UNews - Faculty Association

Williams earns interim appointment

trevor.kenney — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:43:22 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors has confirmed the appointment of Lorne Williams as the Interim Assistant Dean of Northern Campuses, effective May 1.

Reporting to the Vice-President Academic and Provost, and working closely with the faculties and the School of Graduate Studies on campus, Williams will provide a voice at Dean's Council and a perspective on the U of L's presence in Calgary and Edmonton.

Currently, more than 1,000 students are enrolled in the two locations, which have been in operation since 1996. Courses are taught primarily in the evenings and on weekends and geared to working professionals.

"We are pleased to have Lorne move into this new position, given his long-term service to the U of L, and his excellent work as a past director and current faculty member of our Calgary campus," says Dr. Andy Hakin, the U of L's Vice-President, Academic and Provost. "The U of L is committed to serving students in Calgary and Edmonton, and this new position will provide more resources for those campuses as we move to take advantage of future opportunities."

Williams moves to this new position with more than 20 years of U of L experience, including more than a decade of work in the Calgary market as a director, instructor and co-ordinator at the U of L Calgary campus. During his time there, he won six teaching awards.

As well, Williams has served on the Faculty Association executive, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Senate, the executive of the Alumni Association, and was recently inducted into the U of L Alumni Honour Society.

Williams spent nearly 15 years in managerial positions in the housing and hospitality business units at the U of L and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, while furthering his education with four degrees: A Bachelor of Arts, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary; a Bachelor of Management, U of L; a Master of Arts, Leadership and Training, Royal Roads ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ; and a Master of Education, U of L.

He also consults widely on team building, leadership and corporate culture for public, private and not-for-profit organizations of all sizes. Personally, he invests volunteer time with the Calgary Board of Education, Kamp Kiwanis and Scouts Canada.

Before arriving at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Williams helped administer the Olympic Village during the 1988 Winter Olympic games and worked in the political arena for several years, serving two Prime Ministers and a provincial Premier in Calgary and Ottawa.

"I'm excited to work with the Directors, staff and faculty members in Calgary and Edmonton as we move ahead," says Williams. "We have a number of opportunities to take advantage of as we reinforce our presence in Calgary and Edmonton, and I am looking forward to bringing more of the U of L further north."

Saucier to leave U of L for dean appointment

trevor.kenney — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:25:54 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Dr. Deborah Saucier, professor and Chair, Department of Neuroscience, will be leaving the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ next year after accepting the position of Dean of Science at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

Saucier has been at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ since 2006, joining the U of L as a Canada Research Chair and associate professor. She then progressed to the position of professor and then Chair of the department in 2009. Her appointment at UOIT begins July 1, 2011.

"On behalf of her many colleagues on campus, I would like to congratulate Dr. Saucier on her prospective appointment and wish her the best for her family and her future career in this new role," says Dr. Chris Nicol, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science.

Nicol says Saucier has been an outstanding colleague since joining the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"She has served as director of the Canadian Centre of Behavioural Neuroscience and, more recently, as Chair of the Department of Neuroscience. In addition to a prodigious record of achievement as a scholar and teacher, she also has distinguished herself with recent service to the Faculty Association as Chair of the Academic Welfare Committee. She will be greatly missed on our campus."

Located in Oshawa, Ont. and founded in 2002, UOIT hosts more than 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students on two campuses.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) is delighted to have Saucier join its team.

"Dr. Saucier has a proven track record of attracting research funding, investing wisely in her department and ensuring its success by providing opportunities for everyone to succeed, regardless of where they are in their career," says Dr. Richard Marceau, UOIT Provost. "We are looking ahead to Dr. Saucier's arrival at UOIT as our second dean of the Faculty of Science."

Saucier is a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Neuroscience. She received her PhD in psychology from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario (UWO) in London, Ont. and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Neuropsychology at UWO in 1995.

Saucier spent three years as a faculty member in Psychology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina and then in 1999 she accepted a position at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where she was an associate professor of Psychology.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ budget coping with the "perfect storm"

trevor.kenney — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:24:40 +0000

Faced with what ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge officials describe as a 'perfect storm' of financial challenges, members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community are being asked to re-examine the way they do business to address a significant budget shortfall in coming years.

As described at a recent Town Hall meeting, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is currently operating within its approved budget for 2009 – 2010, which is $147.5 million and includes a six per cent operating grant increase from the Alberta government – but that money only goes to support the current fiscal year of operations while the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and other affected educational institutions across the province, formulate plans to address deficits expected in future years.

