Published by Communications and Public Affairs 519 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338

News Release

September 25, 2006

U of G Colloquium to Celebrate Scottish Culture, History

The University of Guelph will host its fall Scottish studies colloquium Sept. 30 in Room 102 of Rozanski Hall. Members of the public, the media and the academic community are welcome to attend.

The colloquium was launched more than 30 years ago. This year's event brings together a strong lineup of academics who will speak on a wide range of topics, including Scottish cuisine, saints and artifacts.

“The subject matter is Scottish and Scottish-Canadian, but the topics are of interest to a wide audience and resonate,” said Prof. Graeme Morton, U of G 's Scottish Studies Foundation Chair. “It’s a time to bring together the Scottish community to celebrate our culture and history and to share it with others.”

The opening lecture, “Early Church in Scotland,” will be given by historian Mark Elliot of the University of St. Andrews at 9:40 a.m. Lindsay Irvin of the University of Toronto will discuss Scottish saints at 10: 20 a.m.

Other speakers are U of G graduate student Elizabeth Ritchie, Mary Williamson of York University, Marjory Harper of the University of Aberdeen and Andrew Nicholl, an archivist at the Scottish Catholic Archive in Edinburgh.

At 2:30 p.m, Tim Sauer, head of information resources (collections), will be recognized for his role in building and expanding U of G’s Scottish studies collection over the last four decades.

“Tim has gone to remarkable effort to secure many of the items we have in our collection,” said Morton, noting that U of G holds the largest Scottish archive and book collection outside the United Kingdom. “He has also done much to promote the digitization of this collection to make it accessible around the world.”

The Edward Stewart Graduate Scholarship in Scottish Studies will be presented during the afternoon. The $15,000 award is made in memory of Edward Stewart, a former Ontario deputy minister of education and secretary of cabinet. As past president of the Scottish Studies Foundation, he was chair of a fundraising committee that raised enough money to finance North America's first endowed chair in Scottish studies.

The colloquium will also feature traditional Scottish music and dance performances, including soprano Katrine Anderson, who has sung with the Glasgow Hebridean Choir and has performed across the United Kingdom, North America and Africa, as well as displays and a daylong book sale.

The fee for the colloquium is $35 for members of the Scottish Studies Foundation, $40 for non-members and $10 for students. Lunch is included. For more information or to register, call 519-824-4120, Ext. 53209, or send e-mail to scottish@uoguelph.ca.

For more details about the colloquium, visit the Scottish studies website.