UNews - Sydney McNally

Recognizing recipients of the 2025 President's Award for Service Excellence

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 May 2025 17:33:27 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President's Office is pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of the President's Awards for Service Excellence.

Corinne Steele (APO)

A longstanding financial leader in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Corinne Steele (BMgt ‘94), financial analyst, is the 2025 recipient of the President’s Award for Service Excellence (APO).

For nearly three decades, Steele has been a pillar of operational support at ULethbridge, expertly managing complex financial portfolios and offering strategic guidance to faculty, administrators and staff. Her work underpins nearly every aspect of academic life — from budgets and research accounts to space planning and faculty recruitment — and she does it all with professionalism, empathy and care.

Now supporting the Faculties of Arts & Science, Fine Arts and Liberal Education, Steele is widely respected for her practical insight and calm leadership. Her ability to navigate challenges, offer sound advice and make systems work better has made her an essential part of operations across campus.

Her work often happens behind the scenes, but its impact is felt widely. Steele played a central role in transforming underused spaces — like the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall language lab — into vibrant, student-focused facilities. She has also supported infrastructure upgrades across Science Commons and helped secure essential research equipment and services for labs and teaching spaces. In all she does, Steele finds practical, cost-effective solutions that enhance academic life at every level.

One of her most notable contributions came in fall 2024, when a situation required faculty to rearrange their books and research materials in their offices. Steele took the lead on organizing and communicating the process but also went well beyond expectations — assisting faculty directly with packing, delivering bins and offering hands-on support. She coordinated a temporary “free library” for donated materials. Her efforts transformed a disruptive situation into one marked by clarity and community.

Steele’s quiet leadership, deep dedication and genuine kindness have shaped the day-to-day experience of countless colleagues. Her work reflects the best of what it means to serve a university community — with competence, compassion and a willingness to help.

Shamsuddin Mamun (AUPE)

Technician by title, innovator by nature, Shamsuddin Mamun (Mamun) has been awarded the 2025 President’s Award for Service Excellence (AUPE).

In his 14+ years as a member of the Aquatic Research Facility (ARF) team, Mamun has built a reputation for going above and beyond in any task he undertakes. Motivated by a genuine care for the animal species within the ARF and a deep commitment to supporting research, Mamun takes the initiative to identify and improve deficiencies in the facility. His contributions range from mechanical room revisions to installing UV and irrigation systems. A notable example of his creative thinking is the tank level alarm system he engineered for all holding tanks within the ARF. To ensure its success, Mamun enrolled in coding classes at ULethbridge and taught himself how to operate varying electronic systems. The result was a system that alerts staff of low water levels and performs automatic refills — an innovation that has since attracted interest from other institutions looking to implement the same system in their facilities.

Mamun’s impact extends beyond his technical expertise. His passion for supporting research projects across numerous departments has translated into a mentorship role for students and highly qualified personnel conducting research. He shares his expertise in equipment operation and maintenance, ensuring others can conduct their research with confidence.

His ability to innovate has positively impacted research projects, particularly in a study involving hatching rainbow trout. Despite the use of aquaculture grade hatching jars designed for trout eggs, high mortality rates threatened the viability of the project. Using supplies obtained from the Dollar Store and Home Depot, Mamun constructed new hatching jars, achieving a survival rate greater than 90 per cent, ensuring the study would have sufficient embryos to conduct research.

Mamun’s approach to problem-solving is characterized by his caring nature, creative thinking and passion for the success of the ARF. The first to step in during emergencies and after-hours duties, Mamun’s unwavering willingness exemplifies his selflessness and reliability. While his innovations have helped develop the ARF and greenhouse — often at a fraction of the expected cost — it is his consistent support and the trust he’s built with colleagues that will continue to have a lasting impact.

Calgary Campus Administrative Team (Team)

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is proud to present the Calgary Campus Administrative Team with the President’s Award for Service Excellence (Team).

Over the past three years, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Calgary Campus has undergone a remarkable transformation. From an enrolment of roughly 600 students, it has grown to over 1,000 — an unprecedented surge that has had a significant impact on daily operations. Rather than being overwhelmed by the challenge, the Calgary Campus team, including Calgary Campus manager, Kristin Galicia (BMgt ‘03), academic advisors Sydney McNally (BMgt ’10), Jessica Jones (BA/BMgt ’21) and Spencer Simkin (BMus ’16), international student advisor Brana Kumovic, Career Bridge advisor Emmanuel Akinlabe, learning specialist Zainab Yeekan, IT support Sean Good, administrative specialist Theresa Tran, office clerk Khushpreet (current ULethbridge student), wellness advisor Tiffanie Leal, recruiters Callum Hakin (BMgt ’22) and Hana Hubley (BMus ‘23) and international recruiter Jason Ng embraced it as a defining moment to shine.

Prior to 2022, most Calgary Campus students, often working professionals, preferred a “learn-and-leave” campus. With over half of the student population now made up of international learners navigating a new country and culture, the needs of learners have quickly diversified, requiring the implementation of additional services and supports. The team adapted with grace, empathy and resourcefulness.

