Senator a passionate ‘USaskvocate’

University of Saskatchewan (USask) alumni can give back to their alma mater by serving on the Senate, the governing body known as the “public voice” of USask that provides graduates, key stakeholders, and the larger community with a voice in university affairs. Comprised of 118 members, the Senate is part of USask’s tricameral governance structure, along with the Board of Governors and University Council.

Since graduating from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 2008, Dr. Shankar Das has worked for Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture as a public trust specialist. Das, who studied at USask after earning his PhD at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College, is also professional agrologist (PAg) who has served in several roles with the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists (SIA), including as its president. 

Outside of work, Das enjoys spending time with his family, including his wife, an amateur musician who works for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, and his son, a fellow USask graduate who is also a doctor, pianist, DJ, and composer. Das is passionate about raising funds for charitable organizations and has led an annual cultural and music festival group for nearly 10 years. He has also served on committees and boards, including the BioTalent Canada board of directors, and has written business and science articles for various publications.

Das’s term on the USask Senate runs until June 30, 2025. The Green&White talked to him about why he joined the Senate and what the experience has been like so far.

In 2022, the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists (SIA) appointed me to serve as a University of Saskatchewan Senate member. Previously, I served for SIA’s Provincial Council as membership director, president-elect, and president for several years. The SIA is the licensing body that regulates the profession of agrology in Saskatchewan, to protect the public, by ensuring its safe, competent, and ethical practice. There are more than 2,000 agrologists registered with the SIA.

Agrologists, like professional engineers, are science-based professionals in agriculture, food, bioresources, and environment, who responsibly teach, provide advice, and conduct research. In this province, agriculture and food is one the largest economic sectors. Indeed, this sector has been playing a significant role in global food security for many years. For example, in 2023, the province’s agriculture sector exported more than $20 billion in ag products to many countries of the world, including the USA, China, Japan, Mexico, Algeria, and India, who are among the top 10.

For several reasons: First, I wanted to continue my support for the SIA and for USask, which I have been promoting for many years. Secondly, it was a family call. Our family has received education from USask. For example, I obtained my MBA from USask’s Edwards School of Business after obtaining my PhD from the University of Guelph. Our son obtained his MD degree from USask’s College of Medicine. My wife also took several courses to obtain her certificate in business. So, we have a long connection with the university, and it is time to give back to this institution and the community it supports. Thirdly, I am a passionate advocate—or ‘USaskvocate’; I have coined this term—of the University Saskatchewan. USask has a global reach and a vision to Be What The World Needs, and I wanted to be part of it. Lastly, the Senate serves as the public voice within the tricameral governance structure of the university. The SIA maintains a close relationship with the university through its seat on the Senate and various other means. I am truly honoured to be part of this enduring relationship between these two organizations, working together for greater outcomes.

Very rewarding. The Senate environment is very collegial and scholastic, openly discussing things for the advancement of the institution. On the flip side, I have been regularly providing reports back to the SIA Council on the Senate meeting outcomes. All these opportunities and experiences help build an enduring relationship with many great thinkers and decision-makers of both institutions, giving me the opportunity to continue serving the SIA and to give back to the university and to society.

The MBA study was very intensively academic: finance, marketing, HR, communications, problem-solving, collaborative teamwork, vision building, leadership development, and so on. During that time, aside from my MBA study, I also organized an international conference on genomics, human health, and personalized medicine. My mentors and advisors—Dr. Karen Chad, the Vice-President, Research at the time; Dr. Grant Isaac, the Edwards School of Business’ dean at the time; Dr. Jane Alcorn, of the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition; and Genome Prairie—provided support and advice. The conference was able to invite speakers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), McGill University, USask’s Edwards School of Business, and Genome Prairie. This was a great and exciting experience and a fond memory. I believe the mentors saw this initiative as a training towards leadership development on my part. It gave me an opportunity to promote USask to the national and international experts and organizations. During my MBA, I also had an opportunity to teach a molecular biology/genetics laboratory class at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. It was also a fond memory, as I could apply my core knowledge and skills of genetics and molecular biology expertise while obtaining my business degree.

My MBA study allowed me to come in close contact with many great thinkers, analytical people, scholars, policymakers, business advisors, decision-makers, communicators, and community builders/leaders. Above all, the leadership training that I received was a revelation. I learned that leadership is doing the right things. Taking the opportunity to represent the SIA to the Senate is “doing the right things.” On the other hand, USask is a large and complex organization that constantly requires and seeks support and advice from the community and various national and international stakeholders, well wishers, and supporters. I have been a passionate advocate—‘USaskvocate’—of the university for more than 25 years, and will continue to do so for years to come.

There are many reasons why I would encourage others to join the Senate. I will provide a few examples. Recent opinions by several academicians, interested parties, and Canadian citizens indicate that Canadian universities are/will be experiencing declining domestic enrolments, caps on foreign student enrolments, and declining research funding. These concerns are true for many universities in Canada. While this is probably not the case with the University of Saskatchewan at this time, as its current financial, enrolment, and progress reports are great, I would encourage alumni and citizens to join the Senate to keep it healthy, productive, and visionary.

One of the purposes of any university/higher education institute is to acquire and preserve knowledge of humanity. And a part of the mission of a university is to create a conducive environment that inspires invention, innovation, and discovery, and strives to seek for the truth. The University of Saskatchewan possesses all these attributes with a global reach and, indeed, has a vision to Be What The World Needs. I am a passionate ‘USaskvocate’ of the vision, mission, values, goals, and actions of this university, which we all hope will continue to protect the purpose of education for a better world and enduring humanity.