UNews - Student Life

Information outlet has the right answer

trevor.kenney — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:24:17 +0000

You no doubt have noticed the friendly faces greeting you at the Campus Information Services outlet located directly across from Tim Hortons in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness. This operation, which just recently opened, is yet another initiative from the Recruitment and Retention Project.

To develop the initial operation, Ryan Hall has been seconded as the operational manager in a strategic partnership with Sport & Recreation Services. Campus Information Services (CIS) team members are also members of the U-Crew, a group of students trained by Recruitment and Student Life in way-finding, general service information and conducting campus tours.

"This pool of trained students is an enormous benefit in pulling together a knowledgeable team," says Hall.

Operational manager Ryan Hall chats with a student at the Campus Information Services outlet.

Although the majority of inquiries CIS receives have been related to way finding, team members are also equipped to provide Faculty information, general assistance and ID Card information, as well as distribution and pick-up services for departments.

Way finding includes the physical location of spaces on campus, as well as the location of service information on the web; e.g., the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Calendar. Slightly more than half of the inquiries to date are from students, with the other inquiries coming from faculty, staff and the local community.

Other duties for CIS team members include assisting several student service units across campus in developing programs and databases and monitoring the Services for Students web page to ensure all web links are active.

"This is a win-win situation, because it allows our students the opportunity to gain more information about our student services from across campus, then turn around and share that information more broadly," says Hall. "It also gives these units increased and more sustainable service levels and provides much more information to our clients."

When major campus events such as convocation, Horns Athletics, New Student Orientation and the campus open house take place, the CIS outlet space is shared.

Campus Information Services will also co-ordinate the services within the Collaborative Learning Centre located in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium, along with a support team of service professionals such as Library Peer-Assisted Technology Support Students (PATTS), and the I.T. Solutions Centre staff.

While the operation has only been open a few months, Hall and his team have already accumulated a great deal of information for distribution, and made connections across campus. They are now entering the next phase of implementation by co-ordinating their services for the downtown Penny Building and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Calgary and Edmonton campuses. As well, the creation of a web site is in the planning stages, bringing the information to an online format. The end goal is to provide one central location for the collection and distribution of general ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ information, as well as a meeting place for campus tours.

Campus Information Services operates from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday with reduced hours heading into the holiday period. All inquiries are logged, in order to monitor traffic to adjust the hours of operation to meet client demand. The Campus Information Services team invites everyone to let it know how to better assist in the collection and distribution of information to make the U of L a more welcoming and service-friendly university.

This story first appeared in the January 2013 edition of the Legend. To view the entire issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Student Services Fair a first for campus

trevor.kenney — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:34:38 +0000

By CHANTELLE FROC, Student Writer

By November, most students have settled into campus life, finished their midterms, and some may even be already counting down the days until Christmas. However, despite the fact that classes have been in session for two months, many students still do not know the full extent of the services and groups available to them.

For this reason, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is excited to announce the first-ever On-Campus Student Services Fair, taking place Wednesday, Nov. 9 in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium.

"The goal of the fair is to raise awareness regarding all the services that are here for students to support them as they make their way through the process of earning their degree," says Eric Hawthorne, co-ordinator of Student Life Programs for Recruitment and Student Life. "The On-Campus Student Services Fair aims to assist students in being successful."

So, what exactly will be available at the fair?

Students will be able to learn about Academic Advising and how to plan out their academic path; Counselling Services will be present to answer questions about stress-management, study skills and the many workshops offered by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ; and several other important groups and departments that provide support to students will be represented.

The event is intended for all U of L students, not just those in their first year.

"This will be new for returning students as well," says Hawthorne. "We want returning students to know that we care just as much about how they are doing. Just because a student has been at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for a year or two does not mean that they know the answer to everything.

"We hope that all students will come out and ask the questions that they have been looking to have answered, regardless of their year of study."

The On-Campus Student Services Fair runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Leadership conference well attended

trevor.kenney — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:43:49 +0000

There are leaders in every corner of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus. From administration to staff and faculty, examples of leadership are prevalent through community involvement initiatives, volunteer experiences and more.

And it does not stop there. ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students have shown time and again their capacity to engage with the community and to lead the way in fundraising and volunteer projects.

