Dean's Desk

As I reflect on my first two months as your dean and campus principal, I can truly say it has been an invigorating and productive experience that has exceeded all my initial expectations. I sincerely appreciate the generous and receptive spirit extended to me from each one of you as we work together.

It has been a busy two months but I have managed to visit all departments, several operating units and most of the farm and other facilities. These visits will continue over the summer and early fall as my boundaries of experience expand; I also anticipate second and third rounds of visits to gain even more detailed insights into your exciting endeavors encountered at nearly every turn. These connections have been a real eye-opener that have not only renewed my memories and appreciation for my “alma mater” but also more importantly have shown me that this is a vigorous and truly 21st century environment. One overriding impression is the sense of practicality and alignment with interests of the profession, industry and regional objectives. This is visible within the academic programs at every level and in the broad range of imaginative research projects grounded in solid science and investigative processes all centered in our highly functional facilities. Sprinkled throughout are examples of close connections to the community made possible by our beautiful campus and buildings and above all, the expertise housed therein.

All of this fits with my personal commitment as your dean, to focus initially on student experience and opportunities to “inspire the minds” of all who come here. That experience is made all the richer by the inquisitive and inventive minds of educators and researchers who want to provide the best at all levels of education. Further, every investigation you initiate across the extended campus not only adds depth to the learning experience but also allows us to push the boundaries of new information so that we collectively are more influential in serving global needs for food and wise resource management.

Over the coming months, together we will engage not only in assessing ourselves from the perspective of our current strategic plan but also in challenging one another to imaginatively develop new visions for what we can and should be in the next three to five years and beyond. As we increasingly draw on the deep pool of talent and resources at Dalhousie, we will see ourselves forging into new areas of engagement while never losing sight of the target of greater excellence in all that we do.

But before I get carried away in too much futuristic thinking, I recognize that we all have many tasks and adjustments before us in the next few weeks. While every day brings some challenging aspect of the transition to my attention, I can say with conviction that problems are few and solutions abound. Everyone I have met has effectively stepped up to address the myriad changes that accompany our transition to faculty status within Dalhousie University and the capabilities throughout our structure are quite up to the task. Taking just a brief glance behind us, we see a swift but steady pathway that brings us from mere proposals little more than a year ago to where we stand today in the final stages of effective merger. Most emotional attachments and legitimate concerns about the unknowns of change are being mastered and left behind us. For some, the transition has been easier than for others but I do sense a new level of acceptance and commitment, even during my short time with you.

From where I sit, Thursday, June 21 was a milestone day in this process of becoming the Faculty of Agriculture. Of course there have been many other important markers including a host of individual and collective meetings, the official merger announcement, the signing of the legislation and the unveiling of the actual agreement under which we move forward. None, however, hit us individually and more personally than seeing where we align in the new administrative and operational structures. Some of you are much more affected by this than others. In particular, the alignment of most service units here with Dalhousie-based administrative units represents a substantive change. While I don’t expect everyone to immediately adopt my positive impression that this will lead to a substantial strengthening and enrichment of how we are served by these vital operational units, I do know that many of you directly involved are already encouraged by the engagement and support you are experiencing through team and individual meetings within this new structure. Changes in reporting and accountability should not be misconstrued as limitations on how we will continue to communicate and interact with one another across campus. Were that so, I would be concerned about the future role and authority of the principal but I can assure you of my confidence in the new way of managing the 11 service and support units described in the overall organizational charts; in fact, I expect that the depth of management experience and idea generation in the Dalhousie system will ultimately make life more focused, deeply engaging and easier for all of us. I certainly commend all who are most significantly affected by this for your positive attitude and commitment to making this work effectively.

Perhaps the next phase to elicit everyone’s attention will be the gradual development and unveiling of visible items such as new signage, letterhead, website presence and sports uniforms. Certain colour and format changes will move us more definitively into the realities of our new family as of September 1; these visuals, at the same time, will also give us a sense of a new dynamic that represents where we are going as a new faculty without replacing our respect for history and past experiences. There will indeed be a need for psychological adjustments but I am confident we will preserve the identity and sense of community that make our environment here so special. After all, colours, computer screens or uniforms do not make us who we are but rather it is the spirit and determination we commit to academic excellence and an exceptional campus experience that will continue to distinguish us in the future.

On the process front, we will give necessary attention to ensuring that carry forward is well-managed and protected for future use, for example, in areas such as preservation of well-earned vacation days or proper archiving of all that “priceless collection” of emails as we exit the existing GroupWise platform. We will not abandon thoughtfulness and good spirit shared among students and colleagues. We will not sever relationships with communities around us that make us a valued and respected resource in the region. We will not allow the beauty and sense of connection that our campus fosters to diminish.

This initial connection with you in the first of regular “Dean’s Desktop” issues to follow may seem a bit philosophical. Some might have expected to hear more clichés – like “onward and upward, it is a win-win situation as long as we all give 120 per cent across the new, level playing field!” – but that is not my style. In future connections with you in this way, however, I will be elaborating in more detail on specific topics of interest to our broader community. In response to this and communications to come, I welcome your feedback to share any thoughts triggered by my perspectives. For now, that is best achieved by using either h.cook@dal.ca or hcook@nsac.ca.

Enjoy the open house next week and the summer ahead so that we all can be energized to make the adjustments necessary and enthusiastically welcome our new students early in September.

Sincerely

Harold Cook