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FCL funds cutting-edge co-operative research

June 18, 2015

Internationally known University of Saskatchewan researcher Murray Fulton has been appointed to the Co-operative Retailing System (CRS) Chair in Co-operative Governance.

Funded by Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) and approved by U of S Council and Board of Governors, this $300,000 chair will extend over a five-year term starting this September.

“Co-operatives were built by people with the vision to see the value in co-operating to source their own products and services,” says Scott Banda, CEO of FCL. “Good governance is the key to creating long-term value that benefits members and communities across Western Canada. While there are things we can learn from the private sector, co-operatives have always led the way in good governance. This chair will continue to investigate how co-operative governance must change to maintain the sector’s relevance into the future.”

As CRS Chair, Fulton will undertake and support leading-edge research into co-operatives and co-operative governance.

Fulton, a professor in the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and director of the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, said co-ops and co-operative values have historically grown out of Saskatchewan’s culture and sense of community. Unlike investor-owned firms, co-ops are organized by and for the people who use its goods and services. With this new chair position, and in conjunction with ongoing work within the centre, his research is aimed at enabling co-ops to operate more effectively and exploring governance mechanisms at work in the larger economy and society.

“I want to thank FCL for its inspired leadership and continued support of the University of Saskatchewan,” said Karen Chad, U of S vice-president of research. “This research chair will further assist the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives in solidifying its reputation as a global leader in co-operative research and in attracting top-level graduate students. It also reinforces the university’s commitment to making a meaningful contribution to economic and social development within our communities.”

Fulton is a prolific scholar who has published substantially on co-operatives and agricultural policy. He is the co-author of numerous books, articles and reports, including some that examined the governance problems that led to the demise of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. His most recent research is focused on co-operative development in rural and Aboriginal communities.