Members of the public can get help with plant, tree and lawn problems from BU experts. You can submit questions via email, online, or during the weekly horticultural hotline radio program broadcast on 880 CKLQ each Tuesday from 9-10 am. Digital photos are also welcomed, and have become an important diagnostic tool.

“This is the only horticultural extension service still available to Manitoba residents,” says Dr. Bill Paton, professor of Biology and director of the program since it started in 1976. “We look forward to another season of serving people in this province and Saskatchewan, too.”

Through the years, the BU Horticultural Hotline has been on the leading edge of discovery. Paton says new varieties of weeds, diseases and insects have been brought to their attention, which sparked further scientific study and, in some cases, immediate action. “Our program discovered that Dutch Elm Disease had moved into Manitoba in the mid-1970s,” he says.

Email questions and photos to the BU Horticultural Hotline at hortline@brandonu.ca. Or, talk with the experts during the open-line radio program on 880 CKLQ Tuesdays from 9-10 am by calling 204-725-2525 or toll free at 1-888-221-0880. You can also listen online and submit questions at www.cklq-com

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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Dr. Heather Duncan obtained her Masters of Education at BU and PhD in Education Administration from the University of Saskatchewan. She also has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Currently, Dr. Duncan is Associate Professor and Educational Leadership Program Coordinator at the University of Wyoming. She is also editor of the “Rural Educator” journal.

BU President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Deborah Poff says, “Heather’s experience with rural leadership and emerging educational development, coupled with her familiarity of Brandon University and the surrounding community, will be invaluable in shaping our education programming.”

Dr. Duncan has teaching and leadership experience in Manitoba, the US and Scotland at the grade school and university levels, and awards including the Governor General of Canada Gold Medal, Brandon University Gold Medal, and University of Wyoming Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award.

“Education is my passion,” says Dr. Duncan, “and I welcome this opportunity to help take BU’s strong undergraduate and Master of Education programming to the next level.”

Dr. Duncan begins a five-year term as Dean, Faculty of Education, on July 1^st, 2013.

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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The annual Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada (SWAAC) conference drew approximately six dozen participants from universities, colleges and technical institutes across Canada. BU President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah Poff says the gathering featured exceptional content.

“I have attended SWAAC conferences since the first in 1987,” says Dr. Poff, “and the speakers and panel discussions in Brandon have been among the strongest ever.”

Keynote speaker Amanda Lindhout detailed her horrific capture and 15-month long confinement in war-town Somalia. Lindhout was a freelance journalist when kidnapped for ransom in August 2008. Upon her release, Lindhout established the Global Enhancement Foundation, a charity which has raised millions of dollars for programming primarily for women in Africa.

Other speakers included Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Karen DeYoung, ethics writer Dr. Joanne Ciulla and Dr. Ramona Lumpkin, President of Mount Saint Vincent University.

SWAAC provides a forum and a collective voice for women in senior administrative ranks in Canada’s academic institutions.  Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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John Jackson investigated the experiences of registered psychiatric nurses working in Manitoba, writing a study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing.

“I feel this is ground-breaking research,” says Jackson, who has just completed his third year in BU’s Psychiatric Nursing program. “There is a lot of existing research in specific areas of psychiatric nursing including children and the elderly but very little about the challenges facing nurses themselves.”

Jackson initiated the research, partnering with Dr. Patrick Morrissette, professor of Psychiatric Nursing at BU to co-author the article. Dr. Morrissette says he does not know of another undergraduate student within the program who has conducted and published research as the principal author.

“John saw a need and carried through,” says Dr. Morrissette. “He has shown that important research can be conducted at the undergraduate level at small teaching-oriented institutions such as ours.”

Jackson is presenting his findings this weekend in Winnipeg, MB at the World Congress of Psychiatric Nurses. View the full journal article at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpm.12064/full.

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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The Henry Champ Gymnasium, first opened in 1965, has been home to four Canadian university national championship teams. The gym has undergone a year-long refurbishing as part of BU’s Healthy Living Centre development. Updates include a refinished hardwood floor, all new paint including the classic Brandon University Bobcats logo on a feature wall, a refurbished stage and mezzanine featuring configurable space for meetings or sports plus a new judge’s booth overlooking the gym.

Henry Champ was BU Chancellor 2008-2012, a lifelong sports enthusiast and dedicated BU Bobcats fan.

