Ehman, Thiesson, Farrell to Receive Honorary Degrees

Posted May 24, 2000


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 19, 2000 2000-05-17-OTHER

Ehman, Thiesson, Farrell to Receive Honorary Degrees at Spring Convocation

Richard Ehman, Stuart Thiesson, and Glen Michael Farrell are this year's
recipients of Honorary Degrees at the Spring Convocation.

Dr. Ehman graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1974 with a
degree in Physics (High Honors), followed by a degree with Great Distinction
in Medicine in 1979. He completed his residency and internship in the
Foothills Hospital in Calgary.

Dr. Ehman's accomplishments are many. He won the Governor General's Medal
in 1970, the Horner Pediatrics Medal in 1979, the Alberta Heritage
Foundation Research Fellowship in 1983, the Editor's Recognition Award,
Radiology in both 1986 and 1987, the RSNA Scholar Award from 1989-91, and a
Gold Medal Award, Society of Magnetic Resonance in 1995. Dr. Ehman was
named a Fellow of the Society of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in 1993.

He also acts as a consultant for the S-W Imaging Research Institute, Canada.

One of Dr. Ehman's most important industrial contributions came in the form
of a "spatial presaturation" sequence which is licensed for usage on all MRI
instruments around the world.

Dr. Ehman and his wife, Dr. Margaret Houston, have three children.

Stuart Thiesson has a varied background. He started teaching elementary
school in Moose Jaw in 1946. He later went on to be one of the founding
members of the National Farmers Union (NFU) in 1969.

As Executive Secretary of the NFU, Thiesson prepared several hundred policy
papers on topics including Tax Reform, Child Care, and Canada - U.S. Free
Trade. Thiesson went before both the Senate and the House of Commons to
speak on several bills. He retired from the NFU in 1992.

Thiesson was also the Founding Director of the Saskatoon Community Clinic
and was also a founding member of the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of
Fame. He has also served as a Board Member of the Saskatoon Community
Health Foundation since 1990.

In 1992, Thiesson received the Canada 125 Medal and prior to that in 1982 he
received the Century Saskatoon Agriculture Certificate.

Aside from his agricultural accomplishments, Thiesson is an active member of
the Saskatoon Silver Strings Fiddle Club and the Saskatoon Chimo Chordsmen.
He and his wife Marie have five children and sixteen grandchildren.

Glen Michael Farrell attained his B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University
of Saskatchewan in 1959 at which time he served as President of the Student
Body. In 1964 and 1969 respectively, he received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in
adult education from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Farrell has worked as an Extension Specialist and Educator for the
University of Saskatchewan Extension Division from 1959 until 1975. He then
moved to Victoria where he became the Associate Director of Extension in
1978. In 1985 he was appointed President of the Knowledge Network and in
1988 he became the founding President of the Open Learning Center where he
resided until the end of his term in 1998.

As President, Dr. Farrell merged the Open Learning Institute and the
Knowledge Network creating the Open Learning Agency (OLA) which is a leader
in global distance education, today. In 1997, OLA offered one of the only
master's degrees in music therapy in Canada.

Glen Michael Farrell and his wife Leone (Robinson) have two children and two
grandchildren.

Dr. Richard Ehman will receive an Honorary Doctor or Science on May 24 at
9:00 a.m. and Stuart Thiesson and Glen Michael Farrell will receive Honorary
Doctors of Law at the ceremonies on May 24 at 2:00 p.m. and May 25 at 9:00
a.m. respectively. All three will present the Convocation Address.


For more information, contact:

Iain MacLean
University Secretary
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4633