UNews - ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford

Incurable Romantic

david.kirby — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 19:01:27 +0000

In his masterpiece Tintern Abbey, poet William Wordsworth describes returning to the banks of the River Wye in southeast Wales and experiencing an odd combination of his present impressions, the memory of a past visit, and the thought of how he’ll look back on this moment in years to come. For 2013 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Dr. Robert J. H. Morrison (BA ’83), Wordsworth’s famous words have never resonated more deeply.

“That poem’s got it all,” he says as he starts reciting lines from memory in a performance that would captivate even the most dismissive of students.

Dr. Robert Morrison is a world-renowned scholar of 19th century English literature whose clear and thought-provoking approach to his subject matter has earned him international praise.

His playful approach belies the seriousness of his endeavour. Morrison is a world-renowned scholar of 19th century English literature whose clear and thought-provoking approach to his subject matter has earned him international praise. Reflecting on everything that he’s accomplished, he adamantly maintains that none of it would have been possible if he hadn’t enrolled in a first-year English class with Dr. Paul Upton at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

“That class changed my life,” says Morrison, who admits he arrived at the U of L in 1979 without much direction. “Upton’s class had a profound impact on me. I’ve been in universities from 1979 until today and have never encountered a teacher like him. He was conversational, impassioned and deeply caring about poetry."

Having discovered his passion, Morrison pursued a degree in English and completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1983.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge was the perfect fit for me,” says Morrison, looking back on his undergraduate experience. “The fact that it was a small, vibrant university in my hometown made all the difference to the student I was back then.”

Heeding the advice of another influential professor, Dr. Bill Lambert, Morrison followed his passion for Romantic literature to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford where he completed a Master of Philosophy under the tutelage of Jonathan Wordsworth, the great, great, great nephew of the poet who captured Morrison’s attention as an undergraduate student.

“It was Dr. Lambert who recommended I read Jonathan and think about Oxford,” says Morrison, who was again grateful for the connections he made at the U of L. “I wouldn’t have got there on my own.”

From there, he returned home and accepted a teaching position at the U of L. He taught full time in the Department of English in 1987-88, and then returned to the U.K. to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Edinburgh, which he completed in 1991. Morrison’s doctoral research examined the life and work of famed English essayist Thomas De Quincey, something he continues to do today.

“I’m always working on De Quincey,” says Morrison with a laugh. His book, The English Opium-Eater: A Biography of Thomas De Quincey, published in 2009, was a finalist for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Biography, Britain’s oldest literary award, and is recognized as the comprehensive source on the life and work of De Quincey.

“I have always tried to be an academic who took both sides of the job seriously – research and teaching,” says Morrison, echoing some of the same values that remain fundamental to the U of L today. “They cross-fertilize each other and I think that the people who do that make the university experience much more interesting.”

Using his own research interests as a guide, Morrison is helping ignite a passion for literature in the next generation. Currently a full professor in the Department of English at Queen’s ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, he believes that works written hundreds of years ago have the power to shape today’s world.

“I try to impress on every single one of my students that these works are not just something that happened a hundred years ago,” says Morrison. “Literature shapes our consciousness. What Wordsworth wrote 200 years ago matters now.”

His impassioned approach has earned him the respect of both colleagues and students. He accepts the accolades humbly, but remains true to the love of literature that started it all.

“Paul Upton did an enduring job of impressing on me the importance of literature,” says Morrison, reflecting on how what started as a first-year university class evolved into a lifelong passion.

There’s no doubt Morrison’s students will be saying the same thing years from now.

Library aids in preserving Blackfoot past

trevor.kenney — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:57:21 +0000

Through its involvement with the Blackfoot Digital Library, and a recent effort that digitized back issues of the Kainai News, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library is helping to ensure that valuable Blackfoot heritage is being preserved for generations to come.

The library first got involved with the Blackfoot Digital Library project in 2006, with a digitization venture originally started by Ryan and Adrienne Heavy Head. It was designed to support community efforts in locating and repatriating Blackfoot materials, and later linked to the U of L's Native American Studies program's CURA project through Red Crow College. The goal of the partnership with our library was to gain access to ongoing funding through the Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library (LHCADL) initiative.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ saw great opportunities to partner with Red Crow College to ensure the longevity of the resources being catalogued by the Heavy Heads, and in 2008 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two institutions. Through this agreement, the Blackfoot people retain ownership of the assets collected, and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is responsible for the website.

The project continues to grow today as Adrienne Heavy Head gathers and digitizes artifacts, documents, audiovisual and archival materials. She also remains commited to the original initiative by identifying collections of Blackfoot items in museums around the world. Once found, she tries to get the items returned, or at least have digital photos or scans of the materials sent so that they can be added to the digital collection.

Many large collections of Blackfoot materials are housed in museums in the UK, and Adrienne is working on developing relationships with scholars and archivists in Scotland and England to learn more about their holdings. For example, the British Museum has a huge collection of items that very few Blackfoot people have seen, and it is only through cultivating these relationships that we are able to share information.

Heavy Head has been invited to present at conferences throughout the UK and is currently planning a trip to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford to view the collection at the Pitt Rivers Museum. She also intends to visit both Cambridge and Exeter.

