The changing of the guard at B.C. universities

David Atkinson’s book on Scottish writer James Melville has been a work in progress for 10 years. During that time, the English-born professor of literature and religious studies has served as president of two universities, first Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, and then Carleton University in Ottawa.

Installed last October as the founding president of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Atkinson says the book could be out later this year.

In the meantime, Atkinson’s primary challenge is to steer Kwantlen, formerly a university college, as it defines its future shape and direction as one of five public postsecondary institutions that were designated as universities by the provincial government effective September 2008.

“The new universities agreed that we need to be different from the established research universities on the one hand, and the colleges on the other,” Atkinson told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview. “We need to make a unique contribution to postsecondary education in the province.”

To this end, Kwantlen and the four other new universities—the University of the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island University, Capilano University, and Emily Carr University of Art + Design—have created a committee that will clarify the mandate of each institution.

“As new institutions, as we sit down and talk to the government about things like resource issues, funding, collective bargaining, and issues around governance, we really cannot have the kind of conversation that we want until we clearly understand the kinds of institutions that we are, because everything flows from that,” Atkinson said.

The committee recently submitted a draft position paper to the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, according to Atkinson, and discussions are expected to follow.

“We have no intention to replicate what exists at the four established research universities,” he said, referring to the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Northern British Columbia. “On the other hand, we recognize that we are different from the colleges. So we have to define that place for ourselves. And that’s what this general mandate statement is trying to do.”

As the landscape of higher learning in the province continues to evolve with the addition of five new universities, the faces representing public postsecondary institutions are changing as well.

Atkinson, who started his academic career as an English-faculty member at Alberta’s University of Lethbridge in 1976, actually took over Kwantlen in July 2008, when it was still a university college. He replaced Leslie “Skip” Triplett, who served as president for two five-year terms.

This July, the University of the Fraser Valley will welcome Mark Evered as its new president and vice chancellor. Currently provost and vice president of Thompson Rivers University, Evered will take the place of Harold “Skip” Bassford. As president since 1998, Bassford has overseen the conversion of the former university college into a full-fledged university.

Vancouver Island University’s Ralph Nilson is still relatively new, having been at the helm of the former university college in Nanaimo only since 2007. He was formerly vice president at Nova Scotia’s Acadia University.

In October last year, Kathleen Scherf was installed as president and vice chancellor of Thompson Rivers University, replacing Roger Barnsley. Scherf has an arts background and was dean of the University of Calgary’s faculty of communication and culture before her new appointment.

The University of Northern British Columbia expects to have a new president this year. It is being led for the time being by Charles Jago, who took over last June after the sudden resignation of Don Cozzetto. Jago is actually an old hand, having been the university’s president from 1995 to 2006.

Leadership changes are also occurring in the colleges.

Douglas College is searching for a new president. After 11 years with the New Westminster college, Susan Witter is retiring on July 1.

Vancouver Community College will also have a new president when Stephanie Forsyth assumes office in October. Currently president of Northwest Community College in Terrace, Forsyth will replace Dale Dorn, who has been VCC’s president since 1999.

Langara College gained a new president last November 1 as David Ross started his five-year term. Formerly the vice president for administration and student services at Kwantlen, Ross is Langara’s second president after Linda Holmes, who retired after having served as college president for 14 years.

While the new universities are still in the process of clarifying their respective mandates, Langara’s path is pretty much set.

“I believe the undergraduate college clearly has a place,” Ross told the Straight. “We’ve got a lot of large universities very close to Langara. And we serve a very different group. We serve students that perhaps cannot go directly to the large universities. That’s a big part of what we do.”

Ross brings to the table 19 years of management and academic experience, including teaching stints at Langara and the University of New Brunswick.

According to Ross, Langara is working on a new strategic plan that will guide the institution for the next few years. “Communities continue to want different programming. They want programs offered in different ways: on-line opportunities and so on,” he said. “Langara is at a stage in its life in which it has to find increasing ways to serve that student body. That’s fundamentally where we’re at, whether there’s more space, more facilities, more technology—those are the next challenges that we’re going to have to overcome.”

The challenges facing Kwantlen’s Atkinson and his colleagues at the new universities are different from those of the colleges as their institutions try to find their niche in the public postsecondary education system.

For example, Atkinson said that they are examining the need to come up with a new organization that would represent universities other than the more established institutions.

Last November, the University Presidents’ Council of B.C., which used to represent UBC, UVic, SFU, UNBC, Royal Roads University, and Thompson Rivers University, ceased to exist.

Minus Royal Roads and Thompson Rivers, a new group banding UBC, UVic, SFU, and UNBC has taken the council’s place in the form of the Research Universities’ Council of B.C.

RUCBC president Don Avison explained that the change was made to reflect the “differentiation” of the roles of universities in the province.

“We’ve got an excellent system in B.C., but certainly amongst the four research-intensive universities there was an interest in making sure that those institutions that have common interests and common programs were involved in doing some work together and very clear about the nature of their role and mandate,” Avison told the Straight.

The representation of faculty members in the new universities is also receiving attention. None of the faculty organizations in these institutions have sought membership in the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of B.C.

According to CUFA executive director Robert Clift, these groups have remained under the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of B.C., which represents faculty and staff of B.C. colleges and institutes.

“The landscape has changed; what does that mean for us?” Clift asked, noting that discussions about this issue are ongoing.