Former University of Guelph president Alastair Summerlee has been appointed to be chair of the board of directors of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO). According to the HEQCO website, the council was created in 2005 as an agency that “brings evidence-based research to the continued improvement of the postsecondary education system in Ontario.”
Summerlee was chosen by the board for a number of reasons, not least of which was his involvement in student affairs and his long time advocacy “for the student experience in post-secondary education,” said HEQCO president and CEO Harvey Weingarten, in an Oct. 13, 2015 University of Guelph news release.
Summerlee joined the Guelph community in 1988 as associate dean of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and as U of G’s dean of graduate studies. He was associate vice-president (academic) and provost and vice-president (academic) before being named as U of G’s seventh president in 2003. In 2014, Summerlee stepped down as president of the university and was replaced by current President Franco Vaccarino.
The Ontarion was able to connect with former president Summerlee and he kindly answered a few questions.
The Ontarion: You stated in an exit interview that you intended to travel to work in Cambodia on a project called the Lucky Iron Fish, help a grad student of yours with a project on breast cancer, travel to refugee camps to work in association with a project supporting education for women, and be the volunteer chair of the Hunger Solutions Institute in the U.S. You also said that you wanted to walk across the Kalahari Desert for a month. We realize this is a lot of things, but did you end up accomplishing any of these goals in the past year?
Alistair Summerlee: I have been working on the Lucky Iron Fish project quite extensively. We have been able to publish more results from the research and have obtained funding from the Saving Lives at Birth Round 5 grant (a multi-partner grant funded primarily by Gates and run out of the U.S. office). I have continued to serve as the chair of the Advisory Board of the Hunger Solutions Institute and together we have developed and launched the PUSH initiative (work that I started before leaving the position as president). The PUSH initiative stands for Presidents United to Solve Hunger and is a voluntary partnership between university presidents worldwide to joint together and commit to working on hunger and poverty related issues in three areas (at home and abroad): awareness, advocacy and action. The founding partners (some 60+ universities worldwide —Guelph was one of two Canadian universities participating) signed a joint declaration in the UN in New York during the year. We hope to be an important part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of the UN in the coming year and expand the membership to many more universities. I have continued to work as the executive director of Fund the Food—an initiative funded by the Kirchner Group from the U.S. who are seeking to train fellows in capital allocation in agriculture and agricultural technologies, with the distinct imperative of identifying potential developments that could make a significant difference to hunger and poverty (again this is a volunteer position). I have not been able to return to the refugee camps—it is not safe at the moment. I did walk across the Kalahari Desert for a month. I have also been working with the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa to explore ways to change the face of undergraduate education that might be a model for use in other universities.”
T.O.: What event connected you to HEQCO?
A.S.: As a university president, I interacted with HEQCO on a regular basis, as they have a role to provide universities, government, and the public with information about universities and colleges (in various ways). In particular, we working closely on issues such as learning outcomes, faculty workload etc. I was approached, (as several potential candidates were approached) by the interim deputy of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to see whether I would be interested in letting my name stand for the chair of the board for HEQCO. After due consideration, I decided to let my name stand and there was then a search process operated through the pubic appointments branch of government. The appointment was made by the minister, following cabinet approval.
T.O.: What do you want to accomplish during your time as chair of HEQCO?
A.S.: There is a critical need [for] colleges, universities, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to work closer together. I believe that I have the networks and, I hope, the credibility among university and college colleagues and with the new incoming deputy minister for MTCU to help align our thinking. Not that we will agree on everything! I fundamentally believe that the postsecondary system needs to embrace three key directions: (1) we need to focus on the sustainability of our PSE institutions including open access to information about sustainability and ways to help institutions achieve that stability; (2) we need to focus on learning outcomes as the drivers for curricular change and drive learning that will be useful to graduates as they enter the world of work which will need a shift towards skills development and away from content (which is now available on the Internet); and (3) we need a more effective and collaborative communication plan that will allow all the partners in the system to speak eloquently and frequently about the activities and outcomes of our PSE institutions including students.
T.O.: What do you miss most about Guelph now that you’ve been removed for some time?
A.S.: I miss the 300+ emails, the camaraderie of colleagues and students on a day-to-day basis, and I miss being invited to student events so I have the privilege of vicariously living into tomorrow through the energy and enthusiasm of students.
The Ontarion would like to thank former president Summerlee for taking the time out of his travels to answer our questions.