Rod Macleod, Professor Emeritus, was professor of History and Classics at the University of Alberta from 1969 until he retired in 2005. During his tenure he served as Chair of the Department of History and later as Associate Dean of Arts. He has written extensively on the history of Western Canada as well as Canadian legal and military history. His books include The Mounties and Prairie Fire: The 1885 North West Rebellion as well as The North West Mounted Police and Law Enforcement 1873-1905. Rod is the official historian for the University of Alberta. In that capacity he researched and wrote All True Things: A History of the University of Alberta, 1908 – 2008, published by the University of Alberta Press. He served two terms as the Alberta representative on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Rod Macleod lives in Edmonton.
"This book is a critical history of the university. In it my
concern has been to understand how it differed from other
universities and why it evolved the way it did. In doing the
research and writing it became apparent that the history of the
university was entwined with the political history of the province.
For the first half century it completely dominated the intellectual
and cultural history of Alberta. From its inception the university
has had a powerful sense of mission, summed best in founding
president Henry Marshall Tory's dictum 'the uplifting of the whole
people shall be its final goal.' The university's remarkable
extension activities led to the founding of CKUA radio and the
Banff Centre." Rod Macleod, April 2008
"Loyal alumni can choose from a handful of tomes honouring the
University of Alberta on this, its 100th anniversary year. All True
Things places the U of A in the larger context of our province's
history, revealing a dynamic learning centre influenced by a
diverse and fast-growing population." Edmonton Journal, Christmas
Gift Guide, November 19, 2008
"In the early years of the province's history, the location of the
yet-to-be-built University of Alberta was one of the most hotly
contested issues of the day. ... The controversy surrounding the U
of A's location is one of the pivotal moments discussed in
Macleod's new book All True Things, which traces the evolution of
the university from a fledgling Prairie school to one of Canada's
most powerful academic institutions. ... "I wanted this (book) to
be a real history, not a public relations exercise ... I wanted to
look in a serious way at how the institution developed, how was it
different from other Canadian universities and what were the down
parts of the experience as well as the ups." Macleod thinks much of
the U of A's success can be traced back to the first president,
Henry Marshall Tory, who laid out an ambitious vision that
essentially remains intact today. ... For example, female students
were admitted from Day 1, and Tory insisted the first faculty be
arts and science rather than an agricultural school many in the
province wanted. In hiring the first group of professors, he
demanded they all have PhDs and went as far as Harvard and McGill
to recruit them." Keith Gerein, Edmonton Journal, Sept. 17,
2008
"... a terrific little institutional history..."
*Alex Usher*
Ask a Question About this Product More... |