The November 28, 2011 edition of The Insider is now available.

In this edition-

• This spring, AU will publicly launch the Athabasca University Campaign. This public phase is the final phase of the campaign, which has already achieved over 50 per cent of its $30-million fundraising goal. Dr. Pamela Walsh, AU’s vice-president (advancement), chats with The Insider about what the campaign has accomplished so far, where it is headed and why we are nearing the time to “go public.”

• Filmmaker Pirkko Karvonen and Andrea Hansen, a violinist retired from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, were at AU Athabasca for a November 7 Science Outreach – Athabasca presentation which aired Karvonen’s documentary Strings Across the Sky, about the program established by Hansen in 1988 to revive the fiddling tradition in the Arctic.

• The annual United Way Campaign at AU was once again a success. Events, run by enthusiastic volunteers, went well, garnering high levels of participation from across the university and generous contributions.

• Arts and Science Research Talks Series welcomed Liam Connelly of the Centre for Global and Social Analysis who gave a thoughtful presentation on legal issues related to personal directives and the rights of citizens.

• Eight months of working is rural Tanzanian villages opened Larissa Duma’s eyes to how changes in environmental health can drastically affect people’s livelihoods and showed her that environmental education can be a pathway to positive long-term change. She is the speaker at the next Science Outreach-Athabasca event on November 29 at 7 p.m. in Governing Council Chambers.

• To mark the conclusion of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP), the Advancement Office produced a short video about the improvements that have been made to AU facilities through KIP program funding. In 2009, AU received $8.45 million from KIP and other sources to upgrade and renew facilities in the main campus building at AU Athabasca and $7.65 million from KIP and other sources to enhance the university’s information and communication technology infrastructure.

• In the News: Ken Munyikwa, Bob Barnetson, Terry Anderson, Rory McGreal, Calla Wright, Scott Parsons.

• News Briefs: Historical Society of Alberta, sixth Campus Alberta Writing Studies Colloquium at AU, ARC design wins award.

And more…

The last issue of The Insider for the year will be published December 12, 2011. The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 2. The first issue in 2012 will be published January 23. The deadline for submissions is January 13.

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