The U of S College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR) has agreed to six memorandums of understanding (MOUs) that will provide graduate study opportunities for 20 PhD students.

The University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors has approved the master plan for College Quarter, a mixed-use development that will eventually include student residences and academic facilities in a vibrant neighbourhood setting.

Encompassing about 145 acres south of the main campus, College Quarter could potentially accommodate up to 3,000 new student residence beds situated among sports facilities, shops, restaurants, cafés, bookstores, grocery stores, offices, clinics, cultural destinations and green spaces. With the initial plan approved, the university will now embark on extensive community-wide consultation, with the City of Saskatoon engaged to help establish appropriate zoning for the mixed-use village.

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/12/university_of_s_78.html

The names of companies on the prairie agricultural scene once contained words like wheat pool and co-op. Today, those names are more likely to end in “Inc.”

What has happened to the agricultural co-ops that once served farmers in Canada and the United States? A new book, Cooperative Conversions, Failures and Restructurings, published by the University of Saskatchewan-based Knowledge Impact in Society (KIS) project, provides research findings that may have an impact on how today’s co-operatives make decisions.

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/12/new_book_coedit.html

University of Saskatchewan (U of S) researchers have been awarded a total of more than $1.46 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) in support of 16 wide-ranging projects that could advance treatment for diseases such as diabetes and asthma, boost food production and industry competitiveness, and improve processes for water treatment and nuclear waste disposal.

“These outstanding U of S researchers have successfully met the CFI’s world-class standards for innovative research that will benefit our health, the economy, and our environment,” said U of S Acting Vice-President of Research Karen Chad.

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/12/u_of_s_awarded_26.html

As part of the university’s commitment to manage enrolment numbers and deliver quality programming throughout the province, a new project has been started in the Office of the Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning to improve distance education.

Bob Cram, director of the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education (CCDE), is leading the off-campus and distributive learning (OCDL) project that will address one of the 12 priority areas within the enrolment action plan to increase and improve OCDL.

“The reason for this project is the university being receptive to the needs and expectations of students in professional graduate programs, those upgrading education and those people who simply don’t want to move away from their homes,” said Cram.

Read more - http://www.usask.ca/communications/ocn/09-nov-27/10.php

A University of Saskatchewan researcher will play a key role in a new $19.5-million nation-wide study of children’s brain development, leading efforts to raise public awareness of childhood brain disorders and helping to put the latest research knowledge into practice.

The NeuroDeveNet project, funded by the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) and based at the University of British Columbia, will focus initially on autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and cerebral palsy. More than 70 researchers from a wide range of disciplines will explore how the brain develops, how to detect abnormalities, and how to repair the damaged brain.

With $1 million from the NCE over five years, U of S early childhood expert Nazeem Muhajarine will lead a team that will share with Canada’s health care professionals, researchers, affected families, and the general public the best research and evidence on ways to identify, treat, and prevent brain disorders in children.

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/12/u_of_s_particip_1.html

The University of Saskatchewan’s Board of Governors has approved the appointment of Dr. Douglas Freeman as the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s (WCVM) new dean.

Freeman, who begins his five-year term on March 1, 2010, will become the regional veterinary college’s sixth dean in its 45-year history. He will replace Dr. Charles Rhodes, the WCVM’s dean since 2002. Rhodes is retiring after 39 years of service with the college.

“Dr. Freeman’s broad experience, his approachable personality and his collaborative manner will make an excellent fit with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Saskatchewan,” said Brett Fairbairn, the university’s provost and vice-president. “These qualities will serve him well in his new role as one of Canada’s key leaders in veterinary education, animal health, public health and food safety.”

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/12/dr_douglas_free.html

The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) College of Medicine has received confirmation from the Committee on the Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) and its American counterpart, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), that it had met the standards required for an eight-year continuation of its medical school accreditation.

The College of Medicine’s integrated planning processes, strong partnerships in recruitment, education and community engagement, its leadership in social accountability, and its “exceptionally supportive” services for students and residents in Regina were among its strengths described in the report announcing the continuation of accreditation for another eight years, the maximum term permitted.

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/11/u_of_s_college_9.html

The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Board of Governors has approved the institution's operations forecast for 2010-11. The annual operations forecast outlines the university’s operating and capital budget priorities, and sets the tone for the U of S annual budget.

“The operations forecast document provides the basis for realistic discussions with the province about the university’s funding needs for the upcoming year, which takes on additional significance in these challenging financial times,” said U of S Board of Governors Chair Art Dumont.

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/11/university_of_s_77.html

A powerful new music video From Stilettos to Moccasins was released this week, the culmination of a unique project that gave voice to Aboriginal women healing from drug abuse, addictions and problems with the law, together with those who are helping them on their journey.

