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The year was 1967 and the future was brimming with promise and potential. Tie dye, bell bottoms, and peace signs were everywhere as millions of visitors from around the world descended on Montréal's Expo 67 to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday.
Radio stations were playing Lulu's hit To Sir with love on repeat - the story of a young student's gratitude for a brilliant teacher who opened their mind to the world.
Stepping into this world was another brilliant young teacher by the name of Bernard Wilhelm - a Swiss intellectual whose visions of a bilingual studies centre would emerge in the middle of the prairies.
"At that time, the University of Regina was known as the University of Saskatchewan, Regina campus," begins Bernard's oldest son, Pierre Wilhelm BA'77, speaking from his home on the Sunshine Coast of BC.
"It was nothing but a dirt field, with a gym, library, several classroom buildings, and a heating plant. Campion College had just been built. But thanks to my father's vision, the French cultural hub known as the Bilingual Centre - later renamed La Cité - would become a gathering place for French speaking students."
The early years
"My father was an adventurer through literature and was fascinated by American writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, but also by French writers like André Malraux" says Pierre.
"Most young Swiss teachers ended up pursuing their studies in England, but my father felt that his destiny was in America. He met and married the love of his life, my mother Rita Finnerty, when the two of them were in teacher's college in Upper New York State. We like to say my father was fascinated with Rita Hayworth and wound up marrying his own Rita."
When Bernard returned to Switzerland, he proposed to his love by mailing an engagement ring in a Swiss Chocolate box because "he couldn't afford the duty that a ring would have cost."
Rita joined her fiancé in Switzerland and Bernard earned a living as a secondary school teacher. As was customary of the times, Rita supported Bernard as he pursued his PhD in comparative literature while she devoted time to raising three children: Jane BA'75, Pierre, and Christophe BA'81.
But Bernard felt stifled by the conservative European academic climate where politics and connections - not necessarily hard work - resulted in higher promotions. He made the decision to return to the United States and applied for numerous teaching positions; however, it was a small, relatively unknown university in Regina, Saskatchewan, that caught his eye.
"The position came with the opportunity to set up a bilingual centre. So, we put our belongings in storage and made the five-day transatlantic trip to New York with our little terrier pup named Whisky," remembers Pierre.
It was a time when the era of passenger ships was coming to an end in favour of air travel, and Bernard wanted his family to experience all that a seaward journey would offer. So, he purchased tickets for his family on the SS United States.
The family arrived in New York and paid cash for a white Ford station wagon and made the journey north, camping along the way during the height of Expo 67. After days of travel through Ontario and Manitoba, they finally arrived in Saskatchewan.
"I think my father was in a hurry to get to Regina. We were stopped by the RCMP and given a speeding ticket, but the officer was so friendly and said, 'Welcome to Saskatchewan!'"
Establishing Regina roots
As the family settled in Regina that fall, they soon learned the truth about prairie cold. Bernard also quickly realized that the promise of a "bilingual centre" would come up cold, with no associated funding. Undaunted, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work as an assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages.
Things radically changed once funding for bilingual education projects was made available under the Pierre Trudeau government in the late 1960s and early '70s. Bernard's enthusiasm soared as he established a unique academic institution offering students a BA with a bilingual distinction through courses in English and French. The Centre provided a space for English-speaking students to converse in French and become a part of Saskatchewan's francophone (or Fransaskois) community.
"Students and academics flocked to the many social encounters my father organized," says Pierre. "They came to drink fresh coffee, sample Beaujolais Nouveau or enjoy a cup of hot apple cider on a cold wintery day. Many came to read French magazines and newspapers or hear conference speakers."
In the summer, courses were offered for Québécois and French-speaking students who came from abroad to learn English and discover Western Canada.
For many years, Bernard was President of the Association France-Canada and invited academic and culturally prominent personalities to Regina. He was in his element hosting these guests, while his wife Rita welcomed them into their home.
"Rita was an accomplished hostess known for organizing dinners for these speakers," recalls Jane, 70, the eldest sibling, from her home in Geneva, Switzerland.
Jane recalls her mother serving a delicious meal of filet mignon en croûte (beef tenderloin in puff pastry) to celebrity Canadian cook, author, and media personality Madame Jehane Benoît OC, who famously introduced Tourtière (French-Canadian meat pies) to English Canadians.
"I recall Mme Benoît saying that most women weren't confident enough to serve her a home-cooked meal, so she was invited out to restaurants instead. I think she was very impressed that she met her culinary match in my mother and even told Rita the meal was excellent!" laughs Jane.
Rita obtained a master's degree in English literature at the U of R in 1973 and taught French at Luther High School for many years.
