News Shorts: Name changes at registrar’s office

Name changes at registrar’s office

The provost and vice-president (academic) has approved an official name change of the Office of the Registrar and Student Awards to Office of the Registrar, effective immediately. The suggestion to change the official name originated from registrar’s office staff, including the Student Awards Unit themselves, as there are a number of units in the office that are equal in operational/administrative stature and the name was deemed exclusionary and not adequately descriptive. The impact of the name change is considered minimal, and there are no changes to the organizational structure of the office. Further, the web address for the registrar’s office is no longer www.registrar.ualberta.ca; instead, it is www.registrarsoffice.ualberta.ca. Web traffic will be directed from the original site to the new domain name until July 2012, but documentation should reflect the new name.

Program wins national access to information award

The University of Alberta’s Information Access and Protection of Privacy program has won the inaugural Grace Pepin award, given by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, for exhibiting “an exceptional contribution to the promotion and support of the principles of transparency, accountability and the public’s right to access information held by public institutions.”
Since its inception in April 2000, the program, which is offered through the Faculty of Extension, has provided hundreds of students worldwide with the theories, concepts, issues and best practices involved in the proper administration of information rights legislation. Delivered exclusively online, IAPP curriculum is developed and taught by some of the nation’s leading experts in information access and protection of privacy.
“As a faculty, we are very proud of the role we play in bringing together academic expertise with community groups to meet the learning needs of stakeholders,” said Wayne MacDonald, manager of the program, about receiving the award.
Canada Savings Bonds Online E-Campaign
Human Resource Services is participating in the Canada Savings Bonds online E-Campaign, a secure online environment that allows monthly paid staff to sign up for the Canada Savings Bonds payroll deduction or make changes to existing plans. Monthly paid staff will be able to access the E-Campaign site from Oct. 3 to Oct. 31. For more information or to register, go to https://www.e-campaign.csb.gc.ca.

Rehabilitation medicine research awards announced

This year’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine research awards go to Greg Kawchuk and Marilyn Langevin, research stars at the faculty who continue to “poke and pry” with a purpose.
Kawchuk received the inaugural Excellence in Mentoring Research Students Award for his dedication to his students and their research careers. The associate professor in physical therapy has been described as “a world-class researcher with high productivity and great innovation.” He holds a Canada Research Chair in Spinal Function and is an expert on spinal disorders (back pain). He is involved in developing new technologies to assess spinal structure and function. These technologies are then used to evaluate various clinical interventions.
Langevin is the inaugural recipient of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine Excellence in Research Award. The assistant professor in speech pathology and audiology has published several papers (nine in the past five years) on stuttering and the psychological, emotional and social impact of stuttering on young children.

Golden Bear helps Canada to 4th at lifesaving games

University of Alberta business student and Golden Bears swimmer Ian Leitch helped Canadian athletes to a fourth-place finish at 2011 RLSS Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships last week in Durban, South Africa.
Leitch placed fourth in the 200-metre obstacle swim, third in 100-metre tow with fins and helped the men’s 200-metre obstacle relay team to a fifth-place finish. He also participated in the men’s 200-metre medley relay.
This is the first Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships since Edmonton hosted the event in 2009. Competitive lifesaving is a sport recognized by the Canada Games Federation and the International Olympic Committee. The Lifesaving Society, Canada’s leading body on lifeguarding, is a charitable organization working to prevent drowning and water-related injury through its training programs, public education, water-incident research, safety management services and lifesaving sport. Annually, more than 800,000 Canadians participate in the society’s swimming, lifesaving, lifeguard and leadership training courses.

Henry Singer Awards

Eleven past recipients, and over 600 retailers, students, and professors, were on hand Oct. 4 to honour Heather Reisman, CEO, of Indigo. Reisman is the founder and CEO of Indigo Books & Music Inc. and Chair of the Board Kobo Inc.
The Henry Singer Award was established at the Alberta School of Business in 1992 to recognize an exceptional leader in the retailing sector and to honour a remarkable individual, the late Henry Singer. The Henry Singer Award recipient is as committed to building their community as they are to building their business.
Retailing awards were also presented to professor Adam Finn, in recognition of more than 20 years of relevant research, and to alumnus Nelson Tonn of Fountain Tire.