President’s Note

Concentric circles

In my first Degrees message to alumni as President and Vice-Chancellor of your alma mater, I want to speak about how important alumni are to the University of Regina and, at the same time, how important the University should be to you.

Our alumni connect us to the wider world, both in our immediate community and as a platform to pursue partnerships worldwide. When a university’s relationship with alumni works properly, meaningful, effective partnerships are established. Connecting with people who believe in and are committed to the institution’s success creates a positive impact. As graduates, alumni want to see their university shine; in many ways, the university’s success is a positive reflection on them and the education they received. And, of course, alumni successes in different fields of endeavour reflect positively on a university and the education it provides.

With that in mind, I want to make the University of Regina the place where our alumni want to send their children. I want you to be justifiably proud of the University and inspired to contribute to this amazing institution, city, and province. In short, I want to ensure that all our approximately 80,000 alumni feel and project pride in this place and all that we accomplish together.

So how does this focus on alumni connect with my broader philosophy regarding universities?

I believe wholeheartedly that universities are critically important in connecting with and building capacity in the wider community. I’m convinced that helping build that capacity is a fundamental component of a university’s success in all its endeavours. Those connections enrich research, enhance teaching and learning, and help build partnerships in many other respects.

And you as our alumni are a key aspect of that. From my experience, reaching out and connecting with others enhances a university – bringing its dynamism and possibilities into a wider realm for the benefit of all. That philosophy underlies my approach to the University of Regina’s relationship with alumni. Alumni are critical to the University’s success – and given the work that has been taking place in this regard in recent years, we have tremendous possibilities ahead of us.

The University turns 50 in 2024, so we’re a relatively young institution. That has many advantages in terms of being a progressive and forward-looking university, but it can also be a bit of a disadvantage in the sense that we don’t have the most well-established, multi-generational and engaged base of alumni.

Of our approximately 80,000 alumni, only a small minority are truly and meaningfully involved with the University. This can be a consequence of being a commuter university, one that’s comprehensive in nature, because it can be harder to establish a sense of place for students and eventually alumni at such an institution. This isn’t unusual and it isn’t an insurmountable challenge. We do need to be more active with our alumni, and it can be done.

We need to expand and promote the existing networking possibilities that are important to alumni and can connect them to current students. We need to demonstrate the mutual benefits – and even the fun! – of alumni involvement in University life. We need to better connect our alumni with each other and with the institution as valued parts of the University of Regina family so that you see us as an important part of your social and professional lives.

Expanding this alumni involvement has multiple benefits. It builds recognition, reputation and community awareness of our academic, cultural and social mission. Positive messaging and alumni success stories will bring more students to the University of Regina. This in turn will generate new generations of alumni ambassadors.

In general, the leading universities are the ones that have very active alumni – and that’s no coincidence. For our part, we need to enhance the active relationship between alumni and our University. An important means of doing so is engaging meaningfully with students before they graduate.

There are so many great examples of areas where alumni can get involved and help lead. So my challenge to you – and to myself! – is for us to work together to build on the great foundation we already have. I have accepted the Alumni Association’s kind invitation to be an ex officio member of its Board. In the spirit of our University motto – As One Who Serves – I look forward to working closely with you and with the staff in our Alumni and Community Engagement area to enhance the University’s profile, keep our alumni engaged with the institution and each other, involve our students both before and after graduation, and help find additional ways to closely connect the University with the communities that surround and support us.

Thank you for all you continue to do for your fellow alumni, our current students and the University as a whole. It’s an honour to serve this great University with you.

Dr. Jeff Keshen

President and Vice-Chancellor

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"Join us online"

You see those words on the front cover of this issue of Degrees magazine but what do they mean?

After 33 years, we have decided to move away from the printed version of Degrees magazine. We will now tell the remarkable stories of our University of Regina alumni community via the website and social media.

The University's commitment to sustainability is certainly a key factor in our decision. By eliminating the printed version, we will significantly reduce our carbon footprint.

Printing Degrees magazine required us to use about 6,000 kilograms of paper each year. Each time we published, approximately 40,000 copies had to be shipped from the printer to Canada Post for mailing. Those that were not mailed were transported some 2,700 kilometres by truck to the University. That is not in keeping with our University-wide commitment to sustainability.

The transition allows us to concentrate on our online presence. It means we will be able to bring you all the informative and engaging stories you've come to expect from Degrees and we'll be able to bring them to you more often, and with value-added visual content such as video or photo galleries.

We are excited by the prospect of bringing you enriched content.

While we may no longer be printing the magazine we will continue to bring you stories and shine a brief spotlight on people in our U of R community  who, in their own ways, are making the world a better place every day.

The website, www.degreesmagazine.ca, is now the place to go for the extraordinary stories of the alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends who make up our University community.

You can be sure to be notified of the most recent Degrees website updates if you've shared your primary email address with us.

If you haven't already done so, go to https://alumni.uregina.ca/degrees-subscribe and submit your email address. Or scan the QR Code that appears below. Submitting your email address will ensure you don't miss any of these great stories.  One submission, selected at random, will win an Apple iPad.

 

QR code to subscribe

 

I would like to thank our readers for their loyalty through the years and their understanding as we change with the times. I look forward to sharing more stories through the Degrees website.

