The Université de Saint-Boniface Magazine Sous la COUPOLE WINTER 2012-2013 / VOLUME 23 / NUMBER 1 3 Legion of Honour Endowment Fund 4 Top Notch Photographer 10 Portrait of a Community Builder So very proud of our identity A memorable 4th of September A WORD frOM thE PrESIDEnt Raymonde Gagné, USB President Photo taken in USB’s iconic cupola Photo: Dan Harper Remarkable Achievements Across the Board In reading the profiles in this issue of Perhaps it was the recent VISION Sous la coupole, what emerges is the campaign that set the tone for the years to number of spectacular advances made by come, but we have once again surpassed alumni, donors and staff members, each the fundraising objective set for 2011-12. in their respective fields. One is a Building up the endowment fund to offer prominent Winnipeg photographer, attractive shcolarships and bursaries is another was a prominent politician and one of our strategies for bringing in and community builder, and yet another is a keeping promising students at USB. The generous donor and Canadian senator donations we have received from alumni, "We are already working who turned an award she received into a friends and staff are proof of their faith in on a vision that will gift to the USB community. Everything this our performance capacity. issue covers is inspiring in its scope, make sure we stand out drama and importance. I must emphasize that we are seeing these remarkable results thanks to solid in the academic There's never a dull moment at USB these strategic planning. As the current five-year days! The entire institution is riding a wave period is coming to an end, we are already community and in of creative energy seldom seen in its long working on a vision that will make sure we history. After 2011-12 opened with a splash stand out in the academic community Canadian society." with the confirmation of USB's university and in Canadian society. Internal and status in June, the pace did not let up all external consultations have taken place, year. The logical outcome of our name and the Board of Governors should be change was an update of the institution's ready to approve our top priorities in early entire visual identity. Work continued 2013. So let's think big! We have proven throughout the year in preparation for the we can carry out the most daring and adoption of a new public image in the exciting projects. spring. The chosen logo, with its modern and evocative design, was unveiled in a Raymonde Gagné, particularly spectacular ceremony last September, and took our sense of pride to the next level. President Among this year's stunning achievements, our Continuing Education Division, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, has over 5400 student registrations this year, a new record for USB. This most successful Concerned about the environment? department, specializing in language Ask to have the next issues of Sous la coupole instruction, has doubled its staff in the past sent to you by e-mail. Write to ten years. A veritable centre of excellence, [email protected]. You can always the Division continues to expand and reach find Sous la coupole online at ustboniface.ca. out into the community, both in the classroom and through the increasingly popular format of distance education. Senator Maria Chaput Sets up a Legion of Honour Endowment Fund One of this year's highlights is a special project grant fund set up by Manitoba Senator, Maria Chaput. In July 2011, Senator Chaput, a native of Ste. Anne des Chênes in Manitoba, was named Chevalier of France's National Order of the Legion of Honour in recognition of her active contribution to Manitoba – France relations. way to emphasize the close ties between the interest will return to the fund, to hoto P Manitoba and France, and that would ensure growth over time. The senator also continue to build bridges between the two." approached numerous groups and Submitted individuals who are passionate about And so, Maria Chaput set up a fund to French language and culture in Canada. provide grants for Legion of Honour In only a few months, she had raised Projects. Financial aid will be given each nearly $20,000. year to individuals or groups at USB, students, faculty or staff, who are working on projects that stimulate academic relationships between Manitoba and France. Research, culture, history and Financial aid will be given heritage are of particular importance. The project must be innovative and take place each year to individuals or in Manitoba or in France, during the year groups at USB, students, the grant is received. The purpose of the Legion of Honour faculty or staff, who are Project Grants is to bring together working on projects that postsecondary institutions in Canada and Impressed by her efforts to raise France and to foster a sense of linguistic awareness of and to promote Canada's stimulate academic identity. "I believe that exchanges francophone communities, the French between minority francophones from relationships between ambassador to Canada, François Delattre, Canada and francophones from other had her received into the Legion of countries such as France can stimulate our Manitoba and France. Honour. Maria Chaput thus became the young people’s identity development," said first woman from Western Canada to Senator Chaput. "Legion of Honour Project receive France's highest decoration. Grants are a tangible and durable way to "I accepted this prestigious mark of enrich the culture, the consciousness and "I am quite confident we will soon collect esteem on behalf of the whole the experiences of students and faculty the necessary amount," she explained. francophone community," confided and ultimately strengthen Manitoba’s "Several people have been won over by the Ms. Chaput. "Whatever I have been able to Francophonie." idea and are already committed to this achieve, I owe to my community." She project." Individuals and organizations can Where does the funding come from? The immediately sought a way to share the contact USB to contribute to the Legion of money distributed will come from interest honour with others. "Receiving the Legion Honour Fund. generated by an endowed fund of at least of Honour is quite a rare event," she $25,000. It all began with a generous Maria Chaput became the first Franco- explained graciously, "and it would be a donation from the Senator Chaput and Manitoban woman to sit in the Senate of shame if it went unnoticed. What I wanted her husband Louis Bernardin. The rest of Canada when she was appointed in 2002. to do was initiate a permanent, recurring winter 2012-2013 3 ALUMNUS PrOFILE Photo taken near Grand Beach, Manitoba, a relaxing spot for Dan to hone his craft Dan Harper Loves Photography and All Things French Many consider him to be today's top photographer in Winnipeg. This former French immersion student was part of the first graduating class of the Multimedia Communications program at USB's École technique et professionnelle (the community college division). Dan Harper's astonishing story Photography is also a way to show his and eight were Franco-Manitoban. I was is one filled with a talent for discoveries to others. "When I was little, surrounded by a wall of French!" There was multimedia, a passion for we had a shack in B.C. (Dan insists it was no use in speaking English with all those photography and a love of French. not a cottage!) Having grown up on the Europeans who didn't understand a word. Prairies, the 20-foot tides seemed pretty Years later, it is the special projects that Born in 1977, he grew up in the impressive. I showed my pictures to my stand out in his mind. "We had access to Charleswood neighbourhood of friends when I got back from holidays." classrooms and the recording studio south-west Winnipeg. His 24 hours a day. We shot videos on all sorts parents were not French In 1999, after a first diploma from Winnipeg of weird topics." A case in point: at the speakers, but to offer their Technical College, he began the new instigation of Laeticia, a fellow student from children "more opportunities", Multimedia Communications program France, he made a video about Cheddy, they enrolled them in French opening at USB's École technique et a piece of cheese just asking to be eaten. Immersion at school. Dan professionnelle. Why choose a program in studied at Royal School for kindergarten to French in a field where English is grade 6, Charleswood Junior High for everywhere? "There was no grades 7 to 9, and Oak Park High for grades other program as specific and as 10 to 12. Around the age of twelve, he made good in English, even at U of M," off with his mother's camera. "I don't have a recalls Dan. "The first graduating good memory! I have to take pictures to class had twenty students, remember!" he joked. of which eight were from France 4 Sous la COUPOLE click click "I don't have a good memory! I have to take pictures to remember!" After receiving his diploma, he was hired by a graduate of the same program who had set up a company called Flux Créations, and who just happened to be from France (Is it any wonder his wife, Camille, is from Lyon?). A few years later, Dan found himself working for the Web-multimedia team at MF1, a bilingual marketing agency in Winnipeg. During his years at MF1, Dan bought his first digital SLR camera and took on numerous photo contracts.