February 25, 2005
Communities, Employers Must Work to Retain Rural Nurses, says Collaborative Study with U of S
Posted February 25, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Friday, February 25, 2005 2005-02-14-NU
Communities, Employers Must Work to Retain Rural Nurses, says Collaborative
Study with U of S
A new nation-wide study shows the number of nurses in rural and remote
Canada dropped by four per cent from 1994 to 2002, a trend expected to
continue as one in five rural nurses plan to retire by 2007.
U of S nursing professor Norma Stewart, a lead investigator in the study,
says employers and communities must do more to retain rural nurses.
"These nurses have a lot of autonomy, they're attached to their communities,
and they have high job satisfaction," she says. "Nevertheless, many nurses
in remote areas are intending to leave."
The Nature of Nursing Practice in Rural and Remote Canada is a three-year,
$600,000 comprehensive study led by faculty at the University of Northern
British Columbia.
Researchers conducted a first-ever survey of nearly 4,000 rural nurses,
conducted detailed interviews with 152 rural nurses, reviewed more than 200
documents that relate to rural nursing practice, and analyzed the national
database of registered nurses. Saskatchewan nurses had the highest response
rate in the country at more than 80 per cent.
Martha MacLeod, UNBC professor of nursing and principal investigator for the
nation-wide project, says this is the first comprehensive look at the
nursing experience in rural and remote Canada.
"We wanted to get a comprehensive view of what rural nursing is really like.
This has never been done in Canada before," she says. "We found rural nurses
have greater responsibility and generally fewer technical and human
resources to support them. The details of our study have implications for
health policy, rural nurse education, and for community efforts to recruit
and retain nurses."
For example, respondents reported that while they enjoyed the challenge of
providing advanced care, they were frustrated by the inability to get the
education to maintain and upgrade their skills. Also, many reported being on
call incessantly, leaving little down time for family or to get involved
with the community.
"These are issues that communities and employers can address," Stewart says.
"There are a lot of pluses in rural practice. What we must do is recognize
the drawbacks and make adjustments to increase the likelihood that nurses
will stay."
Stewart says that while U of S nursing graduates have little trouble finding
work, more must be done to retain them, particularly for provinces such as
Saskatchewan that must compete with higher-wage jurisdictions such as
British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Casual positions rather than
full-time are still common, and living environment remains crucial.
"Retention is more of an issue than recruitment," she says. "We have to look
at the experience in the community as well as the workplace. Dissatisfaction
with the community will make them leave, as well as remoteness."
The research project was led by MacLeod, Judith Kulig of the University of
Lethbridge, Stewart, and geography professor Roger Pitblado of Laurentian
University's Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research. Faculty
colleagues, researchers and advisors from all parts of Canada participated.
Primary funding for the research came from the Canadian Health Services
Research Foundation, but other funding came from every province and
territory.
Note to editors: More information on the study is available at
http://ruralnursing.unbc.ca. A full listing of funding agencies that
contributed to this research project is available at
http://www.usask.ca/research/whatsnew.shtml.
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For more information, contact:
Norma Stewart
College of Nursing
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6254
norma.stewart@usask.ca
NOTE: On February 25, Professor Stewart will be at the University of
Northern British Columbia in Prince George.
Call toll-free: 1-866-960-6409
E-mail: rrn@unbc.ca
Michael Robin
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2427
michael.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research
New program to assist First Nations and Metis students at the U of S
Posted February 25, 2005
The following release was issued by the Government of Saskatchewan.New program to assist First Nations and Metis students at the U of S
Crown Investments Corporation (CIC) and the University of Saskatchewan
have
established a program to help First Nations and Metis students prepare for
careers in the maths and sciences.
http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2005/02/25-131.html
February 23, 2005
U of S Dean of Nursing Announces Resignation
Posted February 23, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 23, 2005 2005-02-13-NU
U of S Dean of Nursing Announces Resignation
Beth Horsburgh, University of Saskatchewan Dean of the College of Nursing,
has announced her resignation as dean effective June 30th, 2005.
Dr. Horsburgh has accepted the position of Dean of Nursing at the University
of Alberta.