With that in mind, the Recruitment and Student Life office, along with the Students' Union, offered an opportunity for students to learn more about how to affect change through leadership.

The inaugural ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Leadership Conference was held Saturday, Apr. 2, giving students the opportunity to attend a series of thought provoking and inspiring sessions, speakers, panels and discussions. The goal of the conference is to provide students with skills, ideas and motivation they can use in all aspects of their lives. Over 200 participants took part.

"Several institutions across the country offer an annual leadership conference for their students," says Lukas Neamtu, the co-ordinator of student life programming. "With support and a commitment from the Students' Union and Housing Services, we made this a reality. The support from around campus was overwhelming. Several individuals and offices jumped on board with session ideas and a willingness to be presenters."

Neamtu says there is an appetite for a conference of this nature, and he sees students wanting to take on leadership roles.

"All around campus we have students getting involved in leadership opportunities in a variety of ways," he says. "Whether it is as a resident assistant, member of the Students' Union, the SU General Assembly, a volunteer organization and so on. This conference, first, provided an opportunity for these students to come together, be inspired and continue developing their leadership skills. Secondly, the conference was a celebration of all of the leaders on this campus and the work they have done."

Two keynote speakers highlighted the day, including a talk by Olympic medalist Adam Kreek and the final address from U of L president Mike Mahon.

Grooming student leaders

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:38:54 +0000

With that in mind, the Recruitment and Student Life office, along with the Students' Union, is offering an opportunity for students to learn more about how to affect change through leadership.

The inaugural ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Leadership Conference is set for Saturday, Apr. 2, giving students the opportunity to attend a series of thought provoking and inspiring sessions, speakers, panels and discussions. The goal of the conference is to provide students with skills, ideas and motivation they can use in all aspects of their lives.

"Several institutions across the country offer an annual leadership conference for their students," says Lukas Neamtu, the co-ordinator of student life programming. "With support and a commitment from the Students' Union and Housing Services, we began to make this a reality. The support from around campus has been overwhelming. Several individuals and offices have jumped on board with session ideas and a willingness to be presenters."

Neamtu says there is an appetite for a conference of this nature, and he sees students wanting to take on leadership roles.

"All around campus we have students getting involved in leadership opportunities in a variety of ways," he says. "Whether it is as a resident assistant, member of the Students' Union, the SU General Assembly, a volunteer organization and so on. This conference, first, provides an opportunity for these students to come together, be inspired and continue developing their leadership skills. Secondly, the conference is a celebration of all of the leaders on this campus and the work they have done."

Two keynote speakers highlight the day, including a talk by Olympic medalist Adam Kreek and the final address from U of L president Mike Mahon.

For a complete list of sessions and how to get involved, check the Notice Board.

For a look at the March issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Welcome back from the holiday break

trevor.kenney — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:17:55 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Dr. Mike Mahon chats about what's happening in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community

The holiday season is now behind us and I want to welcome our staff, faculty and both new and returning students to campus for the Spring Semester.

The more people I speak with, the more it becomes clear what a prominent role the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge plays in the southern Alberta community. We are looked to as a leader, not only in education, but also in the areas of community living, culture, business and sport, and it is extremely important that we continue to serve as a hub of engagement for our community.

The U of L has a history of engaging its students, the community, our international partners and the First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations. It is my commitment to foster these relationships and assume a more deliberate approach as we further engage our community partners.

President Mike Mahon gladly accepts the responsibility the U of L has to serve as a community leader.

This past fall, I met with a variety of groups about the notion of engagement and how the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge promotes the concepts of citizenship, collaborative learning and discovery. It became apparent to me that the U of L is very active when it comes to reaching out to the community, but that it could develop a more strategic approach in its efforts.

There are already many successes on campus in terms of our students, staff and faculty leading the way when it comes to community engagement. The Rotaract Club has reached out both locally and beyond, as have Management Students' Society initiatives, nursing students from the Faculty of Health Sciences, and faculty and staff through the United Way, the adopt a family Christmas program and other charitable measures. Our sports teams build relationships through camps and mentorship programs, and the recent Movember movement connected our athletes with the community on a whole different level.

