EE
      «Wade
      McLauchlan
     
    
   
   
    
     
      An
      intimate
      discussion
      with
      UPEI’s
      new
      president.
      He
      is
      an
      alumni
      of
      this
      fine
      institution
      and
      is
     
     
      the
      first
      Islander
      in
      recent
      memory
      to
      hold
      the
      position.
      He
      speaks
      about
      all
      things
      UPEI
      in
      this
     
     
      interview
      with
      bruyneel.
      The
      first
      in
      a
      three
      part
      series
      wherein
      we
      find
      out
      if
      the
      new
     
    

    
     
      boss
      is
      the
      same
      as
      the
      old
      boss.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wade
      McLauchlan
      and
      1
      are
      sitting
      face
      to
     
     
      face
      in
      the
      teleconference
      theater,
      in
      the
     
     
      ITEC
      wing
      of
      Robertson
      Library.
      He
      is
      a
     
     
      strapping
      man,
      with
      forearms
      rounded
      from
     
     
      years
      of
      eco-activity,
      like
      kayaking
      (see
     
     
      UPEI
      magazine).
      The
      first
      thought
      in
      your
     
     
      mind
      is
      this,
      "you
      will
      not
      win”.
      There
      will
     
     
      be
      no
      boxing
      this
      man
      into
      a
      corner.
      He
      is
     
     
      far
      too
      smart;
      too
      agile
      of
      mind;
      too
      much
      a
     
     
      lawyer.
      He
      answers
      thoughtfully,
      sometimes
     
     
      evasively.
      But
      he
      is
      here,
      in
      front
      of
      me,
     
     
      answering
      as
      best
      he
      can,
      without
      giving
     
     
      ground.
      One
      gets
      the
      impression
      that
      this
     
     
      man,
      who
      turned
      an
      average
      UNB
      law
     
     
      school
      into
      one
      of
      the
      country's
      finest,
      is
     
     
      bound
      for
      greater
      heights,
      perhaps
     
     
      provincial
      or
      federal
      politics
      on
      some
      level.
     
     
      He
      has
      obtained
      the
      presidency
      of
      a
     
     
      university
      without
      a
      P.H.D.,
      and
      so
      it
      seems,
     
     
      from
      talking
      to
      him,
      that
      he
      could
     
     
      accomplish
      most
      anything.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “
      I
      should
      be
      able
      to
      give
      at
     
     
      least
      one
      lecture
      to
      each
      student.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      that
      is
      not
      what
      he
      is
      thinking
     
     
      about
      today;
      not
      politics,
      or
      law,
      but
      UPEI.
     
     
      And
      his
      answers
      to
      questions
      seem
      so
     
     
      thorough,
      so
      methodical,
      that
      the
      question,
     
     
      by
      the
      end
      of
      it,
      seems
      lost.
      McLauchlan
     
     
      asks
      if
      I
      want
      him
      in
      a
      shirt
      and
      fie
      (he
      has
     
     
      brought
      a
      change
      of
      clothes)
      I
      leave
      it
      up
      to
     
     
      him.
     
    

    
     
      During
      the
      mike
      checks
      he
      asks
      for
     
     
      an
      overview
      of
      the
      questions,
      which
      he
      is
     
     
      given.
      Then
      we
      begin.
      |
      am
      not
      unaware
     
     
      that
      he
      has
      law
      degree
      from
      Cornell
      and
      has
     
     
      argued
      successfully
      with
      men
      much
      closer
      in
     
     
      intelligence
      with
      himself
      than
      me.
      Agian,
      in
     
     
      my
      head,"
      you
      will
      not
      win.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kent
      Bruyneel:
      Are
      students
      important,
     
     
      and
      how
      do
      you
      prove
      that
      to
      them?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wade
      McLauchlan:
      Of
      course;
      students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      are
      the
      heart
      of
      the
      university
      enterprise;
     
     
      wouldn't
      be
      any
      reason
      to
      be
      here
      if
      we
     
     
      didn’t
      have
      students.
      Not
      just
      students
     
     
      here
      as
      consumers,
      but
      students
      here
      as
     
     
      critical
      contributors
      to
      the
      academic
      and
     
     
      intellectual,
      para-academic
      and
      social
     
     
      life
      of
      the
      place.
      We
      have
      400
      staff,
     
     
      200
      teaching
      faculty,
      and
      2500
      students;
     
     
      so
      it
      is
      not
      hard
      to
      figure
      out
      what
      the
     
     
      importance
      of
      students
      is
      in
      that
      overall
     
     
      mix.
      In
      terms
      of
      proving
      it,
      that’s
      a
     
     
      good
      question
      Kent
      because
      a
      lot
      of
      this
     
     
      is
      about
      communications
      and
      being
     
     
      available,
      and
      being
      visible,
      and
      |
     
     
      suppose
      the
      principle
      that
      I
      operate
      on
      is
     
     
      one
      that
      I
      heard
      attributed
      recently
      to
      an
     
     
      African
      chief
      who
      said,
      “paths
      are
      made
     
     
      by
      walking.”
      And
      UPEI’s
      campus
      is
      of
     
     
      a
      scale,
      and
      the
      population
      is
      of
      a
      scale
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “a
      lot
      of
      this
      is
      about
      communications
     
     
      and
      being
      available,
      and
      being
      visible”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cadre
      BEM
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “paths
      are
      made
      by
      walking.”’