UNews - Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

Geomatics study gets Tecterra support

trevor.kenney — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:19:57 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students Maxine Couch and John Anderson are the initial beneficiaries of a new scholarship program designed to spur the development of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) in the field of geomatics technology.

Tecterra Inc. recently launched the Future Geomatics Leaders Awards program, providing scholarship funds to top students studying in geomatics and related science or technology fields in Alberta post-secondary institutions. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is one of eight Alberta post-secondary institutions to participate in the awards program that will initially be offered from 2010 to 2014.

"Development of skilled human capital is part of Tecterra's mission of enabling successful commercialization of geomatics technology in Alberta," says Gord Banting, chief financial officer for Tecterra. "With Alberta's resource-rich economy, the demand for Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) in geomatics is increasing year after year."

The Future Leaders Awards are based on academic merit and targeted at top students with a GPA of 3.0 or greater, and who meet other excellence criteria as determined by their respective institutions. Couch, who is studying physics, and Anderson, a geography student, will each receive a $2,000 scholarship for their academic achievement and strong interest in geomatics technology.

"This program rewards and fosters demonstrated excellence," adds Banting. "Tecterra is proud to support a program that builds key talent for our province."

Awards of $1,000 or $2,000 each are available annually to students entering their second/third year of study at the following institutions in Alberta: Lethbridge College; Mount Royal ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ; Northern Alberta Institute of Technology; Olds College; Southern Alberta Institute of Technology; ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta; ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary; and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Over the next four years, the U of L will continue to award a pair of $2,000 scholarships, one each through the Department of Geography and the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Tecterra Inc. is a national organization supporting the Canadian development and commercialization of geomatics technologies for integrated resource management. With current funding from the Province of Alberta and Government of Canada, Tecterra invests in technology solutions for energy, forestry, agriculture, environment and land management and development applications.

Tecterra funds scholarship program

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:47:28 +0000

"This program rewards and fosters demonstrated excellence," adds Banting. "Tecterra is proud to support a program that builds key talent for our province."

Over the next four years, the U of L will continue to award a pair of $2,000 scholarships, one each through the Department of Geography and the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Dotimas proud to spread the U of L message

trevor.kenney — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:47:15 +0000

Once upon a time, a young man left the warmth of the Philippines in search of a better life. He travelled to Canada, where he met a beautiful young girl, who had also emigrated from the Philippines. Eventually, the young man and young woman fell in love, married and lived happily ever after.

But, don't you wonder what happens after "happily ever after"? In this case, a new story emerges; a story filled with hard work, success and continued happiness. A story of their daughter, Jeanette Dotimas (BMgt '01), president of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association's Edmonton chapter (ULAA), and communications advisor for Public Works and Government Services Canada.

Alumna Jeanette Dotimas, the new president of the Edmonton chapter of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association.

"As the oldest in my family, I was always taught to strive to be the best and to be a good role model for my sister and brother," explains Dotimas. "I am a first generation Canadian. My parents did what they could, they worked very hard, but they did not have a lot to give me and my siblings; motivating me to do well in school and supporting me in obtaining my degree was their gift."

Dotimas earned a business administration diploma, specializing in marketing, from Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), before enrolling in the post-diploma bachelor of management program offered at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Edmonton campus. For the next two years, she worked full days at General Electric and attended full-time classes in the evenings and on weekends to complete her degree.

"It was such an intense, focused program," says Dotimas. "For the most part, we were all in the same boat, working during the day then coming to school at night and on the weekends. It was like an 80-hour work week, but it was great preparation for the professional world."

The personal nature of her educational experience helped establish long-lasting bonds with the U of L.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ felt like a family. I met some of my best friends there; our experiences studying and graduating together were life changing," she says. "Now that I am serving the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in an alumni capacity, I hope that the U of L remains a big part of my life."

Since her graduation, Dotimas has been an active alumna and was thrilled to participate in the organization of a brand new ULAA Edmonton chapter. She served for one year on the board, becoming president of the chapter this fall.