Bernard Wilhelm in his office at the University of Regina. All photos courtesy of the Wilhelm family.
A lasting legacy
As the director of the Bilingual Centre, Bernard helped numerous students advance their careers. He organized exchange programs, helping students from Western Canada learn French in France and Switzerland. He also enabled young assistants to become professional translators and interpreters.
"My father left a lasting impression on so many people," recalls Pierre. "This included his research assistant Mary-Ellen Parker-Murray, who went on to head Saskatchewan's Protocol Office before she moved to Toronto. She and her family remain close friends of ours and we still speak to her in French. Another student of French, Craig Pollock BA'87, became an interpreter for the Canadian government."
When Bernard passed away in November of 2016, former students flew back for the funeral from all parts of Canada.
"My brothers and I were really touched by a card that then University President Vianne Timmons sent to our family," says Jane. "She recognized our father's pioneering work at the university and his dedication to French-speaking communities."
Youngest son Christophe, who sadly passed away last year, also recognized his father's contribution to French culture. He once spoke about the similarities between his father and fellow Swiss professor Auguste Viatte, who both believed French-speaking minority cultures in Canada, Louisiana (the Cajuns), and the Caribbean (the Haitians) deserved to have their cultures collected, preserved, published, and shared on radio and television.
Bernard was not only a pioneer of French distance education, but he also published several books in French, including a literary "fransaskoise" anthology, as well as a profile of the French community of Zenon Park. He was an engaging media personality on Radio-Canada and his research helped link French-speaking communities in Saskatchewan with sister communities in Northern Ontario and in Québec via satellite and video phone.
Bernard passed away in 2016, almost one year after his beloved Rita. With Christophe now gone, Pierre and Jane are left to ponder their family's legacy.
"According to his wishes, we took our father's ashes to the Jura Mountains in Switzerland where he grew up," says Pierre. "He now rests next to our dear mother and our brother."
Rooted in higher education
A love of languages and higher learning have followed the Wilhelm siblings their entire lives.
After studying English and French literature at the U of R, Jane went on to pursue graduate studies in literature at the Université de Genève in Switzerland. She then obtained a PhD in comparative literature in Montréal and was later a Marie Curie Fellow at the Université Sorbonne in Paris, with a fellowship for advanced research from the European Union. She has worked for both the Swiss government and the executive council of the City of Geneva.
As a certified professional translator, Jane has also been a language and communications consultant for agencies including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. She has taught French, English, and translation at universities in Canada and Switzerland, with research focused on gender, translation, and intercultural communication.
Pierre completed a 30-year university teaching career, having taught at the U of R's Language Institute as a French instructor. He also became an expert in multimedia and mass communications, helping set up Athabasca University's online distance learning courses. Pierre's research led him to work in Mexico, Cuba, and other Latin American countries. He married the love of his life Mariela, whom he met in Regina - a Chilean woman who grew up in France after being exiled during the Chilean coup.
Pierre says his four children are representative of "Canada's multicultural blend" and they embrace Spanish, French, and English, with a strong attachment to Western Canada.
Youngest son Christophe was a brilliant businessman who rose to be Vice-President Strategy of the avionics division of the Thales Group - a world leader in cybersecurity and data protection.
In the early years, Christophe studied history at the U of R and was awarded the President's Medal when he graduated. He also won a Queen's Silver Jubilee Award to study in Montréal.
He pursued his master's in European history and won a scholarship to study at the Institute of European Studies, whose graduate program was twinned with that of International Relations at the Université de Genève. He later obtained a graduate degree in science and technology policy planning.
After obtaining his MBA in international business and finance, Christophe worked as a leading executive for US and European multinationals in the automotive, rail, aeronautical, space, and defense domains.
Jane says Christophe had access to the most sophisticated top-secret technological and geopolitical information in the world. "The ease with which he navigated between languages and cultures contributed to his success in business negotiation," she says proudly. A few years before Christophe passed away, he had the chance to speak with the U of R about his outstanding world-level career.
"I have had the incredible luck to put into practice almost all of what I have studied, working on some of the critical infrastructure projects that our governments - or we, as consumers - now rely upon. This has ranged from ballistic missile defense at NATO, to winning major air traffic management projects and space-based, global navigation satellite solutions at the European Union. My work has also included the negotiation of public-private partnerships in the rail domain and the setting-up and oversight of defense or aerospace joint ventures in Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, the US, Russia, and China."