Dr. Horsburgh became Dean of Nursing in 2000. Since then, she has played a
key role in the development of college plans based on academic priorities
and continued her research on quality-of-life issues for patients facing
life-threateing illnesses and on nurses' worklife issues.
University President, Peter MacKinnon, expressed his warm thanks to Dr.
Horsburgh for her valuable service: "She has been a tireless advocate for
the College of Nursing and has shown great leadership throughout her
appointment. She will be a considerable loss to the University of
Saskatchewan but we wish her and her family well."
Michael Atkinson, Provost and Vice-President Academic, described Dr.
Horsburgh as an effective dean with innovative ideas who cares deeply both
for her College and for the University as a whole.
"I will leave the University of Saskatchewan with considerable sadness,"
added Dr. Horsburgh. "I am very fond of the University and its faculty and
staff, and I share President Mackinnon's enthusiasm about the future of this
important institution.
"I look forward to developing partnerships between the University of Alberta
and U of S health sciences, particularly as we all strive toward
inter-professional client-centered practice and pedagogy and graduate
education and research."
Search for a replacement will begin shortly. Effective July 1, 2005, Joan
Sawatsky will take on the role of Acting Dean.
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For more information, contact:
Dr. Michael Atkinson
Provost and Vice-President Academic
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-8484
February 22, 2005
Tuition and Education Amounts Certificate (T2202A)
Posted February 22, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 22, 2005
2005-02-12-OTHER
Tuition and Education Amounts Certificate (T2202A)
Students, former students and graduates at the University of Saskatchewan
can obtain their tax credit, Tuition and Education Amounts Certificate
(T2202A) online through PAWS (paws.usask.ca) or at www.usask.ca/t2202a.
These forms are not distributed by mail.
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For further information, contact:
Student Accounts
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-4595
Email: student_accounts@usask.ca
February 21, 2005
Canadian Synchrotron Beamline to Help Track Environmental Contaminants
Posted February 21, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Monday, February 21, 2005 2005-02-11-OTHER
Canadian Synchrotron Beamline to Help Track Environmental Contaminants
SASKATOON, CANADA - A new hard X-ray microfocus beamline at the $174-million
Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron at the University of Saskatchewan
promises to be a powerful tool in protecting the environment.
Commissioning of the Hard X-ray Microanalysis for X-ray Absorption
Spectroscopy beamline (HXMA) will start in March, with the first user
experiments expected a few months later.
While HXMA is designed as a general purpose hard X-ray spectroscopy beamline
that can be used in a variety of applications from analysis of advanced
electronic materials to alternative fuels, it has been informally dubbed the
"environmental beamline" for its utility in tracking elements such as
arsenic, mercury and selenium in virtually any sample, regardless of its
physical state.
"We've worked out the techniques of how to track arsenic in mine tailings
using other synchrotrons," says Jeff Cutler, CLS associate director of
research for industrial science. "We're really looking forward to seeing
what our own facility can do."
The first tests on the source of HXMA have shown excellent results. An
advanced feature of the beamline is a custom-built superconducting wiggler
source, a kind of amplifier for X-rays that makes the beam so intense that
it rivals performance of the world's most powerful synchrotrons in the hard
X-ray spectroscopy field.
Ron Cavell, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Alberta and
president of the Canadian Institute of Synchrotron Radiation (CISR),
explains that HXMA is designed to deliver an intense X-ray beam to a tiny
spot - five microns or smaller, or about 20 times smaller than the width of
a human hair.
Cavell, who also serves on the CLS board of directors and helps steer
development of several beamlines, says HXMA will be a powerful tool to help
researchers sort out how environmental toxins are mixed in with other
materials.
"Everything is a mix and you really need to know what things are and where
they are so you can plan efficient remediation," he says. "If you can figure
out a way to identify and treat only the toxic material, you can reduce the
cost of remediation. If you can also get some idea how the toxins were
formed, you can avoid creating the waste material in the future."
The CLS team is drawing on international expertise and a growing national
research community to build one of the most advanced facilities in the
world.
"The world synchrotron community is a tight-knit one, and we've benefited a
great deal from this cooperation and expertise, particularly from our
colleagues in the United States," says De-Tong Jiang, CLS staff scientist
and the HXMA beamline team leader. "The manufacturer participation is from
all over the world. In the last few months, we have had teams from Russia,
England and Japan working on the HXMA line, installing some cutting-edge
technology."
HXMA has been eagerly anticipated by scientists across Canada, including the
growing synchrotron research community at the U of S. Only two U of S
scientists used synchrotron light in their research when the CLS got the
green light in March 1999. This number has grown to more than 70, with
attendant opportunities for hundreds of graduate students and post doctoral
fellows from across the country to use synchrotron analytical tools.
Janay McNaughton came from Alberta to the U of S department of physics and
engineering physics by the presence of the synchrotron. The graduate student
currently serves on the CLS users' advisory committee.
"People will be coming here from the rest of Canada and all over the world
to find unique information," she says. "Every scientist would like to find
something new, and here I feel I have a chance to do that."
The HXMA beamline is one of seven currently being commissioned. Another six
are in various stages of planning, including a BioMedical Imaging and
Therapy beamline (BMIT) and the Canadian Synchrotron Nanostructures Facility
(CSNF), a "machine shop" to manufacture tiny components for an array of
products from cell phones to medical sensors.
Officially opened in October, 2004, the University of Saskatchewan-owned
national synchrotron facility is one of the country's largest science
projects in the last 30 years. It is funded through an unprecedented
collaboration among the university and all three levels of government:
Canada; the provinces of Saskatchewan, Ontario and Alberta; and the City of
Saskatoon. Significant funds were also provided by industry partners in the
energy and pharmaceutical sectors. The synchrotron will be used by
researchers in academia, government and industry.
Synchrotron light - millions of times brighter than sunlight - is used to
determine the chemical nature and the molecular structure of materials,
paving the way for new drugs, more powerful computer chips, better engine
lubricants, more effective medical imaging, environmental monitoring and a
host of other applications for science and industry. More information on the
Canadian Light Source is available at www.lightsource.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Matthew Dalzell
Communications Coordinator
Canadian Light Source
(306) 657-3739
matthew.dalzell@lightsource.ca
Michael Robin
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2427
michael.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research
February 18, 2005
Aboriginal Poverty Declining in Saskatoon, U of S-Led Housing Study Shows
Posted February 18, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Friday, February 18th, 2005 2005-02-10-OTHER
Aboriginal Poverty Declining in Saskatoon, U of S-Led Housing Study Shows
Aboriginal poverty in Saskatoon is declining markedly as young people attain
higher levels of education, more income through an increasingly broad range
of occupations, and become role models, a U of S-led study concludes.
"Saskatoon's Aboriginal households on the whole remain quite poor, but the
situation is changing quite substantially as education levels rise and
Aboriginal residents become involved in a greater range of occupations,
including business," said Alan Anderson, U of S sociologist and project
research director.
Half (52 per cent) of Aboriginal residents in the Saskatoon Census
Metropolitan Area (which includes adjacent municipalities) lived below
Statistics Canada's Low Income Cut Off (LICO) in 2001 -- the second highest
proportion of any comparable area in the country (Regina is marginally
higher at 53 per cent).
That's a major drop from 1996 when almost two-thirds of Saskatoon's
Aboriginal population (64 per cent) lived below the poverty line.
Half the $2-million, four-year study came from the Community-University
Research Alliance (CURA) Program of the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The
remaining $1 million was in-kind contributions from a variety of partners
including leading Aboriginal groups, housing industry groups, the City of
Saskatoon, and the U of S.
"This marks the first time in Canada that we've had all these sectors
working together to help solve housing issues of Aboriginal people,"
Anderson said.
The study, which involved more than 50 university and community researchers
and 40 research projects, is expected to have important policy implications.
Already the provincial government is working with the Saskatoon and Region
Home Builders' Association to find a way to continue a bursary program which
enabled more than 20 Aboriginal young people to receive apprenticeship
training. All 20 have found construction jobs.
