UNews - Allan Markin

Markin Hall makes its mark

trevor.kenney — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:19:31 +0000

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community is thrilled to be celebrating the opening of Markin Hall," says U of L President Dr. Mike Mahon. "Markin Hall is a wonderful addition to campus and will provide outstanding opportunities for students, faculty and staff for years to come."

Markin Hall was a main priority in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Legacy of Leadership campaign, which concluded in December of 2007. The campaign was the most ambitious in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's 40-year history and raised more than $35 million for students and infrastructure. When combined with government funding, the campaign resulted in a $113 million investment in the U of L.

In 2005, Dr. Allan Markin (LLD '06) made a generous contribution to the Legacy of Leadership campaign. His visionary gift was combined with early private funding and support from the Government of Alberta, national corporations, U of L friends and alumni. Construction of Markin Hall began in 2008.

Now complete, the building is home to the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management.

"By improving facilities on campus, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is investing in its students," says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union President Taz Kassam. "Markin Hall provides a hands-on and interactive learning environment for U of L students and ensures we have the best resources and infrastructure to support our education."

In addition to providing some much needed space for both undergraduate and graduate students, Markin Hall includes dedicated research areas for faculty members and their research teams, a purpose-built Addictions Counselling Lab, a Simulation Health Centre with wireless high-fidelity patient simulators and Western Canada's first finance trading room.

"This is the most modern and forward-looking facility in Western Canada for studying business and management," says Faculty of Management Dean Dr. Robert Ellis. "As well as classrooms with state-of-the-art capabilities, Markin Hall has 18 rooms where groups and individuals can study and work on projects together."

In Markin Hall's collaborative environment, the U of L will address Alberta's most crucial issues and continue to invest in energetic, effective and strategic leaders in the fields of health care and management.

"Markin Hall provides an opportunity for continued collaboration between the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management, including the development of a new combined degree in Public Health and Management. We look forward to many opportunities to develop innovative program and research collaborations in the coming years," says Dr. Chris Hosgood, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

By improving teaching, learning and research facilities, Markin Hall helps the U of L meet the needs of a shifting economy and a changing province.

Inside Markin Hall

Markin Hall, home to the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management, provides space for an additional 450 students. The state-of-the-art facility improves teaching, learning and research facilities at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, helping meet the changing needs of the next generation of health-care and management professionals.

Nursing students are excited to have the opportunity to work in the new Simulation Health Centre.

• Markin Hall is a $65-million project.

• Markin Hall covers 10,400 square metres on four floors and houses approximately 230 faculty, staff and graduate students.

• The building provides space for more than 420 health sciences students and 1,600 management students.

• Markin Hall includes $1.6 million of audio-visual equipment.

• Markin Hall is certified silver by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

• The building includes two video-conference rooms used to offer courses via video in Calgary and Edmonton. These classrooms double as case rooms for the Faculty of Management, offering closely tiered seating for 50 students, with adjacent breakout rooms for smaller group work.

• In addition to the Simulation Health Centre, the Addictions Counselling Lab and the Markin Hall Finance Trading Room, which all provide hands-on experience, there are four experimental research labs used by the Faculty of Management to conduct behavioural research such as focus groups.

For a look at the full issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Markin Hall on display

trevor.kenney — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:54:43 +0000

For a look at photos from the Markin Hall opening ceremony, check out the
U of L's Flickr gallery on the event.

After years of planning, looking at blueprints and imagining the opportunities offered by Markin Hall, the building is complete and U of L students, faculty and staff are reaping the benefits.

In 2005, Dr. Allan Markin (LLD '06), made a generous contribution to the Legacy of Leadership campaign. His

Students in the Faculty of Health Sciences get hands-on experience in the new Nursing Skills Lab.

visionary gift was combined with early private funding and support from national corporations, U of L friends and alumni, and the Government of Alberta and construction of Markin Hall began in 2008.

Now complete, the building is home to the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management.

In addition to providing some much needed physical space, Markin Hall includes dedicated research areas for faculty members and their research teams, a purpose-built Addictions Counselling Lab, a Simulation Health Centre with wireless high-fidelity patient simulators and Western Canada's first finance trading room.

"This is the most modern and forward-looking facility in Western Canada for studying business and management," says Faculty of Management dean, Dr. Robert Ellis. "As well as classrooms with state-of-the-art capabilities, Markin Hall has 18 rooms where groups and individuals can study and work on projects together."

In Markin Hall's collaborative environment, the U of L will address our province's most crucial issues and

The real-time capability of the Finance Trading Room is a great benefit to Management students.

continue to invest in energetic, effective and strategic leaders in the fields of health-care and management.

