April 25, 2006 Source: :
http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/newsreleases.cfm?id=7505 Fund to boost support for arts, humanities and social sciences In a move to begin addressing the chronic underfunding of the arts, humanities and social sciences, President Indira Samarasekera today announced a $1.5 million fund to support research and discovery in these important areas. The generous support and participation of the Killam Trusts, in combination with existing University funding, has allowed for the creation of the Killam Research Fund to reward and retain talented human sciences researchers while creating exciting and interdisciplinary learning and discovery projects for students. In making the announcement, President Samarasekera says she is fulfilling the promise made last September in her installation address to establish such a fund. "The Killam Research Fund embodies the spirit of discovery that permeates our vision for a great university. A thriving, transformative and inter-disciplinary research culture will most certainly produce the lion's share of cutting-edge and revolutionary breakthroughs in the 21st century, developments that will advance knowledge, address global challenges and elevate the human spirit and public good," the president says. She also points out that students must graduate with a balanced, global-influenced education, as employers today are looking for graduates who can move seamlessly within a company and easily adapt to new environments. "We can no longer afford to learn, work and live in a single-minded vacuum; we must embrace our interdisciplinary world," she says. Groundbreaking discoveries now involve multi-faceted approaches, where genomic research relies on equivalent insight and advancement in ethical and policy studies, and breakthrough treatments for infectious disease depend equally upon sophisticated and cutting-edge social ingenuity to translate these innovations into practical programs. It is also expected that the Killam Research Fund awards will lead to increased funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and other national and international funding agencies. The first award recipients will be announced this spring. The University of Alberta in Edmonton is one of Canada's premier teaching and research universities, serving approximately 36,500 students with some 9,400 faculty and staff. For more information please contact File No: 20 President Indira Samarasekera, 780-492-3212; April 25, 2006 Gary Kachanoski, vice-president (research), 780-492-5355; or Sandra Halme, public affairs, 780-492-0442.
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