A Message from the Dean

On behalf of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, I extend a warm welcome to new and continuing graduate students at the University of Calgary for the 2005-2006 academic year. You join over 5000 graduate students enrolled in a wide range of programs that reflects the growing international stature of the University of Calgary.

The mission of the Faculty of Graduate Studies is to promote and support graduate education and research, to foster excellence in graduate programs at the University, and to assist in the recruitment and retention of top national and international graduate students. In carrying out this mission the Faculty works closely with the various departments and faculties on campus and with the Graduate Students' Association. The Association plays an important role in representing graduate students' views and concerns to both the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the broader University community. Your support of the Graduate Students' Association is encouraged.

Graduate education is an active process that recognizes education as something you do rather than something that happens to you. The Faculty of Graduate Studies works to support and facilitate your progress and assists in dealing with any problems that cannot be satisfactorily resolved within your Department or by the Graduate Students' Association. Supervisors play a pivotal role in your education and research, a major component of which is as mentor or guide. Given the importance of the relationship, the choice of a supervisor is critical and we encourage you to pay attention not only to academic issues but also to compatible mentoring and leadership qualities.

We at the Faculty of Graduate Studies wish you success in your graduate program. Please feel free to contact us if there is anything we can do to help you achieve your goals.

Welcome from the Vice-President (Academic)

I am pleased to welcome both new and continuing graduate students to the University of Calgary for the academic year 2005-2006. To those of you who are new, I hope that you will quickly feel at home in the City and the University, and that you will find your academic program to be both stimulating and rewarding. Apart from what you learn through graduate courses, research, and interactions with staff and fellow students, many of you will also be involved in teaching: your role as a teaching assistant or teaching fellow will not only be valuable to you in your academic development, but will also be an important contribution to the work of your Faculty.

The University of Calgary, though relatively young in the context of other Canadian universities, is determined to pursue the highest levels of excellence in scholarship, research, and teaching. I hope that you will experience excellence in your graduate program, just as I hope that you will contribute to the excellence of the institution as a whole in all your activities.

I would also urge you to become involved in the various activities undertaken by the Graduate Students' Association, which has played a significant role in the life of the University of Calgary in recent years.

I wish you every success during your program of study.