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New ULAA president looks to further engage alumni

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 15:50:08 +0000

The new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association president understands the value of a community.

“I love growth, development and opportunity. Anything I can do to make things better for my community, for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ or my neighbourhood, I try to get involved in,” explains Grant Adamson (BSc ’03), who was elected as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association’s 26th president in July.

“Community involvement has been an unwritten part of my family philosophy forever; that goes back to growing up on a farm. Being on a farm is not a place where you can grow or develop on your own. You need community,” says Adamson. “About 10 years back we received a farm century award. It was pretty important to our family and community, but when I graduated from high school I wanted to see who I was away from the farm. Someone suggested I would be a good teacher, so I researched and found that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge had an excellent program for teachers and chose to come to Lethbridge.”

Grant Adamson, with his wife Rebecca, at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Donor Gala

Adamson, however, discovered he had no desire to teach, so in his second year he switched his studies to biology. That same year, he developed a severe case of mononucleosis and was subsequently unable to take a full course load for the next several years. It was then that he truly experienced the fellowship and support found within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

“I was a very strong student academically going into university, but when I found myself suffering academically due to my health, I relied on services provided by the U of L. I sought out help when I needed it and I found it all over the place,” he says. “I became involved with the Organization of Residence Students, the Students’ Union and the curling club. My residence experience was particularly impactful because I got to be a part of governance and make a difference, which I loved. I also met my wife Rebecca (BA/BEd ’99, MEd ’09) and her friend Janet, who would later become my sister-in-law. Being involved in extra-curricular activities was very fulfilling and kept me going until I was well enough to take on full course loads.”

As he began to take more advanced theoretical courses, Adamson could not imagine himself being confined to working in labs for the rest of his life. He began to wonder if it was time to take a small turn in his academic direction once again.

“After exiting from the C-stairwell on 7th, I’d always turned left toward the bio-tech labs. One day, I felt drawn to the geography labs so I turned right instead! I sat there for about an hour reading the presentation boards about the projects and research going on in the department. I saw displays about things I cared about and it played to my roots. That fall, I switched my program to geography. Finally, I could look to the future and visualize what my life would look like.”

Adamson graduated in 2003 and began his career in the oil industry, working in environmental sciences. After the project he was working on shut down, he spent several years pursuing an interest in real estate investment, but his agricultural heritage always beckoned. In 2007, everything came together when Adamson began working with hybrid canola seed production at Monsanto Canada Inc. It was the perfect combination of biotechnology and agriculture all in one. Three years later, Adamson accepted a position at Dow AgroSciences where he continues to work as their lead agronomist for canola seed production in southern Alberta, the Pacific Northwest and Chile. One of his secondary duties is liaising with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, recruiting students to work with Dow AgroSciences as summer interns and potentially as long-term employees.

“The hybrid canola seed industry relies heavily on student interns in the summer, as it is extremely busy during this season,” says Adamson, who is happy to support students through his work and as a member of the ULAA. “The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is a great supplier of excellent students who have a background in, or knowledge of, agriculture, or who are willing to learn about it.”
Adamson became involved with the ULAA in 2005. He has served as a director, treasurer and vice-president and was elected as president in July.

“I got involved with the association because I missed the connection with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Participation with the ULAA is a great way for alumni to foster and maintain that link. As part of the executive, I have seen the association become increasingly involved in the community and take on a more formal role. My goal is to lead the maturation and formality process. With 36,480 alumni coming of age in the workforce, we are at a tipping point. I encourage alumni to reconnect and get involved. We want to hear about your stories, your successes and your adventures.”

