Meet Jeff Keshen, the new U of R president

By Katie Doke Sawatzky

When Dr. Jeff Keshen arrives to begin his term as eighth president of the University of Regina on July 1, he will hit the ground running.

Keshen will be taking the administrative reins of a university just three years away from its 50th anniversary and one year into a new strategic plan. This means celebrating strengths and making improvements, while the institution is preparing for its second year of educating during a global pandemic.

But Keshen is excited about the job.

“The University of Regina is young and young at heart,” says Keshen. “It’s open to experimentation. I think it’s a tremendously exciting place with an amazing future and I think that people want to see it shine.”

Keshen comes to Regina after three and a half years as vice-president of Memorial University in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Previously he served as dean, Faculty of Arts at Mount Royal University in Calgary. He also served as chair of the Department of History at the University of Ottawa and was an adjunct professor in the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

A professor of history as well as an author and editor of several books and articles, Keshen’s research focuses on war and society, particularly on the home front. His earlier work focused on censorship and propaganda. Most recently, he’s turned his attention to families and wartime, studying the changing roles of women, impacts on children and ways the economy was transformed.

The changes COVID-19 has brought on Canadian society are not lost on Keshen. In fact, they remind him of what happened during wartime.

“Social crisis calls for the best from people under very stressful circumstances,” he says. “It also accelerates change. (Wartime) really did teleport change in so many areas that we knew had to happen. It transformed our society.”

In the environment created by COVID-19, Keshen sees the need for universities to be flexible and responsive to the needs of students on campus and off. Offering more intensive courses and a hybrid of online and in-person learning are experiments that will need to happen, he says.

“If we’re pre-conditioned to think in a certain way, I’m not sure that we’re going to get it completely right,” he adds.

However, in his opinion, the on-campus university experience will always have priority.

“University is not just about learning in the classroom. It’s also about the connections you make, about growing as an individual, about encountering people from so many different parts of the world. That’s absolutely essential.”

All Our Relations: kahkiyaw kiwâhkômâkaninawak, the University of Regina’s 2020-2025 strategic plan, was what sold Keshen on the University, along with the institution’s commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Indigenous ways of knowing. Keshen helped develop Memorial’s 2020-2025 strategic plan, which is similar in scope and vision and targets more retention of Indigenous students and Indigenous programming. Strengthening the university’s roots within the community is a key theme in both plans.

“The U of R strategic plan champions ideals, which I think are inspirational. It is comprehensive; it is accessible,” he says. “It is connected to and really wants to be involved in its community.”

Keshen believes the benefits of community connection go both ways. As budgets tighten across the post-secondary sector and government funding decreases, partnerships with other university stakeholders such as Indigenous communities, as well as not-for-profit, non-governmental and industry organizations, will become vital.

“Establishing partnerships to leverage the potential that you have within the University, to enrich it through connections to others, is going to be important,” he says.

In return, Keshen sees the University as a community hub providing opportunities for the local community to better itself, to exchange ideas and to learn from all that researchers have to offer.

“Universities have expertise in so many areas that affect the daily lives of people. We can show the tremendous good that we can do in people’s lives. I see the University and the community it serves as intrinsically linked.”

He believes working towards reconciliation is also about partnerships and reciprocity. Memorial University is on traditional Mi’kmaw territory and 20 per cent of the students are Indigenous. Keshen wants to see First Peoples as part of the fabric of the university community, something the U of R is committing to in its plan to provide educational opportunities to Indigenous communities across the province over the next five years.

“If any place has the responsibility… to lead in redressing and showing the way of improving for the benefit of us all, it is the university,” Keshen says.

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The Honourable Gene Makowsky was appointed Minister of Advanced Education in November 2020, following his re-election as MLA for Regina Gardiner Park in the October 2020 provincial general election. In addition to the province's two universities and their federated colleges, the Ministry's portfolio includes Saskatchewan Polytechnic, eight regional colleges, three institutions delivering Indigenous educational programs and services, and private vocational schools.

Makowsky was appointed several months after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the work of the province's post-secondary institutions and their students. This gave him a unique perspective on how they had adapted to the abrupt changes required to continue their educational mission, while safeguarding the health and safety of students, teachers and support staff. He is impressed by how the institutions responded.

"I think they did a great job of pivoting to a hybrid model of education in a short amount of time," he says. "That included strictly online learning, and in situations where hands-on lab work was required, the safety of students and instructors was handled in the best manner possible."

Makowsky grew up in Saskatoon and completed his education there. He enjoyed his K-12 experience and decided that an education degree would satisfy his combined interests in sports and education. The idea of being a teacher and coaching high school athletes really appealed to him. Staying in his hometown and attending the University of Saskatchewan was an easy decision, helped by the interest the U of S Huskies football program showed in him when he was in Grade 12.

