Written by Bernice Trick
Citizen staff
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Thursday, 02 July 2009 |
Charles Jago has retired from UNBC for the second time, pleased with the turnaround the school has made over the last year. (Submitted photo)
"I didn't think the idea was good for the university or for me, but circumstances determined that I come back, so I did," Jago told The Citizen this week.
"My focus has been to recruit a strong candidate as president, but the university needed to be in good shape to attract a good candidate and for new a president to build upon," said Jago, who firmly set his sights this past year on "rebuilding a strong administration where the turnover had been large, and fostering good governance."
A year ago Jago came back as interim president feeling angry at having to pick up the pieces, and says he still feels anger that UNBC went through two years of hardships "that weren't necessary" under Cozzetto's leadership.
He said it still smarts that the community was led to believe there were huge financial problems at UNBC that resulted in "unnecessary cutbacks."
"The budget we just balanced at year's end (March 31) further convinced me that financial challenges did not require massive cutbacks, but the happenings and publicity shook the confidence of the university and the public, and that's the part that makes me angry.
"By last July, the university had been damaged and demoralized. We had to rebuild confidence to attract and retain talented people," he said.
"But I came back to help fix it, and not to dwell on the past, and hopefully the university is stronger for it. Now I know the university is in good financial shape, and I feel confident about Dr. George Iwama and the future of UNBC."
Iwama took over as UNBC president on Wednesday.
Jago cited a few highlights of his year, July 2008 to June 30, 2009 that stand out for him.
"Four faculty members were promoted to full professorships. They started here in 1995, about the same time I did, and have had spectacularly successful careers. They built those careers here in Prince George, and I don't think they could have done any better at UBC or the University of Toronto. UNBC is a good place to attract and retain people."
Another highlight for Jago was the national men's college basketball championship held at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre.
"I walked through that facility that bears my name and was enthralled to see 2,000 people in the stands, both soccer fields filled with community players, people walking and running on the track and others using all the sports equipment. It brought together the community and the university and so clearly symbolized what we've tried to build here.
"Today we respond to industry and the community and bring the two together."
But UNBC's community reach doesn't stop there.
"I'm very pleased with the David Douglas Botanical Garden Society on campus. That garden is starting to take shape and one day it will be the site of weddings and family events. It's been built by the community and university, and all the garden work is done by volunteers. Again, it's a community project built in partnership with UNBC, a university that really is a big part of the community.
"It's things like the sport centre and the garden that help to break down barriers and allows residents to feel comfortable coming to the university. A good university has to be part of the world it lives in, but at the same, it must be able to compete with other universities."
As Jago heads into retirement for the second time, he says his contribution to the university from now on will "be watching it as a spectator."
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 July 2009 )
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