Jan. 3, 2020
Top news stories of 2019
Demystifying Concussions 101. It鈥檚 a fitting if not official name for the free massive open online course, or MOOC, offered by the Faculty of Kinesiology at the 荔枝视频 in April of 2019, in partnership with the Universit茅 Laval.
The MOOC was open to anyone concerned about concussion. And plenty of people are concerned. One in five Canadians will report a sport-related concussion in their lifetime and one in 10 youth sustain a sport-related concussion each year.
The response to the MOOC: 8,591 participants signed up. And the article announcing the concussion MOOC led the list of the most-read U荔枝视频 News articles published in 2019.
The university-level, non-credit course provided leading-edge insights on how to prevent, detect and manage traumatic brain injury. Participants interacted with Dr. Kathryn Schneider, PhD, course instructor and assistant professor in the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre. They also watched videos from a variety of leading experts in their fields, many of whose research helped shape the International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport.
Among those taking the MOOC were parents, teachers, coaches, health-care professionals, school administrators, and patients across the country. And of course, students across multiple disciplines at the 荔枝视频.
Stay tuned. The next iteration of the course is scheduled to run in the winter of 2020. The course will be updated prior to each iteration, reflecting the most recent, evidence-informed practices.
Here are nine more top stories about news at the 荔枝视频 in 2019.
Students tour the W.A. Ranches property.
January: W.A. Ranches throws open its gates to first class of students
First-year students in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine made university history as they hopped on a yellow school bus to get to their new classroom at the sprawling W.A. Ranches near Cochrane. The 19,000-acre, $44-million, 1,000-head cattle ranch, gifted to the university by J.C. (Jack) Anderson and his daughter Wynne Chisholm, will help teach students about beef cattle production and also be the site of cattle health and welfare research.
Barry Munro, Ed McCauley, and Naheed Nenshi announce $8.5 million in funding.
February: Local, federal governments inject millions to stimulate economic diversification
The City of 荔枝视频 announced the university will receive $8.5 million in funding to support specialized programming for entrepreneurs and early-stage companies working in the new Life Sciences Innovation Hub at Research Park. The infusion of support, under the city鈥檚 Opportunity 荔枝视频 Investment Fund, is designed to drive economic benefits for the 荔枝视频 region, create high-quality jobs, advance innovation, and benefit society. 鈥淲hether we are investigating the human microbiome or cultivating best practices in production animal health, the university is leading the way in diversifying 荔枝视频鈥檚 economy, driving innovation and advancing the emerging life sciences sector through discoveries that benefit 荔枝视频 and Alberta,鈥 said U荔枝视频 President Ed McCauley.
In another investment of funding, Western Economic Diversification Canada announced a total of $7.2 million targeted at U荔枝视频 initiatives to foster innovation and help diversify 荔枝视频鈥檚 economy. The funding includes $3.1 million for the Life Sciences Innovation Hub, $1.1 million for the W21C Digital Health Innovation Hub, $2 million for Alberta Precision Exchange, and $1 million for the Creative Destruction Lab 鈥 Rockies.
荔枝视频 alumnus Rob Peters, and his son Brennan Peters, a U荔枝视频 student.
March: Haskayne's Mathison Hall project gets a boost from Peters family
荔枝视频-based investment firm Peters & Co. Limited has been instrumental in the growth of Canada鈥檚 energy industry since the company opened its doors in downtown 荔枝视频 in 1971. In March, the company鈥檚 co-founder, Rob Peters, turned his attention to future generations of business leaders with a $5 million gift from his family to the Haskayne Capital Expansion Project. The expansion, announced a year earlier, will result in construction of Mathison Hall, a second building for the Haskayne School of Business, as well as renovations to Scurfield Hall.
Former associate dean Raffin Bouchal with Nursing's Leda Stawnychko and Sandra Davidson.
