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view . summer 2008
Q: Do you envision major change to deal with our
challenges?
A:
Once I’m there and talking to people, it will help me to
understand the opportunities and constraints. It is critical to
initiate a fairly lengthy consultation process.
Q: How do you propose to deal with the University’s
reputational issues
?
A:
There has to be a continued effort in knowing and telling
what it is that we do well, a message about the quality of the
institution, the excellence of faculty and staff, and the great
experiences we create for students. That must to be coupled
with some distinct messages about why coming to UWindsor
is different than going to any other university. I’m looking
forward to working on that kind of messaging and branding. It’s
incredibly important.
Q: What do you consider to be the University of Windsor’s
greatest strengths?
A:
The people. The students, the faculty, the staff, the alumni,
and the board. That is an awful lot of heart and commitment.
Q: What about the role of the president and the university in
the community of the 21st century?
A:
Being engaged with the community really interests me, as well as
my wife, Debra Henderson.
I believe that it’s vital for the president to be out there
developing relationships of trust that help us go forward. The
president has an important role to facilitate the interaction of
other people in the University with the community. I’m just one
person; there are hundreds of people on campus and that is the
real engine that will help drive change. I recognize, though, that at
the core, it is essential that I be out there. I was very involved in the
community at Guelph. It is particularly essential if you’re trying to
attract resources to the University. I think the federal and provincial
governments are increasingly looking at funding opportunities
that clearly derive from a sharing and an alignment of vision and
capacity with the key parts of the community – the university, civic
government and key industry people. That shared vision makes a
compelling argument to governments.
Q: Describe the need for a strong university research
culture.
A:
In Canada right now, much of the research happens in the
university sector. It’s extremely important for all sorts of reasons.
For one thing, it leads to new ideas that society may be able to
be put into practice. For another, if we support a strong research
culture, we will attract and keep the best faculty. There are many
who would not come to a university that they felt wasn’t supportive
Dr. Ross Paul, outgoing UWindsor president, with his successor.
