UNews - Rebecca

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)

Stribbell able to take education abroad

trevor.kenney — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:39:42 +0000

As a teacher, Howard Stribbell (BA/BEd '98, MEd '04) understands you can only make true assessments by comparing apples to apples. Now that he has the perspective of an administrator, he's able to do just that.

Stribbell, the Head of Schools at the International School of Macao (TIS) in China, says he always knew he was getting ahead of the competition by earning his teaching degree at the U of L, but he never really understood by how much.

"When you're in it and you're going to school, you don't realize what you have compared to other places," says Stribbell. "When I was in the program, I got to build great relationships with my professors, both in and outside of class. But I was fairly naïve, I didn't know that wasn't common."

Alumnus Howard Stribbell is the Head of Schools at the International School of Macao. He's back at the U of L for the Faculty of Education Teacher Job Fair.

When he began teaching, he quickly realized other differences between his U of L Faculty of Education experience and the experiences of those who studied elsewhere.

"The structure of the program, with so many practical hours and how they have us in the field, doing the work, all reinforced by workshops and support from the faculty and teacher mentors, makes all the difference," he says. "I didn't realize this until I became a teacher and started to see the differences between student teachers. When I became an administrator and would look at graduates coming out of the universities, then I could really see a difference."

Stribbell will be back at the U of L for the Jan. 19 Faculty of Education Teacher Job Fair (9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the UHall Atrium). His administrative role in Macao is not only a testament to the value of his U of L education, but it also provides him a platform to recruit new teachers for his school. The fact he comes home to bring U of L grads on board speaks to his faith in the program.

"We notice it over here, we've had student teachers from other institutions and we've also had a U of L student teacher, and our second one has just joined us," says Stribbell. "The quality between them is very different, and it comes down to the amount of hours they are able to spend doing the practical teaching."

Stribbell started his teaching career at Erle Rivers High School in Milk River, shortly after earning his BA/BEd degree. He spent eight years there, working his way up from a rookie teacher to vice principal. An Alberta Teachers' Association advertisement trumpeting the establishment of a new international school that was going to implement the Alberta educational curriculum led Stribbell and his family to Macao.

"It's been a world of opportunity," he says. "The whole world of international teaching was opened up for me, and you realize how big the demand is for Canadian teachers."
The school was established in 2002 to provide a Canadian curriculum and accreditation to local and expatriate students. With English as the primary language of instruction, students graduate with an Alberta High School diploma. Located on the campus of Macau ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Science and Technology, close to 900 students from pre-K to Grade 12 currently attend.

Stribbell says parents had to take a leap of faith to trust the teaching methods they introduced.

"Originally, parents just had to trust us," he says. "They really had to suspend their disbelief and trust us when we told them that the Alberta curriculum will be world recognized and that students would be able to get into universities around the world."

Two graduating classes later, and a host of success stories to tell, have solidified the approach. Emphasizing critical thinking, collaborative working, the ability to formulate an independent opinion and defend it both in written work and orally, are new concepts to traditional Chinese education but they have been embraced. So to has the community atmosphere cultivated by the school, something Stribbell recalls from his time at the U of L.

"The ability to take risks has always been encouraged at the
U of L, as well as the importance of building relationships," he says. "When we live over here, we're a community. Teachers work together, socialize together, play together and you really build a different kind of relationship with your co-workers. The U of L helped instill that sense of community that I hope to try and reflect here at the school."

· Stribbell earned his Masters degree from the U of L in 2004, while still teaching at Erle Rivers High School. He combined online courses with on campus and independent study work.

· Macao is situated 60km southwest of Hong Kong, and, along with Hong Kong, is one of two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China.

· The International School of Macao (TIS) has students representing 42 different nationalities, with about 40 per cent of the student population from the local area.

· Stribbell says he's looking for a special kind of teacher at the Job Fair. "I'm looking for students who are interested in adventure, are open to new things and who can demonstrate they have taken the initiative. We're a young school, so we're always looking for new ways to do things. The status quo is what happened yesterday."

· Stribbell is married to Doreen, and his children Timothy (13) and Rebecca (10) both attend TIS.

· The Teacher Job Fair began in 2000 and currently sees about 40 school boards from across Canada and overseas represented.

This story originally appeared in the January issue of the Legend.

UNews - Rebecca

New ULAA president looks to further engage alumni

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Stribbell able to take education abroad

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