Barber, Lloyd (1932-2011)

Lloyd Barber was a key figure in the educational and economic development of Saskatchewan. Born on March 8, 1932, in Regina, Barber specialized in business and commerce, receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as graduate degrees from the University of California (Berkeley) and the University of Washington. He held positions as professor of commerce with the University of Saskatchewan (1955–76), as member of the Northwest Territories Council (1967–70), and as Indian Claims Commissioner for Canada (1969–77). From 1976 until his retirement in 1990, he served as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina. Lloyd Barber is credited with expanding both the size and scope of that university; he was instrumental in establishing the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (now First Nations University of Canada) in 1976, and in developing international university relations between the University of Regina and Chinese educational institutions in Hunan province. The Dr. Lloyd Barber Academic Green at the centre of the university commemorates his contributions to higher Education in Saskatchewan. In recognition of his work advancing the social and economic development of First Nations peoples, Barber was made an honorary Saskatchewan Indian Chief in 1980 and was awarded the Aboriginal Order of Canada in 1985. He received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (1995) and the Vanier Medal from the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (1979). Invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1978, he was later promoted to Companion of the Order in 1993. Lloyd Barber passed away on September 16, 2011.

Lauren Black