So "join us online" is more than just a new way to read these stories, it's an invitation to be part of our University of Regina community that is now more than 80,000 strong and spans the globe.

Greg Campbell BFA'85, BJ'95
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This past November proved a momentous one for Tara Clemett (BAdmin '98), when she was appointed Saskatchewan's Provincial Auditor after serving as Acting Provincial Auditor since July. Originally from a farm near Hodgeville, Saskatchewan, Clemett moved to Regina with her family in 1990, first attending Campbell Collegiate, and then the University of Regina with a major in accounting. Clemett takes on the role of Saskatchewan's Provincial Auditor with a breadth of experience that spans more than 20 years of audits in areas including financial, performance, IT, healthcare, child welfare advocacy, and the environment. Her busy schedule also includes an active involvement with advisory groups under the Canadian Council of Legislative Auditors - and when she's not doing that, she can often be found either on or near the ice, coaching ringette. Degrees chatted with Ms. Clemett about teamwork, zebra mussels, and why she loves what she does.

As Provincial Auditor, you're responsible for keeping a close eye on how Saskatchewan's public resources are managed and used. What draws you to this type of work?

I have always liked working with numbers, collaborating with people, and being part of a team. I truly believe the work we do at the Office of the Provincial Auditor makes a difference for the people of Saskatchewan. I have participated in various audits at our office that have had a positive impact on improving public administration. Some audits that come to mind include processes around aquatic invasive species, portable computing devices, and mental health services.

Aquatic invasive species?

We conducted an audit at the Ministry of Environment, looking at their processes to prevent the entry and spread of aquatic invasive species in Saskatchewan. Obviously there are other jurisdictions where there are zebra mussels, and other aquatic invasive species that have ended up in their lakes. So if someone is transporting their boats between those lakes and they come to a lake in Saskatchewan, there should be a mechanism that, hopefully, ensures that they've cleaned their boat appropriately.

"When I was choosing universities, I knew I wanted to study in Saskatchewan. I thought the University of Regina's Faculty of Business Administration had great professors and was a strong program, so it just made sense to stay in Regina."

We made a number of recommendations including the need for more awareness around the role the public plays in making sure they prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in our province. I like camping, and we have boat, so when we see the signs everywhere now that say "clean, drain, and dry your boat", I felt like our office ultimately had a role to play in increasing some of that understanding and awareness.

What do you wish more people knew about this job?

That the job is about more than just numbers - it's about maintaining strong relationships and providing relevant audit results and recommendations in our public reports. Along with financial audits we also conduct performance audits. We provide our recommendations to the Standing Committees on Public Accounts and Crown and Central Agencies, and we follow up on these recommendations until they are implemented by government agencies and publicly report on progress as we follow-up.  And then we keep following up - we go back every two to three years and we determine whether the government agency fixed and addressed whatever we identified as deficiencies or deviations.

How do you feel your time at the University of Regina prepared you for your professional life?

My time at the University of Regina taught me effective communication skills, to manage multiple competing priorities, and to be accountable for my work. I became self-motivated and driven to make the most of my opportunities from attending university. The University of Regina equipped me with skills to assess, apply my knowledge, and act in my future career. Ultimately, my university experience helped me realize I was responsible for my own success.

It's also your hometown school - was that of particular appeal when you were deciding where to go for university?   

I wanted to stay close to home to some degree. When I was choosing universities, I knew I wanted to study in Saskatchewan. I thought the University of Regina's Faculty of Business Administration had great professors and was a strong program, so it just made sense to stay in Regina.

Also, my involvement in ringette kept me connected to Regina. I really appreciated the opportunity to still be around my friends, have my family support me, be able to play ringette in Regina - and go to university at the same time. I just felt very connected to Regina, so it made sense to stay here.

Originally from a farm near Hodgeville, Saskatchewan, Clemett moved to Regina with her family in 1990, first attending Campbell Collegiate, and then the University of Regina with a major in accounting. Originally from a farm near Hodgeville, Saskatchewan, Clemett moved to Regina with her family in 1990, first attending Campbell Collegiate, and then the University of Regina with a major in accounting. And you're still involved with ringette - now as a coach. As a young person, you represented Saskatchewan at nine Canadian Ringette Championships, bringing home four medals.
When did you start playing?

I actually started figure skating first, at age three or four, and then when I was 10-years-old, I started begging my dad to play hockey, and then he actually started (a ringette team) in Hodgeville, where we lived. I started playing competitive ringette as we moved to Regina and played for 13 years. I started playing again when I was 40, played for four more years, until COVID hit, and then I retired. I still go on the ice and help out with coaching. I'm currently a Board member on Ringette Saskatchewan and a coach, and have coached both my daughters in ringette for the past nine years.

Ringette seems like a really tough game. What kind of training does that provide?

It's not as physical as hockey - or it's not supposed to be (laughs). It's supposed to have less contact. It's different - you have to be able to skate, and then a lot of the strategies of the game that really parallel to basketball. I loved the competition and the teamwork - and that you had to find your role. It was all about being accountable for yourself and understanding what your strengths were, and utilizing them on whatever team you're on.

What advice would you have liked to have received as a young graduate, starting a career?

Do something you are passionate about. Be a team player. Say yes to things that scare you. Keep learning - think of yourself as lifelong learner. I continue to learn something new every year I work at this office.

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