To help address the acute housing shortage for Saskatoon's Aboriginal
residents, a total of more than 2,000 people were interviewed in six
different surveys, providing an unprecedented wealth of information on urban
Aboriginal living conditions and quality of life.
"This city very likely now has a more detailed knowledge of its Aboriginal
population than any other city in Canada," said Anderson.
The study looked at housing needs of Aboriginal single parents, students,
seniors, families, and women fleeing violence, as well as obstacles such as
poverty, lack of information about lending institutions, and city policies
that can hamper creation of affordable quality housing.
While Aboriginal home ownership is increasing and housing conditions are
improving, there needs to be more funding from government and Aboriginal
groups and changes in government regulation that can restrict housing
development. The researchers urge lending institutions to ease mortgage and
loan risk assessment criteria such as the requirement of a bank account to
obtain a mortgage.
The data clearly show that Saskatoon's urban Aboriginal population is
becoming better educated. In 1991, there were fewer than 100 self-declared
Aboriginal students attending U of S. There are currently almost 2,000 --
about one in 10.
Still, the unemployment rate (22.3 per cent) for Saskatoon's Aboriginal
labour force far exceeds the rate of the non-Aboriginal (4.8 per cent). The
average income of Aboriginal earners is only 70 per cent of average income
for non-Aboriginal residents, and the gap is even greater in neighbourhoods
with the highest Aboriginal concentrations.
Increased rates of inner-city crime, prostitution and drug abuse are major
concerns to Aboriginal residents, but they do not necessarily want to move.
"They want to improve living conditions and promote safer neighborhoods,"
Anderson said. "They view themselves as long-term residents of the city."
Priscilla Settee, the project's Aboriginal director, noted the project has
helped train student researchers, many of whom were Aboriginal. "I believe
the project helped to develop research capacity, especially among Aboriginal
people," she said.
Keith Hanson, the project's community director, says the project has
succeeded in building trust among Aboriginal groups, university researchers,
the city, local community organizations and the home-building industry.
"Many Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups are working together and we hope
this will continue in order to make housing happen," he said.
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Note to editors: A one-page backgrounder is attached.
For more information, contact:
Alan Anderson
Department of Sociology
College of Arts and Science
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6927
Priscilla Settee
Director, Indigenous Peoples' Programs, Extension Division
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5556
Keith Hanson
Affordable New Home Development Foundation
(306) 665-2525 ext. 114
Backgrounder:
Some Socio-Economic Findings of the "Bridges and Foundations Project"
* With 20,275 residents claiming Aboriginal identity in 2001, Saskatoon has
the highest Aboriginal proportion (9.1 per cent) of any CMA in Canada.
* In absolute numbers, the Saskatoon CMA had the country's sixth largest
Aboriginal population in 2001.
* Both the Aboriginal population and the Aboriginal proportion of the city
population have almost doubled in the past decade. Approximately one in 10
residents in the Saskatoon CMA is Aboriginal.
* The Aboriginal population in Saskatoon is growing at more than double the
rate of the general population, and this relatively high rate of growth is
expected to continue.
* The urban Aboriginal population in Saskatoon is young. Almost half (48 per
cent) of the Aboriginal residents of Saskatoon are under 20 years of age,
and most have grown up in the city.
* The Aboriginal population is becoming more dispersed throughout the city,
but still remains largely concentrated in poorer neighbourhoods. In the two
poorest inner-city neighbourhoods (Pleasant Hill and Riversdale), close to
half the residents are Aboriginal and in another two neighborhoods, more
than a third of the population is Aboriginal. The proportion of Aboriginal
residents in these neighborhoods is steadily increasing.
* Of Aboriginal residents aged 25 and over, 8.3 per cent have attained high
school graduation as their highest level, 17.2 per cent at least some
post-secondary education, 29.5 per cent a trade or college certificate, and
12.2 per cent hold a university degree.
* The unemployment rate for Aboriginal earners in Saskatoon is 22.3 per
cent. The unemployment rate climbs to more than one-third (35.1 per cent) of
Aboriginal families in the city with young children under six years of age.
