competent, big, trustworthy, perhaps somewhat distant organization. I suggest students respect Douglas College more, but I believe there is not the same sense of commonality. INside: As the College expands, what issues must it consider to meet the community’s educational needs? Day: We must be careful when assessing this issue because we face the relative evil of being in a seller’s market; there is an easy slide to hell by mistaking full classrooms for success or 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 important to create opportunities for student success and work it through together. You can look at models such as Miami-Dade Community College, where every instructor works with other instructors to review the progress of students. We have the expertise and resources to address the issue of student success, and we have already begun. INside: How will the College evolve in the next three years? Day: In 18 months the Coquitlam campus will be open. That should take some of the pressure off New Westminster, which is over capacity, and make it a more comfortable place to work and study. Many people who want to stay in New Westminster - because they view this as Rome - will be envious of those at the new campus and will begin asking to move. In the next three years the opening of a number of new programs will create new flavor and sparkle around the College. We are also headed for greater contact and interaction with the community out of fiscal and political necessity. This will start to be felt at fairly wide-spread levels throughout the College. This will affect people at the College and will cause some stress and strain, but will lead to stronger programs and services. There will also be a policy stand on four-year degrees. In three years I believe we will have begun to offer a number of four-year degrees in certain sectors in association with provincial universities. That will create new excitement and stress. INside: How would offering some degree programs change Douglas College? Day: That is an issue I have spent a lot of time thinking about. What is a community college? When a community college is unable to offer 4-year degrees, it is much easier to define. The instant we begin offering degrees, a value system linked to traditional universities comes into play in terms of resource allocation and many other issues. If we see it as inevitable that we will offer 4-year degrees, how do we define ourselves? Each new university-college is now struggling with that issue. In terms of how we respond to that challenge, I think it must come back to the concept of student success and emphasis on student and public needs as opposed to what we like doing and feel comfortable doing. We must maintain the notion of a thin skin in which we are closely connected and responsive to the community. We must ask people for advice on an ongoing basis and then follow it. INside: How do you see the College changing during the next 10 years? Day: Organizational diversity will be a major issue the College will face during that time. Ten years from now that issue will be decided and it is difficult to know how it will turn out. There are convincing arguments on both sides; is it better to diversify to respond to public needs or do a few things and do them well? It will also depend on various external forces, such as government policies. Another major issue during the next 10 years, and one we are facing right now, is the problem of student access as governments deal with the ferocious problem of resource allocation. At this time, the issue is masked under changes of entry requirements for students and government demands for greater educational productivity. The issue becomes increasingly problematic as we contemplate offering more degree programs in the province. Providing more degree programs means more money spent on fewer people and since there is no more money, those resources must come from somewhere. This has an inherently regressive effect on accessibility. This has not been publicly acknowledged but it is a monkey that every senior institutional administrator in the province carries on their back. INside: How will life change for you after August 1995? Day: 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. For the first time in 40 years I will have the time to make personal choices - a real but somewhat unnerving luxury. 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'll still be on a schedule, but self-imposed. § Events Calendar Noon at New West Free Thursday concerts 12:30 to 1:30 pm Performing Arts Theatre Apr6 Student Showcase Recital Apr 13 Student Showcase Recital Scholarship Benefit Concert Douglas College Chorus and Chamber Choir music by Bach, Britten and arrangements of BC folksongs Fr, Apr 7 at 8 pm Performing Arts Theatre Tickets: local 5488 An Evening of Jazz Featuring: DC Jazz Band, Jazz Choir, & Night Band Mo, Apr 10 at 8 pm Performing Arts Theatre Tickets: local 5488 Gala Spring Concert with the Douglas College Choral Society and Douglas College Children’s Choir Surrey Children’s Choir, and Douglas College Night Band Fr, Apr 28 Performing Arts Theatre Tickets: local 5469 Amelia Douglas Gallery Mo-Fr: 1000-1930 Sa: 1100-1600 Su: Closed Mar 14 - Apr 14 Nicky Rickard Works on Paper Apr 18 - May 19 Hazel King Images of the Land 8