We have many successes to point to, and now we want to build off of those experiences and bring a new focus to our community-based initiatives. That we have been able to become such a positive influence on so many levels is exemplary, and there can only be growth if we are able to create an overarching framework under which the engagement process can be co-ordinated.

To that end, I want to welcome two new members to our president's office team who will play key roles in the future. Laurel Corbiere, the former director of the International Centre for Students, is assuming the position of senior advisor to the president, and will take on a leadership role in the community engagement process as it relates to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's strategic directions.

I also want to welcome Jodie Black, who was most recently the student retention co-ordinator in the Recruitment and Student Life office. She is taking on the position of university secretariat and will play an instrumental role in the development and management of policies and procedures of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

We are fortunate to be in a position to provide leadership for social and individual betterment of our community, whether that is at the local, provincial, national or international level. It is important, as responsible global citizens, we accept that charge.

This column first appeared in the Legend. For a full look at the January issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Campus Kudos - January 2011

trevor.kenney — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:03:06 +0000

Dr. Helen Kelley (Management) collaborated in publishing, The Clinical Impact of eHealth on the Self-Management of Diabetes: A Double Adoption Perspective, in the Journal of the Association for Information Systems.

Dr. Gordon Hunter (Management) had two articles published recently. His study, The Duality of IT Roles: A Case Study, was published in the International Journal of Strategic Information Technology and Applications. The Chief Information Officer: A Review of the Role, was also published in the Journal of Information, Information Technology and Organizations.

Laurel Corbiere, previously the director of the International Centre for Students, assumed the role of senior advisor to the president, effective Jan. 17, 2011. Corbiere will play a central role in the oversight and stewardship of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Strategic Plan.

Salvador Barragan (Management) collaborated on the article, The Impact of Strategic Human Resource Management on Productivity and Turnover in the Maquiladora Industry: A Conceptual Framework that was published in Advances in Management.

Dr. Robert Wood (Sociology) was appointed as dean of the School of Graduate Studies after having recently served the role as interim dean and has been a faculty member since 2000. He began a renewable term from Jan. 1, 2011 to June 30, 2016.

Jodie Black has been named the university secretariat, effective Jan. 17, 2011. Black was most recently the student retention co-ordinator in the Recruitment and Student Life office. She will be responsible for providing governance direction, advice and support to the Board of Governors, General Faculties Council (GFC) and Senate of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Dr. Luis Escobar (Management) was recently published in the Journal of Business Ethics. He co-authored the article, Multinational Oil Companies and the Adoption of Sustainable Development: A resource-based and institutional theory interpretation of adoption heterogeneity.

Dr. Chris Hosgood (History) was reappointed dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, effective July 1, 2011. Hosgood begins his second term as dean and has been a faculty member since 1988.

Dr. Rossitsa Yalamova (Management) co-authored, Explaining What Leads Up to Stock Market Crashes: A Phase Transition Model and Scalability Dynamics, which appeared in the Journal of Behavioral Finance.

Dr. Debra Basil (Management) was published in three recent publications. She collaborated with three others to produce, The impact of pre-existing attitude, conflict management style, and service outcome on customer satisfaction: an empirical investigation, which was published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. She then worked with Dr. Mary Runté (Management) on, Personal and Corporate Volunteerism: Employee Motivations, which was published in the International Journal of Business Environment, as well as, Corporate Support for Employee Volunteerism Within Canada: a cross-cultural perspective, which was published in the Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing.

Dr. Bernie Williams (Management) was recently published in the International Academy of Business and Economics. His co-authored article was titled, Anticipatory Socialization and the Influence of Media on Perceptions of International Job Assignments. He also authored, Incident Command as a Participative-Management Practice: Dispelling the Myth of Authoritarian Command, which has been accepted for publication in the International Fire Service Journal of Leadership and Management.

Open Mike - January 2011

trevor.kenney — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:44:25 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Dr. Mike Mahon chats about what's happening in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community

The holiday season is now behind us and I want to welcome our staff, faculty and both new and returning students to campus for the Spring Semester.

The more people I speak with, the more it becomes clear what a prominent role the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge plays in the southern Alberta community. We are looked to as a leader, not only in education, but also in the areas of community living, culture, business and sport, and it is extremely important that we continue to serve as a hub of engagement for our community.

