2011 Achievment Awards
2011 Award for Excellence in Scholarship
Dr. Richard Brewster
Dr. Richard Brewster, from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, has 19 peer-reviewed journal articles published or in-press, most of which have him as the primary author. He has given six invited talks on his research since joining TRU and has supervised 19 undergraduate students, most of which have gone on to pursue graduate studies. He served as the TRU Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) representative for five years and worked on the M.Sc. Environmental Science Program Committee between 2006 and 2008. He has held NSERC grants continuously since 1996 and has helped organize five national or international conferences and symposia.
Dr. Brewster has worked on many projects that were of great service to TRU, including the Senate Committee on Promotion and Tenure, the Hiring Committee for the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and the Canada Research hiring committee, to name a few.
Dr. Cynthia Ross Friedman
Dr. Cynthia Ross Friedman, who works in the Department of Biological Sciences, has published 20 papers in peer-reviewed journal publications, for her, the most important aspect of these papers is that nearly all of them have an undergraduate student as a first author. She believes the most important aspect of her role at TRU is to enable students to bring a project from conception to dissemination in the peer-review realm.
Dr. Ross Friedman has supervised or co-supervised over 30 students at TRU and nearly all of them have either gone on to graduate school or a medically-related field. She has been recognized by the national media as an expert in her particular field of biological inquiry and has been honoured, with an Associate Membership in the University of British Columbias Department of Botany. Her potential as a young researcher has resulted in her being awarded a five year Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant valued at $124,000, as well as a Canada Foundation for Innovation Infrastructure grant valued at close to half a million dollars. This past year, she also served as a member of an NSERC Discovery Grant Evaluation Group (Biological Systems and Functions), a role indicating that she is known as a leader in
her field.
2011 Master Teacher Award
Ginny Ratsoy
Ginny Ratsoy worked in Adult Basic Education for a year before starting to teach in the English Department. She won a Teaching Excellence Award in 1991, and now teaches in both the English and Canadian Studies programs. She has served on many campus committees over the years, and is also involved in various community initiatives. Highlights at TRU include the 2003 Canadian Studies conference, Writers the university has hosted over the years, and the Friday afternoon socials of Cariboo’s early days.
Ginny has given her time, energy and considerable knowledge to both campus and community initiatives throughout the years she has been an instructor here, and has had a positive influence on students, staff, faculty, and the greater community. Her support and promotion of Aboriginal initiatives on campus has also been outstanding. She has brought in lecturers to discuss aboriginal issues, and held public viewings of aboriginal films, and laboured long and hard within the Aboriginal Teachers’ Education Consortium programme.
2011 Distinguished Service Awards
Dorys Crespin-Mueller
Dorys Crespin-Mueller, in her role as Research Analyst, Manager, and Director of Institutional Planning and Analysis, has been a key player in gathering and compiling relevant information which has informed the development of new initiatives in the international sector of TRU. In her role as International Student Advisor, she provided quality student services and demonstrated her dedication and initiative by introducing new student services as well as enhanced departmental organizational methodologies. She was highly regarded by her students as well as her colleagues for her professionalism, intelligence, integrity and willingness to go the extra mile.
In addition to her professionalism and contributions, Dorys has been involved with many committees and volunteer activities at the university and in the community, enhancing cross-campus communications and enriching campus life and contributions to the community. She has served on more than 15 institutional committees, including the United Way Committee, the Labour Relations Advisory Committee, and the In-Service 2011 Planning Committee. She has also contributed substantially to TRU’s external reputation, raising the university’s profile within BC and Canada.
Heather Hamilton
Heather Hamilton has been instrumental in the development and creation of many notable programs, such as the Heavy Equipment Operator Program for Aboriginal people for the Mining sector, the Women in Trades program, and the Pathways to Dogwood program. She always has time for everyone, no matter how busy she is, and goes above and beyond the expectations, often helping people who are in difficult situations by personally assisting them through the steps they need to take to improve their lives. Heather excels at enhancing the reputation of TRU, dealing with outside Industry associations and companies to develop programs and training to suit their needs. When dealing with large companies such as BC Hydro, Tolko, ICBC, Association of Mineral Exploration, BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association, and Ledcor, she enjoys the respect of them all, providing the type of customer service that is not often seen in today’s work force.
Dr. Ronald Smith
Dr. Ron Smith of the Biological Sciences Department has been one of the university’s strongest leaders in terms of the service he provides. Since his arrival in Kamloops, he has taken on many important rolesat TRU, from serving as acting chair in the Biology Department to being chair of the Faculty of Science Council. He has chaired an important review of the Library as well as serving a term on the University’s Board of Governors, all the while earning the respect of his colleagues and bringing forward creative new alternatives for everyone’s consideration.
Dr. Smith played a strong role in developing the connection between the university and the city, being very active in the 1993 Canada Games and volunteering every year with the Kamloops Track and Field club and for regional, provincial, national and international meets when they come to Kamloops. He has worked with many students through directed studies and honours projects, enhancing their applications to graduate or professional schools, using a hands-on approach and encouraging critical thinking.
Donna Taylor
Donna Taylor has been the foundation of the Career Education Assistants’ Team for well over a decade, as she has created and implemented many of the departmental systems and is continually training staff on CED policies, procedures, and processes. She always goes above and beyond what is expected and makes students a priority. On many occasions she has stayed late, delayed or missed lunches to ensure students’ applications make it to the Co-op employers by their deadlines.
Donna works hard to simplify processes for students so that they have the most enjoyable experience possible when interacting in the office. Her personality has been described as student-centered, work focused, professionally dedicated, and responsible, so that from faculty to fellow staff and students, her every interaction has been described as extremely positive and helpful. She has consistently taken the leadership role in initiating new procedures and application options from just an idea to the full-fledged systems that exist today.
2011 Teaching Excellence Award for Open Learning Faculty Members
Keith Whitmore
Keith Whitmore has a philosophy for his role as an Open Learning Faculty Member (OLFM) for TRU’s Open Learning Division. That philosophy for helping students is to remember that students are why OLFM’s exist. He continues to enrol in courses not only to continue learning new things, but to reinforce the student perspective that allows him to connect to the students he tutors and empathize with them. He recognizes that there are many different students and many styles of learning, so that no one approach works for everyone. This enables him to be flexible and able to accommodate those differences.
Keith has an extensive list of thankful students that he has successfully tutored who appreciate his quick assignment returns and thorough feedback, his availability for any questions or concerns they might have, and his hard-working and dedicated attitude. By providing specific examples and suggested solutions to the problems his students were having with their assignments, Keith instilled a sense of confidence in the people he tutored, both in their own abilities and in the Open Learning institution itself.