Jane and Pierre both recall Christophe saying that what helped him most in his work as a brilliant geopolitical strategist was his early studies in history at the U of R. Navigating life without their brother hasn't been easy. "Like our father, Christophe was charismatic," says Pierre. Christophe's legacy is summed up by former Thales Aerospace colleague Yannick Assouad, who said: "Christophe was a man of experience and wisdom, a true gentleman with outstanding human and professional qualities."
Moving forward while looking back
As world citizens, Jane and Pierre say they will always look back on their time in Regina fondly. Both share an immense pride in the contributions of their father and brother - and to the university where it all began.
"It's amazing to think that my father's decision to move our family there 60 years ago would have such a profound impact on all of our lives," adds Pierre.
Read this story en français!
[post_title] => The Wilhelm Impact
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Uzezi Ekhator MHRM'23 and Jim Greenwood BAdmin'93 grew up almost half a world apart, with distinctly different life stories, but they share the belief that their co-op work term experiences at the University of Regina significantly contributed to the decisions they made that helped them to find careers that are a better fit for their skills, attributes, aspirations, and their ongoing successes.
Greenwood and Ekhator took very different paths to the University of Regina. Greenwood grew up in Regina, so for him, taking his post-secondary education at the U of R was, as he puts it, "… a natural fit." In contrast, Ekhator grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, the most populous urban area in Africa. She received her undergraduate degree in Accounting and Finance from Delta State University in Nigeria and worked for seven years with FirstBank of Nigeria in customer service and other roles. Ekhator enjoyed working in banking at first, but over time it became monotonous, with few opportunities for career advancement. In 2015, she switched to a career in Human Resources because it is people-oriented and requires strong communication and interpersonal skills, which align with her strengths. She decided to upgrade her qualifications and skills by taking a master's program, which led her to emigrate to Canada, and attend the U of R. She chose the Master of Human Resource Management (MHRM) program at the U of R's Levene Graduate School of Business because it is one of the few schools that offers a MHRM degree in its entirety, rather than as an option within the MBA program. The MHRM program, she notes, covers subjects like compensation, labour relations, occupational health and safety, and everything in between. "Moreover, the school offered the co-op option, which provided the opportunity to earn a living while learning," she adds.
Culture Shock and Making Adjustments
As a newcomer to Canada, one of the first things Ekhator noticed was the differences in the banking systems between the two countries. "In Nigeria people are milling around the banking halls, and staff are under constant pressure to meet deadlines. I realized the importance of prioritizing work," she says, "and how to handle difficult customers. One of my first cultural shocks in Canada was having to schedule an appointment to open an account!"
Jim Greenwood at his office in Regina. Photo: Trevor Hopkins, University of Regina
Discovering What Fits and What Doesn't
Jim Greenwood graduated from the U of R in 1993 with a Bachelor of Administration degree, having completed four co-op work terms as part of his studies.
"The focus of my degree was accounting, but thankfully my first co-op work term was with an accounting firm, and I quickly realized that this was not going to be a good fit for me," Greenwood says. "Being an articling student during tax season was a bit of trial by fire. I enjoyed the numbers work, and the hard work, but the environment was way too formal for me. If you were working on site, you were not to talk with anyone, and if you were visible to a customer you had to have your suit jacket on. I'm really social, so to be stuck in a back room with my head down wasn't for me," he says.
Greenwood also completed two work terms with the province's Department of Mines and Minerals, tasked with tracking down past rights holders to determine their mineral rights. In those pre-internet days. that involved searching land titles by hand, often seeking out beneficiaries named in the wills of rights-holders who had died.
"It was like detective work," Greenwood says. "Most of the people we found were surprised to learn there were mineral rights. The majority of them were worthless, but there were a few that were very lucrative."
In Greenwood's final work term he was part of a large project team with Petro Canada, trying to automate the company's field sales force within the limitations of the pre-internet tools available. He likens it to the client relationship management software applications available today. "What stands out for me from my co-op experiences was that I was exposed to several different types of work environments," he says. "These experiences allowed me to develop a sense of what I wanted in a career, and more importantly, I found out what I didn't want. Working in different types of employment structures, the different experiences helped me understand that I was truly an entrepreneur at heart, and that I wanted to work for myself. I was confident in my abilities to be successful in any structure but felt I would be more fulfilled and rewarded working for myself." For Ekhator, her two co-op terms working at the U of R's Centre for Experiential and Service Learning (CESL) provided opportunities for her to learn the ropes of the workplace and the Canadian work culture, and to add the co-op certification to her MHRM degree. She was also active in the U of R's Ambassador and International Peer Advisor programs, volunteering with several events on campus. "Compared to Nigeria - where I grew up and earned my undergraduate degree in Accounting and Finance - Canada has a vastly different work culture and set of laws governing employment and labour," Ekhator observes. "The co-op program provides the opportunity to overcome cultural conditioning and prepare for a successful career," she notes, adding that more than half of her cohort in the MHRM program that graduated in 2023 was composed of international students.
