Over the Edge - November 16

editorial

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CANADA

How can universities contribute to Canada’s future?

NADIA NOWAK
NUGSS PRESIDENT

here are designated bike lanes

here, markets that sell maple

syrup and cranberries, and a
riverfront steeped with history. It is
my first time in Montreal. Montreal
is the first place that the Association
of Universities and Colleges of Can-
ada (AUCC) met in 1911 and this is
the first year that a delegation of stu-
dents has been invited to an AUCC
meeting. I am here as a student rep-
resentative for UNBC at AUCC’s one
hundred year anniversary meeting; to
discuss how universities can contrib-
ute to Canada’s changing future.

To get started, here is a little back-
ground. AUCC represents 95 post-
secondary institutions and provides
university presidents with a unified
voice and a forum for collective ac-
tion. AUCC hosts bi-annual meetings
in locations across the country where
presidents discuss the collective /
direction of their institutions and /
work on policy issues such
as research and innovation,
Ab-
education and

global connections,
original
copyright laws.

This centennial
meeting is held at a /—
hotel just off Rue
St. Catherine. I pull
up on a Bixi bike
(Montreal’s — pub-
lic bike share sys- | #
tem—look it up if Ee
you’re into bikes!)
and find Dr. Iwama
in the atrium, busi-
ly typing into his
The Mac-
and Globe
and Mail university

iPhone.
lean’s

ratings have just come
out and he is preparing
a media statement. In 4
case you haven’t heard, we \d
have maintained our spot as
third in the primarily under- W
graduate category for the 4th
year in a row and have received
a new recognition in the Globe and
Mail as number one for our commit-
ment to the environment.

Our first session is an address from
Dr. Stephen Toope, the president
of UBC and new board chair of the
AUCC. My favourite quote from his

“6

address: “...Universities are sources
of skills and knowledge. But even
more important, they are laboratories
of change and incubators of resili-
ence. This makes them unmatched in
their ability to produce global citizens
prepared to thrive in ever-changing
conditions.” To me, this indicates that
there is great uncertainty in our fu-
ture. Although the realities of climate
change and an aging population are
knocking at our door, it remains chal-
lenging to predict exactly what Can-
ada, and the world, will be like when

that door is wide open. We must em-
ploy the precautionary principle. For
education, that means providing stu-
dents with the skills and knowledge
today that will tackle the challenges
of tomorrow. In the face of uncer-
tainty and a rapid pace of change;
creativity, confidence, compassion,
ingenuity, cooperation and an open-
mind are attributes that are required.
If universities are incubators of resili-
ence as Dr. Toope has suggested, how
are universities preparing for the fu-
ture? The AUCC has come up
with 5 commitments to ~~

adians...
AUCC 5 Com-
mitments

1. We commit to broadening
the view of education. Universities
are part of a larger landscape of edu-
cation and we cannot, alone, contrib-
ute fully to Canada unless that entire
landscape is healthy and robust. We
are committed to invite and lead a
conversation across Canada regarding
the entire experience of education
from preschool to post-doctoral, for
the good of all Canadians.

2. We are committed to innovation

in learning. Research into teaching
and learning and new technologies
are providing a host of learning tools
and approaches. Our three pillars of
education, research and community
engagement are increasingly conver-
ging, with opportunities for a more
deeply integrated learning experi-
ence. We are committed to enhancing
the learning experience of under-
graduate, graduate and professional

students by drawing on a full range

of educa- tional, re-
search-based and community-focused
opportunities enriched with global

engagement and new technologies.

3. We affirm our commitment to ex-
cellence. Share a responsibility to
ensure that every student is fully
equipped to play a role in a larger
world and in a very new kind of Can-
ada.

4. We are committed to address-
ing the world’s toughest problems.
We are determined to continue the
growth of graduate studies and a ro-
bust research agenda in order to de-
velop new knowledge that addresses
key problems in a world of increasing
complexity. And,

5. We are committed to cultivating en-
gagement and partnerships. We reach
beyond our institutions to cultivate
alliances, working relationships and
initiatives of shared purpose.
We work with and learn

cial
groups
in order to re-
search and imple-
ment solutions to local and
global problems. We invite partner-
ships with business within our aca-
demic mandate to improve the trans-
fer of knowledge to the marketplace.
We will work with one another in
collaborations among universities
within Canada and around the world.
By joining forces we are better able
to address highly complex issues and
accelerate the pace of research.
These commitments are admit-

tedly broad in scope and can be in-

terpreted in many different ways. As
a student, I encourage you to think
critically and reflect on the education
you are currently receiving, and what
your education may look like if these
commitments were applied at UNBC
and beyond. In our second session
of the day we broke into groups of
student representatives, civil society
representatives, and university pres-
idents and discussed how we might
practically apply these commitments
at our institutions. Some key points

«

from our discussion: “...new ap-
proaches will not come without risk,
room for failure must be built in so
that we can achieve success”, “we
need to create engaged learners rather
than directing learners to our own

29 6

outcomes”, “working together across
disciplines is of great importance”,
“young Aboriginals face a poverty
» of opportunity, we must ensure
opportunity is provided”, and
“integrate community based
learning and place conscious
learning”.

We finish the day with
dinner at the Univer-
sity Club, an elaborate
building established in
1913. A speech was
given by a PhD stu-
dent from Lakehead
University who
quoted the words of
Paul Hawken in his
commencement ad-
dress to the gradu-
ating class of 2009
at the University
of Portland, “When
asked if I am pes-
/ simistic or optimistic
about the future, my
answer is always the
same: If you look at the

science about what is hap-
pening on earth and aren’t
pessimistic, you don’t under-
stand the data. But if you meet
the people who are working to re-
store this earth and the lives of the
poor and you aren’t optimistic, you
haven’t got a pulse.” It is my great-
est hope that the work of universities
now and into the future is to educate
students so that they graduate as de-
velopers of innovative ideas, change
makers, critical thinkers, and ethical
decision makers who will contribute
to building a resilient and sustainable
future.
compassionately, I believe that the 5
commitments outlined by the AUCC
will make great strides in leading us

If applied thoughtfully and

toward this future.

This article was long, thanks for
reading! If you have thoughts,
don’t hesitate to send me an e-
mail nugss-president@unbc.ca