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Thompson Rivers University president looks to the future

Alan Shaver, president of Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, was the first member of his family to go to university

Dale Bass – Kamloops This Week

Alan Shaver remembers that day many years ago when he boarded a bus in Ottawa and headed off to do something no one in his family had ever done — go to university.

Shaver, recently re-appointed president of Thompson Rivers University, said he had mixed emotions.

“The enthusiasm was boundless, and the energy and determination, but there was a little bit of apprehension,” he said.

Shaver knew he was part of a larger group, all first-generation, post-secondary students in their families, and he appreciated more than just the support of his mother and father.

“More than that, my parents’ generation for building all those universities for their generation of kids,” he said. “It’s very important to me.”

Shaver’s resume includes many prestigious universities in North America, including Carleton University, where he received a bachelor of science degree; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a PhD in organometallic chemistry; University of Western Ontario (now known as Western University), where he did postdoctoral studies and taught in the chemistry department; and McGill University, where he went from an assistant professor in 1975 to dean of the science faculty in 1995, a position he held for a decade before being named the vice-president academic provost at Dalhousie University.

TRU appealed to him for a simple reason that carried with it lofty aspirations.

“The mission. It was the mission that brought me here,” Shaver said, referring to the belief a university exists to serve its students, its faculty and its community.

During the interview process, Shaver learned of the plans to add a law school to the campus. He knew of the role the open-learning programming played.

What he learned intrigued him.

“I’m looking at TRU and they’re looking at me and I’m thinking, ‘This is interesting’,” Shaver said. “What I was hearing resonated with that kid on the bus going to Carleton.

“There was a trades school. I had never seen trades at any university. And open learning — five years ago, people were starting to realize distance learning would be a big deal and it was here,” he said.

“All the aboriginal students, all the international students. Holy smoke, I really believe in the mission of this institution and the idea of being so dedicated to service,”  he said.

“I’d never been at a university as community-minded.”

Shaver has a long list of advances TRU has taken since it morphed from a college, to a university college, then to full university status in 2005.

They include the law school, two-year and four-year programs, building the master’s-degree programs and all the research focused on solving problems in the community.

Shaver is looking forward to creation of the university-village concept that has been in development for the past couple of years, seeing it has having “the potential to generate an even more inviting university environment, keep people on campus and, not only that, bring people to the campus.”

That project is designed to include market-based residential and student housing, retail shops, restaurants and professional offices that would provide a revenue stream to be used for student support or other university needs.

Shaver is also anticipating “the moment in time, the window of opportunity” that exists as the high-school success rate for First Nations students continues to grow.

“Many are choosing TRU, for which I’m very proud,” he said.

“But, we need to think ahead. We need to think about what these students, all of our students, want to further their education so we can generate researchers here, having local people here doing it for the community.”

Shaver is confident TRU’s faculty, staff and students are ready for the challenges ahead. He said the university community has shown its ability to move quickly for potential funding, to identify donors and  granting agencies it can work with, all to ensure the institution’s sustainability.

Fundraiser is a new identity for the man who began his career as a scientist and teacher before  moving into administrative areas.

“It’s another way of re-inventing myself,” Shaver said. “You also need to surround yourself with professionals and listen to them and make sure they listen to you.”

Shaver looks to recent years as further proof TRU has what is needed to excel in the future,

“When I was looking at TRU, I noticed the House of Learning. It was still being built, but it was a sign this institution was up to it, ready to take on the future.

The public-private partnerships that led to residences being built and the way the Campus Activity Centre and International Building were self-funded were big signals to Shaver.

He points out those successes to visitors and politicians — “and we get them up here as often as we can” — and talks about the funding challenges post-secondary institutions face today.

Shaver is optimistic about the future, however.

“I tell people there will be a recovery, there will be reinvestment and we need to be ready,” he said.

“We need to be ready to take it to the next level.”