January 15, 2008
University of Alberta Officially Opens Enterprise Square Downtown Campus
Enterprise Square, the University of Alberta's downtown centre of teaching, learning, research and innovation, officially opened today, breathing new life into a quiet block of downtown. A partnership between the university and all three orders of government, Enterprise Square is a vibrant hub that provides the opportunity for diverse collaboration and economic development. At the same time, it preserves the historic nature of the former Hudson's Bay Building on Jasper Avenue. "Enterprise Square is a visible symbol of the university's strong ties to the community and our commitment to community engagement and citizenship that underpins our vision," said U of A President Samarasekera. "Partnership, collaboration and innovation all lie at the heart of Enterprise Square, so this building is, in many ways, a symbol of the whole university as we celebrate our centenary and look toward our future. We envision a new period of partnership-building, and expect that Enterprise Square will be the site of many productive and inventive relationships with various community organizations." Enterprise Square plays a key role in the university's future as it serves the mission of teaching and learning, of research and creativity, of innovation, of community involvement and partnerships. This downtown presence strengthens the U of A's ties to downtown business, arts and cultural communities. And the lynch pin to all of this potential-which is now coming to fruition-was the collaboration and support provided by government: $15 million from the federal government through Western Diversification, $15 million from the Government of Alberta and $12.5 million from the City of Edmonton ($7.5 million to Enterprise Square and $5 million to TEC Edmonton). "Today's launch of Enterprise Square will help position Western Canada at the forefront of innovation. It is an important milestone in the region's growing capacity for science and technology commercialization," said the Honourable Rona Ambrose, president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and minister of Western Economic Diversification. "The Government of Canada is proud to have invested $15 million toward the establishment of the TEC Centre at Enterprise Square to support local technology companies as they transform their ideas into marketable products and services." "This new facility is a great example of the benefits achieved through collaboration," said Doug Horner, Minister of Alberta Advanced Education and Technology. "Our combined effort creates a win-win for everyone and provides new academic and economic opportunities for Albertans." Enterprise Square is home to some 600 employees, about half from the university, including staff and faculty with several administrative units plus the Faculty of Extension, Executive Education and Lifelong Learning and the Alberta Business Family Institute of the U of A's School of Business. TEC Edmonton, a university partnership with Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, has the largest presence in Enterprise Square. Aimed to bring university research to the marketplace via spinoff and technology commercialization companies, TEC Edmonton and the companies in its TEC Centre occupy the new fourth floor. Their presence will facilitate economic growth and diversification opportunities for the province and beyond, especially given the strategic location in the heart of the business community in Alberta's capital city. Enterprise Square represents another big step in the revitalization of the downtown core and preserves an important historical landmark. Refurbishing a building of its size- now more than 400,000 square feet-proved significantly more cost effective at $86.5 million than developing a new building, ultimately passing cost savings to taxpayers. Given the nature of the business, teaching, learning and research happening in the building, many of the people visiting and working in the facility are drawn there after traditional business hours, further benefiting downtown revitalization. In addition, the block is now reconnected to the pedway system. "Enterprise Square contributes to our vibrant downtown community, builds on our diversity and makes a significant contribution to our value-added economy," said Mayor Stephen Mandel. "By teaming up with our partners we can make sure that the modern advances researched and developed right here at the University of Alberta result in a greater return on our investment and reap us tremendous rewards in years to come." The name Enterprise Square was selected in 2006 in recognition of the building's past as a centre of commerce and its future as Edmonton's home of creative and entrepreneurial spirit. The reference to Square captures the idea of a dynamic meeting place for those who work, study and visit there in addition to the shape of the building's floor plate. In yet another example of partnerships at the heart of Enterprise Square, the atrium currently features an exhibition of original artwork by students in various U of A programs. This includes "write/print," a collaboration between the WRITE program in English and Film Studies, Art and Design's printmaking group, and the Faculty of Extension's fine arts certificate program. There is also "Design Works," the first of a series of exhibitions featuring innovative and thought-provoking designs from undergraduate and graduate students in industrial design and visual communication design.
Source: University of Alberta