The video is part of a community-based research project conducted by the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation (NNAPF), and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA). The roughly four-minute video was shared at a national CCSA conference in Halifax this week and can be viewed on You-Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QRb8wA2iHs

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/11/youtube_video_g.html

Following an extensive international search, Dr. Karen Chad, an award-winning kinesiologist, has been appointed Vice-President Research at the University of Saskatchewan, effective Jan. 1.

The five-year renewable appointment was announced today by U of S President Peter MacKinnon following approval by the Board of Governors. Chad is currently Acting Vice-President Research.

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/11/u_of_s_appoints_5.html

Amid the ongoing controversy over the safety of mercury-containing dental fillings, a University of Saskatchewan research team has shed new light on how the chemical forms of mercury at the surface of fillings change over time.

Their work, just published in the American Chemical Society journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, shows that the surface forms of mercury in older “silver” fillings (also known as amalgams) may be less toxic than previously thought.

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/11/form_of_mercury.html

The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) has released its annual enrolment report that shows steady and impressive growth in the graduate student population. Graduate students now number 2,591 at the U of S, an increase of 8.87 per cent over the previous year, and up 40 per cent since 2003.

"This is good news," said David Hannah, associate vice-president of student and enrolment services. "It marks an important milestone in the university's graduate student enrolment. The U of S has now achieved the 2003 Enrolment Plan's goal of 2,500 graduate students by 2010, and is making good progress towards its long-term goal of seeing graduate students comprise 15 per cent of total student enrolment."

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/10/university_of_s_76.html

There has been little movement on aboriginal policy since the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples 13 years ago, although its recommendations could have improved the lives of First Nations and Métis people, says Canada Research Chair Evelyn Peters, a professor in the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy on the U of S campus.

“If the Royal Commission recommendation that all levels of government should support aboriginal cultures in urban areas had been taken more seriously, aboriginal people living in cities would be facing fewer challenges today,” said Peters, who hosted a gathering this week of more than 30 experts on urban indigenous issues from around the world.

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/10/global_experts.html

Saskatchewan Agriculture is investing more than $1.8 million in two Genome Prairie projects co-led by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan. One project will create genomic tools to accelerate flax research and the other will help remove roadblocks to innovation in Canada’s bio-based economy.

“The University of Saskatchewan has become a leading centre in genomics research and teaching applications to agriculture, environment and human health,” said Brett Fairbairn, U of S provost and vice-president academic. “With the support of Genome Prairie and the Government of Saskatchewan, this research will help ensure Canada has outstanding discovery potential and will stay competitive.”

Read more - http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2009/10/province_invest_4.html

The University of Saskatchewan has made a significant jump in the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Almanac of Post-Secondary Education ranking of research library holdings – from 111th in 2002-03 to 58th in 2006-07 – but that change is likely an anomaly reflecting targeted funding for two projects.

Library Associate Dean Ken Ladd explained that in 2003, the university began receiving funding specifically for the Academic Health Sciences (AHS) library as well as the Saskatchewan Health Information Resource Partnership (SHIRP), a provincial initiative designed to provide information and resources to all health-care practitioners in Saskatchewan. In 2004-05, some $600,000 was spent on the AHS library and SHIRP, said Ladd. In 2005-06, the amount climbed to $1.08 million. By 2006-07, the year recorded in the CAUT almanac, a total of $2.8 million was spent on the two projects, but that dropped to $1.49 million in 2007-08.

Read more - http://www.usask.ca/communications/ocn/09-oct-16/3.php

There are days when Hayley Hesseln forgets which time zone she is in.

Having just returned from meetings in Iceland, Hesseln, dean of undergraduate studies for the University of the Arctic (UArctic), is catching her breathe in her office in the Agriculture Building. In the past year alone, she has been to Sweden, Alaska, Norway, Finland and several different cities in Canada. She won’t be home long before heading out to Denmark, Russia, and back to Finland. Scotland is the only participating country she won’t see this year.

As a virtual campus comprised of 125 participating universities from eight countries surrounding the north, Hesseln’s job is to ensure that UArctic will continue to offer programming for students living in northern communities. The first UArctic classes were offered in 2002 and since then, about 7,000 students have enrolled in the online Bachelor of Circumpolar Studies (BCS) program. Courses are designed to be circumpolar in nature with a strong emphasis on the cultural needs of northern people.

Read more - http://www.usask.ca/communications/ocn/09-oct-16/2.php

The University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors has approved the appointment of Karsten Liber as executive director of the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS) effective October 1, 2009.

In 2007-08, Liber was involved in developing the initial proposal for the creation of the SENS and served on the school’s advisory committee. Since July 1, 2008 he has served as the school’s acting director and has led the school in successfully developing its programming and in increasing its graduate student enrolment from 10 students in its inaugural year to 46 students in 2009/10. “The school is a new and exciting initiative at the U of S, with a lot of potential in becoming a leader in environment and sustainability graduate programming and research,” said Liber. “I’m thrilled to be in the position.” For more information on the school, please visit http://www.usask.ca/sens.

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