UNews - law school

Sproule brings experience to counsel role

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:59:22 +0000

Sharon Sproule (BA '97) has been appointed as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's in-house legal counsel.

Sproule is a long-time Lethbridge resident and U of L graduate who joins the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ from Torry Lewis Abells, where she practised as a litigator and solicitor, joining the firm in 2003.

From 1997 to 2003 she worked with Lethbridge-based law firm Stringam Denecky, where she also articled following her graduation from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary law school in 1996.

Balancing a busy law practice, community service and professional development within the legal community, Sproule has also continued her relationship with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a sessional or guest lecturer in the faculties of Health Sciences, Management and other programs.

She is a member of the Law Society of Alberta, the Lethbridge Bar Association and the Alberta Mediation Society. Sproule is also active in the community as a volunteer with a number of local organizations, including Lethbridge Family Services, Rotary Urban Spirits, the Young Professionals Association and the Lethbridge Association of Collaborative Professionals.

"Having Sharon join us as in-house legal counsel will provide the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with expertise that currently does not exist within our institution," says Nancy Walker, the U of L's vice-president (finance and administration). "The environment in which the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ operates is becoming very complex and we find the need to ensure that we are managing our risks appropriately."

Walker says that Sproule will be responsible for providing legal advice and guidance to the Senior Administrative Team and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a whole, pertaining to a wide variety of issues and circumstances, including administrative, research, human rights,aemployment law matters, intellectual property matters, licensing matters and policies and procedures.

Sproule will also serve as the key contact for general operational business and commercial contracts.
She will report to the Vice-President (Finance & Administration) and can be reached at 403-332-4477.

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

Study opportunities abound

trevor.kenney — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:45:30 +0000

Two students with distinctly different backgrounds, fields of study and career goals shared a common experience this summer – one that speaks to the internship opportunities available at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Courtney Lockhart is a fourth-year political science major who grew up in Lethbridge and sees herself as a future Canadian Foreign Service Officer or human rights activist. Joshua Seerattan is a fourth-year international management major who hails from Edmonton and aspires to work in international trade. This past summer they both took advantage of a 10-week internship program at the Washington Center in Washington, D.C.

"I had an overwhelmingly rewarding summer in D.C.," says Lockhart, who had an internship with Global Centurion, a small, non-profit organization dedicated to fighting modern day slavery and human trafficking.
"I am definitely a more well rounded student after this experience. I gained professional skills that can't be taught in the classroom, and I learned how to transfer my classroom skills to relevant research and a work environment."

Fourth-year student Courtney Lockhart is shown here at the Lincoln Memorial. She was in Washington as part of the Washington Center internship program.

Seerattan's internship found him at the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of International Trade. He was tasked to design questions for a trade exam to be administered to SBA counselors. The goal was to improve their knowledge in facilitating the export of U.S. small business goods and services.

"My work was directly related to my major because it was all about international business," says Seerattan. "The course work I did at the U of L gave me a good understanding of what they wanted and I'd already studied almost all of the material I needed to create the exam."

The Washington Center (TWC) was created in 1975 by William and Sheila Burke as an organization that would provide college students from all backgrounds and income levels with an opportunity to take their classroom learning into a professional internship setting. It is currently the largest academic internship program in the world.

Beyond the internship work, students are able to take evening classes and are a part of the TWC International Affairs program. For Lockhart, the experience was invaluable, reaffirming her desire to work in a Canadian embassy setting but also opening her eyes to whole new areas of interest.

"I have now become passionate about human trafficking issues, human rights and specifically women's rights and issues," she says. "I would really love to spend some of my career working directly with these issues as an activist for non-governmental organizations. I also developed some interest in law school."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's International Centre for Students (ICS), as well as the Arts & Science Co-Op office, was able to facilitate both Lockhart's and Seerattan's journey after the students expressed an interest in the TWC program. It is one of multiple co-op and internship opportunities available at the U of L.

"My experience in D.C. was something that I could not get anywhere else," says Seerattan. "I'd advise any student to make sure they did an internship somewhere before they graduated. There are so many opportunities available out there and people on campus who will help you make it happen. Don't be lazy, do some research and find an internship that fits you – it's well worth it."