* Demand for affordable housing for Saskatoon Aboriginal residents far
exceeds availability.
* Occupational diversity of Aboriginal resident is increasing.
* Aboriginal families face considerable difficulty in maintaining aspects of
Aboriginal culture in the city; for example, there has been a marked decline
in familiarity with and use of Aboriginal languages.
* Project partners included Affordable New Home Development Foundation
(ANHDF), Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission, City of
Saskatoon, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), First Nations
University of Canada (FNUC), Metis Nation of Saskatchewan (MNS) and Central
Urban Metis Federation Inc. (CUMFI), Quint Development Corporation,
Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), Saskatoon and Region
Home Builders' Association (SRHBA), Saskatoon Housing Initiatives
Partnership (SHIP), Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC), Social Housing Advisory
Committee (SHAC) and the University of Saskatchewan.
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February 04, 2005
U of S Coordinated Market Prospects Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Posted February 04, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 4, 2005 2005-02-05-AG
Market Prospects Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Market Prospects, a television series coordinated by the Department of
Agricultural Economics at the University of Saskatchewan, is celebrating its
20th Anniversary this year. The series, produced in 10-minute segments,
appears weekly throughout Saskatchewan.
It uses interviews with leading experts from Saskatchewan and around the
globe to deliver market situation and outlook information on the major
prairie crops and livestock. The goal has always been to deliver timely
agricultural market information, analysis and education to prairie farmers
prior to spring planting.
The new season began in December 2004 and will run for 16 weeks ending in
April 2005. The audio and video of the interviews which have already aired,
as well as a text version of the interview questions can be accessed at
http://marketprospects.usask.ca/
"One might think that after 20 years of production, the annual series might
be growing old and tired," said U of S agricultural economist Robert Roy.
"However, the show has re-invented itself several times over the years to
remain relevant and accessible. It has gone from a one-day satellite show
with live audiences to a stand-alone special series on network television to
its current format on CTV's Farmgate."
More than 75,000 viewers watch the show each week on Farmgate in
Saskatchewan, and it is also available across Canada on satellite
television. The adoption of technology such as the Internet site and the
production of DVDs of the interviews has further expanded the availability
of information.
Financial support for the project in 2005 comes from the Canadian Adaptation
and Rural Development in Saskatchewan Program (CARDS), Agriculture Institute
of Management in Saskatchewan (AIMS), Canadian Wheat Board (CWB),
Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS), Saskatchewan
Pulse Growers and the Cyril Capling Trust Fund of the College of
Agriculture, U of S.
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For more information, please contact:
Robert Roy
Market Prospects 2005 Planning Committee
College of Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-4029
Web: http://marketprospects.usask.ca/
U of S Study into Effects of Landfill Practices on Environmental Health in SK First Nations Communities
Posted February 04, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 4, 2005 2005-02-06-ME
Study into Effects of Landfill Practices on Environmental Health
in SK First Nations Communities
University of Saskatchewan toxicologist Lalita Bharadwaj and two other
Saskatchewan researchers have been awarded $185,000 to study the effects of
landfill practices on the environmental health of some of Saskatchewan's
First Nations communities.
"First Nations groups are very worried about contaminants from landfills
leaching into the groundwater in their communities," says Bharadwaj,
assistant professor with the U of S Institute of Agricultural Rural and
Environmental Health.
"This project will fulfil an important role in providing information to the
First Nations communities on the current situation of landfills so that
groups can develop appropriate waste disposal management policies and
treatment programs for their areas," she says. "The results will enable them
to assess their communities' needs and apply for federal funding to create
and maintain safe, healthy environments."
The community-based participatory research project is being funded primarily
by the Assembly of First Nations/Health Canada's National First Nations
Environmental Contaminants Program which is contributing $166,095.
The Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre (IPHRC), a joint project of
First Nations University of Canada, the University of Regina and the U of S,
provided a developmental grant of $10,000. IPHRC is funded through the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Saskatchewan Health Research
Foundation. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is supplying an additional
$8,700.
Four First Nations communities are involved - Mistawasis, Muskeg Lake,
Whitecap Dakota and Muskoday. Representatives from these communities,
including students and elders, are assisting in all aspects of the research
and will take responsibility for dissemination of the results when the
project is completed in August 2005.
Currently, only two of these communities have proper clay-capped,
decommissioned landfills, Bharadwaj says. In the other communities, disposal
of solid waste products is not regulated. Landfills are often located next
to community water supplies and what is not dumped in an open pit is buried
in backyards.
Bharadwaj is studying the effects of the leachate chemicals on human DNA and
is particularly interested in the effects on human cells of prolonged
exposure to low-level toxins. Hydrogeologist Ian Judd-Henrey, a senior
research scientist with the Saskatchewan Research Council, is studying water
and soil samples from five disposal sites to determine the levels of
hazardous chemicals in the areas. Suzanne Nilson, associate professor of
biology at the First Nations University of Canada, is identifying the types
of bacteria growing in the samples.
Initiated by the Saskatoon Tribal Council Health and Family Services Inc.
which also carried out the preliminary chemical sampling, it is one of the
first multi-disciplinary research projects that adheres to the First
Nations' principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP).
These principles allow First Nations communities to control any
research-based information collected from them. Saskatoon Tribal Council
representatives Ceal Tournier and Laura Parenteau hope their efforts to
liaise between the academic researchers and the communities will create a
model for future OCAP-centred projects.
To better understand the effects of landfill practices over the long-term,
part of the project involved interviewing community members knowledgeable
about traditional methods of waste disposal and sites used for this purpose
in the past.
Encouraging First Nations students to enrol in environmental and health
sciences programs at university is another aim of the project so high school
students from all four groups have also been involved. In December, three
students from each area participated in a hands-on workshop designed to
introduce them to environmental health issues and the methods used in
environmental research.
Elders from the communities took a leading role in the workshop to emphasize
the importance of their knowledge in environmental science. The 12 Grade 9,
10 and 11 students will give presentations about the workshop to their
peers.
Several post-secondary students are involved in the project. U of S graduate
students Claire McGuigan and Patrina Gunness are working with Bharadwaj on
the toxicology aspects. Former U of S veterinary medicine student Megan
Johnston has been assisting with Bharadwaj's cell research and collection of
soil and water samples. Three First Nations University of Canada students
were part of the interviewing stage, another is working on the microbial
assessments, and a Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology
student will begin working on the DNA assessments in February.
Adnan Ali, assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at
the University of Windsor, is performing some of the microarray analysis
(gene expression profiling) for the project.
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For more information, please contact:
Lalita Bharadwaj
Department of Medicine
Institute of Agricultural Rural and Environmental Health
College of Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-8082
bharadwaj@sask.usask.ca
Michael Robin
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2427
michael.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research
Heather Watson
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
heather.watson@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research
February 03, 2005
U of S announces Global Commons Project During International Week
Posted February 03, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 3, 2005 - 11:00 a.m. 2005-02-04-OTHER
U of S announces Global Commons Project During International Week
During International Week* celebrations at the University of Saskatchewan,
Michael Atkinson, Provost and Vice-President Academic, announced the
creation of the Global Commons - a coordinated space where students, staff
and faculty will have access to a wide range of services.
The Global Commons will house several key offices and programs including;
the International Student Office, the Study Abroad and Exchange Program, and
space for an international student lounge and meeting rooms. Opening in
September 2005, the Global Commons will be located in Lower Place Riel, one
of the busiest buildings on campus.
Atkinson said, "The Global Commons will assist the University in attracting
a more diverse group of international students. It will support these
students, promote internationalization across campus, and develop additional
opportunities for students and staff to pursue international study, work and
travel experiences abroad."
The Global Commons is expected to raise the profile of international
activities on campus. As a result, Atkinson announced the creation of a
matching funds formula that will provide faculty release-time to allow for
the development of new study abroad and exchange programs. The cost will be
shared evenly between the Provost's Office and the College of the faculty
member.
An increase to the current travel grant program will allow more students and
faculty to study and teach abroad. Grants of $500 will now be available to
students studying internationally while faculty will be eligible to apply
for grants of $1,000.
