U of L at 50: Past, Present and Future Challenges and Opportunities (Part 2 Q&A)

Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

From its humble beginning at Lethbridge College in 1967 with 825 undergraduate students, the University of Lethbridge is now home to over 8400 students, including graduate students, at its campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary. The growth has been fairly steady – almost 4300 students at its 25th anniversary – but heavily driven by students from afar, particularly Calgary. Founded on the principals of a liberal education, U of L still aspires to that ideal and recently just approved a new School of Liberal Education. However, it may be a delicate balance to increasingly demonstrate research power while remaining committed to the undergraduate student. It can be said that U of L is now a global institution, with students from more than 80 countries and U of L students furthering their studies at institutions in all corners of the world. 50 years in the life of an institution arguably represents adolescence and preparing for the next generations will mean providing students at all levels with high quality research experiences through enhanced community outreach, industry engagement and knowledge mobilization. The speaker will outline how some key project decisions made in the past has affected U of L and also speculate on what the future holds in the context of shrinking operational funding notwithstanding the Alberta Government’s $260 million investment in U of L’s new science building. Speaker: Dr. Mike Mahon Dr. Mike Mahon was installed as the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lethbridge in 2010 and reappointed for a second term beginning July 1, 2015. As the sixth President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lethbridge, Dr. Mahon is committed to building a comprehensive, Destination University in western Canada. During his first term, Dr. Mahon introduced the university’s first Academic and Strategic Research Plan followed closely by Destination 2020, the University of Lethbridge Strategic Plan. Under these plans, Dr. Mahon initiated the “Destination Project”, a monumental construction project to develop a new science and academic building and was successful in obtaining a $260 million investment from the Government of Alberta to fund the $280 million project. A former two sport university athlete, Dr. Mahon serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (USports). Dr. Mahon is also on the Board of Directors of Universities Canada where he serves as Chair of the Governance Committee and is the current Chair of the Council of Western Canadian University Presidents. Moderator: Hailey Babb, U of L Student Union President Date: Thursday, May 18, 2017 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (Lower level of The Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $12.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea)