March 28, 2008
University of Alberta: Nursing Dean Appointed
Anita Molzahn has been appointed dean of the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta for a five-year term, effective July 1, 2008. Currently a professor of nursing and former dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Development at the University of Victoria, Molzahn is an alumna, having received her undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Alberta. Prior to moving to Victoria in 1992, she held professorial positions with the university's nursing faculty as well as a graduate research assistantship with the department of sociology. Molzahn also served as a nephrology nurse clinician and spent several years as a nursing instructor in the renal dialysis unit of the U of A Hospital. Her areas of scholarly interest involve: nephrology nursing, chronic illness, social psychology and health and illness, quality of life and organ donation/transplantation. Molzahn has received numerous accolades for her work, including the Ethel Johns Award from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing and the American Nephrology Nurses Association's Nephrology Nurse Researcher Award. She was also honoured with two of the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia's awards, the Award for Distinction in Nursing and for Excellence in Nursing Administration and, in 1997, she was listed in the World Who's Who of Women.
Source: University of Alberta
March 27, 2008
Queen’s University Acquires Novelis Property to Develop Innovative Technology Park
Queen’s has completed an agreement with Novelis Inc. to acquire 49 acres of vacant land adjacent to the company’s research and development center in Kingston. The agreement is part of the plan to establish an innovative technology park that will place Kingston and Canada at the forefront of research, innovation and business development. The new regional “co-location” initiative will bring academic and industry researchers together to undertake research in fields such as alternative energy and environmental technologies, with focus on the bioeconomy including bioprocessing and bioenergy related research, as well as advanced materials. “We see this as a means to embrace a new generation of scientists and engineers in research that is socially and economically meaningful,” says Principal Karen Hitchcock. “This is a concept that will enable us to address a number of objectives of the University’s strategic plan by supporting public-private research partnerships in areas of distinctive university strength, enhancing the facilities and equipment available for our students and faculty, and fostering an environment of discovery which accelerates innovation and supports the growth of new businesses, spurring the economic growth of our city and the region.” The development, located at the corner of Princess and Concession streets, is to be called Innovation Park at Queen’s University. “We are very excited to have reached this stage in the process,” says Dr. Kerry Rowe, Queen’s Vice Principal (Research). “We are now able to unveil this formally to the Kingston community and beyond and to move forward with some exciting new projects and innovative partnerships with Novelis and other industrial partners.” In June, the University will hold an official event at the site attended by industry and government representatives. The property was acquired for $5.3 million, a portion of the $21 million grant Queen’s received from the Ontario government last spring to pioneer this innovative new regional R&D “co-location” model. "This announcement is great news for Queen's, Kingston and Ontario,” says MPP for Kingston and the Islands, John Gerretsen. "Our government’s investment in this project is building on regional strengths that Kingston has – in both talent and research – to accelerate the speed of innovation that will help to create Ontario's next generation of jobs and economic prosperity. I’m pleased to see the project moving ahead and reaching a new milestone towards becoming a reality." Queen’s has also reached an agreement to lease approximately 85,000 square feet of the Novelis R&D facilities to accommodate both faculty-led research projects that have industrial partners and small and medium-size companies with a research focus and a desire to interact with Queen’s researchers. The remainder of the government funds will go toward further development of the technology park to transform the property into a welcoming and dynamic site for business expansion and relocation. Innovation Park and Queen’s University will: provide incubation and acceleration space for early-stage spin-off companies arising from academic and industrial research; accelerate opportunities for translating academic research into market-ready products and processes; further stimulate market-driven economic programming; and establish a regional hub for research and innovation-related information sharing, networking, business development and economic development activities. Novelis is the industrial anchor for the facility and a strategic research partner with Queen’s. The academic anchor for the facility is the Queen’s-RMC Fuel Cell Research Centre, headquarters of the Ontario Fuel Cell Research and Innovation Network (OFCRIN). The university will develop the 49 acre parcel of land directly adjacent to the multi-tenant facility as a site for companies “graduating” to a new level of operation and as a preferred location for new companies attracted to Kingston by the opportunity to interact with the area’s research community.
Source: Queen's University, Ontario
March 25, 2008
Announcing University of Calgary's First Scholarship for Single Parents
All donors have special causes, and in this case, the challenge of the single parent inspired a group of leading Calgarians to create a unique scholarship. As a result, the University of Calgary is awarding its first doctoral scholarship for a single parent, with an application deadline of May 15 for next September 08. The $5,000 Dr. Jeannette Nicholls Graduate Scholarship was founded by Dr. Kathleen Scherf, the Dean of Communication and Culture who completed her doctoral studies at the University of British Columbia as a single parent with two young sons. Since arriving in Calgary in 1999, Scherf began thinking seriously about what she could do to make a difference for others in the same situation. “I made it through and I want to encourage others so they can too,” says Scherf, who specializes in the study and practice of theatre. The new scholarship is named for Dr. Jeannette Nicholls, who was a university fundraiser and single parent who helped Scherf settle into Calgary with her two boys, then both in grade school. Scherf says: “I wanted to honour her, as well as give back to a community that has been good to me, and to the type of student I was—I got help, so I want to help now that I can.” Scherf led the fundraising effort for the $100,000 scholarship endowment, and was backed by prominent Calgarians Pat Moore, Jennifer Diakiw, Bonnie DuPont, Catherine Ford, Margo Helper, Sydney Sharpe and Frances Wright. The scholarship is open to men and women who are the primary custodial parent of a child or children.
