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The University of Ottawa gave its incoming president a tie in school colours Friday, but Jacques Frémont won’t actually start work there until July 1.
His introduction on Friday morning was an occasion for handshakes and a few laughs, but nothing too substantial, as Allan Rock made clear early.
“We’re announcing the appointment of Jacques, not the retirement of Rock,” he said.
Everyone said kind things about everyone else. Rock called Frémont “an inspired choice” as his successor. Frémont called the university an “august institution” and a “powerhouse of knowledge,” with “game-changing ideas.” He promised to continue its policy of bilingualism.
Frémont has been a law professor and vice-rector (in effect vice-president) of the Université de Montréal, and was introduced Friday as an expert in good governance, human rights and democracy. He was also director of the International Higher Education Support Program of the Open Society Foundations in New York.
As new president, he’ll walk into the cloud of issues that every president faces. There were low-key questions at the news conference about whether the U of O has a rape culture, about tuition fees, about whether he is too much of an outsider because he has spent most of his career in Quebec.
There are always internal squabbles, such as the open letter from faculty in the School of Political Studies. They say they work in a “poisoned atmosphere” with violations of their human rights because their temporary boss is not only a member of management, but an economist who couldn’t possibly understand the ways of a political science group.
A human rights complaint probably wouldn’t faze Frémont unduly. He’s been the chair of Quebec’s Human Rights Commission since 2013.
Frémont wasn’t saying a lot on the issues, stressing that he doesn’t have the president’s job yet.
• On the “rape culture” question: “I won’t deal with that question today,” he began, but he went on to say that this is a North American issue, not just one at the U of O, and universities must deal with it seriously.
• On fees: “I was waiting for that question,” he said with a laugh. Again, he promised to be sensitive to the needs of students but didn’t go into detail.
• As for not being from Ontario, he turned a little more serious: “Universities around the world — and I have a seen a lot of them, believe me — the heart of university life and the challenges at the university are the same.”
It’s always a matter of balancing learning, research, and student life, he said. “That’s the same everywhere.”
Rock will keep working full-time through June.
“There’s still a lot to do,” he added: Fundraising, planning new programs, overseeing the budget so that the new president doesn’t walk into a deficit.
Asked about his own plans after July 1, Rock just smiled and said “We’ll see,” in French.
tspears@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/TomSpears1
查看原文...
His introduction on Friday morning was an occasion for handshakes and a few laughs, but nothing too substantial, as Allan Rock made clear early.
“We’re announcing the appointment of Jacques, not the retirement of Rock,” he said.
Everyone said kind things about everyone else. Rock called Frémont “an inspired choice” as his successor. Frémont called the university an “august institution” and a “powerhouse of knowledge,” with “game-changing ideas.” He promised to continue its policy of bilingualism.
Frémont has been a law professor and vice-rector (in effect vice-president) of the Université de Montréal, and was introduced Friday as an expert in good governance, human rights and democracy. He was also director of the International Higher Education Support Program of the Open Society Foundations in New York.
As new president, he’ll walk into the cloud of issues that every president faces. There were low-key questions at the news conference about whether the U of O has a rape culture, about tuition fees, about whether he is too much of an outsider because he has spent most of his career in Quebec.
There are always internal squabbles, such as the open letter from faculty in the School of Political Studies. They say they work in a “poisoned atmosphere” with violations of their human rights because their temporary boss is not only a member of management, but an economist who couldn’t possibly understand the ways of a political science group.
A human rights complaint probably wouldn’t faze Frémont unduly. He’s been the chair of Quebec’s Human Rights Commission since 2013.
Frémont wasn’t saying a lot on the issues, stressing that he doesn’t have the president’s job yet.
• On the “rape culture” question: “I won’t deal with that question today,” he began, but he went on to say that this is a North American issue, not just one at the U of O, and universities must deal with it seriously.
• On fees: “I was waiting for that question,” he said with a laugh. Again, he promised to be sensitive to the needs of students but didn’t go into detail.
• As for not being from Ontario, he turned a little more serious: “Universities around the world — and I have a seen a lot of them, believe me — the heart of university life and the challenges at the university are the same.”
It’s always a matter of balancing learning, research, and student life, he said. “That’s the same everywhere.”
Rock will keep working full-time through June.
“There’s still a lot to do,” he added: Fundraising, planning new programs, overseeing the budget so that the new president doesn’t walk into a deficit.
Asked about his own plans after July 1, Rock just smiled and said “We’ll see,” in French.
tspears@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/TomSpears1
查看原文...
