A higher degree: with a new president, strategic plan and a growing campus, the University of Regina is experiencing a renaissance.

Despite the global economic crisis, there has been an undeniable shift in the province of Saskatchewan. One that has seen it transform from an economic participant to a powerhouse, in the process turning us from a have-not province to a have province. This is a shift that has also seen the fortunes of the province rise to unprecedented levels, where Saskatchewan is a national leader on many economic fronts, including percentage gains in GDP growth, average economic growth, unemployment rate and the number of people employed.

It has also shifted the migration patterns to the point where the exodus of residents has been overtaken by the numbers from the incoming populous. That's right. Our population is growing--in fact at its highest rate in 50 years. And while this shift is long overdue and welcome, it is believed by many that this is just the start of our unbridled potential. In order for Saskatchewan to indeed realize its potential, it is incumbent that we keep our youth at home.

Recognizing this, the University of Regina puts its emphasis squarely on its students, with the objective of keeping and attracting residents and non-residents respectively to the city for their studies. But it's just as important to retain them upon graduation. Over half of the university's 12,000 students come from outside of Regina, while its international student population is approaching 10 per cent. Though this objective has been a long-held goal of the university, it has become an even higher priority since the arrival of Dr. Vianne Timmons. As of July 1, 2008, Timmons is the university's new president and vice-chancellor, the seventh in its history, and the first woman to hold the post.

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Bringing with her an abundance of experience in academic accomplishments and senior administrative expertise, the former vice-president of academic development at the University of Prince Edward Island also brings with her a plan. This plan is to keep the university on the right track where possible, and to develop new opportunities, synergies and objectives where needed. As an educational psychologist in the prime of her career, Timmons signed a five-year contract over which time she plans on accentuating the many positive contributions the university has developed over its history. As part of this process, Timmons has instigated the launch of a new strategic plan, for which she has seconded the dean of arts, Thomas Chase, to lead the process.

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"What is different about this approach is we've set up a facilitation committee," Timmons says. "It is not top-down, it's driven by campus representatives for the campus. We are going after the campus community, alumni community and our Saskatchewan community, and we're going to find out what they want in their university for the next five years."

ON THE MOVE

Undertaking this strategic plan is particularly crucial, Timmons says, because of the unprecedented growth and development the university has seen over the past decade. Indeed the university is very much on the move, with construction and expansion on the campus becoming almost commonplace over the past few years. When combined with increases in enrollment, staffing, capital budget figures and research funding, it's hard to deny such a claim. As such, Timmons intends to ensure the U of R is not only moving,. but in the right direction, and in a manageable, functional manner.

"Forty per cent of our faculty have been hired in the last 10 years, so we have hungry, hard-working, young faculty and we've seen an unprecedented period of growth that will continue," Timmons confidently predicts. "The campus has physically doubled in size in the last 10 years. Our growth is not only there, it's also in student numbers, which are around 12,000 now.; But it's also in research; our research funding has quadrupled. We're at $22 million annually now and our operating budget is getting close to $150 million a year, so we're becoming really an economic driver in the province."

"Just in terms of economics just think about bringing in $22 million a year in research funding," Timmons continues, going on to expand upon the impact. "What will that do to Saskatchewan in terms of economic infusion? Because with that research funding you hire graduate students. So you bring grad students into the province, they study here, they contribute to the community, they live here, they become families that live here."

PART OF THE GREATER COMMUNITY

Another key point in Timmons' goals and objectives is the identity and connection the university has with the city and beyond. "The University of Regina is a university of the community and I mean community in terms of the province of Saskatchewan," she clarifies. "We are definitely Regina's university but our reach goes beyond Regina."

That tenet has been felt reciprocally by the community, says Regina Regional Economic Development Authority president and CEO, Larry Hiles. He both acknowledges and appreciates the added appeal the city has thanks to the university's presence.

"The university and all of its tentacles in the community are extremely important to our strategic plan to grow the economy because we want to focus on research, development and commercialization, a lot of it which will be related to existing and future research at the university," says Hiles.

"It's also a huge benefit to people to be able to attract youth to our community," Hiles continues. "Now with the growth of the research park, much of which is tied to activity at the university, it gives students something to attach to, both while they're going to university but also to career opportunities when they complete their degree. So you can actually come right out of the U of R into the research park to pursue either a new business, technology development or further research."

Timmons points to a joint venture recently announced with the province and Royal Dutch Shell on the creation of the International Performance Assessment Centre for Geologic Storage of [CO.sub.2]. Each of the stakeholders contributed $5 million to the project. She also notes that the university has recently signed an agreement with Doosan Babcock Energy, one of the largest producers of power stations in the world.

