions to Canadian and aboriginal health care, Dr. Madeleine Dion Stout (BN '82), former Distinguished Alumnus of the year (1995), vividly remembers the day she began her remarkable journey in the field of health care.

"When I was seven years old I started having severe abdominal pain, nausea and a fever. My mother and father hitched up the horse and wagon and we drove all day through the ditches to get to the outpost hospital," remembers Dion Stout. "A lot of people look at ditches as a metaphor for a low life, but I remember feeling overwhelmed with love for my parents and with their love for me as they sat in the wagon so dignified. They had great determination to make sure I was OK no matter how humbly we navigated. In a way, they were like the nurses who would take care of me, so dignified going about their corporal acts of mercy."

Arriving at the hospital, Dion Stout underwent an emergency appendectomy and had her first exposure to nursing. Impressed by the nurses' gentle touches, kind demeanour and white winged hats, Dion Stout decided she would be a nurse one day.

"After high school I went to work as a ward aid in St. Paul, Alta. I applied to Edmonton General Hospital to become a registered nurse because there was a Cree woman from the Saddle Lake First Nation studying there, and I thought if she was accepted maybe I could be too," says Dion Stout.

She completed her RN in 1968 and began working in various capacities for Health and Welfare Canada and as a hospital staff nurse in Edmonton before moving to Pincher Creek to work as a public health nurse on the Peigan First Nation. Wanting to further her education, Dion Stout was thrilled when the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge launched its bachelor of nursing program.

"We were the first graduates in 1982," recalls Dion Stout. "I found it a real privilege to study, but I never found it easy. The academic quality at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ was superb and very challenging. I had to work my head off."

Dion Stout, who graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing degree with distinction in 1982, credits the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with honing her widely recognized critical thinking and analytical skills.

"I wrote a paper for Dr. Menno Boldt. I thought I aced it because I had worked so hard on it. I only got a B+. He told me that it was a descriptive essay and not an analytic paper. That was when I learned the difference between writing a good story and being a critical thinker," says Dion Stout.

After her graduation in 1982, Dion Stout began working with the Alberta Indian Health Care Commission. She worked as a special advisor in 1983 to Monique Begin, minister of Health and Welfare Canada, and in 1985 Dion Stout became the director of the Indian and Inuit Health Careers Program in Ottawa.

By 1989, Dion Stout knew it was time to further her education once again. She began a master of arts in international affairs at Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Ottawa and graduated in 1993. While writing her thesis, she became the director for the Centre for Aboriginal Education, Research and Culture at Carleton. She worked as an assistant professor there until 2001 when she and her husband moved to Vancouver.

"I keep myself very busy with boards and committees. In the past nine years, I have been doing the same things I had been doing as a professor, lecturing, researching, writing and public speaking. I use a Cree lens and Cree concepts to try to deepen the understanding of aboriginal health," explains Dion Stout. "I hope throughout my career that I have made people think differently, and I hope that whatever I have done and said that more is done than said at the end."

GET THE FACTS

• Dion Stout is a grandmother of three.

• A Cree speaker, she was born and raised on the Kehewin First Nation, Alta.

• She is the president of Dion Stout Reflections Inc.

• She is a recipient of numerous awards, including: 2010 National Aboriginal Achievement Award - Health; 2008 Centennial Nursing Award; 2004 Honorary PhD from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia.

• Her speaking engagements have seen her lecture throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

Gallery News

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:12:52 +0000

Annual Juried Student Exhibition

Each year a prominent Canadian arts professional is invited to jury an exhibition of undergraduate student work. This year it will take juror Jen Budney a long week of studio visits and talks with students to select the work that will fill the U of L Main Gallery from Mar. 13 – Apr. 9. The exhibition opens on Mar. 13 at 8 p.m. with a reception and the presentation of the Visual Arts Awards presentation.

"This is a great opportunity for students to gain the professional experience of having their work judged by someone new to their work and having it presented in an exhibition," says Josephine Mills, director/curator.

This year's juror is Jen Budney, the associate curator at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon, Sask. She has held previous positions as curator at the Kamloops Art Gallery, program officer in the Visual Arts at the Canada Council, artistic director of Gallery 101 (Ottawa), and news editor of Flash Art magazine. Budney has a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and an MA in Anthropology from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, where her thesis focused on racial attitudes and access/participation in Brazilian contemporary art.

Serendipity

Serendipity is the theme of the annual exhibition of work by the U of L Dept. of Art faculty and staff and the U of L Art Gallery staff. The exhibition is in the Trianon Gallery from Mar. 7 – Apr. 18 and the gallery is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition provides the opportunity to show the range of work produced by the artists who work and teach at the
U of L.

First Faculty Work Featured

First Faculty is the next exhibition in the Helen Christou Gallery, Mar. 20 – May 29. Curated by Jane Edmundson, First Faculty presents the contribution to the development of Lethbridge's art community made by the founding and early faculty in the Art Department.

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Alumnus Wensveen recognized by Carleton ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ for master's thesis

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