College President looks back, and to the future

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
    

Back in 1968-69, a young educator was drafting the
feasibility study for what would become Douglas College.
Now, after wearing a variety of administrative hats and
spending 25 years with the College, President Bill Day has
announced he will leave in August, 1995. He departs for
other challenges which include research at the UBC
Faculty of Education Policy Studies Centre. With his
greater free time, he also plans to earn a pilot’s license,
buy an ultralight, and learn to play the banjo.

With the search on for a new president and the self-
assessment that comes at this period of new-campus
expansion, INside Douglas College recently sat down with
Day to look back at how it all began, and to look ahead to
how the College might evolve.

INside: How has Douglas College changed over the
years?

Day: Probably the biggest difference between Douglas
College in 1970 and Douglas College today is that now we
are vastly more competent as an organization. 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.

INside: How did students see the College then and
how do they see the College now?

Day: When the College opened, we were seen as a very
vulnerable, confusing yet empathetic environment. The
administrators were in their mid-30s and the average age
for faculty was the late 20’s. There was a huge level of
youthful energy and idealism which flowed year after year.

Now we are a mature organization and we do a much
better job for students. I believe we are deemed to be a

President Bill Day will be spending less
time at a desk and more on his
motorbike after he steps down at the
end of August. He plans to continue
with education policy research and,
among other things, to get a pilot’s
license. A dinner and celebration will
be held in his honor on Friday, May 5
at the College. Call local 5616 for
information or tickets.