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view . summer 2008
O
n July 1, 2008, Dr. Alan Wildeman officially took
the reins of the University of Windsor as its sixth
President and Vice-Chancellor, succeeding Dr.
Ross Paul. Earlier, as he and wife Debra Henderson
prepared for their move from Guelph, where Wildeman was Vice-
President (Research), he chatted by phone – “surrounded by packing
cases” – about the University and community to which he has
committed the next six years of his life.
Q: Why the move to the University of Windsor?
A:
It is a very exciting university. It has a unique location in a very
interesting part of the country. It sits in a very important part of
Ontario – next to Canada’s major trading partner. It has a strong
reputation as a place with a great learning environment for students.
There are many people who are committed to Windsor and there is
a lot of enthusiasm for the University and its great faculty and staff.
It was a real chance to be a part of a distinct university in Canada.
Q: What is most exciting about starting this new position?
A:
To be able to work with the people at UWindsor and to help
them articulate why it’s a great place to be. To make sure the
University is part of what the region is trying to achieve and to
make the message even stronger about the quality of the academic
programs and the research.
Q: What do you hope to achieve here?
A:
I think about that a lot. I feel a responsibility to every student
– present and past – to do everything I can to make sure this is an
institution they can be proud of. To do that, I need to understand
what they think about it and what the challenges and opportunities
are. I have to understand what the faculty is trying to achieve and
the things that faculty members are doing to make it a great place to
be. But I’m not so naïve as to think significant challenges won’t need
to be dealt with.
Q: What do you consider to be the major challenges
that the University faces?
A:
Challenges which aren’t unique to this University – to keep
the focus on what we’re doing really well and build upon that.
To get the message out about the great things that are going
on and that have gone on. I really believe that one of the roles
of the president is to try to keep the institution on the high
road as much as possible, to keep our sights on the future.
And that takes us to the need to develop a strategic vision,
a plan, for the next five years. We are entering the final phase
of the strategic plan
To Greater Heights 2004-09
and there’s a
wonderful opportunity to build on the strengths of that. There
has to be a lot of dialogue on where we should go and how to
work with the community to articulate a vision and plan. We
need to take thinking forward into moving forward.
I don’t know if this needs to be a five-year plan or a longer
horizon, or whether it should be a shorter, discrete action
against a longer vision. It’s a very exciting time here – the
medical school, the Centre for Engineering Innovation, and a
community that is gearing up to prepare for the future. That
was part of the attraction of coming here.
Q: What role do you see for the University in the
community?
A:
The University of Windsor has a very important role to
play. This is a pattern that is beginning to occur in other
cities, where universities are helping to reinvigorate the
economic, social and cultural life of the community. I’m
already aware of a variety of ways in which the University
contributes to the community through such programs as
engineering, law, business, medicine, kinesiology, nursing,
and the arts. That speaks to the broad contribution that
can be made.
UWindsor Welcomes
its Sixth President
Photograph by Kevin Kavanaugh
By Jennifer Barone