International students studying at the Centre for Second Language
Instruction (CSLI) will also see changes to their program. Beginning in May,
students taking English as a Second Language at CSLI will be granted full
student status at the University. This will allow students to access the
following services: web and email, health and counseling, Students' Union
membership, and the International Students Office among others.
The need for these changes was identified as part of the University's
Integrated Planning process and is identified as a priority in the
Integrated Plan.
"It is imperative that we train our students to be responsive to the
challenges and opportunities of the rapidly changing global society and
economy," said Atkinson. "We have recognized the need to provide more
resources in order to recruit and support international students while at
the same time dedicating services and funds for our faculty and students so
they too have a chance to study and teach abroad."
*International Week runs from January 31 to February 4, 2005 on the U of S
campus.
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For more information, please contact:
Michael Atkinson
Provost and Vice-President Academic
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-8489
Erin Taman
Communications Officer
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-6919
Email: erin.taman@usask.ca
February 01, 2005
Pulse Crop Marketing Deal Aims to Increase Research Revenues at the U of S
Posted February 01, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 2005-02-01-AG
Pulse Crop Marketing Deal Aims to Increase Research Revenues
Royalties for pulse crop varieties developed in Saskatchewan but grown
outside the country should begin to flow to the University of Saskatchewan
Crop Development Centre thanks to a deal that recruits three Canadian agents
to market an additional 33 CDC pulse crop varieties internationally.
"Until now, when pedigreed seed of CDC pulse crop varieties was sold into
these markets, no royalties were collected and so there was no return to
either the SPG or the U of S," says CDC director Rick Holm. "In essence,
pulse crop growers outside of Canada who compete with Canadian growers in
domestic and export markets benefited from the improved varieties without
contributing to the cost of developing them."
Since 1997, the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) has provided substantial
funding to support the CDC breeding program. In return, SPG receives
world-wide distribution rights to all CDC pulse crop varieties, although SPG
does not market varieties outside of Canada.
To address this, CDC and SPG have agreed to assign international rights for
specific varieties to outside companies to allow royalties to be collected
on pedigreed seed sold outside Canada. The three companies were chosen
through a tendering process.
Holm explains that while the value of U.S. trade in CDC-developed pulse seed
is unknown, the new licensing arrangement should capture at least some
revenue. The greatest hope is for field pea, a popular crop with American
growers, particularly in the north central and northwestern U.S.
Over time, funds generated through the new arrangement will support further
pulse crop breeding and provide market opportunities for Saskatchewan seed
growers. Growers who have already developed markets for CDC varieties
outside of Canada should contact the appropriate agent.
The outside-of-Canada rights add to those previously granted for CDC pulse
varieties released in 2003 and 2004. New agreements between the CDC and the
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and between the CDC and the three companies
extend their international rights to varieties developed by the CDC from
1997-2002, inclusive. The companies are: Nodricks Norsask Seeds Ltd. (field
peas); Quality Assured Seeds Inc. (lentils), and Canterra Seeds Ltd. (dry
beans and chickpeas).
In Canada, SPG will continue its Variety Release Program, whereby it
distributes Breeder seed to Select growers in Saskatchewan and Alberta on a
royalty-free basis. The system leads to rapid and widespread adoption of
improved pulse crop varieties in western Canada.
A full listing of CDC varieties covered under the international marketing
agreement is available online at
www.usask.ca/research/whatsnew.shtml#releases or through the Crop
Development Centre at www.usask.ca/agriculture/plantsci/cdc.html or (306)
966-5855.
-30-
For more information, contact:
Rick Holm
Director, Crop Development Centre
College of Agriculture
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-8195
Michael Robin
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2427
m.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research
Or call the appropriate company directly:
Lentils
Ron Weik
Quality Assured Seeds Inc.
Regina, Saskatchewan
Toll Free: 1-877-791-0500 ext. 23
Field Pea
Michael Messer
Nordricks Norsask Seeds Ltd.
Tisdale, Saskatchewan
(306) 873-2345
Dry Bean and Chickpea
David Sippell
Canterra Seeds (2002) Ltd.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 988-9750