Print News   

December 13, 2007
University of Alberta: Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore
On Friday, December 14, 2007, the Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore in the Faculty of Arts, and the University of Alberta's Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), will be celebrating the support of long-time donors, Drs. Peter and Doris Kule. During the event, the Kules will be making a new $1 million pledge to the Centre. The Faculty of Arts is matching the pledge by establishing a new French Folklorist position. Andriy Nahachewsky, Director of the Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore, was thrilled with the Kule's support of the Centre's expansion into other areas of Canadian folklore. "We started out as a Ukrainian-specific program, and we'll always have that as a core strength, but we also see a real interest in exploring folklore generally. Folklore allows us to see our local experiences as very expressive, yet so connected to tradition at the same time. Throughout the campus, there are a number of professors whose research overlaps a great deal with folklore. We are excited about pulling together more and building on this strength." Nahachewsky expects the expansion to be popular with students. "We've been offering an undergraduate class in general folklore for over six years now, and it's always packed. Folklore, the study of unofficial culture, connects with people in a very direct way." For the last five years, Peter and Doris Kule have been tremendous supporters of Ukrainian folklore studies. In total, they have already donated $3 million (in addition to Friday's pledge) to the Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore, including the necessary funding to establish the Kule Chair in Ukrainian Ethnography in 2004. Friday's pledge will strengthen the Centre with its new French culture initiative, increase scholarships and expand research projects by the Kule Chair. At the same event, the Kules will be celebrated for their recent $1 million gift to the University of Alberta's Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), to be used to establish the new "Kule Ukrainian Canadian Studies Centre at CIUS." The two Kule Centres will work together on selected projects, but the new centre will focus on Ukrainian-Canadian history and literature, as opposed to Ukrainian folklore. Doors open at 1:30 p.m., with the official program beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the Timms Centre's Second Playing Space, 87 Avenue & 112 Street. All media are welcome to attend.
Source: University of Alberta

Print News   

December 5, 2007
University of Calgary: Student-built Robots Climb for Glory
It took only 15 seconds for the winning Lego robot to cross the finish line on a floor to ceiling tether at the Schulich School of Engineering today. Hundreds of students cheered on their classmates in the first-year engineering Space Elevator Robot Competition finale, where the title was taken by teammates Paul Boone, Zachary Dunnewood, Michael Sterling and Agnes Soos. "The best part of the experience was the team work. With so many different skill sets in our group, we had to learn to listen, to try different things and be open to suggestions. I'd be thrilled to work with my team again on any project," said Paul Boone. Their robot did the climb with a 780 gram payload. Their winning edge? "It was all about power and the AA batteries!" exclaimed Zachary Dunnewood. Whittled down from two hundred teams, the fifteen finalists raced their Lego robots for not only speed but carrying capacity as well. The winning formula was based on the mass of the load carried, times the distance traveled, divided by the time. "Each year, engineering students are challenged to find a solution that does not yet exist anywhere in the world, so they need to be creative problem solvers," says Dr. Daryl Caswell, a design instructor in the engineering school. The idea of a space elevator originated in 2000 with NASA scientists considering the possibility of a mass-transit system for the next century moving people, payloads, and power between earth and space. Commercial and educational competitions have been held ever since, still with no solution in sight. "We started off thinking outside the box, putting all ideas on the table, then culling it down to what could work," says B4 team leader Madiha Khurshid, whose team won the prize for most innovative robot design. "Everyone presented different ideas and perspectives to the problem, and in the process, we went from being complete strangers to becoming a strong team working towards a common goal." The other team members are Courtney Stensrud, Alex Gheseger and Martin Jensen. "Hands-on learning is a key characteristic of student life at the Schulich School of Engineering," says Dean Elizabeth Cannon. "The teamwork aspect is also an integral part of this project; we are teaching first year students to think creatively in a diverse group to solve a challenge, just as they will have to in their future careers."
Source: University of Calgary, Schulich School of Engineering, Alberta

Print News   

November 29, 2007
SAIT: Funding Awarded to Three Local Initiatives to Enhance Technology Commercialization
University Technologies International (UTI), Calgary Technologies Inc. (CTI) and SAIT Polytechnic announced today they have awarded three grants, totaling $120,000, for new initiatives which support technology commercialization and innovation. The grants were awarded by a joint committee of UTI, CTI and SAIT, with input from Alberta Advanced Education and Technology. The grant recipients were selected from proposals submitted following the committee’s second and final call for proposals which closed on November 8, 2007. Of the six submissions made to the committee, three were selected due to their ability to successfully demonstrate new initiatives that support enhancements to technology commercialization. All proposals demonstrated the ability to match the grant through other sources of funding. The grants are being awarded as follows:
BioProspects Learning Community – $40,000
A University of Calgary initiative to assist life sciences students, through career planning and mentorship, to pursue industry-related careers within the province of Alberta.
The Centre for Research Entrepreneurship and Applied Technology Education (CREATE) – $50,000
Development of a graduate program to address the growing need for business-savvy entrepreneurial scientists and engineers who are required to support and expand local and national industries.
STIRR (Canada) – $30,000
Event series aimed at developing an entrepreneur peer network to assist founders of early stage companies achieve commercialization success.
“This process has brought to light a diversity of initiatives that will have a positive impact on the growth of the technology sector in Calgary,” says Darren Massey, Vice President, Innovation and Technology Commercialization, Calgary Technologies Inc. “We are confident that the recipients of these grants will yield tangible results in support of technology commercialization in our region.” Three separate grants were awarded in May, 2007 totaling $67,500 following the first call for proposals. The final three awards conclude the distribution of funding by the committee, which will conduct a staged review of the outcome measures of each of the six initiatives to ensure accountability.
Source: SAIT, Alberta

Print News   

November 28, 2007
$1.3 Million Donation Will Help Athabasca University Deliver Education to Remote Areas of Alberta
A $1.3 million donation to Athabasca University by distinguished philanthropist Allan Markin, chair of the board of Canadian Natural Resources, will fund a unique three-year pilot project to develop distance-learning systems for remote, rural and northern communities. The Learning Communities Project will help people in remote areas, particularly those in northern Alberta work camps, to earn a university degree while they work. The goal of the project is to allow people who are working away from home for extended periods to focus on their educational activities during their off-work hours. “I believe that education is one of the things people need to reach their full potential and to have a quality of life that they otherwise might never have,” Markin said. “The need for further education has been identified in the North, and the solution came from Athabasca University. The goal is to foster career advancement and eventually transform remote communities by giving people opportunities to address personal and professional educational goals. This way, we can increase capacity and meet current and future needs in remote areas. A more educated workforce benefits workers, communities and the province.” Athabasca University president Dr. Frits Pannekoek sees the Learning Communities Project as another way for the university to fulfill its mandate of increasing educational opportunities for adult learners. “We are very appreciative of Mr. Markin’s support,” he said. “This very generous donation will allow us to research and then tailor our program delivery to the needs of rural and remote learners. At Athabasca University, we take education to our students, and the flexibility of our distance and online delivery system allows people to obtain a quality post-secondary education wherever they are, whatever their schedule.” During the first stage of the pilot project, researchers will conduct a detailed assessment of learning needs in a number of communities in northern Alberta. Among other factors they will examine current education levels, participants’ goals and infrastructure availability. A major focus of the project will be researching and testing the use of mobile technology in the delivery of courses. This delivery method was recently studied by Athabasca University in partnership with the Mennonite Learning Centre in a project where cell phones were used to help immigrants learn English.
Source: Athabasca University, Alberta

Print News   

November 9, 2007
Save Money on Tuition Fees Thanks to Two New Lakeland College Initiatives
Lakeland College recently announced a significant addition to its awards program with the introduction of the academic excellence scholarship program. Students currently in Grade 12 with a minimum average of 85 per cent in five Grade 11 subjects are eligible for a substantial scholarship if they take university studies or a business program at Lakeland College. Students with a minimum average of 85 per cent qualify for a $1,500 scholarship, a minimum average of 90 per cent means a $2,500 scholarship, and students with an average of 95 per cent or greater will receive a $3,500 award. For details visit lakelandcollege.ca/greatsavings
Source: Lakeland College, Alberta

Print News   

November 6, 2007
NAIT's New Baccalaureate Teaches Students to Think Like Managers
Students in NAIT's Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management (BTech) degree program say the unique skills they're learning will help them consider the big picture and become better leaders in industry. "We're learning entirely new things compared to our diploma technology classes," says Karla Bickford, a chemical engineering technology grad, "such as leadership, teamwork and critical thinking." NAIT is offering its first baccalaureate degree to fill a gap in the workplace between technologists and engineers. Launched in September 2007, the BTech is the only program in Alberta to offer graduates of accredited science and engineering technology programs the chance to earn a degree in as little as two years. The program was developed in response to industry's need for individuals who possess advanced technological skills, along with strong theoretical knowledge, good communication skills and a firm grasp of social, ethical, economic and environmental issues. Bickford says she hadn't learned about the business side of industry - financial planning, environmental issues, managerial accounting, quality assurance and critical thinking - in her diploma classes. "The course is bringing together skill sets not taught elsewhere. We're learning to look at things from a different perspective. We also have a diverse group of students from all over the world, which helps us get a different view in class. Most of us will be together for the next two years working in teams, which will be very valuable in the workplace." She's hoping to do project planning for an international company when she graduates. Fellow student Abhishek Chaudhary, a graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology's mechanical engineering technology program, says he wanted to complete a degree. "I wanted to learn management and leadership skills. There's also a lot of research required to complete projects and I've never worked in groups before. Eventually, teamwork will be important because large projects in companies are handled by groups of people. "A lot of our instructors are industry managers so they understand the skills we need to go that route. Many helped develop the curriculum, so their knowledge and experience is being transferred to us. With a two-year diploma, I couldn't work immediately as a manager. This program will allow us to expand more quickly into leadership areas." John Benito, another BTech student, agrees the management aspect of the program is a plus. "I'm learning the logic behind decisions that are made. This could be a stepping stone to an MBA or a master's in biomedical engineering for me. "The training forces you to think big, but within reason." Applications are now being accepted for the BTech for fall 2008. Eighteen NAIT diploma programs in engineering technologies and applied sciences are entry points to the degree. More information is available at www.nait.ca/btech or by calling 780-471-8874.
Source: NAIT, Alberta

Print News   

October 4, 2007
University of Calgary Recommending New 300-unit Residence for 2009/10
University of Calgary President Dr. Harvey Weingarten today announced that the University will make a recommendation to its Board of Governors to build a new 300-unit student residence to open in late 2009. The announcement was made at Dr. Weingarten's annual Report to Community. The new residence, if approved by the Board, will be located near Cascade Hall. Approximate construction cost in 2007 dollars is $50M to $60M. "We know that students who live in residence, especially in their first year, have higher levels of engagement in the life of the university," said Dr. Weingarten. "These students are more likely to succeed in their studies. More and more students are interested in remaining in residence for two years of undergraduate study. This project is central to the mission of the University of Calgary to promote student development and learning, and the enhancement of the student experience. It also makes the U of C more accessible to students, especially those from outside of Calgary." Construction will take about two years. Dr. Weingarten said every effort will be made to fast-track the project, bearing in mind pressures on the construction industry. "The critical first step is to consult and work closely with our students," added Dr. Weingarten. "They are not our tenants, they are our partners in creating a quality education, and they have demonstrated leadership in this area through their own work on exploring new opportunities for housing."
"The Board of Governors recognizes the importance of student housing as a cornerstone of support we provide students. The Board has already requested a proposal in the upcoming budget. This recommendation will give us a chance to review the options and provide direction," said Board Chairman Jack Perraton. "We want to ensure we provide enough spaces for incoming first-year students to support them in the transition to university life as well as providing spaces for upper year students who serve as important role models for our incoming students," added Ann Tierney, Vice Provost (Students). "We provide a comprehensive residence life program which supports the academic transition to university, and many of our current student leaders are graduates of our exceptional residence life program." "I am very pleased to hear the University is investing in increased residence beds for students attending the University of Calgary," said U of C Students' Union President Julie Bogle. "This is an important step in addressing the issue of affordable accommodations for students and reflects some of the key recommendations and approaches the Students' Union has presented to the university as well as government." The University's current residence capacity is 1,537 beds for single students and 220 family housing units. The recommendation will go to the Board early in 2008, making it possible, if approved by the Board, to add capacity by late 2009 or early 2010.
Source: University of Calgary, Alberta

Print News   

October 2, 2007
University of Calgary: Computer Science Meets Fine Art with the Creation of Video Game to Teach about Drinking and Driving
University of Calgary Fine Arts professor Dr. James (Jim) Parker connects Computer Sciences with Fine Arts and brings the components of theatre to video gaming with his creation of Booze Cruise, "a driving game with a serious drinking problem." The idea behind the product is simple: To create an innovative video game with a message that could be as playable at as many locations as possible. The project comes as a result of a course Parker teaches on serious games; that is, games created for more than entertainment purposes. Along with two interdisciplinary grad students and two undergraduate students from the Department of Computer Science and the Faculty of Fine Arts, Parker recognized that his class was full of diverse talent and interests. Together, they decided they wanted to create a game that would tackle the problem of drinking and driving. With that, Booze Cruise came to be. "I was certainly excited to work with such talented Fine Arts people during the creation of Booze Cruise. The enthusiasm and vision of Lori (Shyba) and Nooshin (Esmaeili) propelled the game into new imaginative realms." says, Computer Science student John Heerema. "The dedication and talent that Nathan (Sorenson) brought to the project took it beyond the conceptual stages, and up to the level that you see today." Shyba and Heerema are students in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Esmaeili is a student in Fine Arts and Sorenson a student in Computer Science. The game requires the player to drive a car through a course - the difficulty lies in that the game simulates the player being under the influence of alcohol. Vision is blurred, reflexes are delayed and reality is skewed. It gives the player an idea of what it feels like to drink and drive without actually being in that situation. Parker believes video games represent the height of interactive learning and hopes the game will play a role in improving statistics on drinking and driving. "Gaming technology can help people as well as entertain," Parker said. "People get to interact, which changes how they feel about what they're doing." Booze Cruise, with all original art, music and design is currently being judged in the second round of the Future Play Game Contest in Toronto. The Calgary Police Service contributed substantial input in the research stage of the game and helped the team come up with the most realistic simulations possible. Calgary police Cst. Rob Haffner said he hopes the game will be used to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving. "It most definitely has the potential to be used by the city police. Hopefully it is one of the applications used at agencies here in Calgary, including the interactive Police Service museum, and across North America," Haffner said. Jim Parker is currently Full Professor of Computer Science at the University of Calgary working in the Faculty of Fine Arts. He works on digital media in the form of video games (especially Serious Games), animations,audio, and novel interfaces to computers and their incorporation into human-centered systems. Parker isinvolved in digital media, sport technology and fine arts. He believes that "there are natural connections between computer games, theatre, and human movement/natural interfaces" and uses his projects to connect these diverse departments.
Source: University of Calgary, Alberta

Print News   

September 13, 2007
University of Alberta's Department of Drama welcomes new Playwright in Residence
The University of Alberta's Department of Drama announces Kevin Kerr as the incoming Lee Playwright in Residence. Kerr, a Governor General Award-winning playwright and co-founding member of Vancouver's Electric Company Theatre, will be in residency at the U of A for two years beginning in September. He will divide his time writing plays and helping other playwrights. Kevin Kerr is the second playwright to take up the Lee Playwright in Residence post, following inaugural Playwright in Residence, Don Hannah. The program at the U of A is the only one if its kind among Canadian universities. A $1 million endowment from the now dissolved Clifford E. Lee Foundation serves as the foundation for program, with the U of A Faculty of Arts also providing support.
Source: University of Alberta

Print News   

September 10, 2007
NAIT: Wristbands Available to Remember Dawson College Tragedy
The NAIT Students' Association is commemorating the one-year anniversary of the tragic events at Dawson College with a symbolic wrist band. Available by donation only at the NAITSA office (E131), proceeds from the Dawson College wrist band will go to the Anastasia De Sousa Memorial Award Fund. The wrist bands are blue and include the date of the tragic event (09.13.2006) with the name of the college.
Source: NAIT, Alberta

Print News   

September 5, 2007
University of Calgary: The Vital Ingredient for Calgary’s Next Generation
Seventeen young leaders from the University of Calgary community, including alumni, faculty and staff, have been named to CalgaryInc Magazine’s annual list of the Top 40 Calgarians under the age of 40. The annual list features young business and community leaders who are excelling in their careers, are giving back to the community, and who, through personal and professional efforts, are raising the profile of Calgary. Drawing from a cross-section of University of Calgary alumni, faculty and staff, the top 40 list captures the university’s momentum and energy, said U of C President Harvey Weingarten. The top 40 serves as a who’s who of Calgary’s next generation of business and community leaders and we are proud that our alumni, our faculty and our staff are viewed by the wider community as being vital to that future. Top 40 Under 40 recipients from the U of C community include: alumni Suzanne Boss, BComm’99, partner, Boss Consulting Inc., and director of operations, Calgary Arts Development Authority; Gian-Carlo Carra, BA’99, MEDes’05, senior urban designer, T-six; Harvey Cohen, BA’00, director of touring, The Union Ltd.; Susan Cress, BSW’02, executive director, AIDS Calgary Awareness Association; Robert Fooks, LLB’02, MBA’02, partner, McLeod & Company LLP; Brenda Hanchar, BA’92, MBA’05, media marketing manager, Calgary Stampede; Tamara McCarron, BSc’00, MBA’05, director of development and communications, Science Alberta Foundation; Jane McCullough, BFA’98, program director for campus radio station CJSW; Keli Pollock, BFA’92, co-creative director, Taxi Canada; Ross Rayment, BA’93, vice-president, ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc.; Jodi Roworth, BComm’94, senior principal, tax, KPMG LLP; Colleen Sharpe, BA’99, assistant curator, The Nickle Arts Museum; Elizabeth Stock, LLB’96, lawyer and owner, Foster Stock Richmond, and Michael Waite, BA’92, LLB’98, partner, Stones Carbert Waite LLP. McCullough and Sharpe share the honour as alumni who have returned to campus in professional capacities. I’m honored to be named to the Top 40 list, said McCarron, the Science Alberta Foundation’s director of development and communications, as well as the U of C’s Alumni Association president. The list’s inclusion of 14 graduates is testament to the impact that the U of C’s family of 120,000 alumni has on Calgary and in so many other communities around the globe. In addition to the 14 alumni, Bill Rosehart, an associate professor of electrical engineering with the Schulich School of Engineering, Aleem Bharwani, a general internal medicine fellow with the Calgary Health Region and University of Calgary, and Jessica McNaughton, the U of C’s director of recruitment were also named.
Source: University of Calgary, Alberta

Print News   

August 24, 2007
Lethbridge College: 50 Years of Learning and Excellence
The year was 1957 and 38 young people bound and determined to make something of their future enrolled at Lethbridge Junior College, Canada's first publicly funded community college. Those 38 students chose from university transfer or technical training courses at an institution of about a dozen staff and faculty. Today, Lethbridge College, employing more than 900 faculty and staff, offers in excess of 50 certificate, diploma, post-diploma, applied degree and apprenticeship programs to more than 7,000 students. From a one-building campus to a sprawling site of 11 training and instructional facilities and 27 residence buildings, Lethbridge College has and will continue to make an important impact on Canada's post secondary education sector. Lethbridge College continues to reinforce the vision of its founding patron, Gilbert Paterson, by ensuring accessibility and relevance of education. Innovations in the method of delivery of courses, including on-line and short-term as well as program offerings on satellite campuses in Taber and Fort Macleod ensure accessibility and enable students to receive their education in a cost-effective manner that meets their personal goals. The end result is an institution that prepares graduates for the global work place through focused programming, abundant support services, 24/7 access to resources and other expertise and innovation in all areas.
Source: Lethbridge College, Alberta

Print News   

August 24, 2007
Lethbridge College: Grand Reopening for Cousins Building
Donning safety glasses and a lab coat, the Honourable Doug Horner, Alberta's Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, unfurled more than the newly refurbished sciences building at Lethbridge College today. In a scientific demonstration, the Minister unveiled banners with the College's new logo in the atrium of the extensively renovated, 40-year-old Cousins Building, which will house all of Lethbridge College's applied sciences programs. The modified ribbon cutting was part of a grand reopening ceremony held at the College on Thursday, says Dr. Tracy Edwards, president of the institution. "Our new logo is a metaphor for a fresh and redesigned approach to post secondary education at Lethbridge College," noted Edwards, who has been instrumental in leading the institution through the change process. "The redevelopment of the Cousins Building is a perfect example of what we're doing here on campus. Our goal is to honour the past and embrace the future. This wonderful 40-year-old building, named after a Lethbridge College pioneer, pays homage to our unique and vibrant history, but its redevelopment into a sciences centre that will capture the synergy that comes from having like-programs in one place says that we are redefining our future to meet and even anticipate the needs of our learners and our community." The Cousins Building renovations began in May 2006. The interior of the building was gutted and rebuilt to exacting environmental standards designed to save the College more than $25,000 in annual operating costs. The unique layout also captures the specific needs of the applied science programs that will call the building home when students return to campus in just over two weeks. Funded by a series of provincial grants from both the Alberta Government's Capital plan for 2005 to 2008 and the Access to the Future - Renaissance Fund, the unique learning environment of the Cousins Building is a testament to Lethbridge College's vision for the future. It nurtures a cross-pollination of teaching and learning by grouping students and instructors from several study areas to share ideas and expertise in an atmosphere that cannot help but engender academic excellence.
Source: Lethbridge College, Alberta

Print News