By improving teaching, learning and research facilities, Markin Hall helps the U of L meet the needs of a shifting economy and a changing province.

Building Details

Markin Hall is home to the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and provides space for an additional 450 students. The state-of-the-art facility improves teaching, learning and research facilities at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, helping meet the changing needs of the next generation of health-care and management professionals.

· Markin Hall is a $65 million project
· Markin Hall covers 10,400 square metres on four floors and houses approximately 230 faculty, staff and graduate students
· The building provides space for more than 420 health sciences students and 1,600 management students
· Markin Hall includes $1.6 million worth of audio-visual equipment
· Markin Hall is certified silver by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards
· The building includes two video-conference rooms used to offer courses via video in Calgary and Edmonton
· These classrooms double as case rooms for the Faculty of Management, offering closely-tiered, seating for 50 students, with adjacent breakout rooms for smaller group work
· In addition to the Simulation Health Centre, the Additions Counselling Lab and the Trading Room, which all provide hands-on experience, there are four experimental research labs used by the Faculty of Management to conduct behavioural research such as focus groups

Markin Hall opens Thursday

trevor.kenney — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:58:33 +0000

The official opening ceremony for Markin Hall takes place Thursday, Oct. 21, beginning at 1 p.m. To view the ceremony online, follow this link.

After years of planning, looking at blueprints and imagining the opportunities offered by Markin Hall, the building is complete and U of L students, faculty and staff are reaping the benefits.

In 2005, Dr. Allan Markin (LLD '06), made a generous contribution to the Legacy of Leadership campaign. His visionary gift was combined with early private funding and support from national corporations, U of L friends and alumni, and the Government of Alberta and construction of Markin Hall began in 2008.

Now complete, the building is home to the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management.

The Cade Decade

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:58:29 +0000

UPDATE: Dr. Bill Cade will receive an honorary degree at the Fall 2012 Convocation ceremony, Saturday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. at the 1st Choice Savings Centre gymnasium

When President Dr. Bill Cade first laid eyes on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2000, he saw an institution on the verge of a growth spurt, ready to come of age. Still not completely sure of its identity, the U of L was a young, emerging ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ poised to break out of its adolescence.

A decade later, as Cade prepares to wrap up his 10-year presidency, he sees an entirely different picture – the U of L's growth as a comprehensive university reflected by its stunning physical profile atop the Oldman River valley.

"I think it was a well-kept secret," says Cade of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ when he arrived on campus. "I think we were known well in some quarters, but I thought we needed to become more well-known in others.
"Today, I love to stand on the other side of the river with my dogs and look at the campus. I especially like it when the lights are on in the new stadium."

The Community Sports Stadium is the most recent addition to campus (it opened in September of 2009), and when Markin Hall opens this fall (Cade will return for the ceremony), it will bookend the Cade Decade, a 10-year period of unprecedented expansion and self-awareness at the U of L.

"For the past 10 years, as Bill and I worked together to advance the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's relationships with Canada and Alberta, he has been a visionary and dynamic force to identify and further the goals of programs, advancement and infrastructure development," says Dr. Jim Horsman (LLD '04 ), U of L chancellor emeritus (1999-2003) and a former member of the Board of Governors.

The building boom was just beginning in 2000 with the addition of Anderson Hall, a multi-purpose classroom and office facility. A year later, the $34 million Library Information Network Centre (LINC) and Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) would follow, and while their planning had begun before Cade's arrival, it was he who introduced the new U of L look to the broader community. It was a role he was ideally suited to perform.

"Bill is the greatest cheerleader the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has ever seen – it must be the Texan in him," says Greg Weadick (BSc '77), MLA for Lethbridge West. "Under his watch, the U of L has become a stronger community partner and a source of immense pride for all southern Albertans."

Cade recognized early that the U of L had a great story to tell, and a southern Alberta community eager to not only listen to that story but become a part of it, too.

"Initially, I don't think I had an appreciation for the prominence of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the office of the president in this community, and that turned out to be one of the very enjoyable aspects of the job," says Cade.

His previous position, at Brock ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in St. Catharines, Ont., did not afford that luxury. Whereas Brock was one of many players in the eight-million person Golden Horseshoe region of southern Ontario, the U of L is a benchmark southern Alberta industry.

"When Dr. and Mrs. Cade arrived in Lethbridge, it became clear quite quickly that their outgoing and positive approach to community involvement was going to make a difference in the connection between the community and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," says Cheryl Dick, chief executive officer, Economic Development Lethbridge.
"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has grown during his tenure through new facilities, but its footprint has also grown in terms of influence. By association, the reputation and respect of our city has also increased."

