| Augustana University College was founded as Camrose Lutherana College in 1910 by
Norwegian pioneers. It provided secondary education from 1911 to 1959, when it began
offering university courses as an affiliated college of the University of Alberta. It
became a university in 1985 when the first degrees were granted. It was the first private
university college in Alberta to receive degree-granting authority. It now grants three-
and four-year degrees in over 22 disciplines. Augustana is a liberal arts and sciences
university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, but is open to students of all
backgrounds. It took its present name in 1991. Geography courses were first offered in
1986 when a permanent-stream faculty member was hired to develop the curriculum,
coordinate the programme, and expand the range of course offerings. A minor in geography
was first offered in 1994, available to all students taking a three- or four-year degree
in another discipline.
The curriculum has been heavily influenced by the strengths of faculty members teaching
at the time. Currently the department concentrates on resouerce and physical geography.
The current complement of faculty members ranges from 1.0 to 1.25 full-time equivalents
per year. the administrative home of the deparmtent was originally in the Division of
Social Science, and moved to the Division of Psychology Economics and Geography in 1994.
In 1999 it moved to its current home in the Division of Biology, Chemistry and Geography.
The department has contributed in many ways to the enhancement of the university’s
strengths in interdisciplinary studies. In 1996 the geography department initiated the
development of a three-year interdisciplinary degree programme in environmental studies,
to which geography contributes several courses. Similar arrangments were also made for
three-year interdisciplinary degree programmes in Development Studies and Canadian
Studies. In 2000 the geography and biology departments facilitated the development of a
four-year interedisciplinary degree programme in environmental science.
The department has also worked closely with other departments in course develoment. In
1996 it began a partnership with the department of physical education to jointly offer two
field courses. The first is the Outdoor Leadership Development Program, based in the Rocky
Mountains and foothills of west-central Alberta. This program combines a warm weather
outdoor pursuits course with a physical geography field course. Up to twenty students
develop leadership skills in the areas of environmental impact assessment, leave-no-trace
camping, field techniques in physical geography, group dynamics, and ecosystem analysis.
This trip is highlighted by a week-long canoeing trip in the Rockies. The second, the
Augustana Arctic Canoe Expedition, combines an advanced outdoor pursuits course with a
regional course on the Canadian North. Up to ten students participate in a three-week
canoeing trip, most often in the tundra ecosystems of Nunavut.
Faculty:
Dr. Rhoda McFarlane was the first tenure-track faculty member hired. She had degrees
from the Universities of Victoria (B.Sc.) and Waterloo (M.Sc. and PhD). She taught at
Augustana from 1986 to 1990 and was instrumental in developing the curriculum, setting up
laboratory spaces and designing courses. Dr. Glen Hvenegaard joined the department in 1994
and received tenure in 1999. He earned degtrees from the Universities of Alberta (B.Sc.
and M.Sc) and Victoria (PhD). He was the catalyst for developing the interdisciplinary
degree prgraommes in environmental studies and environmental science. He also serves as
faculty advisor for environmental sciences students. He and his students were recently
honoured with the Elaine Burke Award for environmental citizenship. Glen is a member of
the IUCN’s World Commission for Protected Areas and is on its Tourism Task Force. He
is involved in LEAD International (Leadership for Environment and Development) and
conducts research on ecotourism, protected areas and environmental education.
Several other people have contributed to the curriculum and teaching within the
Department. Faculty members from the Department of History (Dr. Lucille Marr) and
Scandinavian Studies (Dr. Indgrid Urberg) have taught cultural or regional geography
courses. Several sessional instructors have also taught in the Department, including Pam
Stacey, Julie Hauser and Keven Tether.
Challenges and Opportunites
The Department has faced many challenges and opportunities during its brief history. In
fact many of the challenges have also provided some obvious and some not-so-obvious
opportunities. First, because the department is small it does not yet offer its own degree
programme. This is an obvious constraint. However, by being small the department is
flexible enough to contribute to various aspects of the University, and gives faculty
members an opportunity to influence all aspects of the department. Second, the
department’s small size probably allowed for an easier move to the Division of
Biology, Chemistry and Geography, which, given the department’s focus, better serves
its needs than the traditional administrative home in the social sciences. Third, by
working within a small University, faculty members can work easily with faculty members
from other departments to develop new programms and participate in jointly-offered
courses. Fourth, working within the liberal arts and sciences curriculum at Augustana the
geography department serves many needs, since geography courses fulfill many core
requirements, including environmental studies, scientific experimentation, Canadian
Studies, and social/political/economic systems. Finally, being housed at a private
university with only partial governmental funding means slower development of needed
facilities but also ensures more freedom from the influence of governmental budgets and
requirements. |