“During his student days at Brandon University, Henry was a remarkable athlete and passionate supporter,” says BU President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Deborah Poff. “He stayed connected to BU sports through his entire life and recruited top athletes to campus. Our University is a better place because of Henry Champ’s dedication and commitment.”

A native of Hartney, MB, Henry attended BU in 1957 and 1958. He would travel the world through the next five decades; one of the world’s top foreign correspondents reporting from places including El Salvador, Nicaragua, Chile, the Middle East, Vietnam and Washington, DC.

The dedication ceremony is open to all and starts at 3:00 pm in the Henry Champ Gymnasium, Healthy Living Centre, 2010 Louis Avenue, Brandon MB.

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Robertson is one of the most trusted faces in TV news, spending 35 years as Chief Anchor and Senior Editor of the country’s most-watched national newscast, CTV National News. A broadcaster since 1952, Robertson is a three-time Gemini award winner, and member of both the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Order of Canada.

“Lloyd’s efforts as a journalist and communicator have made Canada a better place,” says BU President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah Poff. “We applaud his career, his contributions and his national pride.”

In addition to television work, Robertson was honourary chairperson of the Terry Fox Run. In 2006, he received an honourary degree from Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC.

Robertson will receive his BU degree next month, along with 600 BU graduating students.

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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Drs Bryan Hill and Mark Berry with donated pennies

“We are overwhelmed by the response,” says Dr. Mark Berry, professor and chair of BU’s Chemistry department. “People young and old have been dropping off pennies in bags, jars and by the handful. A senior’s home in Brandon even held a donation drive. To everyone, we want to say ‘thank you’.”

Each year, BU professors use thousands of pennies in science experiments and demonstrations. School children marvel as the coins are electroplated with zinc then heated, turning from copper to ‘silver’ and finally ‘gold’. But the federal government has stopped production and is phasing out the penny, which prompted the appeal from the Science Faculty.

“We will use these coins to kindle a child’s interest in the sciences,” says Dr. Berry.

Pennies can still be dropped off at the Dean’s Office in the Brodie Building, Rm 172.

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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“It’s good for charity and a great stress reliever,” said organizer Hannah Mazier, a BU student and president of the Brandon University Zoological Society (BUZS). “We raised more than $1,000 for the BU Students’ Union Food Bank and the Canadian Cancer Society.”

The profs were paired off last month to compete for pledges. Those raising the most donations had the honour of pie’ing the others with chocolate and whipped cream.

‘Rebirth of the Cool’ will feature songs by seven Canadian composers, including four who will be in Brandon to take part. The impetus for the project is the 1957 Miles Davis-Gerry Mulligan-Gil Evans collaboration called ‘Birth of the Cool’.

Greg Gatien, BU School of Music

“We hope to record 11 newly composed songs for the CD,” says saxophonist Greg Gatien, professor with BU’s School of Music. “It’s ambitious.”

The all-star band will perform Friday night in BU’s Lorne Watson Recital Hall, an acoustically-superb 200 seat music venue. Admission is free and the show begins at 8 pm. Recording will continue Saturday and Sunday in the Recital Hall.  Gatien says, “We will take the best tracks from the live concert and the studio recordings. Final production will happen this summer and we expect to have the album out by the fall.”

Performers will include Gatien and Winnipeg-based Ken Gold on sax, Dean McNeill from the University of Saskatchewan on trumpet, former New Yorker Jeff Presslaff on trombone, and Brandon University instructors Gilles Fournier and Eric Platz on bass and drums. Renowned recording artist and BU faculty member Michael Cain will produce.

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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Kayla Koivisto, a third year student in BU’s Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies program, will attend University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, returning to BU for graduation in the spring of 2014.

“This is a great opportunity for me to gain new experiences and meet new people,” says Koivisto, who hails from the Prince Albert area in northern Saskatchewan. “Coming to Brandon for university is the farthest I have ever travelled, so I’m really looking forward to this.”

The National Student Exchange (NSE) places 2,000 students each year among universities and baccalaureate-granting colleges within Canada, the US, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Guam.

NSE students can access programs not offered at their home institution, research grad schools, or simply experience living away from home.

BU’s Dean of Students, David Rowland, says students end up all over the world through these institutional partnerships. “This year, one of our NSE students is going to England,” says Rowland. “In the past, BU students have attended universities in the US, Australia, Germany and India. They do so at a terrific cost-savings because our students pay BU tuition which is often substantially more economical than other institutions.”

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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