cent.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that,
      frankly,
      the
      president
      should
      be
     
     
      visible
      to
      students
      at
      large.
      And
      indeed
     
     
      one
      particular
      commitment
      I
      made
     
     
      during
      the
      presidential
      search
      process,
     
    

    
     
      7
      not
      to
      get
      the
      job,
      but
      because
      I
      believe
     
     
      it,
      is
      that
      as
      president
      I
      should
      be
      able
      to,
     
     
      at
      some
      time
      during
      each
      student’s
      3
      or
      4
     
     
      or
      5
      years
      at
      UPEI,
      give
      at
      least
      one
     
     
      lecture
      to
      each
      student.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KB:I
      guess
      this
      informs
      the
      last
      question;
     
     
      how
      do
      you
      make
      university
      less
      a
     
     
      process,
      less
      a
      destination
      than
      a
     
     
      journey?
      How
      do
      you
      show
      students,
     
     
      who
      are
      here
      with
      loans
      piling
      up,
      and
     
     
      four
      years
      to
      get
      a
      degree
      and
      quickly
     
     
      find
      a
      job
      that
      matches
      that
      degree,
      that
     
     
      these
      four
      years
      are
      critical
      in
      the
     
     
      development
      of
      the
      rest
      of
      their
      lives,
      so
     
     
      as
      not
      to
      rush
      through
      them?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WM:
      That’s
      a
      very
      nice
      way
      of
      putting
      it
     
     
      to
      say
      its
      a
      journey,
      or
      a
      process;
      its
     
     
      something
      that
      continues
      and
      indeed
     
     
      what
      one
      does
      during
      the
      4
      years
      or
      what
     
     
      time
      spent
      here
      as
      a
      student
      is
      about
     
     
      building
      skills
      for
      life,
      is
      about
      engaging
     
     
      in
      a
      relationship
      with
      colleagues,
      with
     
     
      other
      students,
      and
      with
      the
      university
      as
     
     
      an
      institution
      that
      won’t
      go
      away.
      That
     
     
      has
      to
      start
      with
      orientation,
      and
      indeed
     
     
      one
      of
      my
      standards
      on
      this
      is
      that
      I
      think
     
     
      a
      lot
      of
      what
      students
      get
      over
      there
      4
     
     
      years
      depends
      on
      what
      impression
      they
     
     
      have
      of
      the
      place
      when
      they
      go
      to
      sleep
     
     
      their
      2nd
      night.
      So
      there
      is
      a
      lot
      that
      rides
     
     
      on
      those
      first
      impressions.
      And
      there’s
      a
     
     
      lot
      that
      rides
      on
      the
      messages
      that
      are
     
     
      sent
      and
      the
      relationships
      that
      are
      begun
     
     
      during
      those
      early
      days.
      Beyond
      that
     
     
      there
      are
      so
      many
      facets
      to
      the
      academic,
     
     
      and
      what
      I
      call
      the
      para-academic,
      and
     
     
      the
      social
      life
      of
      the
      university
      and
      we
     
     
      really
      have
      to
      work
      every
      day
      and
      on
     
     
      every
      front
      to
      make
      those
      as
      rich,
      and
      as
     
     
      engaging
      and
      ultimately
      to
      make
      them
     
    
   
   
    
     
      into
      a
      part
      of
      the
      students,
      and
      I
      say
     
     
      students
      in
      the
      collective
      sense,
      life
      so
     
     
      that
      they
      really
      see
      them
      as
      their’s;
      and
     
     
      when
      they
      are
      contributing
      and
      giving
     
     
      and
      bringing
      to
      them,
      that’s
      when
      we
     
     
      won’t
      have
      to
      worry
      about
      the
     
     
      destination.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KB:
      Now,
      lets
      discuss
      the
      administration
     
     
      at
      UPEI.
      To
      take
      the
      Dean’s
      council,
     
     
      which
      is
      made
      up
      of
      yourself
      the
      deans,
     
     
      and
      a
      couple
      of
      VPs;
      I’m
      wondering
      if
     
     
      that
      power
      base
      is
      almost
      exclusionary
     
     
      without
      the
      director
      of
      student
      services,
     
     
      so
      I
      guess
      my
      question
      really
      is,
      how
      do
     
     
      you
      open
      up
      the
      university
      process
      so
     
     
      that
      the
      decision
      making
      is,
      maybe
      not
     
     
      open
      to
      everyone
      to
      have
      a
      vote,
      but
      at
     
