Faculty of Extension Dispatch

Since joining the Faculty of Extension a little over a year ago, Dr. Cindy Blackstock has turned heads across the country for her herculean efforts to advocate equality for Canada’s First Nation children.

Now, she has received special status in two of our nation’s organizations of scholarly leadership; namely, the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation and the University of Northern British Columbia.

Operating under the motto “Seeking out the finest thinkers in all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences,” the Trudeau Foundation annually selects up to five fellows who have set themselves apart through their research achievements, creativity and social commitment. Cindy received a 2012 fellowship for her work “in the field of child and family services for over 20 years.

Meanwhile, the University of Northern BC, based in Cindy’s hometown of Prince George, has selected to confer upon her an honorary doctorate. Said Cindy of the honour: “[this degree] really brought to mind who deserves to be honoured in this, and they are the First Nations children and the non-Aboriginal children standing with them to ensure equality in health care, education and child welfare for children across Canada living on reserves."

As always, the Faculty of Extension stands in awe and well out of the way of the force of social justice that is Dr. Cindy Blackstock.

“This is just to let you know that the Celebrating Lifelong Learning in our Communities (CLLOC) Conference that we sponsored on Thursday and Friday was very successful,” read the first words of an email from Walter Archer, Associate Dean of Extension, dated 2 April 2012.

That day was particularly conspicuous for Extension, as it represented one day after the conclusion of Canadian Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’sInternational Adult Learners’ Week, not to mention two days before the Faculty’s 100^th birthday. Though not necessarily a matter of coincidence, it seemed to be a matter of the fates converging, as the Faculty, our country, and the world put a magnifying lens on an important time in the history of lifelong learning.

The conference, conceived and delivered by Extension as part of its centenary celebration, welcomed over 100 scholars and proponents of lifelong learning with a focus on “how lifetime and life wide opportunities contribute to the strength of the various communities we are all a part of.”

Keynote speaker and “Adult Ed Royalty” (cited by Extension Dean Katy Campbell) Mark Selman of Simon Fraser University, gave the conference’s opening keynote, in which he “bemoaned the death of social activism as foundational to Adult Ed,” according to Dean Campbell.

If Mr. Selman, a former President of the Canadian Association of Adult Education and as president of the Canadian Association for Studies in Adult Education, was the Edmonton-based bellwether for the changing atmosphere of Continuing Education, then the international clarion came from the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, whose 10^th annual Adult Learner’s Week stressed “the urgent need to reach a broader public.”

The Canadian Commission, under the motto “I am still learning” (a quotation attributed to Michelangelo), called for greater communication among stakeholders, not merely because, as they point out, “inclusive education is fundamental to the achievement of human, social, and economic development,” but also because of a published statement by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce recommending that Canada “draw far more extensively on underutilized sources of labour within its borders.” 

On the home front, Extension is drawing on its history (nicely capsulated in a skit at the CLLOC conference) of using adult education as an active agent of social justice and change, as well as a research priority on the scholarship of engagement, to answer the call for richer and more efficient means of engaging communities in lifelong learning.

“I am constantly astounded at our impact on learning in this province,” said Dean Campbell.

And, without a doubt, as lifelong learning continues to earn its due on the worldwide public agenda, Canada’s longest-operating university extension and continuing studies unit will be instrumental in leading thought and action over the next 100 years.

Oil on canvas; a final presentation for the Certificate of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta, Faculty of Extension:

• March 26 - April 18, 2012
• At the Extension Gallery
  Enterprise Square (old Bay Building)
  10230 Jasper Avenue
  Free admission

"The work in this series evolved from a desire to capture the images of old buildings, structures and sometimes just a peaceful landscape setting. In a few years some of these images may disappear, be destroyed or changed by the natural evolution of life.
The images will live on in these paintings..."

Pat McMillan, Artist

It was mid-afternoon on a Friday at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in Sendai, capital city of Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture; by all auspices, it was business as usual for Aya Miura and her office-mates. And then the building started shaking.

Earthquakes are not uncommon in Japan; because the country lies atop four major (and constantly-shifting) tectonic plates, the nation’s written history documents strong earthquakes dating back at least the last 1600 years. As the first shocks of this March 11, 2011 quake thrummed through the Ministry, Aya and her co-workers took cover under their desks, as they had been taught to do since grade school.

“I just waited for the earthquakes to stop,” said Aya. She would end up waiting what seemed like an eternity.

What Aya was living through would eventually be known as the 2011 Tokohu earthquake (or “Eastern Japan Great Earthquake Disaster”)—the most powerful known earthquake to ever hit Japan, and the most expensive natural disaster on record. The epicenter at the quake was a mere 130 km from Sendai.

Famously, the magnitude-9.0 quake also triggered massive, 130-foot-high tsunami waves, causing unthinkable damage to Japan’s population and infrastructure, as well as large-scale meltdowns at three nuclear reactors.

“After the quake was over,” explained Aya, “everyone [at the Ministry] went up on the roof and watched seawater rushing up a nearby river, but luckily our office was a safe distance from the tsunami.”

