Longtime provincial public servant honoured by national organization

David Allan Vardy, Director of Memorial University�s Public Policy Research Centre and long-serving provincial public servant, has again been honoured by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). In a March 3 ceremony at Ottawa�s National Arts Centre, the institute announced its new scholarship series, including the Vardy Scholarship in Arts and Science Studies. The Vardy Scholarship is one of five leaders� scholarships, each named for a recipient of the PIPSC Gold Medal Award. Vardy was awarded the Gold Medal in 2000, in recognition of his significant contributions to economic development, resource management, labour relations and education.

Premier Danny Williams is pleased that Vardy�s long service to the province and the country has been recognized in this way. "It seems appropriate that a public service scholarship be established in Mr. Vardy�s name. His professional excellence, his dedication and his gift for developing public policy solutions that are both creative and practical are nothing short of exemplary," said the Premier. "But more than this, throughout his long career, he has fostered a generation of public servants similarly committed to excellence. This scholarship recognizes Dave Vardy�s contribution not only as a public servant, but as a teacher and a mentor. We are very proud of Mr. Vardy and appreciate the honour the Professional Institute of Public Servants of Canada has afforded him."

In addition to his current role as Director of Memorial University�s Public Policy Research Institute and adjunct professor of political science, Dave Vardy has served the province as Chair of the Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities, Clerk of the Executive Council and Secretary to Cabinet, deputy minister in several portfolios and president and chief executive officer of the Newfoundland and Labrador Institute of Fisheries and Marine Technology. His community involvement includes significant work as an advocate for the Autism Society and contributions to the Rotary Club where he was recognized with the Paul Harris Fellow award.

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada is the country�s largest multi-professional union, representing 49,000 professionals and scientists across Canada. The Professional Institute Scholarship Program was created in 1999 to assist the families of members with educational expenses and to promote the institute as an organization committed to educational advancement.

Media contact: Elizabeth Matthews, Office of the Premier, (709) 729-3960

2004 03 05                                        3:45 p.m.