A second edition of the book ‘The Farthest Shore: A 21st Century Guide to Space’ has just been published by Apogee Books (a Canadian publisher). http://www.cgpublishing.com/ The original book was a paperback that served as a textbook for the students of International Space University. It covered all aspects of space exploration and development. The new […]
My four-year term as Chancellor of the University of Calgary is coming to an end. It has been an enjoyable ride. Many people think of the chancellor solely as the official who attends formal university events and participates in convocation. The chancellors of Alberta’s three largest universities have responsibilities that go beyond simply presiding over […]
Congratulations to Maliyat and TJ for determining that I was in Cork, Ireland earlier this month to participate in International Space University (ISU)’s Space Studies Program (SSP). I’ll put signed photos in the mail for both of you. My visit to Cork was brief but I did have the opportunity to deliver a lecture, adjudicate […]
Gord Aker has been a stalwart University of Calgary volunteer. For six years he held a variety of leadership positions within Senate, and mentored several students and new senators. Most significantly, he helped craft a new strategic plan for Senate that will guide our actions until 2019. Gord is retiring as a senator and participated […]
Dawn Johnston is an Associate Dean at the University of Calgary. She provides leadership in teaching, learning and student engagement for the Faculty of Arts. Dawn and I are kindred spirits in that we both advocate for interdisciplinary programs at our university, such as the Arts and Science Honours Academy. Dawn also oversees research and […]
On Monday afternoon we held the convocation ceremony for the 2017 University of Calgary graduates in Medicine, Law, Nursing and Veterinary Medicine. In addition to celebrating our new graduates, we also awarded Jo-Ann Munn Gafuik (a longtime and stalwart staff member of our university) with the Order of the University of Calgary and Senator Murray […]
My wife and I attended a citizenship ceremony in Ottawa last Friday afternoon. We didn’t know any of the people who were taking the oath of citizenship that day. We just thought it would be a good idea to observe. The ceremony was a formal and dignified affair. For 80 newcomers to Canada, the event […]
One section of my curriculum vitae lists the organizations of which I am or was once a member. There is one organization, however, that I do not mention. Although not listed, I am proud to have been a member of The Troublemakers Club. When I was a young astronaut at the National Research Council in […]
Today I am wrapping up another satisfying week of chancellor activity at the University of Calgary. I so much enjoy the role. Each day on campus puts me in touch with stalwart citizens, inspiring students and cutting-edge researchers. For example, this week I telecon’d with the chancellors from Alberta’s two other major universities to discuss […]
The conferring of honorary doctorates (Doctor of Laws, honoris causa) at convocation is a satisfying duty for a University of Calgary chancellor. An honorary degree is the highest honour awarded by our institution. It is our way to profile extraordinary individuals as well as the level of excellence to which we all aspire. Our Senators […]