July 30, 2010
University of Saskatchewan approves RUH for children's hospital
Posted July 30, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 30, 2010
2010-07-08-OTHER
The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Board of Governors today gave preliminary approval to the Royal University Hospital (RUH) as the location of the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan (CHS). This decision sets the stage for Saskatoon Health Region to begin the design phase of the project. When the design phase is completed in about 18 months, the U of S Board will consider final decision for the project location.
“We are excited to work with the health region as we take an important step toward making the children’s hospital a reality for Saskatchewan’s children and their families,” said Richard Florizone, U of S vice-president of finance and resources.
"This is great news for the Children's Hospital of Saskatchewan project," said Anne Neufeld, interim vice-president finance and administration for the Saskatoon Health Region. "This allows us to move to the design phase for the building. We are looking forward to continuing our work with our partners at the University of Saskatchewan to improve the health care children and their families in this province will receive within a teaching and research setting."
RUH was the unanimous site choice of the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan Advisory Panel that included members of the public, along with representatives from the health region, the university, medical staff, the Ministry of Health, the project management firm and the prime architect.
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For more information, contact:
Mark Ferguson
Communications Officer
University Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1851
m.ferguson@usask.ca
Linda Walker
Media Relations Consultant
Communications
Saskatoon Health Region
(306) 655-3476
linda.walker@saskatoonhealthregion.ca
July 23, 2010
University of Saskatchewan announces change in tuition payment options
Posted July 23, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 23, 2010
2010-07-07-OTHER
As part of the University of Saskatchewan’s (U of S) commitment to fiscal responsibility, the Board of Governors has approved a change in the options available to students for payment of tuition.
The following changes take effect September 1, 2010:
• The U of S will continue to accept MasterCard for tuition payments.
• Payments of tuition with MasterCard will only be accepted online. In-person credit card payments will be discontinued.
• A one per cent administration fee will be charged on all tuition payments made with MasterCard.
• The U of S will no longer accept VISA cards for tuition payments. VISA does not allow universities to charge an administration fee.
“In our business practices, we strive to balance the desire to be client-oriented with the need to be responsible with public funds entrusted to our institution, while also being conscious of what comparator institutions are doing,” said Vice-President Finance and Resources Richard Florizone. “With that in mind, we looked carefully at a number of options in regards to the rising cost of accepting credit cards for tuition payments. Most Canadian universities no longer accept credit cards for tuition payments, but, in consultation with the student unions, we chose to retain the option for students by implementing an administration fee to help offset the cost.”
In 2009-10, the U of S paid about $900,000 to accept credit cards for the payment of tuition.
“The new administration fee will cover about half of this expense moving forward, which will allow us to redirect those savings into projects geared toward enhancing the student experience such as the university section of the Place Riel expansion which will house the Student Health and Counseling Centre,” said Florizone.
The fee will only apply to tuition payments made by MasterCard. Other payment options (http://www.usask.ca/fsd/students/tuition.php) include:
• Online or telephone banking
• Payment at a bank or ABM
• Payment by mail
• Wire transfer of funds
• In person by cash, cheque or debit card at Student Accounts, Administration Building
This change in payment methods applies to tuition payments only. The U of S will continue to accept both VISA and MasterCard with no administration fee for other payments including application fees, transcripts, donations and other activities such as bookstore, computer store, animal clinics and non-credit course fees through the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education.
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For more information, contact:
Teri Rosenfelt, University Communications
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: 966-5659 Email: teri.rosenfelt@usask.ca
July 21, 2010
U of S announces $1 M gift from Saskatchewan Pulse Growers
Posted July 21, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 21, 2010
2010-07-06-AG
Today, the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) received a $1 million gift from the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) for the College of Agriculture and Bioresources’ Phytotron Renewal Project.
The phytotron is a controlled environment plant growth facility that enables three full cycles of plant production in one year. Individual chamber environments can be controlled for temperature, light and humidity, enabling testing and selection in a range of conditions including drought and frost simulation. The facility underpins plant and soil science research and teaching in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources.