"They're looking at integrating our technology into the new power stations they build," Timmons offers of the agreement with Doosan Babcock Energy, which operates in locations including Korea, the U.K. and China. "So the outreach to beyond the province is significant."

"In particular we're really pleased with how we're building in the area of climate change. Not just because it's an interesting area but because it has such an impact on future generations. It kind of fits our whole community outreach and community responsibility that we believe is part of our university."

"I think if there was a green campus in Canada it would be the University of Regina," adds Timmons. "Our latest building is the Research and Innovation Centre, that is a magnificent new lab building. They tried to green as much as possible so they used the best technology. Everybody pays attention to the influence on the climate and what we do. The pride in place is huge. I never see litter on the ground, you never see graffiti, and I credit the students."

Their students are making a difference in the environment, but also in the business community, says Anne Lavack, Dean of the Paul J. Hill School of Business. "I talk to many business people on a regular basis and I hear over and over again how impressed they are with the calibre of students we have graduating from this school," says Lavack.

Lavack points to a couple of scenarios that help to illustrate her position. For incoming students, the Paul J. Hill School of Business has a program called the Excellence Program. This program admits high school students with an average of more than 85 per cent and provides them with scholarship funding. When the program first started about five years ago, approximately 80 students qualified for the award. This year that number has risen to more than 130. "The number of top students that we're getting into the Paul J. Hill School of Business has risen dramatically over the last several years," Lavack observes.

And secondly, that calibre of student is being reflected in how well they perform in national competitions, Lavack stresses, going on to offer an example. "Our students recently competed at the JDC West Competition in Edmonton. We sent a team of 45 students and there were over 600 students there from 14 universities across Canada. Our students placed second, just a half-point behind the top school. Last year our students placed second but they were nine points behind the No. 1 school. So the performance of our students is really at a level where they can compete nationally with students from any other school or university."

NICHE IDENTITY

Key to the university's growth and development has been its ability to establish its own identity, competitive advantages and areas of expertise. Thanks in part to the development of the PTRC, the University of Regina has developed its undergrad petroleum engineering program so it now represents the largest of its type in Canada.

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The U of R is also home to the first co-op education program in Western Canada, where students are able to gain valuable work experience as they pursue their degree. Placements can be in areas including engineering and business administration. There is also a coop program specifically suited for aboriginal students, an area which again, puts the U of R at the forefront, says Timmons.

"We have over 10 per cent incoming last year who self identified as aboriginal and we are really committed to our aboriginal students," Timmons says, adding this 10 per cent figure does not include enrollments into the First Nations University of Canada, a federated college of the U of R.

As a federated college of the University of Regina, all of First Nations University's academic offerings are overseen by the University of Regina's executive council. "They are independent administratively but they are not independent academically," Timmons says.

"So students come in and register through the First Nations University but they graduate with a University of Regina degree."

Thanks to an arrangement made with the government of Nunavut, U of R degrees are also being bestowed in Canada's newest territory. "Our outreach is getting to be more and more, Timmons says. "We've actually moved into Nunavut and we got commissioned by their government to run their educational program. Those students will graduate with a U of R education degree."

Other specialized programs are offered at the University of Regina in a number of areas. Some of these include journalism, social work, media production and studies, actuarial science, software systems, police studies, health studies, public policy, business administration, as well as many others. They also offer the only master's degree in gerontology in the Prairie provinces.

It is in the area of social justice and police studies in particular where the university is developing a real cluster. "The RCMP training centre is in Regina, and we have the Saskatchewan police college right at the university," Timmons says. "Also in terms of our own programming, we have the only PhD in police studies in Canada, a scenario we are really committed to growing."

The U of R is also home to the Canadian Plains Research Center, which looks at improving, understanding and appreciating the Canadian Plains region, its people and resources. "It looks at what does it mean to live on the plains," Timmons explains. "What does that mean for livelihood, what does that mean for culture, what does that mean for resources? What resources are unique to the plains, that are different?"

One thing Timmons can speak directly to regarding life on the plains is the vital contribution the University of Regina is making to the future of this province.

"Our graduates are getting work and they are doing very well. People are looking to hire. So we're still protected a bit because of our economy here in this province. These are exciting times to be a young person here in Saskatchewan, and it still is."

"This is a great province to be in and a great city to be in at this time. Especially coming from the east, from the Maritimes, where you've lived in what I would call a region on the margins, and Saskatchewan knows what that's like. But to be able to be here in this time where things turned, they are just flying and I'm thrilled," Timmons concludes.

"I just want to see this sense of optimism continue. I think we need, especially for the next generation, to keep that front and centre. I'm an educational psychologist and I know the impact of what your self belief can do to you. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a true phenomenon and I want to see Saskatchewan keep believing."