Mercifully, Aya’s family home in Sendai was not destroyed by the tsunami, but as she explained, “We didn’t get gas, electricity, or water for about a week.” More, she said, “we had to line up for hours to buy gas, and several days, I had to bike 20 kilometres to work.”

For months afterward, the Internet was glutted with photos illustrating the extent of the destruction wrought by what Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan called “the toughest and most difficult crisis for Japan.” Offers of aid poured in from all corners of the globe, and here at Extension’s English Language program, Executive Director Mimi Hui and team scrambled to do everything they could to contribute to the relief effort.

“Many of our students come from Japan, and we have many partner institutions throughout the country,” said Mimi. “The shock, uncertainty, and sadness brought about by this disaster shot through our classrooms and offices immediately.”

The point where these two timelines converge is the “Hope for Japan” program for survivors of the Japanese Earthquake.

A bursary support system proposed by Mimi and coordinated by Languages Canada, Hope for Japan offered scholarships to 150 Japanese students to study English in Canada at any of 30 accredited language schools, including the University of Alberta.

“My family friends in Canada told me about this program, so I checked out the details on the Canadian Embassy website,” said Aya. “I had a working holiday in Vancouver a few years ago and have always wanted to come back to Canada. Last year was very stressful in Japan, so the Hope for Japan Project sounded like an excellent opportunity for me to come to the U of A.”

The scholarship, through which the University’s English Language Program covers Aya’s course tuition, was lauded by Canada’s Minister of International Trade, the Honourable Ed Fast:

“Thanks to these generous scholarships, we hope that Japanese students… will enrich Canada through the strength and courage they have displayed here, which will no doubt help them become global leaders.”

For Aya, the program has already yielded positive results: last December, she completed her first semester of study (“weekly vocabulary tests, unit tests, and assignments are very hard, but I’m learning a lot”), and acclimatizes to a fickle Edmonton winter in the company of her homestay family.

She acknowledges that much still needs to be done to reverse the incredible destruction brought on by the earthquake, but remains positive about Japan’s future.

“In 1995,” she pointed out, “there was a big earthquake in Kobe, but the city has recovered as though it never happened, so I believe Japan and Japanese people will recover again in the future.”

The Faculty of Extension would like to extend its warmest wishes to our partners and friends in Japan for their stoicism in the face of unbelievable adversity.

[Ed. Note: for a poignant and unique look at the destruction brought about by the 2011 Japan Earthquake, check out the “Japan, Before and After the Tsunami” interactive slideshow on the National Public Radio website: http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/12/21/144018316/japan-before-and-after-the-tsunami?sc=fb&cc=fp) 

Photo Gallery (37 images) →

On April 4, 1912, University of Alberta’s first President Henry Marshall Tory officially declared the Department of Extension open for business. And exactly 100 years later, the Mayor of Edmonton, Stephen Mandel, will officially declare a day to observe the importance of University Lifelong Learning in the city. This was the first of many reasons to celebrate at Extension’s 100^th birthday party on March 15.

“Lifelong Learning is a big buzzword in today’s Universities,” said University of Alberta President Indira Samarasekera, addressing a packed grand ballroom at Edmonton’s venerable Hotel MacDonald. “This University invented that term 100 years ago.”

“So tonight we celebrate.”

And that we did.

Each year, the Faculty of Extension takes a break from its nigh-superhuman work regimen to recognize the individuals and groups who champion and further the cause of continuing education and community engagement. Because this edition of the Lifelong Learning Awards took place in the 100^th year of Extension’s history, a little more pageantry was the order of the day.

The evening saw many employees and friends of the Faculty dressed to the nines in historical formal wear, most notably Dean Katy Campbell, who sported a 1920s flapper dress, which she made herself using a pattern of that actual vintage. President Indira Samarasekera and Dean Campbell welcomed the audience of 220 to the event and kicked off the awards presentation.

Taking home awards that night were:

• The Community-University Partnership’s Marilyn Hawirko, for Outstanding Contributions to the Learning Environment;
• Laurence Kearley for Excellence in Innovation and Design in Lifelong Learning;
• Rebecca Georgis for Lifelong Learning;
• Sherry Ann Chapman for Engaged Citizenship;
• Philosophy for Children Alberta for Leadership in Lifelong Learning;
• Kyle Whitfield for Research and Scholarship; and
• Erin Ryan-Walsh for Excellence in Graduate Studies.

Following a toast to the winners from former president of the Canadian Association of University Continuing Education, Maureen MacDonald, the crowd was treated to the premiere of Extension’s Centenary Video. And though, to the layperson, this might sound as exciting as whitewashing a fence, Director Geoff McMaster created a moving, thought-provoking capsule of Extension’s many triumphs over the last 100 years. Believe the hype and check it out here.

By 7 p.m., emcee and long-serving Extensioneer Dennis Foth issued his closing remarks, after which all in attendance exited the building in a polite and timely fashion, presumably to turn in early to bed (since the next day was, of course, a working day). Wink wink, nudge nudge, and so forth.