"I had such a positive experience with the Edmonton campus, and I went to alumni events because I wanted to somehow stay connected," she says. "I strongly believe that being a part of the ULAA is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, to expand your horizons and your networks and to give back."

With close to 2000 alumni residing in the Edmonton area, the chapter looks to offer support, whether it's in the form of providing work opportunities through networking or connecting alumni with other professional organizations.

"Personally, I am a huge advocate for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," says Dotimas. "Whenever I have the chance, I promote the U of L to whoever will listen. Through word-of-mouth advertising from former students, my hope is that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ gets the recognition it deserves both in the community and in industry. The U of L is such a unique and wonderful institution and we want to ensure that we are on people's minds."

Dotimas brings a host of professional expertise to the ULAA. As a communications advisor for the federal government, she has experience in everything from event planning to product development and media relations. In addition, she organizes workplace diversity events and facilitates workshops on anti-discrimination.

"When we come to work, we each bring our personal experiences and our beliefs through the door. When I facilitate a session on anti-discrimination, the focus is on understanding one another and learning about what makes us unique – respecting the differences between us," Dotimas explains. "There is a great commonality between the federal public service and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ prides itself on reaching out to different cultures (e.g. through its international studies programs) and providing a positive and inclusive environment for students, staff and their families. I see my employer in a similar vein; both institutions strive to provide a challenging workplace that is diverse, multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary."

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· Married and a mother of two, Dotimas strives to be a positive role model for her children. "When they see me volunteering my time and being involved with things like the ULAA, what I really hope to teach them is the importance of giving back to the community and how to be good global citizens."

· Among the boards and committees she is a part of are: Edmonton Centre for Race and Culture; Alberta Federal Council Visible Minority Employees Network; Alberta Federal Communicators Community; Edmonton Public Library Multicultural Advisory Group.

· Dotimas is a writer/contributor to the Philippine Hiyas Community Newspaper.

· Dotimas is an accredited language interpreter for the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

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

Women's Scholar award provides opportunity

trevor.kenney — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:54:54 +0000

Faculty and staff at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge take pride in their students and believe in giving them quality education with as many opportunities as possible to succeed in their chosen career path.

Established by the Women's Scholar group in collaboration with Dayna Daniels and Claudia Malacrida, the Women's Scholar Award gives female students the power to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

Kristal Frank is one recipient of the Women's Scholar Award.

The scholarship, funded through faculty and staff giving, is based on a combination of academic achievement and financial need and is intended to support either female graduate students studying in non-traditional fields or graduate students studying gender-related issues.

"What was exciting is how quickly the members of the group agreed that it was something worth contributing to," says Daniels. "We saw an area that was underrepresented and realized we could do something to help

Kristal Frank is a recipient of the annual Women's Scholar award.

change that."

Kristal Frank, an MSc student majoring in policy and strategy, won the award this fall along with a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) award. Her proposed research is titled, Managerial Perceptions of Eldercare:

Implications for Managerial Work-Family Policy Allowance Decisions and the Adoption of Work-Eldercare Programs.

"It was amazing," Frank says of receiving the awards. "It was definitely a huge confidence-booster – it kind of reinforced that what I'd chosen to study had practical significance as well."

Frank has chosen to focus her research efforts on issues surrounding work-family conflict, organizational culture and gender issues at work, with the help of supervisor and mentor
Dr. Mary Runté.

"I chose to go with her primarily because that's her area of research as well," she explains. "For me, she's a big inspiration because not only does she research it, but she really lives it."

Frank graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in 1998 and worked in the IT industry for eight years before coming to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. She says the decision to go back to school took a lot of reflection and she chose to pursue her degree at the
U of L because of its excellent reputation and the flexibility to do evening and weekend courses. Frank commenced her studies at the Calgary campus in 2006, transferred to the Lethbridge campus in 2007 and graduated with her bachelor of management degree, with Great Distinction, in 2008.