GET THE FACTS

• Adamson is very proud of his family connection to the U of L – his wife Rebecca (BA/BEd ’99, MEd ’09), sister-in-laws Janet Adamson (BA/BEd ’00), Lauren Adamson (BSc ‘ 04) and brother Lowell Adamson (BSc ’04) are all a part of the alumni family

• Adamson has been a member of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Senate since 2011

• A former member of the board of directors for the Youth Federation of Canada, Adamson also serves as a construction volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, of which his wife is the organization’s local vice-chair

• The 2013 ULAA Executive consists of Adamson as president, vice-president Randy Kobbert (BMgt ’86), past president Kathy Lewis (BN ’83, MEd ’99), treasurer Jason Baker (BMgt ’02) and secretary Sharon Malec (BEd ’73)

Weeks reappointed with five-year term

trevor.kenney — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:03:51 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors today reappointed Dr. Daniel J. Weeks to a second five-year term as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's research vice president. The Board of Governors, as well as the review committee struck to make a recommendation to the Board, unanimously supported Weeks's reappointment.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge continues to evolve as one of Canada's leading comprehensive research and teaching universities of its size," says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Dr. Mike Mahon. "Dr. Weeks has played a significant role in promoting and supporting the many research strengths in all of our faculties and has helped position the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for much future success."

In the past five years, the U of L introduced its first comprehensive research plan, has undertaken a renewed effort to focus its international activities and was recently named Canada's Research ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of the Year (Undergraduate Category) by Research Infosource.

Weeks was also instrumental in the creation of the Association of Canadian Comprehensive Research Universities (ACCRU) - a new strategic partnership amongst small and medium-sized universities from across Canada that aims to improve collaboration amongst researchers and programs, allow universities to share best practices and enable institutions to respond to system-wide developments in a co-ordinated and timely fashion.

Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Weeks is a cognitive psychologist and an internationally recognized expert on human motor control. He also has a research program focused on skill acquisition in persons with Down Syndrome.

Weeks has pioneered new brain imaging techniques to determine the impact of cerebral specialization and information processing on health and behaviour, among other projects. He previously served as a professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, where he also operated the PsychoMotor Behaviour Laboratory.

The future of Liberal Education

trevor.kenney — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:45:11 +0000

Aaron Nakama (BA '98) has encountered a few false impressions when explaining how the Bachelor of Arts in French he completed at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge prepared him for a position as senior technical recruitment manager for Knowledgetech, a boutique IT Services company in Vancouver, B.C.

"Looking back, I can see how my choices evolved over the five years it took me to complete my degree," reflects Nakama. "I started in management, considered education and finally ended up with a BA in French with a heavy concentration of math, statistics and computer science courses. As a result, I am a well-rounded, global citizen, agile enough to take on new opportunities as they present themselves."

Advocating for liberal education, which emphasizes a breadth of knowledge and develops intellectual skills, comes naturally to Nakama who says that his own world view and interests don't fit neatly into any one subject. His university experience reflects these divergent and yet complimentary interests.

"The U of L enabled me to explore my interests and make connections between disciplines and with faculty, staff and other students that I rely on to this day," says Nakama, who has put his degree to use in a variety of fields ranging from broadcasting to technical recruitment since graduating from the U of L 14 years ago.

Alumnus Aaron Nakama has seen great value in his liberal education through the variety of career fields he has explored.

Indeed, a liberal education implies breadth and depth: broad knowledge in a range of disciplines, focused by more concentrated work in one. Liberal education degrees, which aim to prepare the next generation of well-rounded and responsible citizens, are not the new kids on the block – they've been around since 400 BC and represent a classical approach to university education.

While liberal education is common at universities across North America, it has a special context at the U of L. Forty-five years ago, a forward-thinking group of citizens believed that southern Alberta merited its own university. Over the course of four days in the fall of 1967, 20 delegates and a trio of invited resource guests charted the course of the fledgling ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge at the Waterton Conference, producing a statement of philosophy that is reflected in the academic program of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ today.

The principles of liberal education were deemed essential to what the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge would become and would serve as the foundation for inspired teaching, a personalized supportive learning environment, and student engagement in learning, creative activities and research.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is not located in a large metropolitan area as are the other two universities in this province," writes former acting president Dr. Russel J. Leskiw (LLD '93), in a document dating back to early 1967. "There is some reason to believe, therefore, that if the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is to succeed, and in fact survive, it must become an institution that is unique. It must somehow be an institution that differs from the two older ones in this province."

