BURMAN UNIVERSITY STEPS INTO THE FUTURE

From Vision To Reality

DEDICATION OF THE LIBRARY AT BURMAN UNIVERSITY

Saturday, June 4, 2022

3:30 PM | Hymns from the Clocktower

Heard Throughout the Campus

Hymns of History

Wendy Markosky, Chair, Music; Lawrence Murrin, Registrar

4:00 pm | The Vision for a New Library

College Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church

Prelude | Hymn Favourites

Welcome and Greetings | Loren Agrey, President 

Blaine Calkins, MP Red Deer and Lacombe; Ron Orr, MLA, Lacombe-Ponoka;

Cora Hoekstra, Deputy Mayor, City of Lacombe; John Ireland, Deputy Reeve, Lacombe County 

Invocation | Massiel Dávila-Ferrer, University Chaplain 

Joyfulness and Intellectual Purpose | Sheila Clark, University Librarian 

Think. Believe. Act. — The Calling in Concrete Form | Adam Koning, Architectural Technologist, Eagle Builders

Thanks to Donors | J.D. Victor Fitch, President Emeritus; Chair, Campaign Advisory Team

The Vision Becomes Reality | A Responsive Reading

Led by Loren Agrey and Skyla McCreery, Head Teacher, Sylvan Meadows Adventist School 

Hymn | “Be Thou My Vision,” #547. Led by Julie Thompson, Chair, Faculty Council

Invitation to the Dedication | Noble Donkor, Vice President, Academic Administration

Striding Into the Future | “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken,” arr. Robert Hughes

Organist | Wendy Markosky, Chair, Music

Dedicating and Opening the Library

On the Steps of the Library

Prayer of Dedication | Jeff Potts, Lead Pastor, College Heights Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Opening the Library | Ribbon Cutting

4:45 – 6:00 PM | The Reality of the Library

Open House: Find out more about Burman University and the library as you interact

with guides* and hosts^. 

5:00 PM & 5:30 PM | Scheduled Talk

The History of Campus Libraries: Classroom (Lower Level)

Keith Clouten,* Librarian Emeritus; Carole Brousson Anderson,^ Director,

Program Development: Psychology

Explore at Your Leisure

MAIN FLOOR

Reception and Circulation 

Kenzie Birmingham,* Sam Ridderhof,*

Shania Wollman Sola,* Library Student Assistants; Gordon and Judy Rick^ 

Information Commons 

Carol Anderson Nicks,* Librarian Emeritus;

Shirley Anderson Freed,^ Chair, Education (ret.)

Fitch Forum: Reminiscing about

Life on the Hilltop

J.D. Victor Fitch,* President Emeritus;

Murray and Elaine Babiuk Sankey^ 

Office: Assistant Librarian

Sherri Townsend-Letniak^

The Johnson Children’s Book Centre 

Glenda Johnson^ 

Study Alcoves: Remembering

and Research 

Noble Donkor,* Vice President, Academic Administration; Adam Kiš,* Associate Professor, Anthropology

Centre for Peace and Justice 

Glen Graham,* Director, Centre for Peace and Justice; Gail Homenchuk Misek^

Centre for Peace and Justice Study Area 

Gerald Chipeur^

Research and Study Area: 

Remembering the Class of 1971 

Cheryl Polishuk Kay;^ Leighton Nischuk^

Research Corridor, East: Specs

for Construction

Dennis Hahn,* President, Eagle Builders;

Werner Brouwer,* Project Manager,

Eagle Builders

STAIRCASE

Clarence Grosso;^ Cliff and Ann Marsa Tym^

LOWER LEVEL

Makerspace  

Randy Chenowith,* Library Technician; 

Marcia Bell Hill^ 

Study Commons: Watching Construction and Moving the Library Across Campus

Don and Charlene Gibbons Dubyna;*

Wilmer Tenerife,* Library Technician;

Lois Clark Codington^ 

Special Collections 

Joyce Tinkler Van Scheik,* Librarian Emeritus; Mazel Best Holm^

Writing Centre 

Shelley McCann Agrey,* Health, Activities, and Writing Centre Coordinator

Carol Clark Prayer Room 

John McDowell,* Artist, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; Isabel Clark^ 

Offices: Information Technology 

Colin Hill,* Director, Information Technology; Members of the IT Staff*

6:00-7:00 PM (intermittently)  | Hymns from the Clocktower

Heard Throughout the Campus

Hymns of Praise, Progress, and Service

7:00 PM | Rejoicing in Reality

Light Reception

University Dining Room

The Vision Becomes Reality

A RESPONSIVE READING

With readers representing demographic groups

President: For more than 40 years, administrators thought. Board members and constituents prayed. Faculty and staff visioned. And then, librarians and architects consulted and drew plans. Prayers ascended. 