     
      least
      everyone
      understands
      the
      process,
     
     
      ‘this
      is
      why
      we’re
      doing
      this’
      or
      ‘this
      is
     
     
      the
      direction
      we’re
      going’?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “T
      think
      a
      lot
      of
      what
      students
     
     
      get
      over
      their
      4
      years
      depends
     
     
      on
      what
      impression
      they
      have
      of
     
     
      the
      place
      when
      they
      go
      to
      sleep
     
     
      their
      second
      night.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WM:
      It’s
      a
      good
      question;
      how
      an
     
     
      organization
      has
      a
      mind,
      how
      people
     
     
      have
      a
      say.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KB:
      Because
      I
      know
      that
      when
      I
      was
     
     
      first
      here
      I
      had
      no
      idea,
      and
      a
      lot
      of
      my
     
     
      friends
      had
      no
      idea
      where
      the
      decisions
     
     
      came
      from.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WM:
      And
      now
      here
      you
      are
      in
      charge
      of
     
     
      the
      5th
      estate.
      A
      university
      is
      a
      very
     
     
      distributed
      operation.
      In
      a
      sense
      that
     
     
      there
      are
      a
      lot
      of
      positions,
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      initiatives
      taken
      and
      I
      don’t
      really
      see
      it
     
     
      as
      hierarchical
      operation,
      and
      I
      mean
     
     
      that
      in
      a
      very
      important
      way.
      And
      that’s
     
     
      true
      in
      terms
      of
      academic
      decision
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      making
      and
      in
      terms
      of
      whether
      the
      place
     
     
      has
      life
      or
      doesn’t
      have
      life.
      That
      can’t
      be
     
     
      done
      by
      the
      senior
      management
      group
     
     
      that
      you
      refer
      to.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “It
      seems
      to
      me
      the
      issue
      is
      not
     
    

    
     
      whether
      every
      constituency,
     
     
      ultimately
      every
      person
      is
      part
     
     
      of
      that
      particular
      decision
     
     
      making
      body
      but
      whether
      as
      a
     
     
      organization
      we
      have
      systems
      in
     
     
      place
      so
      that
      people
      do
     
     
      understand;
      and
      have
      an
     
     
      opportunity
      to
      take
      part,
      have
     
     
      a
      say
      and
      contribute.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      the
      other
      hand
      there
      still
      has
      to
      be
      a
     
     
      decision
      making
      capacity
      in
      the
      place.
      It
     
     
      seems
      to
      me
      the
      issue
      is
      not
      whether
     
     
      every
      constituency,
      ultimately
      every
     
     
      person
      is
      part
      of
      that
      particular
      decision
     
     
      making
      body
      but
      whether
      as
      an
     
     
      organization
      we
      have
      systems
      in
      place
      so
     
     
      that
      people
      do
      understand;
      and
      have
      an
     
     
      opportunity
      to
      take
      part,
      have
      a
      say
      and
     
     
      contribute.
      Yesterday
      I
      spent
      an
      hour
     
     
      with
      the
      manager
      of
      the
      student
      union
     
     
      and
      the
      president
      talking
      about
      issues
      of
     
     
      importance
      to
      them.
     
    

    
     
      When
      they
      left
      I
      had
      a
      meeting
      with
      three
     
     
      of
      the
      leading
      researchers
      in
      a
      particular
     
     
      area.
     
    

    
     
      I
      have
      just
      last
      week
      wrote
      a
      letter
     
     
      to
      all
      the
      faculty
      and
      staff
      saying
      ‘first
     
     
      day
      on
      the
      job,
      here’s
      my
      impression
      of
     
     
      the
      place.
      Please
      send
      me
      a
      one-pager
     
     
      telling
      what
      you
      do
      and
      what
      gives
      you
      a
     
     
      sense
      of
      achievement
      and
      that’s
      not
      just
     
     
      about
      human
      relations
      it
      is
      actually
     
     
      recognizing
      in
      university’s
      it
      comes
     
     
      down
      to
      the
      level
      of
      what
      the
      individual,
     
     
      the
      student,
      the
      person
      who
      is
      esponsible
     
     
      for
      the
      upkeep
      of
      the
      place,
      the
      secretary,
     
     
      the
      professors,
      the
      deans
      and
      the