"These museums have some of the oldest collections of Blackfoot materials in the world," she says. "It is through our connection to the Blackfoot Digital Library that many of these doors have been opened to us, as we are now invited to conferences and they are more willing to talk to us."

Heavy Head has also made connections with both the National Trust for Scotland and the Glasgow Museum.

In addition to artifacts, oral history is also being preserved through the project. Existing interviews from older formats are being digitized, and the Kainai Studies Department at Red Crow College collects new videos of elders sharing their knowledge and stories. These invaluable experiences could otherwise be lost with their passing.

The Blackfoot Digital Library is available at blackfootdigitallibrary.org

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

Excelling at every level

trevor.kenney — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:52:44 +0000

Dr. Blair McMurren first earned his reputation for excellence as an undergraduate student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Majoring in English, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with great distinction in 1996, receiving the Faculty of Arts and Science Gold Medal (Arts) and the Governor General's Silver Medal for highest undergraduate class standing.

It would just be the start of what has become an impressive career for the born and raised Lethbridge product.

McMurren is being honoured as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus of the Year at the Fall 2010 Convocation ceremony, an award that recognizes individuals for exceptional professional achievements, academic excellence and/or contributions to society. McMurren hits the mark on each occasion.

Following graduation from the U of L, McMurren was elected to a Rhodes Scholarship for study in the UK at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford. During his time at Oxford, he earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature and ultimately a Doctor of Philosophy in comparative literature, as well as a professional qualification and Master of Arts in translation from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Surrey at Guildford. His doctoral research examined the rhetoric and cultural politics of translation, and focused on translation as a theme and critical activity in the life and works of the Irish author James Joyce.

Dr. Blair McMurren was honoured by the U of L's Alumni Association at the Fall 2010 Convocation.

Having a longstanding interest in public policy issues, McMurren returned to Canada in 2002 to pursue a career with the federal government.

"The Canadian Privy Council Office came recruiting at Oxford, and they made a rather compelling pitch for working in public policy," says McMurren. "The idea of working on a variety of files, and having some influence on what would be happening in my country resonated with me."

His clear and thought-provoking approach has advanced a variety of priorities in areas ranging from cultural policy to environmental strategy.

McMurren's accomplishments as a young public servant have been recognized with honours including the Public Service Award of Excellence for Innovation (2006), for an initiative to transform public service recruiting practices, and a Deputy Minister's Award for Inspiration (2007).

A well-rounded individual, McMurren continues to cultivate his artistic abilities. He's a dedicated trombone player, was involved with numerous university and semi-professional ensembles throughout his academic career and continues to play with community concert bands and dance bands around Ottawa. He is also a creative writer and has published poems and short fiction in Canada and the UK.

Always eager to speak about his alma mater, McMurren is more than willing to serve as a mentor to future generations of U of L students.

"I'd like to help U of L students find out all that's available to them after they leave the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," he says. "This award is a very humbling thing. I'd like to offer my experience to students that are just finding their way."

McMurren is married to Juliet, a New Zealander, naturalized Canadian and archaeologist. The couple met in Oxford and has three sons: Gabriel (7), Hugo (2) and Joseph (seven months).

Alumnus of the Year

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:22:10 +0000

It would just be the start of what has become an impressive career for the born and raised Lethbridge product.

Having a longstanding interest in public policy issues, McMurren returned to Canada in 2002 to pursue a career with the federal government.

His clear and thought-provoking approach has advanced a variety of priorities in areas ranging from cultural policy to environmental strategy.

Always eager to speak about his alma mater, McMurren is more than willing to serve as a mentor to future generations of U of L students.

McMurren is married to Juliet, a New Zealander, naturalized Canadian and archaeologist. The couple met in Oxford and has three sons: Gabriel (7), Hugo (2) and Joseph (seven months).

2009 Distinguished Alumna of the Year

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:11:40 +0000

Dr. Cheryl Jayne Misak (BA '83)

Philosopher, scholar, and administrator, Cheryl Jayne Misak, is internationally renowned for her academic excellence. She graduated from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge with great distinction in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and, in 1984, completed her master's at Columbia ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

As the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's first Rhodes scholar, she attended the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford and completed her doctorate in 1988, before beginning her career with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto in 1990 as a professor of philosophy. Endowed with natural leadership qualities, she has since held many administrative positions and brings a wealth of experience, expertise and wisdom to her current position as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto's vice-president and provost.

Misak has been interested in the philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce since her first year at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and has written and edited numerous articles and books that focus largely on his theory of truth. She is internationally recognized for her thought provoking, clear and challenging philosophical arguments and has been invited to speak at institutions and conferences all over the world.

Over the last few years, Misak has also been researching medical ethics. Her papers, published in the Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Chest and Critical Care, have notably impacted the profession.

Throughout her career, she has received many honours for her professional and academic accomplishments, including the Alberta Centennial Medal (2005), and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2001).

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association is proud to recognize Cheryl Jayne Misak as the 2009 Distinguished Alumna of the Year for her outstanding academic and professional achievements.

UNews - ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Oxford

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