There\u2019s no question 2020 has been a challenging year for all, but incoming Chancellor Hilary Pearson says the year of COVID-19 can also be looked at as an opportunity.<\/p>\n
Pearson will be installed as Brock University\u2019s ninth Chancellor<\/a> on Friday, Oct. 16 during Virtual Fall Convocation. She will continue the work that had been done by outgoing Chancellor Shirley Cheechoo, who has played an important role in Brock\u2019s development since being installed in the role five years ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brock President Gervan Fearon invited Pearson, known as a recognized Canadian leader in philanthropy and community engagement, to serve a three-year term as Chancellor after her nomination was unanimously endorsed by Brock\u2019s Senate.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an opportunity she was honoured to accept.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a wonderful surprise when President Fearon called me, but I was immediately intrigued because I believe in the crucial importance of universities in our society, \u00a0\u00a0more so now than ever,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat students are facing, what we\u2019re all facing are huge challenges that I think a university is essentially important in helping us face.\u201d<\/p>\n She said post-secondary institutions play a key role in training and supporting students, connecting them to others and helping them understand their role in society.<\/p>\n \u201cAt times like these, students need to know that everything is possible. They shouldn\u2019t feel in any way defeated by what seems to be challenges no one has ever confronted,\u201d said Pearson. \u201cWe have faced challenges like these before, but what graduating students have now is the opportunity through technology and the digital connections they have, and the entrepreneurial energy they have, to really make a difference in trying to solve these problems.\u201d<\/p>\n Pearson\u2019s versatile career achievements range from serving in senior policy roles in the federal government, to advising some of Quebec\u2019s largest corporations, to forging a new platform for Canadian philanthropy \u2014 a role that led her to receive the Order of Canada.<\/p>\n It\u2019s through that perspective that Pearson looks forward to also working alongside Brock\u2019s faculty and staff.<\/p>\n \u201cThe University, like many post-secondary institutions, is facing unprecedented challenges,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m optimistic because the pandemic is teaching us there are different ways of working together and that\u2019s very helpful.<\/p>\n \u201cEconomically, we\u2019re going to be facing some tough times, but Brock is there not only to help give young people the experience they need while at university, but also to continue connecting with them and mentoring them as they go forward.<\/p>\n Pearson says 2020 has the potential to be a turning point in post-secondary education, as long as leaders are willing to take risks and rethink how things are done.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope universities in Ontario and across Canada take a moment to think again about their model and how they can collaborate,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned in philanthropy and other sectors is if you don\u2019t collaborate, you won\u2019t get as far as you could go.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the old way of doing things \u2014 where colleges and universities compete for the same students, might not be the way forward.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re just out there competing for students, competing for money and it\u2019s a zero-sum game where if you win the other institution loses, that\u2019s not going to work anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cUniversities have the opportunity to work with each other and other educational institutions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt takes leadership and fearlessness, and this is the time to do it.<\/p>\n