Wearing many hats is now part of daily life on campus. The team has launched and sustained multiple new initiatives to meet the growing and diverse needs of students: a laptop lending program, a peer tutoring squad, a writing centre, new software to effectively manage student drop-in traffic and comprehensive instructor and student success guides. Social events like the Halloween Howler, Spring Carnival, winter tubing and Christmas Carols and Cookies have brought much-needed connection and joy to students far from home.

The launch of the ULethbridge International College Calgary in September 2024 added another layer of complexity. Though the addition of a new unit on campus added to the intricacy of operations and required the staff to pivot and problem solve, the Calgary Campus team welcomed this new group of students and staff with warmth and professionalism, setting a gold standard for partnership integration.

Through dedication, adaptability and teamwork, the Calgary Campus staff have elevated the ULethbridge experience and provided outstanding and customized service and support to the Calgary Campus’s diverse group of students. Their unwavering loyalty to the ULethbridge mission and values, willingness to innovate and refusal to let challenges dim their spirit make them truly deserving of recognition.

U of L Calgary campus temporarily relocated to U of C

trevor.kenney — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 19:48:11 +0000

Due to the flooding in Calgary and the continuing challenges posed by the current closure of Bow Valley College, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Calgary Campus has found temporary instructional space in order to proceed with Summer Session II/III classes.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary has agreed to host the U of L Calgary Campus until we are able to return to our home in Bow Valley College. Our estimated return to BVC is unknown at this time, but we are hopeful that we will know more in the coming days. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary's address is: 2500 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4.

On Tuesday, July 2, 2013 the Calgary Campus administrative team began setting up temporary office space at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary that will be accessible to students and instructors. Our temporary space is located on the 2nd floor of the MacKimmie Link, behind the escalators and staircase. In this space, we will be able to provide support for Summer Session II/III.

Faculty, staff and students affected by this relocation have been communicated to directly by e-mail.

Administrative staff have been assigned temporary ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary telephone numbers. Currently, these telephones are only a line out/line in configuration with no voicemail capabilities. If you wish to leave a message, we recommend you send an email. The numbers are as follows:

Lorne Williams: 403-210-9353
Dana Corbin: 403-210-9356
Kristin Galicia: 403-210-9363
Sydney McNally: 403-210-9358
Krista Strome: 403-210-9357
Tracy Fairs: 403-210-9372
Mark Matias: 403-210-9378

On behalf of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, I would like to extend gratitude to the faculty and staff who have been working very hard to accommodate this challenging situation. I also want to express appreciation to our students for their patience and understanding. Finally, I want to thank the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary for welcoming us to their campus and for the outstanding support they have been providing to us.

Lorne Williams
Asst. Dean, North Campuses

ConocoPhillips Canada sees benefits of support

trevor.kenney — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:16:40 +0000

Recently, representatives from ConocoPhillips Canada visited the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge to meet some of the students who have benefitted from the company's longstanding commitment to education.

Representatives from ConocoPhillips Canada recently met with students who benefitted from the company's support. Pictured here are (left to right) Chris Keeler, Tim Bryant (CPC), Beth Watson, Sydney McNally, Jean Wu and Barbara Simic (CPC).

As a strong supporter of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for more than 15 years, the company offers placements for co-op students and regularly hires U of L graduates. One of ConocoPhillips Canada's contributions has given students the opportunity to take part in world-wide, national and regional work placements.

The ConocoPhillips Canada Cooperative Education Award has benefitted over 40 students to date. Recipients have worked in such diverse locations as Hong Kong, South Africa, Malaysia and Alberta, and for organizations that include businesses, non-governmental organizations and not-for-profits, to name a few.

Chris Keeler, a fourth-year finance major, was more than happy meet some of the individuals responsible for helping to fund his co-op placement in Kuala Lampur.

"My work term provided the opportunity to apply skills I learned in the classroom on real projects," says Keeler, who worked as an analyst with a boutique investment bank.

Keeler had the opportunity to work on mergers and acquisitions, as well as financing deals, developing and practicing skills he knows he will use throughout his career.

"I picked up a great deal of technical knowledge along the way and enjoyed the experience of working and living in a different culture."

Sydney McNally echoes Keeler, maintaining that her own experience in Cape Town, South Africa, prepared her for the job market.

"I worked at a small specialist economic development consultancy that focuses on creating sustainable change in developing communities," explains McNally.

"Acting as the project manager for two fair trade workshop and information sessions, I have a better understanding of project management and fair trade."

Equally grateful for the experience is Beth Watson, who spent three and a half months in Cape Town, South Africa, interning at a non-governmental organization (NGO). Her daily tasks ranged from data entry to interviewing micro-loan clients and provided an incredible overview of the organization.

"Throughout all of this I learned a lot about micro finance, development, South Africa, and myself. The experience was truly invaluable and I am so grateful to ConocoPhillips for helping make it possible," says Watson.

UNews - Sydney McNally

Recognizing recipients of the 2025 President's Award for Service Excellence

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U of L Calgary campus temporarily relocated to U of C

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