Welcome to the website for the Fall/Winter 2022 issue of Degrees.
I would like to take this opportunity to report on a few recent developments that demonstrate the University of Regina’s commitment to enhancing our students’ educational experience while reflecting our motto, “As One Who Serves.”
In early September, the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan launched the U Prairie Challenge, a friendly athletics competition between the province’s two universities.
I was aware of similar competitions between rival colleges in the U.S., and between post-secondary institutes in Canada (including the “Crowchild Classic” contested each year by the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University). When I approached Dr. Peter Stoicheff, the president of the U of S, with the idea of holding our own competition, he whole-heartedly endorsed the challenge.
The annual competition pits each institution’s varsity teams in head-to-head battles for provincial bragging rights. The matchups include competitions between the two universities’ hockey, soccer, basketball, football, cross-country, volleyball, and track and field teams. At stake for each matchup are points that accumulate until the final weekend of competition when our track and field teams compete on February 24 and 25.
"The U Prairie Challenge is doing exactly what we hoped it would do - bring excitement to varsity sports in Saskatchewan, build our fan bases, enhance school spirit, and celebrate the sense of togetherness that varsity sport brings to our institutions."
The U Prairie Challenge “kicked off,” so to speak, on September 2 with a tie between our women’s soccer teams. Another highlight was the September 17 Rams/Huskies football game at Mosaic Stadium, which drew more than 7,000 fans from across the province. It was inspiring to see so many Rams supporters at the game wearing their University of Regina and Rams apparel. For those fans who attended, our players really appreciated your enthusiasm for the home side. The game was unbelievably close, with both teams battling until the final whistle. In the end, the Huskies prevailed by one point – 11-10.
Since then, U of S has jumped out to an early lead in the overall competition. On the weekend of November 11-12, however, the Cougar men’s and women’s basketball teams both swept the Huskies to bring us back into contention for the inaugural U Prairie Challenge title.
The U Prairie Challenge is doing exactly what we hoped it would do - bring excitement to varsity sports in Saskatchewan, build our fan bases, enhance school spirit, and celebrate the sense of togetherness that varsity sport brings to our institutions.
The friendly competition is also an effort to enhance our respective institutions’ student experience – something that is very important to me as President. To that end, I’m proud to announce the launch of two new on-campus centres that are greatly enriching our students’ experience here.
"The centre offers a safe, secure, and supervised environment for students who require appropriate accommodation while writing exams, tests, and quizzes for in-person, for-credit courses."
The first is the November 4 official opening of the Brad Hornung Accommodations Test Centre, located in the College West building of the main campus. The centre offers a safe, secure, and supervised environment for students who require appropriate accommodation while writing exams, tests, and quizzes for in-person, for-credit courses.
I’m especially pleased that this centre is named for a man who, despite suffering a severe spinal cord injury in a 1987 Regina Pats hockey game, demonstrated such quiet tenacity, perseverance, hard work, and a dedication to education as he pursued his degree here.
Brad earned a BA in History from the U of R in 1996 and in 2018 received an honorary doctorate from our institution. While a student at the U of R, Brad would have recognized the need for a centre (like the one that bears his name) to accommodate students with unique testing needs. In fact, his experience here helped pave the way for countless students who came after him. Sadly, Brad passed away from cancer earlier this year, but many of his friends and family members were on hand for the special opening.
"At the U of R we are constantly exploring opportunities such as those I have outlined above to enhance the educational experience of our students and help ensure their success. We are truly dedicated to graduating students that are career-ready, global citizens."
Another recent opening that I’m happy to announce is the November 22 launch of the Centre for Experiential and Service Learning (CESL).
The centre builds upon the experiential learning tradition that the U of R established more than 50 years ago with western Canada’s first co-operative education program.
The CESL serves students by providing work experience opportunities, employment services, career preparation, and volunteer connections that help them build their careers prior to graduation.
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who played a part in launching the new centre, which will serve students and our community for many years to come.
At the U of R we are constantly exploring opportunities such as those I have outlined above to enhance the educational experience of our students and help ensure their success. We are truly dedicated to graduating students that are career-ready, global citizens.
You might say that with these types of initiatives, the University helps our students go far, together.
It is no coincidence, then, that “Go far, together” is the U of R’s new marketing tagline.
It was developed after a comprehensive review and consultative process that involved our partners, stakeholders from across the University, and the community at large.
So what is the meaning behind our new tagline?
Ultimately, the tagline reflects the opportunities that exist at the University of Regina. It reinforces a concept of the value we bring as educators to help students discover their true potential to contribute to positive growth within the province and across the globe.
I trust you will enjoy this issue of Degrees and that as you read the stories of the successes of your fellow graduates, you are reminded of how, in your own way, you are helping all of us “Go far, together.”
Dr. Philip Charrier – Journey
Read More
Spot Light on Justin Fernandez
Read More