“The Crop Development Centre’s pulse breeding team relies heavily on facilities at the U of S, particularly the phytotron, to develop new pulse varieties of economic importance to our industry,” says Murray Purcell, SPG chair. “In 2009, $1.8 billion worth of pulse crops were exported from Saskatchewan. This would not have been possible without the new pulse varieties developed here at the University of Saskatchewan and the use of the phytotron."
Given the challenges of climate change, infestations of new pests and diseases, environmental degradation, and global population growth and food requirements, the phytotron enables experiments that will help develop:
• plants and crop varieties that are more productive and nutritious;
• hardier plants and crop varieties that will survive weather extremes and are more resistant to pests and disease;
• healthier soil techniques to allow plants to make more efficient use of soil nutrients; and
• plants that will help in the remediation of soils that have suffered environmental damage.
“The phytotron has been and continues to be critical to the work of the college, particularly the pulse breeding and research programs,” says Graham Scoles, associate dean, research and graduate studies, College of Agriculture and Bioresources. “Not only does it support the breeding programs by allowing more than one generation per year to be grown, but it allows graduate students to perform research projects in areas such as disease and nitrogen fixation under controlled conditions ensuring that experiments can be executed successfully.”
The new phytotron, when completed, will attract top scientists and researchers from around the world and further enable the training and education of students who will join the ranks of the most accomplished scientific personnel in the world. This will allow the U of S to continue being a vital source of innovative plant varieties and land systems which allow the growth of food and fibre in almost any environment as bio-solutions for the world’s markets.
About SPG
SPG represents more than18,000 pulse crop producers in Saskatchewan. Accountable to growers and funded through a mandatory, non-refundable check-off, SPG has a producer-elected board of directors comprised of seven pulse growers. SPG has a legislated mandate to build a prosperous pulse industry in Saskatchewan and promote sustainable innovation, growth, and success through leadership, collaboration, and support.
About U of S
The U of S is committed to excellence in serving Saskatchewan and Canada. The College of Agriculture and Bioresources is a signature component of this mission through its research, teaching, outreach and technology transfer.
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For more information, contact:
Kira Paluck, communications co-ordinator
College of Agriculture and Bioresources
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-6873
Email: kira.paluck@usask.ca
July 13, 2010
U of S expands Family Medicine training to Swift Current
Posted July 13, 2010
Four medical residents are receiving their training in family medicine at a brand new clinic in Swift Current.
The complete release may be viewed at: http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=6377020f-a896-4519-9505-b23fb9476e54
July 05, 2010
U of S Biologist Part of International Team That Finds Carbon Emissions Threaten Fish Populations
Posted July 05, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 5, 2010
2010-07-01-AR
The world’s oceans are becoming more acidic due to CO2 emissions from human activity and this will have far-reaching consequences for the sustainability of fish populations, according to groundbreaking new research carried out in Australia’s coral reefs.
In an article published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), the team found that as carbon dioxide levels rise and ocean water acidifies, the behaviour of baby fish changes dramatically—in ways that decrease their chances of survival by 500 to 800 per cent.
“The release of greenhouse gases dramatically influences the pH levels of oceans, and the consequences for marine biodiversity will be profound,” said University of Saskatchewan biologist Doug Chivers who is part of the Australian-led research team.
“My prediction is that if you want to see a coral reef in its ‘natural state’, you will have about a decade to see it before it starts to undergo major irreversible changes.”
Chivers was invited to participate in the research due to his expertise in fish behavioural and evolutional ecology as a member of the U of S water research group.
“Prof. Chivers’ involvement in this groundbreaking international research underscores our expertise and commitment to helping solve global water issues and exemplifies why water security is one of our distinguishing signature areas of research at the University of Saskatchewan,” said U of S Vice-President Research Karen Chad.
More information about the study is available at the James Cook University’s Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) website: http://www.coralcoe.org.au/ The article is available on the PNAS website at: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/recent
For more information about world-leading U of S water research, please visit: http://www.usask.ca/water
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For more information, please contact:
Doug Chivers
Department of Biology
College of Arts and Science
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4419
doug.chivers@usask.ca
Mark Ferguson
Communications Officer
University Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1851
m.ferguson@usask.ca
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
