Building a Better Society: Is Liberal Education a Fundamental Pillar? (Part 1)

Liberal education and its role in the 21st century do not appear to be widely understood or valued in society as a whole. Many parents and prospective students are attracted to professional programs or applied studies perceiving that they are the best routes for gainful employment. The University of Lethbridge is committed to a strong liberal education program at the undergraduate level but needs to modernize and remodel the program and communicate the uniqueness of its approach and the positive outcomes of such an education. Many University of Lethbride graduates only understand the value of their liberal education degree years after the fact. This observation underscores their degree’s true worth as a pathway to meaningful employment and engaged living, but also how challenging it might be to build a tangible case for liberal education in today’s crowded market. The speaker will give perspective to U of L’s long standing commitment of supporting liberal education and offer insight into U of L’s decision to recently establish a dedicated School of Liberal Education. Speaker: Dr Andrew Hakin Andrew Hakin became the Vice President (Academic) & Provost at University of Lethbridge in July of 2007 after serving for approximately 2 years as the Associate Vice President (Academic). After obtaining a BSc and a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Leicester in England, Andrew joined the University of Alberta as a post-doctoral fellow in 1987.  In 1989 Andrew joined the Chemistry Department at the University of Lethbridge as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Professor in 2003. Andrew served as Chair of his department and was active in the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association where he served as President in 2001.  Andrew is a recipient of the University of Lethbridge Distinguished Teacher Award (2000) and the Stig Sunner Award for outstanding contributions to the field of thermo chemistry (2003). More recently he helped to create the Centre for the Advancement of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CAETL) at the University to further promote the importance of teaching within the academy. Moderator:   Chelsea Sherbut Date: Thursday, Oct 5, 2017 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (Lower level of The Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $12.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea) RSVP is not necessary