That the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's founders were so prescient in their thinking is testament to the visionaries that were at the table. They understood the importance of setting the U of L apart and saw liberal education as central to that mission.

The U of L's statement of philosophy, originating from the Waterton Conference and printed in every ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Calendar since 1967, says it best: "The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge endeavours to cultivate humane values; it seeks to foster intellectual growth, social development, aesthetic sensitivity, personal ethics and physical well-being; it seeks to cultivate the transcendental dimension of the scholar's personality. Its primary aims are to foster the spirit of free inquiry and the critical interpretation of ideas."

For 45 years, this statement has provided the foundation for how the U of L delivers its programming. However, since the original statement of philosophy was written there has been little discussion on the subject of liberal education or what it means for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and its students.

"Liberal education has historically been very important to us," says Dr. Andrew Hakin, U of L provost and vice-president (academic), who is leading the charge around a re-evaluation of liberal education at the U of L. "The question we need to ask today is, does it still have that importance to us as an institution?"

Today, the U of L is reimagining liberal education for tomorrow.

In the last 45 years, there have been enormous advances in technology, demographics, funding models, not to mention student habits and attitudes, to which the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has adjusted to better meet the needs of our students. Our approach to liberal education, however, has remained basically the same.

"The evolution of liberal education has been slow in the 23 years I've been here," says Hakin, who started in the chemistry department before moving into administration. "For many at the U of L, liberal education has been synonymous with the general liberal education requirement (GLER) that asks students to take courses from three different lists. Is that how we define a liberal education at the U of L?"

Hakin is arguing for a more purposeful approach and invited the U of L community to take part in the dialogue around liberal education at the second annual Fiat Lux Address, hosted earlier this fall. From the outset, Hakin made it abundantly clear he does not presume to have all the answers but he believes the time to forge a new conception of the time-honoured idea is at hand.

Hakin maintains that we need to consider the ideal of the educated person as a starting point for justifying curriculum content in liberal education.

"When we think about career paths for our graduates, the vast majority of them will likely go through multiple job transitions and changes in career direction. What I would hope, is that a liberal education will help our students to develop resilient skills that will serve them long after their formal schooling ends," says Hakin.

For him, this means reinvesting in curriculum to ensure the academic experience offered at the U of L addresses the needs of today's students. As the generators of curriculum, the challenge now lies with faculty to take a real look at the ideals of liberal education and how that translates to the teaching and learning philosophy at the U of L. The role of staff in supporting a liberal education experience will also be critical to success.

"We have some extraordinary courses and programs here," says Hakin, mentioning the U of L's liberal education classes as just one example. "Courses like these are challenging students to engage with our world, developing their analytical skills and prodding them to think through the ethical, civic and societal implications in the world around them.

These experiences need to be the norm for our students, not the exception, both within individual classes and across degree programs."

By educating students broadly so that they can move from one opportunity to another with confidence, the U of L is considering what it means to be an educated person in the 21st century and what contribution liberal education can make in addressing this question.

"As a student, I was able to direct the course of my own education," says Nakama, who credits the U of L for cultivating an openness that allowed him to chart a broad intellectual course, not just as a student but throughout his life. "My success underscores the value of liberal education for all students, regardless of their background, field of study or career aspirations."

With the next strategic planning exercise currently underway, Hakin wants liberal education to emerge as a key priority for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ resulting in a thorough examination of the subject by faculty and departments across campus.

"If we're serious about the quality of the whole of the degree we offer, then we have to try and build an experience not just around the major but around the whole degree experience. Our job is to help students gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful, to eventually serve and to improve our society," says Hakin, harkening back to the ideals of liberal education. "These core values, held dear for the last 45 years, are still vital. However, we cannot be satisfied with simply being what we have been. I am suggesting that our greatest opportunity is to reimagine what liberal education means for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge today and how that can impact our society and our world."

