University of Lethbridge President Dr. Bill Cade chats about what's happening in the University community
It was with great pleasure that the University announced the appointment of Dr. Susan McDaniel as the first Director of the Prentice Institute. When the Institute was first established in 2006, thanks to the generous donation of the Prentice family, the mandate was to create an internationally recognized centre for the research of big-picture issues relating to global population change and demographics. At that time we expected to attract someone of great prominence to the role of Director because of the opportunity it presented.
Dr. McDaniel is exactly the calibre of researcher we envisioned filling this role and I am excited to have her join the University. I look forward to watching the Prentice Institute take shape under her stewardship.
As we approach Spring Convocation, I want to congratulate personally all those who will be participating in this joyous occasion. You have worked hard over your years here at the U of L and it is exciting to see that work pay off in the culmination of your goals.
I have been through many convocation ceremonies and while they are all similar in nature, each one is unique in its own right. I want to thank the many people who make the event happen, from the convocation committee to the volunteers to the Registrar's Office. I am sure they encounter a variety of glitches behind the scenes but year after year, the ceremonies continue to run like clockwork and are presented flawlessly.
It is with great pleasure that we present a number of awards at convocation. We should be proud to celebrate achievement and recognize those individuals who have distinguished themselves. As a researcher and educator, I take particular note of the Ingrid Speaker Medal and Distinguished Teacher Award honours. Congratulations respectively to Dr. Brian Titley and Dr. Ian McAdam.
Welcome back to Dave Adams, recently named the new head coach of the Pronghorns men's basketball program. Dave brings a great deal of enthusiasm to the program and I wish him well in his goal to grow what he deems, "Horns Nation". I share in his vision of a national championship team playing to sellout crowds at the 1st Choice Savings Centre.
A number of sporting dignitaries with strong ties to the University were inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame recently. In fact, the entire evening was a Blue and Gold affair, right down to the event's master of ceremonies (alumnus Toby Boulet) and guest speaker (alumnus Neil Langevin). Congratulations to inductees and alumni Dori (Rodzinyak) Johnson, Danny Balderson and Don Chandler as well as Kinsmen Sportspersons of the Year and Pronghorn athletes Jim Steacy and Ashley Patzer.
Congratulations to Keith Robin, recently named the Rotary Club of Lethbridge's 2008 Citizen of the Year. A Chancellor Emeritus of the University from 1987 to 1991, Robin was heavily involved in the LINC fundraising effort and is someone who we still see often at the U of L and associated events.
Finally, I look forward to the upcoming Board of Directors retreat later this month. It will be held at the University for the first time in quite a while and will help the Board appreciate what it is like to be a student here on campus. It promises to be an enlightening event.