Makowsky received his bachelor's degree in education, with distinction, from the University of Saskatchewan in 1996. However, the idea of being a teacher and coach - at least as a full-time vocation - was put on hold while he enjoyed a 17-year career as an offensive lineman with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (he was a member of the Grey Cup winning team in 2007). He served as a substitute teacher in the off-season, which he says was sometimes challenging, particularly when an early-morning phone call meant he had to fill in on short notice. The upside, he observes, is that he met and worked with great people, and was spared a teacher's least favourite chore, marking.

Following his retirement from the Roughriders, Makowsky was first elected as an MLA in 2011, and then re-elected in 2016 and 2020. When it comes to advanced education, as in most areas of our lives, he sees the rapid transition to digital communications and tools affecting how post-secondary institutions deliver their programs, as well as how students select what they will study and in what formats. This will likely mean more courses delivered online or using a hybrid format. He adds that there is increasing interest in what is called micro-credentialing, where students advance their professional or academic accreditation by selecting programs or courses that they find most relevant and that allow them to develop skills in specific areas in a relatively short period of time. He expects this approach to upgrading skills will continue to grow.

Against this background of change, Makowsky believes the Ministry's role is to support institutions with funding to help them through the pandemic recovery period. This is in line with the province's growth plan for the 2020 to 2030 time period, which includes targets for population and labour force growth. In particular, the Minister notes the progress made in increasing the participation of Indigenous people in the workforce by 19 per cent. He also points to the $23.3 million allocated in the Spring 2021 provincial budget to support the First Nations University of Canada, the Gabriel Dumont Institute and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies.

"Teachers, staff and students have shown resilience and an ability to adapt quickly to changes that no one could have expected," Makowsky says. "I think those qualities will help our post-secondary sector recover and contribute to our province's future growth."

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A World Series champion. An NBA coach. A professional hockey player. All women. All University of Regina alumnae or former Cougars athletes. All working in fields traditionally dominated by men.

Because, the truth is, nothing is impossible, according to Anita Sehgal BAdmin'94 and senior vice president of Marketing and Communications with the Houston Astros.

"If you work hard,  are patient and take advantage of opportunities that come your way, you could end up living anywhere and doing anything you want."

Sehgal did just that. She knew from her time at the U of R that she wanted to have a career in marketing. She enjoyed the balance of creativity with data analytics and customer insight. Self-described as a curious and life-long learner, she has spent over 25 years in strategic marketing functions with organizations including The Forzani Group, Best Buy, Academy Sports + Outdoors, and currently the Houston Astros.

"She's incredibly positive. Her work ethic is ridiculous. She's very intelligent and understands things quickly," he says.

Growing up with brothers Arun and Pankaj, Sehgal spent a great deal of time outdoors and at Regina's Pasqua Rec Centre. Her love of sport was fostered early on with a passion for basketball, football and hockey. To this day, she is a diehard Saskatchewan Roughriders fan and attends nearly every Grey Cup.

"I was in love with sports and was pretty fascinated by the business of sports too," Sehgal says. "If an opportunity came up or I had an opportunity to do marketing and do it in an industry or a category that I liked, I would naturally gravitate there."

While Sehgal credits taking advantage of opportunities that arise, her long-time Regina friend, U of R graduate and former Cougars hockey player, Curtis Kleisinger BEd'96, BA'99, says her success is also a result of who she is and where she came from.

"She's incredibly positive. Her work ethic is ridiculous. She's very intelligent and understands things quickly," he says. "I think she's tough enough to be in that male-dominated world because she grew up with her brothers."

When Sehgal joined the Houston Astros in January 2015, they were the worst team in Major League Baseball. Sehgal was committed to helping turn the team's fortunes around and by 2017, she was planning a World Series championship parade. But that wasn't her only focus.

Curtis Kleisinger, Sehgal's long-time friend, U of R graduate and former Cougars hockey player. Curtis Kleisinger, Sehgal's long-time friend, U of R graduate and former Cougars hockey player.

"I think what's great about the journey is that you get to impact how people feel about the organization's commitment to the city and commitment to creating a team that people want to cheer for and support. We were able to do that and we were able to celebrate these great moments that we've had," she says.

"We won the World Series in a year that Houston had one of its most tragic experiences because of Hurricane Harvey. The fact that the Houston Astros could bring hope and joy to people when they needed it the most was pretty great. The great thing about working for a professional sports organization is it's in their DNA to give back to the community. And so, you have this opportunity to really make an impact in the community because you're tied to a sports organization."

Sehgal, who has spent more than 25 years in strategic marketing functions, describes herself as a curious, life-long learner. (Photo courtesy of Anita Sehgal.)

Kleisinger notes how important it has always been for Sehgal to give back, whether it's helping Houston through Hurricane Harvey or being there for underprivileged youth through the Boys and Girls Club of Houston. She even does what she can from afar to support Regina organizations, such as Mother Teresa Middle School, which serves youth in Grades 6 to 8 living in poverty.