To continue the conversation, contact hakin@uleth.ca

This story first appeared in the Fall 2012 issue of SAM. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Protest puts SU president Wutzke into custody

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:14:31 +0000

A combination of youthful enthusiasm, righteous indignation and an activist student culture led to one of the most significant nights in the early history of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the young life of Richard Wutzke (BASc '72).

It was May 1968 and determining the future site of the fledgling university was the topic of the day. While ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ administration, faculty, students and the City of Lethbridge all agreed that a westside location matched the vision of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's founders, the provincial government did not originally accept this recommendation, and instead proposed a local referendum to determine the site.

Days after SU President Richard Wutzke spent an evening in a Lethbridge jail, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's first graduation class, along with faculty, marched in city streets to protest the proposed referendum that would decide the future site of the U of L campus.

With philosophical lines drawn, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ students took to the streets, and on one fateful night, to the avenue in front of Lethbridge MLA John Landeryou's house. It wasn't long before Wutzke, the Students' Union president, was being hauled away by police, to be joined later by his right-hand man, Arthur Joevenazzo.

"Looking at it from the age of 63 and looking at it from the age of 18 are two different perspectives entirely," says Wutzke, now an artist living in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal.

"Now when you look at it and you see a campus with 8,500 students and a third of the city's population is on the westside, it all seems so obvious that this was the right direction to go. But if you were picking up the tab for some kind of a pipe dream like this, I think you might say, "Wait a minute now"."

Student politics of the day had grown more and more confrontational and Wutzke admits he was elected SU president as an activist candidate. He says that as the debate ramped up, a culmination of factors led students out into the streets that evening.

"We were really keen on this type of activity," he says, noting that he and Joevenazzo were the debate champions of Alberta at the time. "There's a lot of testosterone pumping away in your veins and you're just looking for a scrap somewhere."

Fueled by what he calls "hearsay" and inspired by "the struggles of Mahatma Ghandi and the readings of Henry David Thoreau", an evening meeting with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ faculty was the impetus for a placard-waving group to descend upon Landeryou's home.

"Today I'd be embarrassed to go forging out on an expedition like this with the kind of information we had," chuckles Wutzke. "We felt that somehow Mr. Landeryou was in cahoots with landowners surrounding the junior college who all stood to make very handsome profits by the expropriation of their property. Now, like I say, that is what we believed at the time and that's the information we acted on and we did so with righteous indignation."

When police arrived, they quickly identified Wutzke as a ringleader and put him in a police cruiser.

"I was taken into the police car and then the car was surrounded by students," says Wutzke. "Everybody sat down on the asphalt to prevent the police car from moving. Finally they basically threatened to run people over and they left with me. As soon as I was taken off the scene, my most able henchman, Arthur Joevenazzo, took up the charge and started the chanting again. They came back and picked him up too."

Wutzke and Joevenazzo were actually never arrested, as lore would have it. They were never charged, fingerprinted or put into a cell. ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ President Sam Smith got out of bed, drove down to the police station and vouched for the duo's character and Wutzke's father eventually came to drive him home.

Two days later, following the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's first convocation, a street march was held, culminating with a rally at Galt Gardens. Days later, with provincial eyes now on Lethbridge and its rebellious students, the government backed off and the westside plan was ratified.

"If I hadn't been there, somebody else would have been there," says Wutzke modestly. "What's important is that in that time in history, the students, even though they would not be the recipients of this glorious new campus, acted and didn't sit on their hands and change occurred. When I look back at that, there is a sense of pride. Not only that I had some personal role in it but that I was part of a student body that really had the guts to get up and be heard."

It's a spirit he continues to see today, and one he applauds.

"Sometimes students really get on your nerves because they are always agitating about something, but it shows you it's a very essential part of the democratic process."

This story first appeared in the February 2012 edition of The Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

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