Cade and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ couldn't accomplish this simply by putting up buildings. Growth for the sake of growth, in Cade's own words, "is stupid," and what the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ was able to do over the last 10 years was identify areas of need and create programming that connected with emerging trends.

"We grew because we're in the business of admitting students to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, we're not in the business of excluding them. I've always been proud of that fact," says Cade.

Already blessed with a solid base of undergraduate programs, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ sought to increase its presence in the graduate world. The spring following Cade's installment saw the CCBN taking shape and the first doctoral students for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's PhD in Neuroscience program being accepted.

While expanding graduate programming along with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's research portfolio stood out as key priorities, to do so required money – a lot of money. The answer came in the form of an advancement office.

"I'd learned the advancement structure at Brock, and I enjoyed asking for money," says Cade. "It's easy to ask if you've got people who know what they're doing and will point you in the right direction. I thought building our reputation, letting people know who we are and what we were doing was a real priority.
"Asking for money is the easiest part of it; the hardest part is building up to it. If you've done the proper work leading up to it, I think you're OK to ask."

As funding for graduate programming grew, so did the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's research portfolio. In the past 10 years, the U of L's research funding has soared a phenomenal 610 per cent, taking what was a primarily undergraduate university to a research-intensive, comprehensive university with a focus on both undergraduate and graduate studies.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunities (CREDO) initiative, a new grant program for researchers in the social sciences, humanities, fine arts, education and management, was established. The U of L's allocation of Canada Research Chairs, nine, was met, and unique, issue-driven programs such as the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research were established. In 2008, the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB) opened, and in 2009, the U of L attracted foremost neuroscientist Dr. Bruce McNaughton and $20 million in funding to the CCBN, earning the inaugural Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Polaris Award.

"The research side of our mandate has certainly grown tremendously and is as high a quality as you could find around the country and around the world," says Cade, noting that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has worked hard to maintain its foundation of providing a personal, supportive small-school approach.
"We've done that while keeping our undergraduate and graduate programming very strong as well. If you don't grow in terms of new programs and evolve your interests in other degrees, you stagnate, and if you're starting to stagnate by resting on your laurels, you're in trouble."

Modestly, Cade is the first to admit that some of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's growth was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. While the U of L worked hard to create the community alliances necessary to open the new 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness in 2007, the Community Sports Stadium, a crown jewel for southern Alberta sport, was basically dropped on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's doorstep.

"Clearly there were things that we went after and we got them, but there were things that came out of the blue. Serendipity is a wonderful thing," says Cade.
"We didn't see the stadium coming, we didn't know that was something the city would propose, but seizing the opportunity is a really important part of it; that's something the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has done since its inception, seize opportunities."

With more than 8,000 students, a new home for the Faculties of Health Sciences and Management ready to open and a continually emerging research presence established, is Cade comfortable with how he is leaving the U of L?

"At the risk of sounding egotistical, yes, I think so," he says. "I think in terms of our academic development and in terms of having a functioning advancement office and having an outstanding faculty and good facilities, yes, I think so. There's always more you can do, but I feel pretty satisfied."

He pays no heed to trying to write his own legacy.

"I hope I have a legacy," he laughs. "I feel extremely good about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. It is without question the most satisfying experience of my professional life. But as to a legacy? Somebody else has to figure that one out."

Perhaps it's the western skyline that will tell his story, now pierced by the glass and steel that represent a transformed campus and a new, confident identity.

"I scan the horizon and I can see the new stadium, the residences we put in, I can see Markin Hall rising, and from a certain vantage point you can see the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre satellite dish, the AWESB and, of course, the new gymnasium. If you had told me 10 years ago that all of these things would be happening on campus, I would have thought it was wishful thinking."

A timeline of major ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge events occuring over the previous 10 years

2000
• Dr. Bill Cade officially jumps into his new role as president and vice-chancellor of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.
• The U of L actively takes steps toward moving from a small, undergraduate institution to a comprehensive university – the first graduate students are admitted into the Master of Science in Management program, as well as the first doctorate students to the PhD Neuroscience program.

2001

• The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ recognizes its third Rhodes scholar, Russell Goodman.
• On the first day of fall classes, the $34 million Library Information Network Centre (LINC) opens. The 201,922 square foot facility stands as one the largest construction projects to take place on campus since the completion of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall in 1971.
• Two months later, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ celebrates the opening of the $7.3 million Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience. As the only research building of its kind in Canada, it helps lay the foundation for the U of L to emerge as an expert in the mysteries of the mind.