As the school director, Kleisinger has witnessed the positive impact of her financial support and equipment donations for the school over the past ten years. He notes, "She never forgets where she came from. She shares. She allows people to share in her success."

"I just feel very honoured that I had an opportunity to help. I will always want to make sure that, no matter what happens in life, I get a chance to continue to give back to the place I grew up in and where my family is," says Sehgal.

"I grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, and I never imagined that I would have some of the job opportunities that I did, but I feel very fortunate that I have.  I've had some great coaches and mentors, and hopefully, I can make a difference as well."

Sometimes Saskatchewan values are what draws people to the province - even when they have no idea just how a chance connection could change their lives.

Growing up in California, former Cougars women's basketball player Sidney Dobner never imagined she would be a student-athlete in Saskatchewan, let alone coach in the National Basketball Association. (Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Bucks.) Growing up in California, former Cougars women's basketball player Sidney Dobner never imagined she would be a student-athlete in Saskatchewan, let alone coach in the National Basketball Association. (Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Bucks.)

Growing up and spending her first college years playing basketball in California, Sidney Dobner never dreamed she would end up living in Saskatchewan or coaching in the National Basketball Association (NBA). And yet one opportunity made the other entirely possible, in a roundabout way.

"At the end of the day I'm just lucky that I'm doing something that I love. For me, it's coaching in the NBA that's my dream. It doesn't feel like work," says Dobner from Milwaukee, where she is currently a video assistant and player development coach with the Bucks. She spends her days on the court with the players, putting them through drills, guarding, rebounding and helping them improve.

The rest of her time is spent in the video room, analyzing pre- and post-game film, pulling clips and feeding the assistant and head coaches with information regarding the offensive game.

Her journey goes back to 2012 and the day she met up with a friend from high school, Michelle Clark. Clark had spent the previous season playing with the U of R Cougars women's basketball team, and connected Dobner with Cougars head coach Dave Taylor, who was looking for a point guard.

Dobner was injured at the time but flew to Regina to play in an exhibition tournament.

"You could see she just loved the game," Taylor says. "She was a great player and played with tremendous energy."

Her energy and enthusiasm for basketball led her through the next four seasons with the Cougars. She spent her first year red-shirting because of eligibility rules, and then five games into the following season she tore her ACL. The tear led to a fractured tibia, which meant another season on the bench.

"Finally, the next season, I was able to step on the floor with my giant knee brace and it was such a relief to get out there.

Dave Taylor, Cougars women's basketball head coach, had the pleasure of coaching Dobner for three and a half years. Dave Taylor, Cougars women's basketball head coach, had the pleasure of coaching Dobner for three and a half years.

The game really slowed down for me, because I was able to learn so much on the sidelines," she says. "I took so much of that time sitting out just watching game film because that was all I could do, that it became like a habit just watching every game, not just me but everybody else. And for me that progressed, at least on the coaching side of things, my career tremendously."

Her energy and enthusiasm for basketball led her through the next four seasons with the Cougars. She spent her first year red-shirting because of eligibility rules, and then five games into the following season she tore her ACL. The tear led to a fractured tibia, which meant another season on the bench.

"Finally, the next season, I was able to step on the floor with my giant knee brace and it was such a relief to get out there. The game really slowed down for me, because I was able to learn so much on the sidelines," she says. "I took so much of that time sitting out just watching game film because that was all I could do, that it became like a habit just watching every game, not just me but everybody else. And for me that progressed, at least on the coaching side of things, my career tremendously."

Dobner wore number 13 during her tenure with the Cougars. (Photo courtesy of U of R Athletics.) Dobner wore number 13 during her tenure with the Cougars. (Photo courtesy of U of R Athletics.)

Taylor says Dobner naturally took on the role of mentor and player-coach during her years with the Cougars, especially when she couldn't be on the court. He says that, looking back, Dobner seemed to already know where her future was heading with the amount of time she spent watching video.

"She was almost like one of the coaching staff and then it was great because players would come off and she talked to them and she really understood. Obviously, she always wanted to get back on the floor," Taylor says. "Whenever she was on the floor, she helped us even more. It also just gave her a look at another side of the game - just looking at it strictly from a coaching-type perspective instead of just on the floor."

When Dobner finished playing with the Cougars, she played professionally for a year in the Netherlands with the FSG Royal Eagles. It was a young, rebuilding team and once again Dobner found herself in the role of mentor. When she fractured her heel at the end of the season, she decided to take the assistant coach position at Cal Lutheran University her college coach back in California offered to her. She simultaneously coached youth basketball for a team run by Don MacLean, a former NBA player. He invited her to help on the court at a pre-draft NBA camp with Creative Artists Agency. The next summer she was invited back to Pro Day, which is when NBA general managers, coaches and scouts come to watch the players.