After completing her graduate studies at the U of L, Frank hopes to move either to Edmonton or Halifax to pursue a PhD in management and plans to use her skills to become a university professor.

"I really want to teach; to encourage and empower students."

To learn more about the Faculty of Management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, visit this link.

Tuition rates a point of advocacy for students

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:53:46 +0000

Deficits, funding shortfalls and tuition hikes are all common words floating around the hallways of Alberta's post-secondary institutions the past few months.

During the Ralph Klein era, Alberta saw tuition fees hit an all-time high, which led to a new tuition fee policy in 2006. In November of that year, the Government of Alberta implemented the Tuition Fees Regulation initiative. This policy indicates that tuition cannot escalate above the rate of inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta wants to see tuition rates calculated by 'market modifiers' which means that tuition for professional and graduate programs such as medicine, dentistry, law, business, pharmacy and engineering will experience grave increases.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are fortunate that their administration has chosen not to go down that path.

"President Bill Cade stated explicitly at the Oct. 9 Town Hall Meeting that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge would not pursue any differential increases," says Alex Massé, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) Vice President Academic. "In fact, he portrays the idea of raising tuition for professional programs as ridiculous."

Thus far, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are safe from a major tuition hike for the 2010/2011 year; although, there are no guarantees of this continuing.

"The U of L administration has made it clear that they will not be seeking any increases beyond the CPI cap for the next academic year, but the government has told students that the regulation could be opened for amendment for a period of two to five years, and we have no guarantee that the U of L will not seek differential increases in future years," says Massé.

"When the cap was implemented, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta used 2004 as the base year from which increases would be calculated," adds Massé. "The U of A argues that they should be able to recalculate the base rates because they weren't given an opportunity in 2006 to adjust their professional programs to market value."

This comes at a time when the U of A is facing a $60 million deficit, along with most institutions across the province that are experiencing funding shortfalls. The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology has proposed a 40 per cent tuition hike for all programs; however, Doug Horner, Alberta Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, rejected this proposal.

"Horner let the PSE institutions know that the Ministry would accept proposals similar to the U of A's: they have to be justified and they have to be aimed only at specific programs," says Massé. "But, we do not believe that any differential tuition increases are justified."

According to Massé, if differential tuition increases are allowed to come into effect it could mean that some students will be forced to enter into a discipline of study based on their financial means over their ability or ambition.

"This means the government will be stifling the potential of many of the best and brightest prospective students," says Massé.

Advocacy is one of the mandates of the ULSU, and it works hard on all levels of government to lobby for the needs of students.

"The ULSU will work extensively with the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students to send a strong message directly to the Government of Alberta, the bottom line being that right now student employment is at a record low and requests for student aid are at a record high, and this is the worst time for the government to allow large tuition increases," says Massé. "Depending on how things go over the next few weeks, we will certainly consider active student campaigns and media events to hammer that message home."

Tuition rates a point of advocacy for students

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:46:45 +0000

Deficits, funding shortfalls and tuition hikes are all common words floating around the hallways of Alberta's post-secondary institutions the past few months.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are fortunate that their administration has chosen not to go down that path.

Thus far, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are safe from a major tuition hike for the 2010/2011 year; although, there are no guarantees of this continuing.

"Horner let the PSE institutions know that the Ministry would accept proposals similar to the
U of A's: they have to be justified and they have to be aimed only at specific programs," says Massé. "But, we do not believe that any differential tuition increases are justified."

"This means the government will be stifling the potential of many of the best and brightest prospective students," says Massé.

Advocacy is one of the mandates of the ULSU, and it works hard on all levels of government to lobby for the needs of students.

UNews - Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

Geomatics study gets Tecterra support

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Dotimas proud to spread the U of L message

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Women's Scholar award provides opportunity

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Tuition rates a point of advocacy for students

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