Inside the mind of a regal representative

Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper

Friday, October 1, 2010

Arts & Entertainment USS takes the Bomber stage.

Vol 33, No

11

imprint . uwaterloo . ca

19 Features

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker draws a large crowd last week during an event put on by Feds.

12

Love Your Body Week.

An inside look at how the University of Waterloo helped students love their body with events last week.

Inside the mind of a regal representative

ethan oblak

President David Johnston bids farewell to the University of Waterloo as he embarks on his new career as the next Governor General of Canada.

Paula Trelinska staff reporter

I

t’s a privilege not many students have during their university careers, but just last week I was given the opportunity to speak with President David Johnston in his office.

As I waited, nervous, unsure of what exactly to expect, I imagined Johnston’s office much like many likely would: large, spacious, well adorned, and slightly intimidating. When I walked in, it was not at all as I expected. The

office was spacious, but very modest and not at all intimidating. Bookshelves lined the walls behind his desk and a round table stood near the entrance in front of his desk.

Motioning for me to sit down at the table, I did just that as Johnston immediately began asking me questions about myself.

He wanted to know what program I was in, what I wanted to do when I graduate, if I’d studied for the LSATs yet. While I was there to interview him, he made sure to make me comfortable.

For the 11 years that Johnston has been president of the University of Waterloo, this scenario has repeated itself over and over again.

Johnston, known for his polite kindness toward everyone, has always been sure to stop and chat or say a quick hello on the street. Stories of negative encounters with Johnston are not abounding on this campus; in fact, I haven’t heard a single one.

Known not only for his personality but also his many academic and political achievements, this July, Johnston was selected to become the

next Governor General of Canada. While much hype surrounds his installation, for students of the university what is more important is not what he will be doing in the future but what he has done in the past.

Given the chance to speak with Johnston, I was able to ask him a few questions about what he has done in the past 11 years, how this has affected the school, what this might mean for the future, and what it has meant to him.

See JOHNSTON page 3

News

Imprint, Friday, October 1, 2010 news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Johnston talks UW’s tuition, reputation Outgoing president to be sworn in as GG today Ryan Webb news editor

H

Ethan Oblak

Canada’s next Governor General, David Johnston, discusses his tenure as president of UW with Imprint at his office in Needle’s Hall on Sept. 23. Johnston will be installed as Canada’s Governor General on Oct. 1.

Continued from front page

When asked about his greatest accomplishment during his presidency here at the university, Johnston said he has seen a number of interesting changes. “I think that perhaps the most marked one that we’ve become a more international university, we’ve become even more outwardly looking and I think we tend to gauge ourselves against the other distinctive institution in the world and in Canada,” he said.

Bringing UW to the world was clearly part of Johnston’s plan throughout his 11-year presidency and was stated clearly as part of the sixth decade plan drafted in 2007.

When Johnston began as president the university did not have any international campuses. Today there is the 2+2 program in Nanjing, China, the campus in Dubai, and an international architecture facility in Rome, Italy.

“We’ve been having some discussions with one of the new Indian Institute of Technology and that may come to fruition as part of the Canada/India cooperation arrangement so I’m hopeful that we’ll see some more activity on that front,” explained Johnston.

For students at home though, recent concerns have involved continually rising

tuition pricesthroughout Johnston’s years in office, with recent hikes as high as eight per cent for deregulated programs. Students are having more and more difficulty affording school and are in increasing need of help from many sources.

“What we’ve also worked hard on is financial support for our students, so we have a policy that goes back seven or eight years now, where we guarantee any unmet need of our students with respect to OSAP or the equivalent provincial program,” Johnston said. “We’ve always been able to do that with a grant, not a loan.”

While an education at Waterloo may be difficult to afford for some, it has also been ranked as the most innovative university in Canada by Macleans 18 years in a row. It has, however, lagged behind McGill in overall quality.

“There are three categories, one is best quality, most innovative, and leaders of tomorrow. For 18 out of 18 years we have been most innovative,” Johnston explained. “For the last few years we have been leaders of tomorrow and then we have been second to McGill in quality. If you take those three as a composite for best reputation overall, we have been number one.”

For Johnston though, Waterloo is not just about statistics and rankings. His favourite

memory, he says, is all the people and the students.

“This is a great family and it’s been wonderful to be part of it.” And having worked with people at this university for a long time Johnston has learned a lot. “You accomplish things through other people. Leadership is recognizing your total dependence on the people around you and you need them engaged and pulling in the same direction and they carry,” he said. And of course, his advice to the successor of his role is to take great joy in the job, this is a privileged position to be the president of a Canadian university.

When Johnston leaves he will be leaving not only over 20,000 students, and an 11-year legacy, but he will also be leaving his Heidelberg farm and the multitude of geese which inhabit the Waterloo region.

He stated he doesn’t plan on selling his farm, as he is merely taking a “five year sabbatical” and plans to return to the region.

As for the geese, “My dog won’t miss [them],” he laughed. “And I think it’s fair to say I will not miss the geese either. But there are a fair number of geese, I think, at Rideau Hall, and squirrels as well.” ptrelinska@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

aving concluded his impactful tenure as UW’s president, His Excellency The Right Honourable David Johnston will be installed today as Canada’s top public official in an elaborate ceremony on Parliament Hill.

James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, announced the details of today’s event on Monday, noting that it is “one of the country’s most important state ceremonies.”

Many of the events on today’s itinerary are mainstays of past GG installation ceremonies. These include a greeting from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, a formal ceremony in the Senate chambers, and a 21-gun salute.

Other unique plans for the ceremony, in the spirit of the event’s theme “A Call to Service,” have been added with the approval of Johnston himself. Notably, in an effort to involve “ordinary Canadians,” Johnston will accept the gift of roses from a diverse group of Canadian citizens from across the country prior to his swearing in. Afterwards, in a poignant act of symbolism, Johnston will deliver the bouquet to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the country’s National War Memorial.

Johnston will be installed as Canada`s 28th Governor General, a crucial role in Canada’s government. The viceregal formally represents Canada’s head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, and acts as Commander-in-Chief of Canada’s militia.

The role is also crucial in the context of the current minority parliament, because it is up to the Governor General to choose who will serve as prime minister in the event that no one party has a clear majority after a general election.

His Excellency will return to Waterloo briefly next month. In his final scheduled appearance at UW, Johnston will be honoured at the morning session of the fall convocation. He will address graduating AHS and arts students, be recognized as president emeritus for being a former president of the university, and will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Readers that want to watch today’s ceremony live can do so at www.gg.ca. news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca