Provost to seek third term

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Carl Amrhein has decided that he would like to stand for a third term as the university’s Provost and Vice-President (Academic). As such, as with all vice-presidential reappointments, I will be striking a Presidential Advisory Review Committee, which will meet on May 8, 2012. This review will give members of the university community the opportunity to contribute to the process. Input will be requested for Dr. Amrhein’s review once the committee is struck.

In addition, I will be striking a Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Portfolio Review Committee to review how the provost’s portfolio advances initiatives and strategies. Each of the vice-presidential portfolios undergoes a periodic independent review. The committee will be chaired by the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Peter McKinnon. Additional committee members include Dame Alison Richard, former Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University; Dr. Martha Crago, Vice-President (Research) at Dalhousie University; and Dr. Adel Sedra, Dean of Engineering at the University of Waterloo. The committee will meet in Edmonton on March 26-27, 2012. We will be seeking input from the community for this review in the near future.

Prior to the end of his second term, Dr. Amrhein will take an administrative leave from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. I am pleased to announce that during Dr. Amrhein’s leave, our Dean of Rehabilitation Medicine, Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell, will serve as the Acting Provost and Vice-President (Academic). Dr. Ferguson-Pell, formerly of the University College London in the United Kingdom, was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine in October 2007.

Indira V. Samarasekera, OC
President and Vice-chancellor

Calling all of you 8,400 alumni employees...

September is always a beautiful time on campus and it’s the perfect time to welcome home our alumni. This time of year reminds me of why we love Edmonton and the University of Alberta.


I wasn’t raised in Edmonton, but after attending the U of A as a student I decided I would make this city my home. Returning to work here at the university over the past two years has been a great decision. I love being back at the U of A as a staff member. I get to interact with students, staff and alumni on a daily basis. There’s a great sense of history and pride around our school and it’s very motivating.


When I was given the number of how many staff are alumni, I was amazed. There are 8,400 of our staff who are also U of A alumni. I guess having a great student experience and wanting to translate that into a career is not unique just to me.


For all of you who love this place, whether you attended as a student or not, I hope you come celebrate Alumni Weekend. There are events for everyone, from the inspirational Alumni Awards to an old-favourite this year, the Big Top Tuck Shop, serving cinnamon buns in Quad. Take a few minutes to attend a lecture, or visit the faculty where you may have studied years ago. Taking the time to remember why we work here is important and pretty empowering.


For those of you 8,400 alumni employees, what's your favourite memory from your student days here?


Sean Price, '95 Bcom, MBA (albeit from elsewhere)
AVP Alumni Affairs, 
Exec. Director, Alumni Association

Recognizing outstanding U of A people

I want to extend my warmest congratulations to all of the staff, faculty and students recognized at Friday’s Celebrate! event. Each and every one of you brings credit to the University of Alberta through your dedication to teaching, research and service.  You are an inspiration for each of us.

I’m sorry I couldn’t be at the event myself. I was out of the country, lucky enough to be invited to be part of the High Panel on Science for Development of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Our panels were charged with providing UNESCO with guidelines for the development of strategies to promote sustainable development and combat poverty. When I have such opportunities to represent the U of A in an international setting, it is people like you who were recognized on Friday who make it so easy for me to brag about our fine institution.

There are other opportunities to recognize our excellent staff. I encourage staff members to nominate their colleagues for the Support Staff Recognition Award and the APO, FSO and Librarian Recognition Award. The awards are a formal mechanism for peers and colleagues to recognize the outstanding contributions of their colleagues and co-workers.  The deadline for nominations is at the end of the month. Additional information and the nomination form can be found at www.hrs.ualberta.ca/recognition. 

Again, congratulations to all of you recognized at Celebrate!

