When describing the impact that Dr. Roger Jackson had on the University of Calgary, all one has to do is look around the campus. He was a visionary in so many facets that exist on campus today with his legacy being in so many critical areas.
Dr. Roger Jackson was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education (now Kinesiology) in July 1978 and served for two terms.
As Dean he built a significant research program and academic environment and established the first graduate programs at the Masters and Doctoral levels.
In 1988, he created the Sport Medicine Center and became its Founding Director. He generated funding for the construction of this facility, and for the two subsequent additions, along with recruiting the staff and health professionals.
In recognition of his accomplishments in building a significant research program and academic environment during his two terms as Dean, a new health research centre – named the Roger Jackson Centre for Health and Wellness Research – was opened in June 2005.
His contributions to the betterment of athletics at the University of Calgary are immense. Dr. Jackson played an active role in athletics serving as President of the Canada West University Athletic Association and most importantly was the guiding force in the expansion of the Physical Education Building, the building of the Olympic Oval, and coordination of these projects with respect to the XV Winter Olympic Games that were hosted by Calgary in 1988. Many of facilities present today are the result of his vision along with the many of his philosophies with respect to athletic scholarships.
Dr. Jackson served as President of the Canadian Olympic Association for several years. He was an outstanding athlete competing in three Olympics (Tokyo, 1964; Rome 1968; and Munich, 1972) in rowing and was a former Olympic gold medalist in 1964. He has served in multiple capacities over the years in the areas of sport and the Olympics, as well as the Cantos Music Foundation, the Calgary International Organ Festival and the “Friends of the Flames” campaign.
He is a member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, and Canadian Olympic Order as well as an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Roger recently served as a senior adviser to the successful London 2012 Olympic Games bid and currently Chief Executive Officer for “Own the Podium in 2010.” Launched in January 2005, Own The Podium – 2010 is a $110-million sport technical initiative designed to help Canada become the number one nation in terms of medals won at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and to place in the top three nations at the 2010 Paralympics Winter Games. The focus of the initiative is to provide additional resources and high performance programming to Canadian athletes, coaches and support personnel to help them achieve podium success in 2010.
