I arrived at McGill in 1964 as an undergraduate and studied and worked there until the fall of 1996. Those 32 years, first as a student and later a professor and administrator, were life-changing. I never anticipated that McGill would become such an important part of my life.
McGill opened my eyes to the world and set me on the path to a successful and rewarding career that culminated with my appointment as President Emeritus of the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design. I am proud that my professional achievements led to me being named to the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and France’s Ordre des arts et des lettres.
When I started at McGill, I was initially interested in the sciences. However, seeking a more personal and interactive pedagogical experience, I opted for the arts. From my first philosophy course, to establishing one of the first Canadian Film Festivals (in collaboration with the National Film Board) during my third year, I came to see what McGill could offer me: the skills of learning how to learn, the valuable connections to great faculty and my wonderful fellow students.
I realized early on that I was learning how to take in the world around me, and then to articulate and communicate my own perspectives and ideas. This is all part of the formal process of academia, and is further enhanced by informal activities: the learning that goes on between classes, including and most importantly from the people I encountered. That informal space is important, and acknowledging it and its contributions to the formal experiences of education has always been an important part of my discussions, presentations and essays about learning and education.
In life, you do not necessarily know where you are headed or why. But you figure it out along the way through the skills you develop and the experiences you have. I interacted with many people at McGill, including some extraordinary teachers, all of whom helped me chart my direction and understand my strengths and weaknesses.
I worked for quite some time as a teaching assistant, and later taught at various colleges and universities, including Vanier College and McGill. In my teaching, I tried to create environments of exchange that developed into learning opportunities. My goal was to shift students’ perspectives and provoke insight and self-reflection. For example, I once sat in silence in front of my students for 15 minutes on the stage of Moyse Hall to make a point about language, discourse and learning. In another instance, I entered a large class without immediately announcing myself as the professor. And on the last day of the semester for that course, I shared the Kookaburra’s call with my students, something I had learned from an Indigenous artist in Australia.
That informality made my teaching better. I once received a standing ovation from students in response to a passionate lecture I delivered. For me, so much of teaching is defined by spontaneity and the ability to capture the moment. I learned that the best teachers prepare their material, but not necessarily how they will present it. This allows them to be responsive in their interactions and open to students’ influence and insight. That is the key to good teaching and mentorship.
McGill as an institution is very open to change. I experienced this firsthand when I was given an opportunity to submit a film for my Master's thesis. This inspired changes in the Faculty of Arts’ approach to creative theses in general. I was encouraged to explore experimental theatre, cinema, teaching, and ultimately worked on the founding and development of the Graduate Program in Communications.
I am deeply grateful to McGill for the support and education I received.