UNews - ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford

Morrison, Bowie to be honoured at Alumni Celebration

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 16:41:03 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association and Senate will be holding a special Alumni Celebration Saturday, Oct. 19 at 12 p.m in the Markin Hall Atrium, at which they will be honouring
Drs. Robert Morrison (BASc '83) and Gary Bowie.

Dr. Robert Morrison

Morrison, the 2013 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, is known for a boundless energy and enthusiasm for English literature, and has established his position as an outstanding scholar and educator.

After completing a Bachelor of Arts & Science at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 1983, Morrison continued his education in the UK completing a Master of Philosophy at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford in 1987 and a Doctor of Philosophy at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Edinburgh in 1991.

Dr. Gary Bowie

Currently a professor in the Department of English at Queen`s ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Morrison is well-respected by both colleagues and students and has been recognized with numerous research and teaching awards. His clear and thought-provoking approach to literature has earned him international praise and he is often quoted as an expert in his field.

Bowie is a founding U of L faculty member, and enjoyed a 30-year career at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, spending time as athletic director, professor and coach. In addition to his professional accomplishments, he also made significant volunteer contributions at both the local and provincial level.

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.

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