Dave Bocking

President's Service Award - Spring 2005

A leader and visionary in the information technology field, David Bocking has seen many changes in his 25-year career at the University of Saskatchewan. His unwavering commitment to the Department of Computer Science and contributions to the campus community make him a worthy recipient of the Spring 2005 President's Service Award.

Born and raised in Saskatoon, Bocking earned a Bachelor of Science (General) and Bachelor of Science (Advanced Certificate) in Computational Science at the U of S in 1974. Following his undergraduate studies, Bocking was employed by Bell-Northern Research in Ottawa, Ontario. He returned to Saskatoon several years later and accepted a position with the Hospital Systems Study Group.

In 1980, Bocking joined the U of S and assumed the role of computer facilities manager in the Department of Computational Science (now Computer Science), College of Arts and Science. While working in the department, Bocking completed his graduate studies in Computational Science and obtained his Master's Degree in 1983.

Bocking is responsible for overseeing the instructional and research computer labs in Computer Science and for keeping abreast of trends and changes in the fast-paced world of information technology. He has gained the respect and admiration of faculty, staff, researchers and students across campus, as noted by the many supporters of his award nomination.

Committed to the research mission of the U of S, Bocking has provided valuable insight and guidance on information technology needs. He has served on many institutional committees and helped create the campus-wide Computer Lab Managers' forum. He is an avid promoter of high performance computing and cluster computers and continues to maintain relationships with computer science lab managers across the country.

Bocking has been a constant force for technology innovation at the U of S. He is credited with several campus feats, including the first Unix lab in 1982, the first workstation lab in 1986, and the first Macintosh lab in 1988. He was also instrumental in the design of the undergraduate computer science lab, one of Canada's finest facilities, in the Spinks Addition.

Bocking has been an active member of the Administrative and Supervisory Personnel Association (ASPA) and a volunteer for the U of S Computer Museum. His colleagues credit him for being an avid organizer and participant of department social events.

An exemplary employee, an inspirational colleague, and a champion of students, Bocking has made a lasting impact on the U of S.