"I was out there on the court, doing the normal workout, passing, rebounding," Dobner says. "The workout ended and I was packing up my stuff when these guys walked over to me. They asked me who I was and would I ever be interested in working in the NBA. I was thinking to myself, 'This can't be real.' "

After a few weeks, she was invited to fly out to Milwaukee to put some of the Bucks through a workout.

"The next thing I knew I was signed up to join the NBA G league (the NBA's official minor league) as an assistant video coordinator a month later, with no experience in video coordinating. Then I worked my way up from there within different roles to where I'm at right now. It's been an exhausting role, but I love it."

Taylor feels she was recognized by the NBA because she is passionate, committed and talented. "That's typical Sid - everything she does, she just goes all in. She does it as well as she possibly can."

What's next for Dobner? To keep climbing and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes her way.

"My goal is to keep moving forward," she says. "At the end of the day, I really just want to be a part of a program where the players get better and they are able to win a championship with, hopefully, my help."

In 2020, former U of R Cougars star Jaycee Magwood signed to play for MODO in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. MODO is one of 10 teams in the Svenska damhockeyligan league, the top level of women's hockey in Sweden. (Photo by Mats Bekkevold.) In 2020, former U of R Cougars star Jaycee Magwood signed to play for MODO in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. MODO is one of 10 teams in the Svenska damhockeyligan league, the top level of women's hockey in Sweden. (Photo by Mats Bekkevold.)

Pursuing her passion also led Jaycee Magwood BKin'20 to Saskatchewan, although Killarney, Manitoba, is not quite as far away as California. Magwood joined the University of Regina women's hockey program in 2015.

After spending her younger years playing recreational hockey with some friendly competition from her twin brother, she played Midget AAA for five years and then decided to join the Cougars to continue her hockey career.

"I thought it would be a really good fit for me both academically and hockey-wise," Magwood says.

Sarah Hodges, head coach of the Cougars women's hockey team, said the Cougars were lucky to have Magwood come to them and contribute so heavily over her five years with the team.

Like many women playing hockey, Magwood at first assumed that her playing career would be over after university. But then another opportunity arose. Finnish-born Venla Hovi, first a player and later an assistant coach with the University of Manitoba Bisons, reached out to Magwood in her fifth season, offering to help her find a team to play for in Europe.

Sarah Hodges, head coach of the Cougars women's hockey team, says the team was fortuante to have Magwood contribute so heavily over her five years. Sarah Hodges, head coach of the Cougars women's hockey team, says the team was fortuante to have Magwood contribute so heavily over her five years.

"I don't know if I would be playing over here if it wasn't for her," says Magwood from her current home in northern Sweden, where she just finished her first season with MODO Hockey in the Svenska damhockeyligan league.

The U of R Cougars certainly prepared her for professional hockey. Magwood says the schedule isn't quite as intense as balancing university classes and hockey.

"It's pretty much just hockey," she says. "We have off-ice strength and conditioning training Monday through Thursday, along with morning skill sessions and then team practices in the afternoon. On the weekends, we usually play two or three games."

While this season was a bit different without fans in the stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Magwood says the media coverage is exceptional and they receive quite a bit of support. She hopes to return next season and continue her career in the league which has quite a high level of play. "There are players from the national teams over here in Europe," she says. "Very, very skilled players who lead their national teams."

: Magwood is one of just three players in Cougars women's hockey history to score 100 points or more. She was a three-time recipient of Canada West second-team all-star honours, named to the CIS All-Rookie Team year and finished with 48 goals and 53 assists. : Magwood is one of just three players in Cougars women's hockey history to score 100 points or more. She was a three-time recipient of Canada West second-team all-star honours, named to the CIS All-Rookie Team year and finished with 48 goals and 53 assists.

Hodges can see how Magwood would fit in. In her opinion, "The hockey ability is there. She has some things that not all players have. She has the offensive abilities and her ability to score."

Playing in Sweden has also caused Magwood to think about her future in hockey beyond playing. "I always thought coaching would be a really cool avenue to continue being involved in the sport," she says.

"There are so many opportunities to be able to stay involved in the game. That's definitely something I'm more interested in now than I think I've ever been."

Hodges can see how Magwood would fit in. In her opinion, "The hockey ability is there. She has some things that not all players have. She has the offensive abilities and her ability to score."

Playing in Sweden has also caused Magwood to think about her future in hockey beyond playing. "I always thought coaching would be a really cool avenue to continue being involved in the sport," she says. "There are so many opportunities to be able to stay involved in the game. That's definitely something I'm more interested in now than I think I've ever been."

Magwood may very well become a coach one day. The one thing all three of these women have proven is that anything is possible when you have the drive to succeed, a relentless work ethic, a willingness to take advantage of new opportunities and a strong support system.  

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