News

This week, we are recognizing members of the CUE community who have shown kindness, empathy, and resiliency over the past year. We are also celebrating milestones and our retirees who have given their time and energy to our community, and impacted the lives of countless students and employees.

Celebrating Our Retirees

Constance Murphy
Field Experiences Coordinator, Faculty of Education

Constance Murphy began her career at CUE in January 2006 as a sessional instructor focused on Design and Instructional Methods in Elementary Education. Almost instantly, she became a mentor and role model for her students, helping them plan for student teaching and providing instruction in the pedagogy of teaching second languages. An exceptional planner, she became the Field Experiences Coordinator in 2011, a role that gave her the opportunity to work closely with students from across the Faculty of Education, and place them in roles where they would excel and make a difference.

Constance embodies the values we hope to instill in our students—she is patient, knowledgeable, thoughtful, and generous with her time. Her extensive knowledge of school systems, school-based leadership, and the needs of teachers has proven to be invaluable, and her extensive professional network has helped to kickstart the careers of many of our graduates. An avid traveler who participated in the Erasmus+ program, Constance will be greatly missed and we wish her well in her retirement. Thank you, Constance.

Maureen Stratton
Faculty of Education

Maureen Stratton began her academic career at CUE in 2005, previously serving as a teacher and principal in the Edmonton area. Her passion for teacher education drew her to CUE, where she taught courses related to the legal framework of teaching in the province, as well as methodology and planning courses related to English language arts. After becoming an Associate Professor in 2010, she was named Dean of Education in 2012—a role in which she supported, and provided key leadership to, the Faculty of Education, pushing to achieve high standards of professionalism and preparation. Her leadership propelled CUE forward and has been vital to the success of our graduates, who have become known for being some of the best prepared early career teachers in the province.

Maureen’s leadership style makes everyone around her better—she empowers others and, as Dean of Education, she ensured that each faculty member, staff member, and sessional instructor was involved in shaping the Faculty and building its reputation. In 2017, she took on a new challenge and became Interim Vice-President Academic and Provost, supporting CUE through a significant transition. She also provided administrative assistance as the lead for the Teaching Quality Standard Renewal Project and she earned Professor Emerita status in recognition for her enduring contributions to CUE. We will miss her presence and leadership on campus, and wish her the best as she enters retirement and pursues new interests. Thank you, Maureen.

William (Bill) Freed
Faculty of Science

The late William (Bill) Freed began teaching at CUE in 1972 and was a valued member of our community for 48 years. He was known around campus for his patience, humour, and love of both teaching and mathematics. Over the course of his time at CUE, he watched as we evolved into the university we are today, and he was a valued member of the Faculty of Science. Those who had the opportunity to work will Bill remember him as being incredibly kind, and passionate about his classes and his students. His humour brought joy to students and colleagues alike, and he was dedicated to the CUE community.

While his focus and passion was mathematics, Bill taught physics in his early days at CUE and we are still finding scattered notes and labels with this handwriting in the laboratory. Prior to his passing in November 2020, Bill was committed to improving the student understanding of the meaning of calculus. His last project was adapting the APEX Infinitesimal Calculus Volume I and II textbooks to be used at CUE, and we are grateful for all of his contributions over his many decades as part of our community. Bill was loved by many, and is greatly missed by both his colleagues and thousands of former students who will carry on his legacy for years to come. Thank you, Bill.

Congratulations to all of our retirees on exceptional careers,
and thank you for your dedication to our students and CUE community.