January 29, 1999

Dr. Jim Murray has been promoted to senior associate vice-president (partnerships and innovation), effective April 1, 1999. In this new senior position, Murray will use his experience to work closely with President Rod Fraser on initiatives to further partnerships with key industry sectors aligned with the strategic objectives of the U of A and the province.

With the consolidation of the Industry Liaison Office (ILO) and RTM Inc., Dr. Peter Robertson, professor of civil and environmental engineering and associate dean, engineering, has been appointed by RTM's board as acting president of RTM, effective Jan.1, 1999. Robertson will also succeed Murray as associate vice-president (research/industry relations) and director of the new ILO/RTM on April 1, 1999.

This consolidation will provide a continuum of technology-transfer activity as discoveries generated by professors and research associates move through the steps of intellectual property protection and patenting, licensing, proto-type development, business plan development, and the creation of spin-off companies. The consolidation provides for "one stop" shopping for University of Alberta activity and expertise in technology transfer.

Janice Rennie, RTM's first president, will continue to provide her expertise as a member of the ILO/RTM Board.

Technology Planning and Budgets

Stephen Thornton has been appointed manager, technology planning and budgets, in Computing and Network Services. A graduate of the U of A's mining engineering program, Thornton is a long time employee of CNS, and was formerly the team leader of the Unix Technical Support group. Most recently, Thornton was a key player in negotiating the SunSITE agreement between Sun Microsystems and the University of Alberta. This management position will help develop long-term strategies for the information technology infrastructure across campus.

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