2002

• The traditional Blackfoot name, Medicine Rock, is given to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to recognize its 35th Anniversary.

2003

• Six new townhouse units open to house 96 students in 24 four-bedroom suites. The $6.15 million expansion project also includes the construction of a 5,000 square foot amenities building.

2004

• Continuing to meet students' needs, doctoral degrees offered at the U of L grow to include Bio-molecular Science; Biosystems and Biodiversity; Earth, Space and Physical Sciences; Evolution and Behaviour; and Theoretical and Computational Science.
• At spring convocation, the first graduates of the neuroscience PhD program cross the stage.

2005

• The U of L continues to grow beyond anyone's greatest expectations, and in September, combined enrolment for the U of L's Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton campuses exceeds 8,000 students.
• As plans form to build a new regional health and wellness centre, students agree to contribute $2.5 million and the City of Lethbridge approves a $5.3 million contribution.
• Then-Premier Ralph Klein visits the Lethbridge campus at the end of October to announce $1.2 million in provincial funding to help purchase scientific equipment for the Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre.
• A $3 million donation from Dr. Allan Markin kicks off the Legacy of Leadership campaign – the most ambitious campaign in the U of L's history.

2006

• A year of milestones: the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ proudly holds its 100th convocation ceremony, while the Faculty of Management celebrates its 25th anniversary.
• President Dr. Bill Cade is inducted into Kainai chieftainship, a group limited to 40 living individuals recognized by members of the Blood Tribe for their service to the community.
• The Prentice family announces an $8.25 million gift to establish the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy.

2007

• The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge launches its 40th anniversary celebrations at the grand opening of the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness, with more than 2,000 people attending the celebration.
• The Government of Alberta invests more than $78 million toward developing the U of L campus, including Markin Hall, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall and the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB).

2008

• With more than $35 million raised, the Legacy of Leadership Campaign concludes. When combined with government funding, the result is a $113 million investment in the U of L.
• The U of L is the recipient of the inaugural Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Polaris Award, which brings Dr. Bruce McNaughton, one of the world's foremost brain scientists, and $20 million in research funding to the U of L's CCBN.
• The U of L campus continues to transform with the opening of both Turcotte Hall and the AWESB. The AWESB brings experts together and allows for up to 100 new graduate students.

2009

• The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ charts its course for the next five years with the release of the 2009-2013 Strategic Plan. The plan affirms what has taken place and promises to stay true to what the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has done well, while making a call to move into a more comprehensive framework and to expand graduate programs.
• In March, President Dr. Bill Cade announces he will step down at the completion of his second term.
• In late September, the new Community Sports Stadium officially opens. Built on partnerships, the estimated $12 million multi-purpose, public-access facility is equipped with an artificial field, a natural practice field, a 400-metre synthetic track and bleachers for 2,000 fans.
• The School of Graduate Studies celebrates its 25th anniversary.
• Pronghorns women's rugby team successfully claims its third straight CIS national title.
• Just before the new year, Dr. Michael Mahon is appointed as the U of L's next president.

2010

• The U of L celebrates with its littlest members and opens a daycare facility.
• The U of L community bids farewell to President Dr. Bill Cade and wife Elsa while looking forward to another decade of success and growth.

To view the entire issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Markin promoted to Order of Canada

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:37:18 +0000

Dr. Allan Markin, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Honorary Degree recipient (2006), oil and gas industry entrepreneur and philanthropist, was promoted to an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General Michaelle Jean Wednesday, Apr. 7 at Rideau Hall.

Markin was one of 43 individuals to participate in the Order of Canada ceremony, which was created in 1967 (Canada's centennial year) to recognize a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.

Since its creation, more than 5,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order.

Markin represents one of Canada's great entrepreneurial success stories. Since 1989, he has helped to build Canadian Natural Resources Limited from a small company of six employees into one of Canada's largest independent oil and gas producers.

A generous philanthropist with a special interest in health and wellness, he endowed a Chair in health promotion at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, and helped establish a public health institute there.

He also supports education and the arts, and has been a benefactor to Northern Lights College, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and St. Mary's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ College.

Markin Hall, currently under construction on the U of L campus, bears his name in recognition of his key role in the Legacy of Leadership campaign, which raised more than $35 million to support scholarships and other academic endeavours at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Markin received an Honorary Degree from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2006 and delivered the address to the graduands.

A complete list of the most recent Order of Canada recipients can be found at this website.

UNews - Allan Markin

Markin Hall makes its mark

Related Topics

Markin Hall on display

Related Topics

Markin Hall opens Thursday

Related Topics

The Cade Decade

Related Topics

Markin promoted to Order of Canada

Related Topics