The U of L has a history of engaging its students, the community, our international partners and the First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations. It is my commitment to foster these relationships and assume a more deliberate approach as we further engage our community partners.

There are already many successes on campus in terms of our students, staff and faculty leading the way when it comes to community engagement. The Rotaract Club has reached out both locally and beyond, as have Management Students' Society initiatives, nursing students from the Faculty of Health Sciences, and faculty and staff through the United Way, the adopt a family Christmas program and other charitable measures. Our sports teams build relationships through camps and mentorship programs, and the recent Movember movement connected our athletes with the community on a whole different level.

We have many successes to point to, and now we want to build off of those experiences and bring a new focus to our community-based initiatives. That we have been able to become such a positive influence on so many levels is exemplary, and there can only be growth if we are able to create an overarching framework under which the engagement process can be co-ordinated.

To that end, I want to welcome two new members to our president's office team who will play key roles in the future. Laurel Corbiere, the former director of the International Centre for Students, is assuming the position of senior advisor to the president, and will take on a leadership role in the community engagement process as it relates to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's strategic directions.

I also want to welcome Jodie Black, who was most recently the student retention co-ordinator in the Recruitment and Student Life office. She is taking on the position of university secretariat and will play an instrumental role in the development and management of policies and procedures of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

We are fortunate to be in a position to provide leadership for social and individual betterment of our community, whether that is at the local, provincial, national or international level. It is important, as responsible global citizens, we accept that charge.

For a full look at the January issue of the Legend, follow this link.

Maintaining the QIP important for students

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:55:07 +0000

Enriching ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge student experiences at an already vibrant and dynamic campus was the basis for the creation of the Quality Initiatives Program (QIP). Maintaining the QIP in the face of pending budget cuts is a looming challenge.

Study lounges, Fresh Fest, academic speakers, the ULSU Food Bank and undergraduate research initiatives are just a few examples of how the QIP program continues to meet the needs of students and how important this program has become to the U of L.

"Funding for student assistance and student initiatives is precisely for what the Quality Initiatives Program is designed," says Jeremy Girard, ULSU president. "This year, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the ULSU are providing $600,000 towards these budget lines, which will provide many students with an amazing source of funding."

The QIP, however, could be facing some tough times ahead, according to Girard. With the prospect of government funding cuts to post-secondary education, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will be forced to make difficult budgetary decisions, putting the QIP at risk of being eradicated.

"The ULSU is striving and urgently pushing that QIP be maintained, by being an active voice in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Budget Committee, by having regular discussion with senior administration and by lobbying the Province of Alberta to increase base operating funding," says Girard. "QIP is an essential part of student funding at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and its inception shows long-term and high-level thinking by the Board of Governors."

In 2005, QIP was developed as a result of negotiations between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union Executive Council and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ administration. After witnessing the successes of a similar program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, both parties agreed on establishing a QIP to begin in the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

Under the QIP program, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ administration allocates 12 per cent of annual tuition fee increases to support the proposal-based funding system.

According to Girard, QIP has $210,000 available in scholarships, grants and bursaries, which are allocated by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. There is also $80,000 dedicated to undergraduate research opportunities that have opened up more opportunities for students wishing to extend research into non-science areas, where in the past less funding has been available.

QIP also offers students an emergency assistance program for students who find themselves in the position of not being able to meet their basic living requirements.

"For students who find themselves in a severely tight spot, with no other funding options, non-repayable emergency assistance grants are available," says Girard, adding that the program also funds two food bank programs and a one-time distribution of monies towards disabilities funding.
"Overall, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the ULSU have $35,000 available per year for needs-based funding."

Students who are interested in attending conferences or volunteering can also benefit from QIP, which has the resources to allocate $20,000 per year to this type of learning.

"These learning experiences are encouraged by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the ULSU, as learning outside of class is a keystone to a liberal education," says Girard.

Just this year, QIP funds have been granted to Fresh Fest, the four-day event that welcomes new and returning students to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the ULSU. Rookie Camp is supported by the ULSU, and coordinated by Recruitment and Student Life, to promote student retention and serves as another example of the benefits of QIP funding.

UNews - Student Life

Information outlet has the right answer

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