Choosing a president

This is an article I wrote to The Telegram, hoping to join the Community Editorial Board.

There are no garish campaign signs obstructing the small patches of grass at intersections. The general public doesn’t get to vote. We aren’t forced to bear with unfulfilled promises. This is not about which party to choose. Nor is it about political loyalty.

It’s the search for a new president (academic) for Memorial University.

The search has gone from big news (thanks to Education Minister Joan Burke), to practically no news, (Memorial’s own Alumni Association has opted not to comment on the matter.)

To many this is not important news. The hormone receptor test problem is a much larger and more worrying issue. The country is gearing up for a fall federal election. It’s understandable that most people’s minds are on other matters.
But a recent newsworthy event in our province may play a large role in the stalled presidential search. For those connected to Memorial, it is an event that could have implications on exactly who lands the job.

On August 22 Premier Danny Williams announced that the Hebron oil field will be developed. After years of uncertainty, Newfoundlanders are finally able to talk feel confident about the revenue that this will bring to Newfoundland.
Hopefully it will bring expatriate Newfoundlanders home from Alberta.

It will bring hope and financial stability.

But what it shouldn’t bring is a new president of Memorial. At least not one who is in some way connected to Hebron and is only given the job for political reasons.
The president of Memorial has to be someone who has the best interests of the entire university at heart. Someone who maintains Memorial’s solid reputation as the place for Newfoundlanders to get their post-secondary education. Someone who will attract new students from all over the world. The new president of Memorial needs to draw more attention to the benefits of the Arts Faculty, to allow all of its students to have the best equipment, the best instructors and educators, and the most up-to-date and relevant information.

To achieve these goals Memorial needs money, which means Memorial needs the provincial government.

But if the government wants to become involved in the search for a new president, it’s essential they don’t take control of the process. Allow Memorial to maintain its autonomy. Allow the university to choose the best person for the job.

Not someone who is put there because of oil money.