Saying goodbye to Patrick Deane
Photo from Silhouette Photo Archives
On Nov. 5, it was announced that Patrick Deane, our seventh and current president of McMaster University, would be leaving his position to assume the role of the 21st principal at Queen’s University, effective July 2019.
Commencing July 1, 2019, Patrick Deane will serve as 21st Principal and Vice-Chancellor of #queensu https://t.co/2BRBQx6nsj pic.twitter.com/2DJ2DD7ggK
— Queen's University (@queensu) November 5, 2018
Deane has been serving as McMaster’s president and vice-chancellor for nearly nine years. Prior to his two terms spent at McMaster, he was Queen’s vice principal of academics from 2005 to 2010 and also served as acting president of the University of Winnipeg in 2003.
The news of Deane’s departure has been met with mixed responses: some students are happy to see a change in leadership while others are opposed to him leaving for Queen’s. Most, however, are indifferent to the news. When nearby students were asked for their thoughts, they responded with “what does the president even do?”
McMaster University's President Deane to lead Queen's University. Sad to see Patrick Deane go. He seemed like an all-round good guy. I took to heart his "engage the community" message, although doing so had more impact on my personal life than my work life. Good leaders do that. pic.twitter.com/vJc8PRhUVB
— David Kemper 🎧😌🤙 (@dkemper) November 6, 2018
This is a fair question. Students often only see the president during a speech made at Welcome Week and then again, four years later, at convocation. Patrick Deane, at the least, has managed to maintain a neutral profile. There have been no publicized scandals or rumours that have made him well-known by the student body. But for someone earning an annual salary of nearly $400,000, there ought to be more accountability.
It is not enough for students to be indifferent towards their president. Surely, Deane must have accomplished something in those nine years which afforded him the offer at Queen’s. He has been credited toward improving student learning experience, improving the university’s relations with the local Hamilton community and strengthening McMaster’s national and international research reputation.
Perhaps that is the foil of good leaders; that their good work remains unnoticed. I would argue though that it is the responsibility of such leaders to make themselves known. The office of the president does publish the president’s goals but this document should be better advertised to students. Students should be able to remember more about their president than his affinity towards Pizza Pizza and his South African accent.
In fact, it may even be worse that students remember their president by his omissions as opposed to his actions. Whenever controversial discussions occurred on campus, for example with the current talks of free speech, where was our president? While taking a centrist stance on these issues may have maintained Deane’s reputation among the majority of students, it ultimately doesn’t help anyone.
Starting June 30, the current provost David Farrar will serve as acting president of McMaster for one year. Following Farrar, it is unknown who will be McMaster’s next president. As Patrick Deane would say, here’s hoping for a #brighterfuture.
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