Vancouver, British Columbia
May 15-17, 1996

Leading the Agile Organization

Keynote Address: Introduction

Ruth Patrick, University Librarian
University of British Columbia

Good morning everyone. I hope you had a spectacular time yesterday, and I know we're going to have a great program today.

Since each of us is dealing with fast-paced and complex change in our libraries, I wonder if you had, as I did, this just-in-time feeling about the topic of this conference, "Leading the Agile Organization." As we learn about strategies to get us through these turbulent times, what better place to start than with the change in higher education that is challenging libraries.

Our speaker this morning, President David Strangway, is well qualified to give us insights into change in higher education and share with us strategies that worked for him. To describe Dr. Strangway is to build a portrait of a person who personifies change. During his 11 years at the University of British Columbia, he developed an endowment fund for scholarships and over 60 endowed chairs, second in size in Canada only to that of McGill University, which for us in Canada is a benchmark institution for fundraising.

He also oversaw the construction of 15 new buildings valued at over $650 million. We are told that the construction at UBC during this period even outpaces the construction that was done in Vancouver for Expo. You may have seen under construction the Performing Arts Center, the Art Gallery, and, of course, our beautiful new library. If you have seen the library, you will realize that Dr. Strangway is an important friend to the library; without him we would not have that building in the center and heart of the university, where it should be.

He also helped facilitate a dramatic rise in research funding to the university. He has done something unique to achieve that: he formed the UBC real estate corporation to develop an ongoing investment in land. The first parcel raised $85 million for endowment, and there is more to follow. Recently, he signed an agreement that gives Coca-Cola Ltd. the exclusive right to sell its products on campus; I'm pleased to tell you that the library has been one of the first recipients of this money, with which we plan to purchase a second elevator for our new library.

Dr. Strangway's trademark is that he sees a unique opportunity and provides the required creativity, imagination, drive, and persistence to make it happen. What qualified him to successfully manage the changes he foresaw and shaped?

First, he's a scholar. He has a Bachelors degree in Physics and Geology, and a Masters and Ph.D. in Physics. He has authored or co-authored 165 scientific papers and one book. The recipient of many academic honors, he was awarded the Senior Isaac Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship, Canada's most prestigious award in the sciences.

Second, he's a team leader. As chief of the geophysics branch at NASA, he was responsible for the geophysical aspects of the Apollo missions. He believes his days at NASA gave him some of the management and media relations skills he's found useful at UBC, especially in terms of how to establish priorities and objectives for the university.

Lastly, he's a man of vision, a man who has been described as the quintessential strategic thinker. At the beginning of his term he worked with others to develop a mission statement and a strategic plan which set goals in the areas of teaching research, campus development, fundraising, technology, and others. Eleven years later, most of these goals have been realized and, indeed, exceeded.

It is my pleasure to introduce to you a truly agile leader, President David Strangway.