Forum to focus on liberal arts

Posted: January 20, 2014 10:10 a.m.

Professor Emeritus Dr. Jack Boan was one of the people who contributed to the
Professor Emeritus Dr. Jack Boan was one of the people who contributed to the "Regina Beach Manifesto" in 1963 and will be a keynote speaker at "The Liberal Arts at the University of Regina: Looking Back and Moving Forward." Photo: U of R Photography

Fifty years ago, a group of 30 faculty members from the University of Saskatchewan - Regina Campus held a faculty retreat to discuss the role of the liberal arts at the University.

One of those present at the retreat, Professor Emeritus of Economics Dr. Jack Boan, recalls: “We met at Regina Beach, holding the meetings in the hotel, and sleeping in cottages of friends. The temperature hit a low of -30F. We were comfortable in the hotel, but at night, in the cabins, we were pretty cold.”

Out of these cold but lively discussions, the participants produced an “Education Policy for the Liberal Arts”. This document, which became more commonly known as the “Regina Beach Manifesto,” was intended to chart out the future of liberal arts education at the University.

To commemorate this event and discuss the current and future role of the liberal arts at our University, on January 23 a forum will take place entitled “The Liberal Arts at the University of Regina: Looking Back and Moving Forward.”

At the forum, Boan will deliver a keynote address putting the University of Regina’s liberal arts tradition in its historical context, and Dr. David Helfand, President and Vice-Chancellor of Quest University in British Columbia, will talk about innovative approaches to liberal arts education.

There will also be a panel discussion featuring Dr. Philip Charrier (Department of History), Dr. Shauneen Pete (Faculty of Education and Executive Lead - Indigenization) and Dr. Sean Tucker (Faculty of Business Administration).  A moderated question and answer session allowing the audience to interact with all participants will conclude the event.

“The Liberal Arts at the University of Regina: Looking Back and Moving Forward” will take place:

Thursday, January 23, 2014
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
University Theatre - Riddell Centre