the 6G Press New president promises new approach to old problems "Visionary" new president strives to bring people into "late 20th Century" by Paul Andrew A flurry of activity last spring ended a long, drawn out process to appoint a new president for Doug- las College. Dr. Susan Hunter- Harvey will be replacing the retir- ing Bill Day, who has been the president of DC for the last twenty years. Hunter-Harvey; who hails ffom Brandon University in Mani- toba, was one of four final candi- dates required to present a five year plan to the Board of Directors and selected members of the college community to successfully achieve a bid for the presidential post of this college. At the time of her presen- tation last spring, Hunter-Harvey promised to fight budget cuts in transfer payments to post-second- ary education, and if required, travel to Victoria to confront gov- ernment officials responsible for college and university funding. When Hunter-Harvey was asked how she would handle a major cut in educational subsidies, she an- swered by saying she would “con- front the Ministry responsible in Victoria first, rather than being pas- sive,” and simply dealing with the problem at the local level here at DC. Indeed, the new president gives the impression of a leader willing to fight for a worthy cause. Ina recent interview with the Public Information Office of Doug- las College, Hunter mentioned she will have a “strategy to deal with possible cuts” in government sub- sidies. “I think it’s important for people throughout the organization to feel comfortable to take chances and make some decisions,” “Hunter said, alluding to the idea of accepting suggestions from others who may have alternative strategies for problems facing post secondary education. “I’m a firm believer in the consultative process,” she ex- plained. “I don’t just want to cre- ate an illusion of democracy...at the same time, a good manager must also be able to know when enough information is available and closure is necessary.” ; If you ever wondered exactly what kinds of qualifications are needed to become the president of a college, start with a Ph. D in Po- litical Science. Hunter- Harvey also specializes in psycholinguistics, and was a sociology professor at Ryerson Polytechnical University before becoming vice-president of academics and research at Brandon. Throw in the current post of Presi- dent of the Western Universities Telecourse Consortium, and you’ve got what it take to handle the re- sponsibilities of a college president. The new college president also plans to utilize the open-admission policy here at Douglas by encour- aging the business and labor sector to obtain or upgrade technological skills able to prepare them for the computer age. “The president must play a crucial external role in terms of forging partnerships, by going out and working with business and labor on their training and re-train- ing needs.” Hunter-Harvey also hinted of the possibility she may in- troduce new programs at the col- lege to accommodate isolated specialty skills. “In the future, we must strengthen our academic pro- grams as well as examining oppor- tunities for additional short-term programs...the economy is shifting so quickly that these kinds of ex- ternal ties are crucial.” Hunter-Harvey also empha- sizes that the “centrality of the learner comes first.” To that end, she plans on upgrading the current computer system to “enhance the ability to acquire technical exper- tise.” : “T see areal need to bring peo- ple into the late 20th century and provide more computers for faculty and staff,” she continued. Hope- fully, that will also mean an im- provement to the computer labs available to all students on campus. The new president of Douglas College also has a specific future in mind regarding community in- volvement. While other commu- nity colleges are striving to achieve university-type programming in or- der to provide degree-granting sta- tus, she discussed the role Douglas will play as a part of the broad se- lection of post-secondary institu- tions in the Lower Mainland. “The educational sector must create partnerships, look at where an institution fits in, and avoid du- William Lindemere Day - College President, retired. The end of an era by Joyce Robinson William Lindemere Day will retire after twenty-five years at Douglas College. The existence awaiting him includes research with the UBC Faculty of Education Policy Studies Centre -he’s almost finished a doctorate- acquiring a pi- lot’s license, buying an ultralight, and learning to play the banjo. May 5th was Day’s public farewell, but he steps down as President in August. Day says “the big challenge for me is to learn how to deal with life when the college no longer dominates it. That will take some getting used to.” How- ever, “it will feel great being able to take off on a motorcycle trip and decide when I want to come back. On the other hand, I already have so much stuff lined up that I’! still be on a schedule, but self-im- posed.” Born June 24, 1933, Day’s life was not restricted to Canada. He has been to California, Jaipur and Bangalore, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico City, Mexico, Paris, France, Beijing, China, and Porto, Portugal, just to name some places he has been for symposiums, con- ferences, and as a member of a committee or delegation, according to his biography. Looking back at his life at Douglas, Day sees that “...now we are vastly more competent as an or- ganization. Back when we started, few people really knew what they were doing. We were all drawn from different environments and were mushed together to create this new institution. There was little sense of solidity, and today there is lots of that.” “Now we are a mature or- ganization and we do a much bet- ter job for students,” he continued. Day occupied various po- sitions until becoming President of the college in April of 1981. From 1970-75 he was the Dean of Con- tinuing Education. 1975-78 Dean of Curriculum, then the Principal of the New Westminster Campus from 1978 until 1981. He has also taught high school in Maple Ridge and Quesnel, and has been the Director of Adult Education for School Dis- tricts #42(Maple Ridge) and #36(Surrey). Day has written or co- authored eight publications, includ- ing Techniques of Literacy Instruc- tion - The One Teacher Village , for the Indian Adult Education Asso- ciation, New Delhi, dated 1967. Unfortunatley none of his work could be found in the Douglas Col- lege Library. Acording to a May 1995 newsletter about Day “he’s not easy to categorize. Some of us know Bill as a serious, well-dressed spokes- person for the College. Others have also seen the fun side -the guy who comes to work in leathers and biker boots, and bowls his helmet down the empty halls.” Asserting that “these are the Good Old Days” Day reminds us that “there is an easy slide to Hell by mistaking full classrooms for success Of value. We can lose track of how learners are doing, why they are here, and what they do with what they learn here. It is very impor- tant to create opportunities for stu- dent success and work it through together.” Dr. Susan Harvey-Hunter, new president of Douglas College plication and be distinctive,” she said. “One of the real challenges for us is to determine our niche. We must look at exactly how Douglas College should be positioned and review our distinctive competen- cies.” Retiring president Bill Day say he is “delighted with the ap- pointment of Hunter Harvey,” and College Board chairperson Karen Henderson, who participated in the selection process, describes the new president as “a dynamic and articu- late person who is passionate about students needs.” Hunter-Harvey is trying to ad- just from the frozen tundra of Win- nipeg to the pleasant climate here on the West Coast, while trying to keep up with a hectic schedule of events designed to familiarize her with the college community here in BC. Expect to see her officially be- gin her duties as president on Sep- tember 15. eature on pages llie Choy | es Registration — » First Time! ls All on Page 4 Elaine Leong Sports Extravaganz 1 the lengthy details on page Chad Iverson Talks to Posies... It's true! Interview page 7 . 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