Green & White

U of S News

Measuring Maclean's

The U of S president says a drop of one spot in Maclean's magazine's ranking of Canadian universities is neither good nor bad news for the U of S.

At a Nov. 8 news conference where he responded to the U of S falling to 10th place from ninth last year among the country's 15 medical-doctoral universities, Peter MacKinnon said the University should pay attention to the Maclean's survey "in part because we know others pay attention to Maclean's, [but] we measure our success by our own criteria rather than those set by Maclean's."

MacKinnon noted that the differences between surveyed universities is so minimal that slight movement up or down in the ranking is "predictable," but he could not say precisely why the U of S moved down this year. MacKinnon did point out that in reputation - one of 24 categories measured in the survey - the U of S went up two places, to ninth from 11th in 2003. This, he said, is "an important indicator � that we're making progress."

U of S went down in nine of the survey's categories with the biggest drop, from seventh spot last year to 15th in 2004, coming in a measurement of the amount spent on student services as percentage of budget. Other indicators in this group include proportion of students who graduate, classes taught by tenured faculty, and faculty with PhDs. The U of S also dropped into last spot in the category of scholarships and bursaries as a percentage of the budget.

On the up side, the U of S gained one spot in the areas of social science and humanities grants, and library acquisitions, and two spots in three categories: operating budget, reputation and student retention.

The ranking remained unchanged in 10 categories, the highest being first spot in international graduate students and class sizes in third and fourth year. The lowest rankings - 15th out of 15 - were in student awards and medical/science grants.

Eight medical/doctoral universities ranked ahead of the U of S (from first to eighth): Toronto, McGill, Western, UBC, Queen's, Alberta, Montreal, and in a tie for eighth, McMaster and Sherbrooke. Ranked lower than the U of S are Laval, Ottawa, Dalhousie, Calgary and Manitoba.

A new Maclean's survey - assessing the university experience of recent graduates across the country - gives a ringing endorsement to the University of Saskatchewan. When asked to rate their entire educational experience, 69 per cent of U of S graduates answered, "Very good." This places the U of S 21st among the 46 participating institutions, and ahead of, for example, McGill, Alberta, Toronto, UBC and Montreal.

'Thinking the World of Our Future': The Campaign Is Launched!

It is the most ambitious fundraising campaign ever undertaken by the University of Saskatchewan, and it is already more than half way to achieving its goal of raising $100 million in time for the University's 2007centenary celebrations. On November 4, 2004, President Peter MacKinnon officially launched the Thinking the World of Our Future campaign for the University of Saskatchewan with the announcement that $57 million has already been raised from alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations.

About a third of all donations will go towards scholarships and bursaries for both graduate and undergraduate students. Another third will go toward facility enhancements such as the College Building restoration, and the remainder will be used for academic programming enhancements such as research chairs.

More than $10 million in gifts were announced at the launch, including $3 million from Cameco Corp.; $1 million from alumnus Barrie Wigmore and his wife Deedee of New York; three-quarters of a million from Calgary-based Nexen Corp; and $1.99 million from the campus community including faculty, staff, Board of Governors members, and retirees.

The largest gift so far is $5 million from PotashCorp. "We all strive for the elusive goal of excellence and to have great employees who are educated - and educated here at the U of S - really makes us better," says PotashCorp president and CEO Bill Doyle, Campaign Chair for Saskatchewan. "It's our future that we're investing in."

The national nature of the campaign was reflected in the launch, held at five simultaneous events in Saskatoon, Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and New York. Through video conferencing more than 400 alumni and supporters participated in the celebration.

Heather Magotiaux, Vice-President of University Advancement, says the U of S has a global reach through its alumni. "Our challenge is to maintain strong ties with them, so that they continue to feel part of this great community," she says. "The campaign can keep them involved and informed about the exciting developments underway at the U of S."

Unlike some other universities' current fundraising campaigns, the U of S campaign's goal of $100 million will not include government grants. "It is purely philanthropic, with all gifts eligible for tax receipts," says Magotiaux.

Administrative costs for the campaign are expected to be less than six per cent of the total raised.

For more information, please visit the campaign website at www.usask.ca/campaign.

More than 300 guests attended the campaign launch in Saskatoon at the new Physical Activity Complex.

Student Living: New Residences Project A 'Go'

The University's plans for a major student residence construction project along Cumberland Avenue are moving ahead.

The University's architect and director of planning and development, Colin Tennent, says senior administration is committed to a major residence development that, ideally, includes dormitory and suite-style housing for undergraduates, and townhouse or row-house development for students with families. This 3,000-bed project will stretch southward down the east side of Cumberland from College Avenue all the way to 14th Street. The concept also includes a complete food services operation and retail space along with other amenities to enhance residence life.

The current timeline would see the first building, with 500-700 beds, opening in the fall of 2007.

This model shows planned residence locations along Cumberland Avenue, left, and College Drive, top. (Photo: Facilities Management Division)

Eyes On Your Own Paper!

In advance of "Writing it Right Week," an event in October designed to draw attention to academic integrity, the U of S released a report that shows a slight decline in the number of cases of cheating dealt with in 2003-04.

University Secretary Gordon Barnhart indicated there were 73 cases of academic dishonesty heard by college faculty panels, down from 79 cases in 2002-03. Of the 60 students that were found guilty last year, four were suspended for one term or more and three were expelled. The rest were penalized with failure in the class or a grade reduction.

Barnhart pointed out that, as with last year, about two-thirds of the cases involved plagiarism on essays or assignments. The remainder involved using or passing notes in an exam or submitting the same essay in two different classes.

Lilium 'University of Saskatchewan' is a registered asiatic lily variety that sports green, white, and gold 'U of S' colours. (Photo courtesy of Donna Hay)

The U of S's 100^th Anniversary Lily

Although the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the U of S is still two years away, Maureen Troesch is already working hard to ensure the event is a blooming success.

Troesch is in charge of propagating Lilium 'University of Saskatchewan', a special Asiatic lily bred for its U of S colours - white, gold and green - and presented to the University as a centenary gift.

At one time it was thought that campus flowerbeds could be awash in lilies by 2007. But since this new breed is extremely time consuming to propagate, Troesch is less optimistic. 3,000 plants "are within the realm of possibility," she says, but 30,000 is simply not. "At the very least, this lily will have a presence for the centenary."

So far, there are about 250 individual plants growing in culture and about 100 potted in soil in a College of Agriculture growth chamber.

A Master Teacher

At the U of S's Fall Convocation 2004, Professor Terry Matheson was presented with the University's Master Teacher Award.

Dr. Matheson is a professor in the U of S English department, which he joined in 1972. He teaches a variety of classes - from small introductory sections to televised distance education classes - with confidence and humour.

Matheson has received the University of Saskatchewan Students' Union Teaching Excellence Award and the Garth Ferguson Award for Excellence in Televised Teaching. His research and scholarly work are wide-ranging, publishing in the areas of American, Canadian, and Romantic literature, science fiction, and popular culture.

Terry Matheson

Guests jammed the upper level of the illuminated CLS to catch a glimpse of the opening ceremony. (Photo: Ryan Jackson)

Synchrotron's Grand Opening

In front of a host of dignitaries, the Canadian Light Source (CLS) was officially opened Oct. 22.

From President MacKinnon to Federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, who headlined the opening ceremony, speakers emphasized the enormous economic and scientific potential of the synchrotron, Canada's largest single science project and one of only about 40 such facilities in the world. The ceremony took place on the upper level of the $174-million synchrotron facility.

While a large group of players from the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra were positioned on the floor providing background accompaniment, a large banner depicting the 17 CLS partner organizations was illuminated - partnerships that include University of Alberta, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, the University of Western Ontario, GlaxoSmithKline Inc., and SaskPower.

The culmination of the event involved the dignitaries flipping a mocked-up switch triggering a show of spotlights and strobe lights that illuminated the workings of the synchrotron. The ceremony on campus was followed by a dinner that evening at the Centennial Auditorium.

Originally expected to be up and running last January, the CLS now anticipates the inaugural experiment on its first beamline to take place in early 2005.

From left, Premier Lorne Calvert, CFI President Eliot Phillipson, U of S President Peter MacKinnon, and CLS Executive Director William Thomlinson listen to Federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale speak at the CLS opening on Oct. 22. (Photo: Ryan Jackson)

This architect's rendering gives a bird's-eye view, looking from the east, of the planned expansion to WCVM's Veterinary Teaching Hospital. (Illustration: U of S Facilities Management Division)

Vet-Med's $15-Million Shot-in-the-Arm

It was announced Nov. 26 that the provincial government will provide $15 million for the renovation and expansion of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), work that will likely begin early in 2005.

The project includes a two-storey addition to the veterinary teaching hospital, additional research labs, and upgrades to the diagnostic services area - all of which will "enhance the future performance [of the college] and maintain its stellar reputation," according to WCVM Dean Charles Rhodes.

The provincial contribution to the college follows a December 2002 federal government announcement of $113 million in infrastructure funding for Canada's four veterinary colleges. The WCVM portion was $22.24 million, with the proviso that matching funds be secured. With the commitment from the province, the college can now "concentrate on raising the final $5 million" for what will be a $43-million project, said Rhodes.

Saskatchewan Learning Minister Andrew Thomson said that he hopes Alberta, which recently announced the establishment of its own vet training program at the University of Calgary and which is a signatory to the WCVM inter-provincial funding agreement, can be convinced to "look for ways to contribute here without drawing resources away."

A Good Sport

After returning to Saskatoon after the Laval Rouge et Or beat the Huskies in the Desjardins Vanier Cup held in Hamilton on November 27, U of S President Peter MacKinnon gamely donned a Rouge et Or team sweatshirt in his office, having lost a friendly bet with Laval Rector Michel Pigeon.

A local television news crew films U of S archaeology professors Chris Foley, right, and Ernie Walker last month as they study 7,000-year-old human bones in a campus lab. (Photo: Jennifer Webber)

Stone-Age Skeleton

U of S archaeology professor Chris Foley led a student group that discovered a 7,000-year-old human skeleton in Jordan last summer. Study is now beginning on approximately 800 bone fragments.

The findings may prove crucial in revealing information about the individual and the overall Yarmoukian culture that flourished in the Neolithic era, the latter part of the Stone Age when humans first turned to an agricultural way of life.

Since arriving at the U of S, the skeleton has been cleaned by Foley's colleague and forensics expert, archaeology professor Ernie Walker. Research will include a look at the bone chemistry, which could provide clues to the cause of death, the gender and age of the individual - even his or her diet. But some things are already known.

The small size of the bones suggest the individual was young, likely between 10 and 14, and stress lines in the teeth suggest the person suffered from malnutrition or disease.

The bone chemistry work may reveal much about diet, one of the most exciting aspects of the find, said Foley. "Are they eating primarily plant material as we would anticipate? What is the ratio of plant to animal as reflected in protein?"

The Yarmoukian culture existed in a transitional zone between the upland well-watered environment and the desert during a time of transition when a changing climate made it difficult to maintain an agricultural way of life, he said.

This year the bones will be sent to a lab in Florida for carbon-14 dating to determine the precise age of the remains.

These news items are drawn from recent editions of On Campus News, the official newspaper of the University of Saskatchewan. For more past and current U of S news, see On Campus News at www.usask.ca/communications/ocn