UNIVERSITY OF REGINA ALUMNI MAGAZINE SPRING 2004 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1 TheThe writewrite stuffstuff GradsGrads likelike KenKen MitchellMitchell areare writingwriting theirtheir ownown storiesstories ofof successsuccess HomeHome sweetsweet homehome StudentStudent residenceresidence –– moremore thanthan justjust aa placeplace toto hanghang youryour hathat Saskatchewan Roughrider Shares The Riders are as much a part of who you are as the U of R degree on your wall. Now you can own a piece of that pride. Introducing Rider Shares, a way to let your voice be heard and ensure the Riders remain Canada’s team now and well into the future. Each Shareholder receives a personalized and numbered, 11x14 Share Certificate – the perfect complement to your U of R degree. IT’S YOUR TEAM. Let your voice be heard and help take Canada’s team well into the future. 1-888-4-RIDERS (1-888-474-3377) www.RiderShares.com Available at Editor University of Regina Greg Campbell ’85, ’95 Alumni Magazine Editorial Advisors Spring 2004 Lisa King ’95 Volume 16, Number 1 Anita McLennan ’96 Barbara Pollock ’75, ’77 Shane Reoch ’97 Therese Stecyk ’84 Alumni Association Board 2003-04 Matt Hanson ’94, ’97 President Shane Reoch ’97 Past-President Lisa King ’95 First V-P Debra Clark ’96 Second V-P FEATURES Brian Munro ’96 V-P Finance 6 Home sweet home Sabrina Cataldo ’97, ’99, ’01 Donna Easto ’90 Life in residence offers students a unique educational experience. Loni Kaufmann ’95 Mary Klassen ’84 Anita McLennan ’96 10 The write stuff Michael Tomka ’96 Meet five grads making their mark in the literary world. Contributors Bill Armstrong B. D. Miller BA(Hons)’89, BJ’95 27 Last Word 6 Cathie Williams Reminiscing about residence The Third Degree is published twice a year by University Relations at the University of Regina. The magazine is mailed to alumni and friends of the University. Ideas and opinions published in The Third Degree do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, the Alumni Association or the DEPARTMENTS University of Regina. Letters and editorial con- tributions are welcome. Advertising inquiries are invited. 2 University News To Reach Us: Editorial/Advertising/Letters 14 Alumni Update The Third Degree, University Relations AdHum 435, University of Regina 3737 Wascana Parkway Regina, SK, S4S 0A2 24 Time Goes By Ph: (306)585-4402 Fax: (306)585-4997 E-mail: [email protected] Address Change/Alumni Services University Relations AdHum 435, University of Regina 3737 Wascana Parkway Regina, SK, S4S 0A2 10 Ph: (306)585-4112 Fax: (306)585-4997 E-mail: [email protected] Toll-free: 1-877-779-4723(GRAD) (in Canada and U.S.) University of Regina Home Page http://www.uregina.ca On the cover: Following the road less travelled – acclaimed novelist and playwright Ken Mitchell is just one of the U of R Publication Mail Agreement Number 40065347 graduates to choose a career in writing. Return undeliverable magazines to: University Relations Photo: Audio/Visual Services 27 AdHum 435, University of Regina 3737 Wascana Parkway Regina, SK, S4S 0A2 Spring 2004 THE THIRD DEGREE 1 ISSN 0843-7092 WHAT’S NEW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF REGINA Family Campaign exceeds Board and retirees. Members of the 2005 Artwork to adorn new Canada Games family also donated to the $1.5 million campaign. buildings Co-chairs Bonnie Jackson, a staff The University's internal fundraising member of the Faculty of Kinesiology and effort, the Family Campaign, wrapped up Health Studies, and Mark Brigham, a in spectacular fashion on November 3, faculty member of the Department of 2003 as organizers announced campaign Biology, characterized the fundraising contributions reaching $1,511,518. The effort as an overwhelming success. The total, which continues to grow, is more pair also expressed their gratitude to all than twice the goal set when the campaign contributors and reiterated that the was launched last April. fundraising milestone could not have been The Family Campaign is part of the achieved without the efforts of the more Building Dreams and Futures Campaign, a than 100 volunteers who helped out with major fundraising effort that will provide the campaign. student support, faculty research, and funding for the new Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport currently in the final The Princess Royal to (L to R) Artists Jennifer Hamilton, Tammi stages of construction on the U of R Campbell and Lorne Beug will create campus. Additional revenue from the receive honorary degree permanent art installations in the University's new student residence building and the Centre The University of Regina will confer an for Kinesiology, Health and Sport. honorary doctor of laws degree on Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in a The artwork of Lorne Beug BA’69, Tammi special convocation ceremony June 6. Campbell and Jennifer Hamilton, will be a The honorary degree – the first ever permanent