“The faculty in 1966-67 launched a four-year Bachelor of Education degree in secondary education, a notable feature of which was a complete semester of internship as part of the total program of eight semesters.8 This differentiated the Regina program from that of the College of Education in Saskatoon, where the practicum or internship was of much shorter duration- usually two or three weeks. The emphasis on in-classroom experience became one of the hallmarks of the Regina degree. Much of the credit for the innovation belonged to Dr Robert N. Anderson, who was appointed head of the Department of Secondary Education in 1965.9 A graduate of the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Minnesota, he emerged as one of the leaders of program development during the formative years of the faculty.10

Anderson encouraged the faculty members in the Department of Secondary Education to go to conferences and keep up with the current literature in their fields. He had each of them put together a committee of six to eight Saskatchewan high school teachers they considered most enthusiastic and progressive in their respective subject areas. The faculty members then used the committees to test new education theories in classroom settings and to gather ideas about effective teaching methods. In addition, Anderson held Friday meetings with the members of his department. He asked each to describe one new teaching idea he or she had tried that week and how the innovation had succeeded or failed. In this way, he modelled a basic concept of teacher education. The idea was not for faculty to impose on education students a particular way of teaching, but rather to build on ideas the students already had. Prospective teachers were encouraged to think about what style of instruction worked most effectively for them, not simply to parrot ready-made techniques. The goal was to make the teacher a creative, self-aware professional, not a technician who blindly followed a well-trodden path.” (From James Pitsula’s As One Who Serves, pp. 228-229)

When Dean Lester Bates resigned as dean in June 1967, Norman France replaced him. “France was accustomed to a more hierarchical style of administration than he found at the Regina campus, where the atmosphere tended to be democratic and egalitarian. Principal Riddell detected signs of trouble in October 1968: ‘The situation in the Faculty of Education is extremely serious. It appears that [R.N.] Anderson and his ‘satellites’ are launching a major drive to get rid of Dean France as Dean. It appears also that this group is making plans to get rid of the Principal as well’

…Anderson announced his resignation from the university in April 1969 as did a number of other faculty members. At a faculty meeting on 2 April 1969, Evelyn Jonescu moved, and William Otis seconded, a motion of non-confidence in Dean France. The vote, conducted by secret ballot, resulted in a tie, with 23 supporting the motion, 23 opposing, and 2 abstaining.13” (Pitsula, pp. 229-230)

Dr. Anderson went to the University of Lethbridge where he spent the next 21 years, including two terms as Dean of Education.

Robert Newton Anderson, known to most as Bob, passed away peacefully Saturday April 7, 2012.