March: Canada鈥檚 first master鈥檚 program for busy health professionals
Nurses and other health-care professionals have new opportunities to enrol in graduate education, thanks to a Teaching and learning take place via a blended online delivery model. Stackable one-year certificates can be taken as stand-alone credentials or they can be combined toward a master鈥檚 degree in three years of part-time study. 鈥淲e are launching the program after extensive consultations with our community partners, who remind us there is a serious shortage of nurses prepared at the graduate level in the province,鈥 said Dr. Shelley Raffin Bouchal, PhD, former associate dean. The four streams started in the fall of 2019 included Addiction and Mental Health, Contemporary Topics in Aging, Innovations in Teaching and Learning, and Leadership for Health System Transformation.
City Building Design Lab satellite campus opens in the heart of downtown.
April: School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape deepens ties with downtown
The newly named School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape an innovative research hub in downtown 荔枝视频. Now bustling with students occupying the main floor and basement of the former Central Library, the design lab was made possible through an investment of $1.5 million by 荔枝视频 Municipal Land Corporation over the next five years. supporting students as they embrace entrepreneurial thinking, smart-city technologies, and inventive planning in the built environment. 鈥淐ities are the nexus of change, and great cities have great schools of architecture,鈥 said Dean John Brown. 鈥淎 stronger connection to downtown is vital to be engaged in economic development. It鈥檚 where we need to be to create a more equitable and resilient future.鈥
The "bones" of the structure were largely kept intact, significantly reducing construction waste.
August: Main campus welcomes first net-zero carbon building
Excitement was brimming as the first occupants moved into their new work spaces at the revitalized, net-zero carbon MacKimmie Tower. Unlike any other building on campus, MacKimmie Tower鈥檚 double-skin exterior will respond to changing weather, working with mechanical systems to minimize energy use and optimize the internal temperature, daylight and air quality. Occupants of the tower will include the Office of the Registrar 鈥 Enrolment Services, Faculty of Social Work, 荔枝视频 International, Office of Institutional Analysis, Finance, Information Technologies, and the Office of Advancement.
President Ed McCauley
September: New president shares his perspectives on how a city and campus can thrive together
Following his installation in April as our new president, Dr. McCauley the deepening ties between U荔枝视频 and the wider community, and the critical role played by knowledge ecosystems in propelling students to success. 鈥淲e want to ensure that the new knowledge that is created here benefits society and that we translate those advances as quickly as possible so that society gains from those discoveries.鈥
Glenbow Western Research Centre on the second floor, Taylor Family Digital Library.
October: Glenbow Western Research Centre opens on main campus
Glenbow Library and Archives, the paramount collection documenting the history of Western Canada, has a new access point: the 荔枝视频. Relocated from downtown 荔枝视频 to the second floor of the Taylor Family Digital Library, the new centre offers a spacious reading room for the campus community and members of the public, staffed by experts from the university鈥檚 Archives and Special Collections. The facility is built on the generosity of community members; in addition to the founding support of Bill Siebens, O.C., and his family, whose early involvement was integral to the creation of the centre, the Taylor Family Foundation committed $10 million.
U荔枝视频 saw a positive trend in the annual ranking.
October: U荔枝视频 ranked in Top 10 nationally by Maclean鈥檚
In Maclean鈥檚 2020 university rankings, the 荔枝视频 ranked 9th overall in the Top Medical / Doctoral category, up from 11th place a year earlier. This category includes universities that offer a broad range of research and PhD programs, and have medical schools. In other rankings, U荔枝视频 remained in the No. 6 position in Canada鈥檚 Top 50 Research Universities 2019 based on sponsored research income, according to Re$earch Infosource Inc. And U荔枝视频 ranked as number one in Canada and 25th among the world鈥檚 best, in the Times Higher Education鈥檚 Young University Rankings 2019: Golden Age Universities (between 50 and 80 years old).
President McCauley leads the budget town hall.
November: Budget impacts explained
As a result of significant budget cuts by the Alberta government, the university began the difficult process of finding ways to President McCauley and Vice-President (Finance and Services) Linda Dalgetty explained that budget decisions will be guided by the Eyes High 2017-22 Strategy, the Academic and Research Plans, and the university鈥檚 priorities, while ensuring our commitment to providing a rich teaching, learning and research environment.
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