part of two new buildings on conferred on a member of the Royal the University of Regina campus. The Family by a Saskatchewan university, and three Saskatchewan artists have been the first received by The Princess Royal in commissioned to create art installations as Canada – recognizes her distinguished permanent features in the new student charitable work around the world. residence building and the Centre for The Princess Royal, known as Princess Kinesiology, Health and Sport (CKHS). Anne until she received her title from The Beug, whose work is featured in the Dr. Queen in June 1987, is the only daughter William Riddell Centre, will install three There was plenty to cheer about at the Nov. 3 finale of The Queen and The Duke of terrazzo lenses in the concourse floor of of the Family Campaign as organizers announced Edinburgh. She is well known in her role the new residence building. Each lens has more than $1.5 million in contributions. as the working president of the Save the a diameter of about three metres. The Children Fund since 1970, and has lenses are titled Sunflower and Bee, campaign will be allocated to the developed great insight into the needs of Snowflake, and Turning Leaf. Two will be University's emerging priorities and a children worldwide. This has led her to placed in the north concourse, with the portion fulfils the University's commitment develop a wide range of charitable third in the south concourse. as a partner in the 2005 Canada Summer appointments, to which she devotes a Campbell's glass etchings of running Games. large part of her working life. figures will be installed in the second floor The Family Campaign is directed to Honorary degrees are conferred by the glass balustrade around the inside of the those most closely associated with the University, on approval by Senate and running track in the CKHS, giving the University: faculty, staff, Board of faculty Council of a recommendation from impression of a slow moving picture. The Governors, Senate, Alumni Association a joint committee. work of Eadweard Muybridge, a pioneer 2 THE THIRD DEGREE Spring 2004 photographer of the moving image, influenced the n April 8 the University and the concept. Francophone community celebrated Hamilton's original ceramic floor design will be O the culmination of years of effort installed in the main concourse area of the CKHS. The with the official opening of the Institut design embodies the spirit of the facility, representing a français, a unique French post-secondary education centre that offers language, game plan or strategy that could be applied to any cultural, and social programs at the number of the athletic events that will take place in the University of Regina. I am particularly building. Work on the new buildings will be completed proud of the excellent relationship this August. The artistic installations will be unveiled at established between the University and the official opening of the buildings following the the Francophone community of completion of construction. Saskatchewan as the Institut français has developed. Together we have met major challenges and, in doing so, have Visualization software wins second strengthened the connections between the University and community. annual Award of Innovation The University is strongly committed to supporting and expanding the effective use of Canada's University of Regina engineering professor Luigi two official languages. In addition to the Institut français, Benedicenti and Jeffrey Mahovsky BASc’99, CCSc’99, this commitment is evident in the work of the French MASc’01, a former U of R student who is currently a Department in the Faculty of Arts, as well as in the Faculty PhD candidate at the University of Calgary, are the of Education's Baccaulauréat en éducation program which is recipients of the second annual Award of Innovation tailored to meet the needs of students wishing to teach in presented at the Regina Chamber of Commerce's Francophone and French immersion schools. Canada's two official languages are important to Paragon Awards banquet on April 1. Message Canadians. The establishment of the Institut français and Benedicenti and Mahovsky won the award for their the ongoing work of our colleagues in the Department of Distributed Visualization System (DVS) software which French and Faculty of Education demonstrate that converts data into visual forms. The software was first supporting both official languages is, and will continue to developed while Mahovsky was a master's student in be, important to the University of Regina. engineering. Benedicenti, who leads the project to The Centre for Research and Information on Canada develop DVS's commercial potential, says it can be (CRIC) has just published Bilingualism: Part of Our Past or applied to a wide variety of applications from simulating Part of Our Future?, a report on Canadian attitudes on and modeling of geological sites (for petroleum reservoir bilingualism.