Builders: Plans were revised. In 2021, foundations were poured. Prayers rose heavenward. Students smiled. Donors reached deep into their pockets. Walls were erected, windows installed, computers hooked up. And prayers continue to soar.

People: We give thanks today for all the people who followed a dream, and whose vision, persistence, labour, and commitment have created this library. 

Administrators: Burman University has a vision and a mission to educate students to think with discernment, to believe with insight and commitment, and to act with confidence, compassion, and competence.

Students: Libraries assist us to think, believe, and act. They include records of the past so that we, in the present, may wisely create our future. 

Staff: O Lord, open wide the gates of learning, of understanding, and of service.

People: As we use this library, bless us with a lengthened view of our eternal possibilities.

Citizens of Canada: People who build—a country, a city, or a university—know that libraries represent a cherished gift for future generations. Libraries help us see possibilities more clearly. They encourage us to search, to find purpose and belonging. They inspire us to shape the world.

People of the City of Lacombe: This library is the cornerstone of Burman University, an important resource for the City of Lacombe, and for Lacombe County.

Residents of Lacombe County: It has become a gathering space, a place where people learn,

connect, and belong. 

People of the Province of Alberta: It is a centre where we, as citizens, can learn what is important, discover how we interact with others, and determine our role in the community and the world.

Alumni: O God, may this library we dedicate today be, for the campus and for the wider community, a place where we always seek to engage with your work.

People: May it be a place where we ask questions, exercise creativity, and wonder at Your mysteries

IT Users: “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you… plans to give you hope and a future.”

Donors: For the students of Burman University, these words speak of a future that fosters exploration and nurtures research. They will find success in a society that values knowledge and integrity.

Committee of 100: These words have called us all to make an investment in the lives of young people who have the capacity and motivation to change the world.

People: May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish thou the work of our hands—yea, establish the work of our hands and our hearts.

Librarians: Libraries have the power to transport us to knowledge, to wonder, and to growth.

Faculty: Libraries connect individual learners with each other and with the shared wisdom of many voices. In the Burman Library, discovery blossoms into a network of support and opportunities.

People: O God, because of your grace and blessing, we ask that all that occurs in the library may please you and bring glory to your name.

President: Almighty God, from times past, you have lavished gifts on your people. You gave yourself, leaving the glories of heaven to walk among us. You have shown your love over and over, allowing us to experience your glory in countless ways. You have been our vision, O Lord. You have shown us your mercy and showered us with blessings.

People: Today, we receive this library as a tangible gift of your grace. Today we dedicate it to

your glory, O God. Amen.

RESPONSIVE READING PARTICIPANTS

President | Loren Agrey, President

People | Skyla McCreery, Head Teacher, Sylvan Meadows Adventist School

Builders | Adam Koning, Architectural Technologist, Eagle Builders

Administators | Noble Donkor, Vice President, Academic Administration

Students | Shania Wollman Sola, Library Student Assistant

Staff | Diane Southcott, Director, Donor and Alumni Relations

Citizens of Canada | Blaine Calkins, Member of Parliament, Red Deer and Lacombe

People of the City of Lacombe | Cora Hoekstra, Deputy Mayor

Residents of Lacombe County | John Ireland, Deputy Reeve 

People of the Province of Alberta | Ron Orr, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Alumni | Adam Deibert, President, Alumni Council

IT Users | Colin Hill, Director, Information Technology

Donors | Elvin Saruk, Senior VP Oil & Gas and Power, Sherritt International; Grace Fedak 

Committee of 100 | Alice Fitch Wombold, Member

Librarians | Joyce Tinkler Van Scheik, University Librarian Emeritus

Faculty | Chloe Weir, Chair, Education; Assistant Professor, Education

Library Dedication Committee

Chair: Denise Dick Herr, Emeritus Professor, English; Sheila Clark, University Librarian;

Eric Rajah, Chair, Advancement and Donor Relations; Diane Southcott, Director, Donor

and Alumni Relations