Indira V. Samarasekera, OC

President and Vice-Chancellor

Congratulations to our 2011 Distinguished University Professors

Congratulations to three outstanding faculty members for being named Distinguished University Professors. The 2011 honorees are Janine Brodie, professor and Canada Research Chair in Political Economy and Social Governance in the Faculty of Arts, X. Chris Le, Canada Research Chair in Bioanalytical Technology and Environmental Health, and Marek Michalak, professor of biochemistry and vice-dean of research, both of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. The three share something special: an abiding commitment to their work and a deep pride in their students.

The title of Distinguished University Professor is one of the highest honours the U of A bestows on a member of its academic staff. The title is awarded to individuals who have achieved outstanding distinction and scholarship in research, teaching and service to the academy and the community at large. 
Brodie, Le and Michalak are among outstanding faculty, students and staff being recognized at Celebrate!, the university’s annual celebration of teaching, learning and research, being held today at the Myer Horowitz Theatre.

Congratulations, colleagues. To read more about our inspiring colleagues, go here.

Celebrating staff excellence

Three outstanding support members—two of whom are alumni—are among outstanding faculty, students and staff being recognized at Celebrate!, the university’s annual celebration of teaching, learning and research, being held Friday, Sept. 16 at the Myer Horowitz Theatre.

Maria Borges, program administrator of Undergraduate Emergency Medicine and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Emergency Medicine Residency, Melissa Casey, international student specialist in the Faculty of Arts, and Jennifer Eigeard, undergraduate program administrator in the Department of Secondary Education.

Thank you to these U of A staff members who are living our promise of every day. The recognition is well deserved.

To read more about these staff members,  

go here.

New UAlberta Website

A refreshed University of Alberta website launched last night.  This is a site that is easier to use whether you access it on your traditional computer or mobile device. Perhaps more importantly, design, content and information architecture are aimed first at our external audiences—rather than ourselves—many of whom know little of the U of A or how we are organized. The links most frequently used internally, including webmail and directory, remain across the top of each page.

This new site is a major evolution rather than radical departure from where we were yet is a cleaner, more vibrant and functional environment.

There are several new features designed to make it easier to interact with the U of A online, including:

•   Website accessibility on any major mobile platform (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android);

•   Mapping of all U of A campuses, featuring richly detailed 3-D models and 360-degree interactive photos created by U of A industrial design students;

•   Consolidation of university news sources from across campus into one site with the ability to subscribe;

•   A consolidated calendar of university events, replacing three separate calendars

•   A look-up list of all degrees we offer, as well as continuing education programs for the general public;

These new top-level pages will integrate fully with new recruitment sites for prospective national and international students that will launch in the coming days, as part of the strategic recruitment initiatives led by the Registrar’s Office and University of Alberta International. One example is “UAlberta in one minute,” a video infographic that introduces the U of A to audiences with little or no previous knowledge of the university.

The work that you see today in the new pages and in a few days with the new recruitment sites is the result of outstanding collaboration between the Registrar's Office, University of Alberta International and University Relations teams and truly changes the way that external audiences interact with the U of A online.

This is a research and data-driven site refresh. The design and new features are based on feedback gathered from 2,700 students, staff, faculty and alumni who participated in a February web survey, as well as faculty and unit Web Engagement Goals sessions conducted with Faculties during the last six months. Google analytics data showing user needs and preferences also influenced site development. More than 200 students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends were part of the testing and tweaking process through online usability studies.

The final result is truly a collaborative effort, and I thank all of the faculty and staff who, along with our students and alumni, helped us over the last several months.

I believe that this launch represents a major advancement of the University of Alberta’s global online presence, but I also know that there will be bugs to iron out as you become familiar with the new site. Over the next few weeks, we will be fine-tuning our new site. We welcome your questions and feedback and invite you to join the Feedback Forum if you are interested in being part of future developments.

Our vision is to meet your web-related needs and those of the U of A’s wider community to the highest standard while we become Canada’s leading post-secondary digital learning environment, enabled by our web, mobile, social networks and IT systems capabilities. This launch is just the first step towards achieving our long-range goal. 

Debra Pozega Osburn

Vice-President (University Relations)