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

Wood leads School of Graduate studies into future

trevor.kenney — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:06:52 +0000

His colleagues may have seen an administrative future for Dr. Robert Wood but the dean of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) didn't necessarily buy into their forecast. In fact, given Wood hadn't even planned on being an educator when he started his post-secondary career, that he's now the dean of a key strategic directive seems even more unlikely.

"I had no aspirations whatsoever to do any admin work until about three or four years ago," laughs Wood, who is now in his 12th year at the
U of L. "So I certainly didn't see myself in this role at that time."

Originally from Leicester, UK, Wood has been in Canada since he was a young boy, growing up largely in Edmonton, where he first studied and earned a bachelor's degree in sociology. He entertained the notion of law school but was too enamored with the study of sociology to leave it behind. A master's degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto, followed by a PhD back at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, paved the way for his career as an academic.

"For me an academic career was an unplanned outcome, but it has been an immensely positive part of my life," says Wood.

Dr. Robert Wood with his wife Kristin Ailsby-Wood and daughter Georgia.

Wood's early years at the U of L were focused on establishing a research portfolio and igniting a passion for sociology in his undergraduate students. By 2005-06 he'd begun to involve himself at the committee level throughout the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"I actually found the chance to have some strategic input into the direction and priorities of the institution to be quite exciting," says Wood. "For me it's all about creating momentum and I saw those committee settings as an opportunity to do that."

Over the next three or four years Wood says he really connected with the committee service aspect of his job and the idea of a future in administration. His move into the area of graduate studies was natural, having been active as a graduate student supervisor and serving on a number of graduate education committees.

He now finds himself on the cusp of a whole new era for graduate studies. The SGS has its own dedicated space in Anderson Hall and it has been identified as a key strategic directive as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ further establishes itself as a comprehensive institution.

"When I came here in 2000, the key message was that we were an undergraduate university," says Wood. "As a new faculty member, I got the sense that grad studies was a bit of an add-on to what we were really all about, which was undergraduate education. A lot of that has changed now because today it's really a central component of not only how we see ourselves as an institution but where we see ourselves going forward."

Wood will play a key role as graduate studies continue to evolve. While much progress has been made, there are many areas that need to be addressed in order to truly advance the SGS.

"I would like to see the program areas and faculties properly synchronized and co-ordinated with respect to the resourcing, administration and delivery of graduate education," says Wood. "I also want to emphasize the importance of quality. Not only enhancing the quality of the programs that we offer, but also enhancing the quality of the overall experience of graduate education on this campus."

Wood is fully invested in his role as dean, meaning he's had to put his research ambitions and teaching responsibilities on the back burner. While he is in the midst of co-editing a book on Internet gambling that is due out in February 2012, teaching is out of the question.

"If you take an administrative job, it definitely impacts your ability to prosper as a researcher. I'm still actively engaged as a researcher but the dean's job takes priority," says Wood. "I do miss the classroom though. Teaching was probably my favourite part of the job as a professor. I love being around undergraduate students and I love teaching in the classroom. I just love the dynamic interaction and really do miss it."

He has a bigger picture focus now, one the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ sees as a priority and one where the U of L is beginning to garner a reputation for excellence.

"While we're still relatively small as a graduate school, we're becoming more and more recognized for many key strengths," says Wood. "I think where we're really being noticed on the national terrain is with the very unique multi-disciplinary programs we have, especially at the PhD level. People are certainly taking notice and I think that will continue as we continue to expand the range of PhD majors that we offer at the U of L."

GET THE FACTS

• Wood is married to alumna Kristin Ailsby-Wood (BA '96, MA, LLB), a family lawyer at Davidson & Williams, and they have a five-year-old daughter, Georgia. He took a year of parental leave in 2006.

• An avid fisherman, Wood tries to find time to fish for walleye, on the Oldman River, in the Grassy Lake area.

• Wood has authored or co-authored a number of peer-reviewed articles and books on youth culture and the various aspects of problem gambling.

• Wood's family originally emigrated from the UK to Grande Cache, Alta.

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

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Sproule brings experience to counsel role

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