"The government has indicated that there will be no grant increases for the 2010–2011 or the 2011-2012 budget year," Karen Clearwater, associate vice-president, financial planning, says.

"We are also faced with declining investment earnings because of the changes to the national and international economy, as well as static enrolment levels and the combined effects of provincial salary settlements with our union and faculty association. These factors come together to see the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ facing up to $5 million budget shortfall in 2010-2011, and an additional $6 million shortfall in 2011-2012."

Clearwater says the looming question, of course, is how to deal with a deficit and maintain services to the campus community?

"Since early January of this year, we've been preparing for the next two years as part of our regular budget planning process. The Board approves a three-year 'rolling budget' so we know in advance if there are any challenges facing us.

"In this case, the challenge is very large, and even with one year of advance notice it puts a real sense of urgency to our next two years of budgeting."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is required by law to present a balanced budget, so over the next two years budget reductions are expected to be 4.3 per cent and 5.6 per cent. Over the past few months Clearwater says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ officials have been meeting with executives of AUPE, the Faculty Association and other employee groups on campus to inform them of the challenges and to provide information to share with their front-line employees.

"Those meetings are continuing, and meetings such as the Town Hall are designed to encourage people to learn more about how this budget process works, and to offer us any suggestions they can think of as to how we can do business differently, and where we can achieve cost savings or revenue generation," Clearwater explains.

Clearwater says the Board of Governors has requested preliminary budget scenarios prepared for September 2009, at which time they will be assessed.

"Just because we've asked for a reduction in a particular area doesn't mean we'll make it if there is some adverse affect to the operation of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ or our services to students," Clearwater says.

"We will continue to invest in strategic areas that support our sustainability and student population and we have a three-stage plan that we are working with to bring some consistency to this process. First of all, we are asking all units to create their own three-year budget plans, with these reductions factored in, so all our planning is consistent with the request brought to us by the Board of Governors. Secondly, we move into to what we are referring to as 'university mitigation'. That means position reductions through retirements, attrition or not filling vacancies, and realizing savings and revenue generation from university-wide ideas. Finally, we would move to reduce the budget shortfall – and after a thorough review – by asking units to reduce their budgets through reductions to positions, programs or non-essential services."

Clearwater reinforced the concept of asking for input from all areas of the university community as a way to examine not just the numbers, but the process by which the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ spends money and generates revenue.

"We know that information flows in many different directions on campus, and we are very interested in hearing from people at all levels of the university community. When you have a situation forced on you by circumstances that are out of your control, it makes people think differently. We all have a lot at stake here, and we all want to ensure that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ can be a sustainable place for not only our students but our employees."

People with ideas can submit them to Karen Clearwater directly through interoffice mail (anonymous submissions are welcome) or e-mail at clearwaterk@uleth.ca.

Day Care sod turning, Wednesday

trevor.kenney — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:24:03 +0000

It will be a big day for some of the smallest members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge family Wednesday.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge officials and representatives from campus groups supporting the creation of a new day-care facility will officially launch the start of construction for the 50-space, $2 million project with a sod turning activity, beginning at 1 p.m. at the construction site.

The proposed Day Care Centre is a one-floor, 415 square metre facility (approximately 4,500 sq. ft.) consisting of a large open space in the centre and separate age-group-specific spaces along the outside walls. Bathrooms and other key equipment have been strategically located so multiple spaces/age groups can access and use them, thus keeping costs within budget.

The project will also consist of a fenced playground located at the rear of the building providing both a level of security and shelter from the elements for the children. The facility is also being constructed to allow for future expansion if there is sufficient demand and such expansion is financially feasible.

The Day Care construction site is opposite to the Siksika House Townhome Residence complex, in Aperture Park. Two sections of barrier fencing will be removed to allow better visual access to the site for those attending the sod turning activity.

Should rain, snow or wind force the ceremony indoors, an alternate location, in the Paterson Centre, has been identified. The Paterson Centre is located in the new residence village, south of the construction project.

The construction project will be funded from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ contributions and contributions from the Students' Union, Graduate Students and the Faculty Association. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ also received a $75,000 grant from Alberta Children and Youth Services from the Child Care Space Creation Innovation Fund. These funds can be used towards the capital expenditures of the new Day Care Centre.

UNews - Faculty Association

Williams earns interim appointment

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Day Care sod turning, Wednesday

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