Uzezi Ekhator in Edmonton. Photography: John Ulan
Co-op Education Evolving and Expanding
Since the co-op program was established by the U of R in 1969 - the first of its kind in Western Canada - more than 30,000 students have used it to expand their educational experiences, become familiar with different employment opportunities, and earn some money to support their education. That first modest pilot program - termed a "sandwich scheme" after the concept of semesters of work layered among semesters in the classroom - placed 21 Engineering students in paid positions with local businesses. That pilot evolved and expanded into the Co-operative Education and Internships program, which now offers work placements in Business, Arts, Science, Actuarial Science, Engineering and Applied Science, French and Francophone Cultural Studies, and Indigenous Career Education. (Internships are different from co-op work terms in that interning students work with one employer for a total of 12 or 16 months, providing them with a more immersive experience in one workplace. Internships are available in Engineering, Actuarial Science and Indigenous Career Education.)
In 2022, the U of R launched the Centre for Experiential and Service Learning, bringing together several services in one place for students seeking hands-on work and volunteer experiences. Besides the Cooperative Education and Internships program, CESL services include the student-run Volunteer Centre, Student Employment Services, Career Preparation, and the Ambassador program. Kevin Bolen, Director of Student Success at the U of R, says the "small but mighty" staff at the CESL bring a positive perspective to their work with students, listening carefully to where they are in their personal, academic and professional development. Bolen observes that some students are focused on where they want to be, while others have no clear idea. The breadth of the programming offered allows staff members to help students explore different career opportunities, including opportunities they may not have ever considered.
The U of R prides itself on its 55-year history of experiential learning, Bolen notes, with more than 30,000 students participating in work placements since its inception. In the last 20 years, he emphasizes, more than 3,000 International students have completed domestic work terms.
The Centre now has software that enables it to track student engagement in the various programs in detail, identifying the skills and experience each student has acquired, providing them with information that enhances their marketability with potential employers. The software also allows the Centre to do some serious number crunching, an example of which Bolen is eager to share. "The faculties of Arts, Education, Kinesiology, Media, Art and Performance, Nursing, and Social Work offer students a 13 to 16-week practicum, fieldwork or internship for course credit," Bolen explains. "From September 2023 to April 2024, a total of 1,500 students participated in this internship, logging 773,000 hours volunteering in K-12 schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based organizations. The positive impact within the community is astounding," he says proudly.
Helping to Advance and Shape Careers
Greenwood pursued his entrepreneurial spirit to build Regina's Blue Sky Financial Planning , where he is the managing partner. The business includes his business partner, a senior advisor, and three support staff, including Greenwood's daughter. During his co-op placements, he observes, he worked with some hard-working people and some he describes as not-so-hard-working, and it was easy to figure out who was who. He has used that experience in building the business. "I have surrounded myself with great people and we are an excellent team," Greenwood says. "Ours is a small shop, so we have not hired a co-op student, but I have always advocated for the program, and have recommended it to every student I know that they enrol in it. It shaped my career and has been invaluable."
Ekhator is currently working as an Employee Relations Consultant with the Government of Alberta, providing strategic advice and recommendations on complex employee relations matters related to collective agreements, performance, and conduct in the workplace. Her co-op experience, she states, was extremely beneficial in securing her current position. "I believe my participation in the co-op program enhanced my résumé and distinguished me during the recruitment process. Unsurprisingly, as a co-op student working in the co-op office," she continues, "I made the most of the services it offers, such as conducting résumé reviews, drafting cover letters, and preparing for interviews."
In the near future, Ekhator says, she aspires to move into a leadership position that would enable her to have a greater impact on the culture of the organization. Longer term, she plans to use her knack for numbers and her accounting degree to earn the Certified Professional Accountant designation. As for her other aspirations, she plans to "… work smarter rather than harder, push myself, continue to enjoy the journey, contribute to projects that matter and simply be happy."
Support Experiential Learning
The University of Regina believes that real-world, hands-on learning is essential to prepare skilled, career-ready students entering today's workforce. For the past 55 years, the co-operative education program, administered through the Centre for Experiential and Service Learning at the University of Regina, has been providing more than 30,000 students with real-world experience to compliment and strengthen lessons learned in the classroom.
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[post_excerpt] => Uzezi Ekhator MHRM’23 and Jim Greenwood BAdmin’93 on the power of co-operative education
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