Congratulations to all our winners and to the organizers of an event worthy of capping 100 years of touching lives! 

Wayne MacDonald, soft-spoken Manager of Government Studies at Extension, spends most days planning courses and conferences; in his spare time, he’s one of those people who uses “antique” as a verb. He never expected to become a media darling overnight.

However, after a day of lengthy interviews with local and national print and broadcast media, he looked noticeably more tanned from all his time in the spotlight.

This was the Wayne MacDonald that addressed an excited crowd at the Serendipity event University of Alberta’s Faculty Club on February 29: Standing alongside former Deputy Prime Minister Ann McClellan, Wayne recounted the story of what led up to this surreal day.

“’Serendipity’ is the perfect word to describe what brings us here today,” said Wayne. “Sometimes, good fortune finds you out of nowhere. And sometimes, it happens in the middle of a snowstorm in Winnipeg.”

That was the scene in 2003, when Wayne took a break from his business travels to look for a Mother’s Day gift for his wife, Elizabeth. Finding nothing in the local mall, he asked a local whether there was an antique shop nearby. Indeed there was.

“It was on Edmonton street,” recalled Wayne, “so I thought that might be a good omen.”

Wayne combed through the store’s offerings, finding mostly nothing, until Faye Stettler, the antique dealer, offered to show him the back room (which, according to Wayne, is where the real treasures are buried).

He would have no idea of the treasure he would find.

“On the floor, adorned in these unbelievable Victorian and Edwardian frames, I saw the face of my great-great grandfather, Sir Charles Tupper.”

Not just ANY relation, Sir Charles was Premier of Nova Scotia in the early days of Canadian confederation, later serving as the sixth Prime Minister of Canada. And here he was, on the floor of an obscure antique shop, just one of 18 portraits taken between 1978 and 1915. Other photos and artwork depicted Tupper’s family and friends, notably another of Wayne’s relations, James MacDonald, close confidante to Tupper and a minister in the cabinet of sir John A MacDonald.

“These were treasures of some of the most important years for my family and for Canada,” said Wayne. “I knew I couldn’t leave the shop without them.”

After some financial wangling, Wayne and Faye met at what they considered a fair price, and once the deal was done, Faye told Wayne The Rest of the Story.

In the 1970s, Faye explained, she had been invited to buy some antique frames from an estate sale. Noticing the intricate detailing of some of these frames, she bought what she considered the cream of the crop and took them home.

When her mother saw the portraits, she insisted that Faye go back and buy the rest. But, when Faye called again, she was told the remaining portraits and frames had been thrown out.

Fade to a shot of another Manitoban winter, where Faye and her mother locate the dumpster containing the remains of the treasure. Faye climbs in, roots around, and daintily passes the rest of the portraits to her waiting mother.

Incredibly, the portraits and frames remained in the shop for another 30 years, waiting for a family relative who just happened to be an antique fan and a Canadian history buff, to find them on a reluctant shopping trip in a blustery snowstorm.

Serendipity.

For the last nine years, Wayne worked tirelessly with a photography student and a framing gallery to restore the portraits to their original splendour (not an easy job, since most of the portraits did some hard time in an antique shop… or a dumpster.

But, on the leap day of the Faculty of Extension’s centenary year, Wayne unveiled the newly-restored photographs for the first time to a throng of curious media, family members from near and far, and members of the general public.

"These photographs are like a string back to those founding fathers and their principles that I think helped build the kind of country we live in and love today," MacDonald said. “How fitting we were able to show these photos in the year our Faculty celebrates the important people and events in our history that have contributed to our success today.”

Read and see more about this story through the following media websites:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/28/macdonald-clan-photos-history-buff-finds-his-canadian-roots-in-antique-shop/

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/historic-portraits-shown-decades-rescue-winnipeg-dumpster-051610343.html

http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=92c5179b-1642-41b2-bb15-06b7f68f34f4

http://www.joefm.ca/EventCalendar/Default/Details.aspx?ID=279375

http://www.news.ualberta.ca/article.aspx?id=8B04BC49EE094BFF91F96E5287590C26

http://ctv4.criticalmention.com/playerpage/player?params=Y2xpcElkPTE3NDA3NzUmc2xpbT0xJnBvd2VyZWQ9MSZyZXBvcnQ9dHJ1ZSZoaWRlQ2xpcENvbnRyb2xzPTEmbm9oZWFkZXI9MSZub21lbnU9dHJ1ZSZhdXRvUGxheT0xJnBhcnRuZXJUb2tlbj04YTgwODM2OTM1YTFkOTRhMDEzNWNlYzhmZTBiNzkxNw==

http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/video/lost+photos/video.html?v=2203933198#stories

Click here to download:

100th Birthday of University of Alberta, Faculty of Extension.pdf (1.18 MB)

In spite of a hectic schedule in an election year, Alberta's Premier Alison Redford sent a signed letter of congratulations to the Faculty of Extension "for 100 years of non-traditional learning and community engagement."

Reprinted from The Globe and Mail, December 26, 2011