September 8, 2006 Source: :
http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/newsreleases.cfm?id=7860 U of A Celebration of Teaching and Learning honours best and brightest The University of Alberta honours more than 400 of its best and brightest teachers and students today at the 11th annual Celebration of Teaching and Learning. This very special event begins at 3:30 p.m. in the Myer Horowitz Theatre on campus. This year's Celebration of Teaching and Learning event marks the establishment of the new Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund. The $800,000 fund will be used to assist all people engaged in teaching at the U of A, including tenured faculty, sessional instructors, librarians, graduate assistants and post-doctoral fellows. The fund will aid the U of A teaching team in improving its skills and enhancing understanding of teaching and learning processes. "The University of Alberta takes pride in beginning the academic year by honouring its star faculty and students and supporting their academic goals with new initiatives such as this," said U of A Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Dr. Carl Amrhein. "The Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund will support a diverse range of initiatives that will enrich the U of A experience for teachers and students alike." Among the highlights of this year's event is the presentation of the University Cup, the U of A's highest faculty honour. The award recognizes a senior professor whose career reflects excellence in both teaching and research. This year, the honour goes to Dr. Mike Belosevic, a U of A professor in the Faculty of Science for 19 years. Working in the Department of Biological Sciences, Belosevic teaches and researches immunology, parasitology and environmental microbiology. He has received much recognition for his work from such prestigious groups as the Canadian Society of Zoology and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Many undergraduate and graduate students will also be recognized for their outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements. Their awards include the President's ($25,000), Chancellor's ($15,000) and Dean's ($7,500 to $12,500) citation scholarships. This year, the U of A Scholastic Distinction Program will present more than 80 awards valued at more than $1.3 million payable over four years to outstanding U of A students. The program complements a broad U of A scholarship package valued at more than $24 million annually. A Celebration of Teaching and Learning processional begins today at 3:25 p.m. in the Students' Union Office in SUB and will make its way along the second floor until it reaches the Myer Horowitz Theatre. Led by a bagpiper, the processional will include Liberal Senator Grant Mitchell, Alberta Minister of Education Gene Zwozdesky and U of A President Dr. Indira Samarasekera, who will be wearing traditional academic robes. For more information please contact:
Bev Betkowski, Public Affairs, 780-492-3808
File No: 38
September 8, 2006
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