Joel Schlesinger © Postmedia Network Inc.
While the University of Lethbridge is well known as a premier university in southern Alberta, what is less well known is that it has also been offering programs in Calgary for nearly 30 years.
“We’ve been delivering career-oriented degrees in Calgary since 1996, and today that includes programs in business, public health, computing and health management,” says Dr. Kerry Godfrey, dean of the Dhillon School of Business and vice-provost (Calgary) of the University of Lethbridge.
“Our programs in Calgary have tended to focus on the working professional – people working in the city by day who study with us in the evenings and on weekends. This has been a bit of a niche for us, especially compared to the university’s regular day-time programming in Lethbridge.”
One program offered in Calgary and unique in Alberta is the graduate certificate and master’s degree in health services management, a collaboration between the business school and the university’s faculty of health sciences.
“Most people working in the health sector, not surprisingly, are health practitioners. Some move into management roles, but with limited training,” Godfrey says. “We’re working to change that with a new generation of managers who understand both health services and management.”
Another program unique to Alberta is a new partnership with Bow Valley College in supply-chain management. This integrated four-year program provides both BVC’s diploma in supply-chain management and the university’s degree in business.
The university also places a significant emphasis on reconciliation and has done so for decades.
“We offered the first Indigenous-centric governance and management program, starting back in 1985,” Godfrey says, adding the Dhillon School was also the first business school in Canada to require that all students take an Indigenous knowledge course as part of their degree.
“We’ve also just launched a new two-year diploma in Indigenous governance and business management, and recently created the Aikimmisa Pookaiksi Graduate Scholarship in Management to support Indigenous students pursuing graduate management degrees.
“The name is a gifted Blackfoot phrase meaning ‘raise up the children,’” Godfrey says, noting the scholarship is part of the university’s recognition of the tragic legacy of residential schools.
More broadly, the many programs and initiatives offered in Calgary illustrate the university’s commitment to innovation in education, he says.
“It’s about recognizing there are many different paths to learning; we all need to evolve to stay relevant in a changing world.”
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Calgary Economic Development.