David Farrar reflected on his presidency at McMaster University, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, carbon-zero footprint initiatives and connecting with the McMaster community
On Jan. 16, 2024, it was annouced through DailyNews that David Farrar will be stepping down from his position as McMaster University’s president in 2025. The Silhouette spoke with Farrar to gain insight on his decision and his long career at McMaster.
Before coming to McMaster, Farrar was previously was provost at the University of British Columbia. Farrar initially returned to eastern Canada in 2017 because he planned to retire.
“[I] moved back to this part of the world because I was going to retire. [I] had acquired some land in the area and my partner and I were looking to build a house. McMaster had issues finding a provost and were looking for a provost and asked me if I would take that role on,” said Farrar.
Farrar shared that as president he couldn’t easily choose his favourite aspect of the role. He noted a highlight of his role is developing an academically stimulating environment that encourages faculty to excel and engaging with the McMaster community.
Farrar also shared that he enjoyed engaging with McMaster history and developing relationships with integral members of McMaster community. In 1969 the medical school at McMaster introduced the problem-based learning model. This method of learning provided students with a set of information and encouraged them to work through the information with their classmates.
“I would say the first and maybe the most interesting part of the job for the first couple of years was getting to know McMaster. I'm getting to know its long history. McMaster is an amazing university. It is a research powerhouse but it's also fundamentally changed the way students learn,” said Farrar.
I would say the first and maybe the most interesting part of the job for the first couple of years was getting to know McMaster. I'm getting to know its long history. McMaster is an amazing university. It is a research powerhouse but it's also fundamentally changed the way students learn.
David Farrar, president, McMaster University
However, along with the many of the rewarding moments at McMaster, there have also been challenges. Farrar noted that navigating funding in particular has been difficult. Farrar shared that McMaster is currently in a good financial position, but still is impacted all the same by the gross underfunding for Ontario post-secondary institutions.
Farrar has spent his time at McMaster to optimize the current budgets to provide the community with maximum resources.
“Dealing with the financial pressures and wanting to support both the student learning environment and the research environment, in a constrained budget model, was challenging. That was a lot of the time I spent in the first year to two years, was getting to know the budget model and looking for ways that the university can get the most out of the resources that it has,” said Farrar.
As he wraps up his time as president, Farrar shared that he has always imagined that when he steps down the university is set to continue to grow and improve. Farrar noted the resiliency of McMaster faculty throughout the unforeseen pandemic and highlighted the significant research contributions by the Health Sciences faculty. Farrar is certain that the excellence in research and education will continue to flourish through all of the faculties at McMaster.
“In many ways, all any of us want to do who take these jobs on is leave the place better than we found it. . .You're trying to move the university forward. We have really refocused on some big areas, both from the perspective of the research that we're doing [and] also the learning environment,” said Farrar.
In many ways, all any of us want to do who take these jobs on is leave the place better than we found it. . .You're trying to move the university forward. We have really refocused on some big areas, both from the perspective of the research that we're doing [and] also the learning environment.
David Farrar, president, McMaster University
Farrar shared that he hopes the university meets its goal of becoming carbon-zero, through the initiative Net Zero Carbon Roadmap. It is something he has prioritized in his presidency because he believes achieving this goal will send the message that it is feasible for others.
Farrar shared that, as per the tradition of president appointment, there is a council that will begin to seek out the next president. This council is composed of people that are selected by the Board of Governors and Senate. The selected individuals will begin to meet in June 2024.
“The colleagues that I've talked to all seem to say something between six and eight years was the sweet spot in these jobs. Then it's time to turn it over to somebody else who brings in a new set of passions and wants to move the university forward as well. So I think it is a natural time in the role to step down,” said Farrar.
As he reflects on his career and prepares for his retirement in June 2025, Farrar expressed that he loves McMaster and his role within the university has been immensely rewarding.
By: Grace Kuang
McMaster president Patrick Deane is approaching the end of his second five year-term in his role as president at the university. Over the past nine years, Deane oversaw significant changes at McMaster, such as the addition of new infrastructural developments and interdisciplinary programs at the university.
“It will be extremely difficult to leave McMaster,” said Deane. “I was welcomed here nine years ago and from that first day to this, I have been amazed at the ground-breaking work of our researchers, the commitment of our students to making a difference, and the dedication of the staff, alumni and friends of the university to expanding McMaster’s impact on our community and our world.”
In 2011, Deane penned a letter addressing the McMaster community titled “Forward with Integrity: A Letter to the McMaster Community.” In the letter, Deane emphasized that all of McMaster’s continued success will depend on the cultivation of integrity.
The letter advocated for integrity in four key and interconnected areas: student experience, specifically experiential learning, self-directed learning and interdisciplinary education, research, McMaster’s relationship with the surrounding community and the university’s dedication to internationalization.
“At McMaster, the evidence is that in the category of ‘Enriching Educational Experiences,’ which includes experiential activities, we fare a little better than our sister institutions in Ontario, but not as well as comparable U.S. Peers,” reads part of the letter.
Over the last few years, McMaster has focused heavily on experiential learning, most recently developing an innovation minor for students and partnering with Riipen Networks to create a continuing education project-based learning course.
Another one of Deane’s priorities concerned interdisciplinary education. During Deane’s term, interdisciplinary programs such as the justice, political philosophy and law program and the integrated business and humanities program were created.
In his letter, Deane also stressed his goals for internationalization.
“Internationalization of the university by the presence of foreign students, by faculty involvement in a network of research alliances abroad, by faculty and student travel for research and development purposes, and above all by the adoption of an internationalized perspective in curriculum and program design on our campus: this is not only desirable and appropriate to present circumstances, it is urgently needed,” reads part of the letter.
McMaster’s model for global engagement was solidified in 2017. In addition, last year, tuition was reduced for international PhD students.
As such, it appears that some of Deane’s largest and most controversial initiatives were implemented within the last year.
One of these was the smoke and tobacco-free campus policy, which entailed the university becoming the first one in the province to claim to be 100 per cent spoke-free.
While the policy was praised by some, other students and groups, particularly the McMaster Students Union Student Representative Assembly, cautioned against the policy in an effort to prioritize “considerations of student safety, accessibility and comprehensive access to McMaster University when considering implementation.”
This past year, Deane also helped create and implement McMaster’s free expression guidelines, which evoked mixed reactions from the campus community. The guidelines sought to strike a balance between protecting free speech and the right to protest.
However, a number of students, specifically student activists, expressed concern that the guidelines would stifle dissension and silence marginalized voices.
Deane will be departing for Queen’s University in July 2019. Currently, it is uncertain who will replace Deane as McMaster’s next president.
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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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