VIU President Dr. Ralph Nilson to be inducted into University of Regina Sports Hall of Fame

Vancouver


Island University President and Vice-chancellor Dr. Ralph Nilson will be


inducted into the University of Regina (U of R) Sports Hall of Fame Friday.

Nilson,


former Dean of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the U of R, will receive hall


of fame honours along with former women’s basketball head coach Christine


Stapleton during the university’s 35th Annual Athletics Awards Night.

Nilson


served as the faculty’s dean from 1992 to 2002, a time period in which there


was phenomenal growth in the athletics program at the U of R. The university


was represented by six varsity teams at the start of his tenure, but Nilson’s direction


helped the program expand to its current offering of 16 teams.

Men’s


and women’s cross country, football, women’s hockey, women’s soccer, men’s and


women’s swimming, men’s and women’s track and field, and women’s wrestling were


all added, as Nilson ensured that the principle of gender equity was maintained


throughout the expansion.

Nilson


was also instrumental in the creation of community partnerships with the Regina


Rams Football Club, Regina Athletics Track Club, and the Regina Optimist Dolphins


Swim Club.

“Ralph


had a vision for athletics here that was beyond what many would have even


dreamed,” U of R athletics director Dick White said. “That vision became the


foundation for the program we have today.”

Nilson


is grateful for the University of Regina honour and said he still gives high


priority to athletics in his role as president and vice-chancellor at VIU.

“Our


VIU Mariners have been consistently successful in basketball, volleyball,


badminton, golf, soccer and other sports,” Nilson said. “It’s a source of pride


for our university and the communities we serve.”

“I’m


also proud that last year we had 48 VIU athletes on our academic excellence


list and 26 Canadian Colleges Athletic Association National Scholars.”

VIU is aiming at the next level of competition in basketball


and volleyball with an application to join the Canada West University Athletics


Association. If that is approved in May, the Mariners would start competing


against teams such as the University of Regina Cougars starting in the fall of


2011.

Nilson


and Stapleton are the ninth and tenth members of the U of R Hall of Fame’s


builders category.

-30-