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Lewis a perfect fit for Alumni post

trevor.kenney — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:02:36 +0000

Joking that some might call her career path "checkered" – she prefers eclectic – retired nurse, Kathy Lewis (BN '83, MEd '99) is both nervous and excited to take on the role of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association (ULAA) president this year.

Lewis began her nursing career in the early 1970s after receiving her RN certificate from the Holy Cross School of Nursing, but a phone call from a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ recruiting officer would lead Lewis to explore a whole new world of possibilities.

"I was married, had two young children and was working as a nursing sessional instructor at the Lethbridge Community College. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ was just starting the nursing program and I was asked to enrol. I remember thinking, 'Gee, why are you contacting me?' I really didn't feel that I had what it took academically, but you know the old saying: success breeds success. I found myself completing courses and did very well. I surprised myself," says Lewis, who completed her BN (with distinction) in 1983.

With an undergraduate degree in hand, Lewis says doors opened to her that had formerly been closed. She landed a job as a discharge planning co-ordinator for St. Mike's Hospital and eventually began working as a home care co-ordinator for the Lethbridge Health Unit. Working as a sexuality educator and counsellor in the 1990s, Lewis decided to pursue her master's degree.

Kathy Lewis sees the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a positive force in the community.

"I had always liked the teaching part of my job so I opted for a master's in education at the U of L. My supervising professor was Dr. Cynthia Chambers. She was such an inspiration; she had a lot of life experience as a wife, mother, educator and writer and she brought that experience to the classroom," says Lewis. "By coincidence, Ron Chambers taught me my last class, which was a drama elective. It was one of the most rewarding classes I had in all my ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ time. Here I was, almost 50, and I found myself in class pretending to be a cow.

"That is what the university does; it gives you that opportunity to open up to a broad range of ideas, people, experiences and possibilities."

Despite her busy schedule with family, work and schooling, Lewis has always made community service a priority in her life. She has served on various boards, including the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, the Lethbridge Community Band Society and the Allied Arts Council, and has been a canvasser for a variety of different organizations such as the Canadian Diabetes Association. In 2002 she was nominated to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Senate to which she dedicated six years of service. In 2008, while attending a Senate meeting, Lewis volunteered to join the ULAA.

"It was not in my life plan to be on the Alumni Council, but the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is such a positive force, certainly in my life and in the community. It is a major employer in the region, we have excellent research going on, wonderful fine arts and contribute to educating our population. I often say that Lethbridge is a different place because people in the 1960s had a vision. We can be proud of that and proud of the people who made all this happen," says Lewis. "Being a part of the ULAA is a valuable opportunity. I am very much a believer in working together; where we may have shortcomings in experience or knowledge, others fill in. Together we all contribute to the betterment of our society."

During the past two years the ULAA has revised its constitution and by-laws to ensure that the association continues moving in the right direction, maintaining its focus on building relationships with the community, students and alumni.

"In Spring 2012, thanks to the hard work of Cheryl Meheden and her committee, we will be launching a Fiat Lux ring as part of our 45th Anniversary celebration at the U of L. We hope every alumnus will want to have one and wear it with pride," says Lewis. "Our alumni chapters are essential. Together we are over 32,000 strong. We are represented on the Board of Governors, the Senate and many ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ committees. Our voice is at the table of decision-making and our participation is vital to the success of this institution. I would encourage each alum that when the timing is right and the opportunity to get involved knocks – open the door."

GET THE FACTS

· Lewis is a proud mother and grandmother.

· A member of ULAA since 2008, she served as ULAA vice-president from 2009 to 2011.

· Lewis plays clarinet with the Lethbridge Community Band Society, and is also a former concert planner.

· Lewis is a former ESL tutor with the Lethbridge Public Library.

· In 2009 she completed her RN re-certification through Grant MacEwan ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

This story first appeared in the September issue of the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Incoming executive excited about opportunity to boost student engagement

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:43:49 +0000

The spring winds bring an annual changing of the guard at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU). As another successful year at the Students' Union comes to an end, a new Executive Council is poised to usher in new, and what it expects will be prosperous, student initiatives.

"All of the initiatives and projects we will be working on will fall under at least one of six headings: increasing the effectiveness of our communications, increasing our presence on campus, strengthening our lobbying voice, improving our events, expanding our service base and promoting sustainability on campus," says newly appointed ULSU President Zack Moline.

Executive Council has taken a particular interest in boosting the organization's digital presence and online services. Numerous initiatives are taking shape that will make the Students' Union available on more media platforms and subsequently to a larger audience.

One particular undertaking is part of two Executive Council members' campaign platforms. Andrew Williams and Leyland Bradley are guiding a venture that would see the creation of an online tutor database.

"Students are currently forced to refer to cluttered posting boards, giving them only a small chance of actually finding the academic assistance they require," says Andrew Williams, ULSU vice-president academic. "I see this as simply unacceptable."

ULSU Executive Council also plans to utilize new avenues of communication to diversify and improve on-campus events.

"Students have such great and unique ideas. I want their input," says Lisa Rodych, the vice-president of Internal Affairs.

This year's council is also excited about the opportunity to advocate for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students' interests. As members of both the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students (CAUS), Moline and his colleagues intend to make major strides in improving the post-secondary experience at not only the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, but for students as a whole in Alberta and across Canada.

"Every year, every new council puts student engagement at the top of their list of priorities for their year in office, and I feel that our council will exemplify this," says Leyland Bradley, vice-president Operations and Finance. "We want to ensure that our campus events and our advocacy efforts are parallel with the opinions of our students."

This story first appeared in the Legend. To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Arcadia begins run Tuesday night

trevor.kenney — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:24:43 +0000

Arcadia has been dubbed one of the most brilliant plays of the 20th century and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge audiences will get their opportunity to experience it beginning Tuesday night. Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard, debuts at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre at 8 p.m. and runs through Saturday evening.

Part detective story, part love story, and part farcical comedy with mathematics, literature, landscape gardening and chaos theory thrown in, this intellectually demanding, emotionally satisfying, and delightfully entertaining play promises to give patrons a little bit of everything.

"I love this play," says director Brian Parkinson. "It's about ideas and relationships, the characters are complex and multifaceted, and the dialogue is incredibly witty, clever, and engaging. I'm also fascinated by how Stoppard manipulates the time, space and action."

Parkinson recalls taking his daughters to the play when they were in their mid-teens and having them discuss and recount the play for weeks after.

"It really made an impression," he says.

The play bounces back and forth between 1809 and the present at the elegant Coverly family estate. The 1809 scenes reveal a household in transition. The Arcadian landscape is being transformed into picturesque gothic gardens, and the 13-year-old Lady Thomasina and her tutor are delving into intellectual and romantic issues. The present day scenes depict the Coverly descendants and two competing scholars researching a possible scandal at the estate in 1809 using quite different methods.

"Arcadia really pokes fun at academia's need to reconstruct a history that is often wildly at odds with the truth," says Parkinson. "A lot of misrepresentations and misinterpretations get peeled away during the play."

Preparing as complex a play as Arcadia for the stage is a challenge. The cast of 12 had to refine British accents, work on intricate timing, and play well-rounded characters that aged from early teens to middle-age.

"The actors rose to the challenge and the experience will stand them in good stead in their future careers," says Parkinson.

Tickets for Arcadia (Mar. 31 through April 4, 8 p.m. nightly) are priced at $15 for regular admission and $10 student/senior. They are available at the U of L Box Office (403-329-2616).

UNews - tutor

Lewis a perfect fit for Alumni post

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Incoming executive excited about opportunity to boost student engagement

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Arcadia begins run Tuesday night

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