Alberta Services for Students
Conference 2017

Keynote Speakers

Opening Keynote - Wednesday, May 10 from 9:00 - 10:00 am (Athabasca Multiplex)

We are pleased to confirm the Honorable Marlin Schmidt, Minister, Advanced Education as our Opening Keynote.  This should help kickstart the Alberta Services for Students Conference in a way that gets attendees thinking about services for students and how we can inform, train, educate, and contribute to student engagement and success in our educational institutions across Alberta.

As you all know, Alberta Advanced Education focuses on the province’s adult learning system and financial supports for adult students.  This includes Alberta’s 26 post-secondary institutions, apprenticeship and industry training, community adult learning and literacy, and Student Aid Alberta.

"The Alberta government is committed to an accessible and affordable adult learning system. Education helps unlock the potential in our society. Creative, passionate and hardworking graduates help Alberta remain strong and competitive in a global environment. Whether enrolled in certificate programs or doctoral studies, apprenticeship or diploma programs; graduates from Alberta’s adult learning system contribute to making the province better every day."

Closing Keynote - Friday, May 12 from 9 - 10 am (Athabasca Multiplex)

Dr. Janet Miller is one of our own.  She has been coming to ASSC consistently over the past two decades, and her involvement with our community has included ASScKicker editorial support, membership on the Provincial Planning Committee, co-chair of the onsite planning committee when ASSC was at Mount Royal and of course, conference presentations on a wide variety of issues.  Dr. Miller is a counselling psychologist with expertise in post-secondary student mental health and personal development.  In addition to 19+ years at Mount Royal University (as a Counsellor, past Chair of the Student Counselling and Full Professor), Janet is an Adjunct Professor with the University of Calgary, a certified trainer with the Centre for Suicide Prevention (ASIST workshop), and she has a small private counselling practice in the heart of Calgary.

Career highlights include founding a student leadership conference at MRU, welcoming 2200+ new students to campus each year as the MC of New Student Orientation, and being invited to LEAD as a keynote for RAs from across our province.  Janet is passionate about our ASSC, about student success and about all the magic that happens at this conference when great people come together an openly share their resources, expertise, and experiences.  Through this session she will share findings from research that inform our understanding of our students and will talk about strategies for supporting ourselves and each other as we strive to GO THE DISTANCE in these demanding careers.   Janet will no doubt be engaging as our Closing Keynote speaker.  It will be lovely!

Dr. Miller's Philosophy: "I believe that people are inherently good, are motivated to make the best choices possible and are driven towards lives that hold meaning and purpose. I believe in the value of struggle, the importance of challenge, the positive nature of stress and our intrinsic drive to seek meaning and make significant contributions to the greater good. I believe that we have personal agency, self-determination, and the power to heal and thrive, although I also recognize that success and wellness are impacted by determinants outside of our control including systemic barriers, trauma, privilege, access to resources and connection to supports.  As a psychologist, I embrace the scientist-practitioner model of therapy and thus my work is informed by evidence and oriented towards client-centered outcomes. My therapeutic approach is based on existential psychotherapy practices and client-centered approaches to therapy. My research is informed by literature in the areas of career development and life-design, positive psychology, student retention and theories of resilience."