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NEWS
January 19, 2009 • www.thequill.ca
www.thequill.ca
editorialstaff Editor in Chief | David Kusnick
[email protected] News Editor | Matt Berry
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[email protected] Photo Editor | Ripley Large
[email protected] Business Manager | Naomi Leadbeater
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contributingstaff Chris Gibson, Tory Gillis Scott Bartz, Amanda Hamm, Meagan Richards, Adam Schipper, and Kristen Perrott
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BU Announces New President First female president looking forward to meeting students and beginning work Matt Berry | News Editor On January 9th, the Brandon University Board of Governors announced that it has appointed the new president and ViceChancellor of the institution, Dr. Deborah Poff, whose 5-year term begins on August 1st. Dr. Poff, who comes to Brandon from British Columbia, is the first woman to be named president of the University in its history. She will be replacing Lou Visentin, who has been president at BU for the past 8 years. Dr. Poff is a professor of Philosophy who has spent the bulk of her career at the University of Northern British Columbia, serving as both the founding Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science in 1993 and as Vice-President Academic and Provost from 1994 to 2004. She also served as the 2004-2005 Policy Fellow for the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership, a non-profit organization based in Calgary, for her research on the nature and purpose of public and pri-
vate universities. Dr. Poff has a Ph.D. from the University of Guelph in Philosophy, an M.A. from Carleton University, a B.A. (Hons.) from Queen’s University and a B.A. (Hons.) in Psychology from the University of Guelph. She co-founded and continues to edit two international peerreviewed academic journals, The Journal of Business Ethics and the Journal of Academic Ethics. She co-authored and edited the book Business Ethics in Canada as well as others about the letters of George Bernard Shaw and Sidney Webb, alongside publishing articles on the subject of applied ethics and women’s issues. In 1995 Dr. Poff was awarded a Lifetime Honorary Membership in the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women in the Category of Outstanding Contribution to Feminist Research. Dr. Poff ran as a NDP candidate in the Prince George North district of BC in 2005.
BU release, 2009.
During a phone interview, Dr. Poff stated that she feels honoured to be the first woman president at BU, and thinks it lets others know that these positions are obtainable to anyone. Poff stated that she hopes to be “student friendly and student promotional” suggesting a number of programs to help international students here and abroad. Some of the programs she suggested included an International Stu-
dent Exchange program, where a student could pay their tuition in Manitoba and negotiations would be made to make the costs of studying elsewhere more affordable. Another possible program would be similar to the International Student Exchange program, and would link many northern universities in what was referred to as “circumpolar world university agreements”. She also suggested “Golden Key,” a leadership organization where students in the top 15 percent GPA can take part in conferences, earning scholarships for as much as $10,000. Poff mentioned during the interview that her time as VicePresident of UNBC, she taught one course per year, as a way to remind her why she decided to become an administrator. When asked for a message to give students at BU, Poff said: “I am really looking forward to being in the Brandon Community and meeting students… My door is always open.”
Around Campus... With a new president for Brandon University, there is the potential for changes around campus. What changes would you like to see?
Adam Schipper English & Philosophy
Stephanie Fung Arts & Business
Doug Schellenberg English Major
Stephanie Doerkson Arts Major
“Better food, better cinnamon buns. Or the old ones.”
“I wouldn’t mind if lunch was longer ... so the 1:30 classes could get to eat too”
“How about some Masters programs?”
“Women’s Studies needs more expansion. It’s pretty good, but it could be bigger.”
Photos and interviews courtesy of Cara Edge and Ripley Large, 2008.