A U of C alumnus, for the fourth time

By Erin Mason

David Reynolds, BSc’74, MSc’76, MBA’04, will graduate this May with his PhD.  Between completing his master’s degree and MBA, David worked for 30 years, 16 of those with the City of Calgary. He accepted an early retirement package in 2004–what perfect timing to return to school.

Although completing a PhD was David’s dream, he was unsure about fitting in again. “When I went back, I expected to see all young people but I was surprised by how many people I had a lot in common with,” he says. Before long, David was sharing his life experiences and mentoring younger geography students.

Like his MBA, David’s PhD research was environmental management and tourism-related but it had a science component as well–the effects of climate change on snow conditions ski hills between 2020 and 2050. His PhD supervisor, Dr. Dianne Draper, a professor in the Department of Geography, was excited about his topic. “By integrating his work experience, and training in Geography and Business, Dave has positioned his research uniquely in the interdisciplinary intersection of social science, climate science and business, says Draper. “It is rare that a research project of this nature crosses so many disciplinary boundaries, particularly given the scope from science through to business—that's quite an accomplishment in academia.”

Aspects of David’s research included: ranking 24 regional ski hills based on a geographical factors index; examining output from climate models for Banff National Park and conducting 60 face-to-face interviews with skiing-dependent businesses in Banff and Jasper. Climate models from Banff indicate snowfall will not decline significantly until after 2020, which is why his research focused on 2020 to 2050.

David determined that ski resorts and associated businesses close to the coast will be most socio-economically vulnerable to the early effects of climate change. Ski resorts like Sunshine, Lake Louise, Marmot Basin and Mount Norquay may attract more skiers and businesses as a result. These resorts are not immediately vulnerable to the socio-economic impacts of climate change as they are high in the mountains with cold and dry climate conditions and are able to make snow. The survival of other ski resorts depends partly on having a high base elevation and snow making ability.

Climate change wasn’t a top concern for many small business owners David met with. “They weren’t very aware of the effects of climate change on their businesses,” he says. ‘If they’re planning at all, they’re planning one to five years ahead and not ten to forty.” The reality is that many businesses are run by one or two people so they’re often without the resources to plan strategically for the future. “Some businesses think they will always have a captive customer base,” he says, but climate change makes the future of some ski resorts in the Cordillera more uncertain. However, skiing-dependent businesses in Banff and Jasper may be beneficiaries of climate change as more skiers come to the parks after 2020.  

With his thesis dissertation defense complete and dissertation submitted, David will be graduating in June. Crossing the stage that same day will be his son, Ryan, receiving his MGIS. Ryan is also working on his his PhD and his supervisor is Dr. Dianne Draper.

With his final degree framed and mounted, David will have spent 15.5 years at U of C as a full-and part-time student. Although he can’t wait to go back to work, he also can’t wait to take a vacation. Congratulations, David!