Around The Bowl: October 2025
Here is a look at some of the new appointments and announcements from the past month across campus at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).
Dr. Loleen Berdahl (PhD) has been appointed acting deputy provost, effective October 1, 2025. Berdahl most recently served as executive director of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) and director of the Diefenbaker Canada Centre. She is a nationally recognized educator and leader, known for her work in teaching, academic leadership, and equity, diversity and inclusion and a deep commitment to advancing Canadian higher education. Her accolades include the 3M National Teaching Fellowship and the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Outstanding Teaching.
As Berdahl transitions to her new role, Dr. Martha Smith (PhD) will serve as acting executive director of JSGS for a nine-month term. A professor of history at USask, Smith brings extensive leadership experience from previous roles as interim and acting associate dean in the USask College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and is a respected scholar of American foreign policy and Cold War history. She has contributed to graduate education through policy development, supervision, and mentorship, and to the City of Saskatoon in volunteer roles with community outreach organization OUTSaskatoon.
Dr. Tom Warkentin (PhD) has been awarded the Canadian Pulse and Special Crops Trade Association Industry Appreciation Award for his significant contribution to Canada’s pulse and special crops industry. Warkentin is a renowned plant breeder at the Crop Development Centre (CDC) within the USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). Warkentin, who joined USask in 1999, leads the Field Pea and Soybean Crop Breeding and Genetics program as the Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program (SRP) Chair.