Nola Buhr
Award for Distinction in Outreach & Engagement - Fall 2011
Dr. Nola Buhr’s outstanding outreach and engagement achievements are notable for their impact on governance structures, organizational accountability, and the well-being of communities.
Dr. Buhr has been a professor of accounting in the N. Murray Edwards School of Business since 2000 and has held the PotashCorp Enhancement Chair for Saskatchewan Enterprise since January 2010. Dr. Buhr is a Chartered Accountant who has established herself as professional who can make a difference. Last year, she facilitated an agreement between the Edwards School of Business and the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada to enhance career advancement for Aboriginal business professionals by giving Aboriginal Financial Management diploma holders advanced standing towards the BCOMM degree program. Dean Daphne Taras said that Dr. Buhr “was the initiator of the agreement, its constant champion, and she gave most generously of her time and creativity to see this agreement come to fruition”. Dr. Buhr is known nationally for her efforts in the practice of accounting by First Nations governments. Working with a task force, her research led to the publication of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants report entitled, Financial Reporting by First Nations. In addition, Dr. Buhr has delivered workshops and presentations on public sector accounting to over 800 First Nations financial managers. Her involvement in public sector accounting extends to all levels of government. As a volunteer member and chair of the Public Sector Accounting Board, she has played a key role in setting accounting standards for all governments in Canada.
Dr. Buhr currently provides leadership on audit committees for the federal and provincial governments. Federally, she serves the department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, as well as the department of Canadian Heritage. One nominator spoke of how “her work with members of Parliament, First Nations, and very senior government officials demonstrates her commitment to serving the public interest”. Provincially, Dr. Buhr serves as the chair of the Audit Committee of the Province of Saskatchewan. In this role she assisted with the recent selection of the Provincial Auditor. Locally, Dr. Buhr has worked with the International Centre for Northern Governance and Development on campus to perform an assessment to determine training needs of the financial administrators in 24 municipal communities in northern Saskatchewan. She has expertly applied her accounting knowledge to the betterment of communities and developed substantive partnerships with organizations, provincially and nationally. And it is her collaborative approach that has engaged individuals and groups beyond the border of our campus. People describe her as invaluable, exemplary, and passionate. Others spoke about her character and integrity. Please join me in recognizing Dr. Buhr as one of our premier ambassadors and a very deserving recipient of the University of Saskatchewan award for distinction in outreach and engagement.