Dr. Harvey Weingarten, president of U of C says, “At the University of Calgary, graduate students play a significant role in helping us pursue the highest levels of excellence in research and teaching; and on behalf of the university, I'd like to thank Dr. Scherf and the community donors for their support. The Jeannette Nicholls Graduate Scholarship for single parents will provide financial assistance for graduate students who are some of the best and brightest of our community.” Last year $9.1 million was given to the U of C to support many top academic and financially needy students in the form of scholarships, bursaries and other awards.
Source: University of Calgary, Alberta
March 18, 2008
Memorial University of Newfoundland: Over $90,000 in Scholarships for Business Students
Eighty-six students in the Faculty of Business Administration were recognized on Friday, March 14, for their outstanding accomplishments when the faculty held its annual Awards Ceremony.
Over $90,000 in university-administered funds were handed out in honour of academic achievement, volunteerism in the faculty, university and greater community, and international accomplishments.
The ceremony included five new scholarships that were awarded for the first time. At the graduate level, Lesley Ann Smith and Adam Saunders were awarded The Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited Graduate Scholarship in Business Studies. At the undergraduate level, there were four new awards handed out. Susan Hall received the Public Accountants Licensing Board Scholarship, Ashley Burke received the Dr. Lessey Sookal Scholarship, Alexandra White-Dzuro was awarded the St. John's Maple Leafs Legacy Scholarship, and Janine Brophy and Michael Harris received the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) Award for Exemplary Work Terms in the Upstream Petroleum Industry. One other new award was announced, the Fagan Scholarship in the Faculty of Business Administration. This scholarship hasn't yet been awarded. The awards ceremony also honoured faculty and staff for their excellence in research, teaching and service. Dr. Peter Song received the Dean's Research Award, Dr. Manish Verma received the Dean's Teaching Award, Prof. Lynn Morrissey received the Dean's Service Award, Ms. Sherry Whelan received the Dean's Service Quality Award (staff), and Prof. Peggy Coady, director of graduate programs, received the Dean's Citizenship Award. Dr. Gary Gorman, dean of the Faculty of Business Administration is proud of the students and the growth of the Awards Ceremony. "It speaks to both the caliber of our students and our strong relationships with the community that we're able to offer so many scholarships and awards," Dr. Gorman said. "The Awards Ceremony is our opportunity to recognize our students, faculty, staff and benefactors for all of their contributions to the Faculty of Business."
Source: Memorial University of Newfoundland
March 7, 2008
The University of British Columbia Celebrate 100TH Anniversary of University Act
Premier Gordon Campbell and UBC president Stephen Toope celebrated the centenary of the 1908 University Act that created UBC as B.C.'s first post-secondary institution today, signing a rededication of the act exactly 100 years after its original March 7, 1908 signing. "For 100 years, the University of British Columbia has played an important role in the personal growth of thousands of students, and in the growth of B.C. as a province," said Campbell. "Today we honour a century of accomplishments and milestones. At the same time, we look towards new frontiers for UBC students and faculty to explore, and to a bright future for this distinguished institution."
"We are honoured and delighted to celebrate the centenary of UBC," said Toope. "UBC's founders set us on the path we walk today, and we are daily in the debt of the provincial government for its ongoing support." Construction at UBC Vancouver began in 1914 but halted due to World War I and didn't resume until 1923, following the historic Great Trek of 1922 when 1,200 students marched from a temporary campus near 12th and Cambie to the Point Grey campus, urging the provincial government to continue building UBC. In honour of the centenary, UBC has launched a new audio tour to guide campus visitors through the university's past and present. Commissioned by the Alumni Association, it enables visitors to take self-guided cell phone tours of 15 campus landmarks, including the new Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and the University Centre -- site of the 1968 Faculty Club student invasion. "UBC is one of the world's great universities, but I believe its greatest contributions have yet to be realized," Toope added. "In our first century, we have built the foundation necessary to propel a great city, a great province and a great nation into a new century of challenges and opportunities." Other upcoming centenary events include a visit by 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunis, who will receive a UBC honorary degree and participate in a colloquium on corporate social responsibility; UBC Celebrate Research Week, a public showcase March 4-13 that focuses on UBC research that touches lives and communities, and the Dream Healer opera and accompanying mental health symposium.
Source: The University of British Columbia
