Could This Be the New Provost of UNBC?

Photo by Haakon Sullivan

by Haakon Sullivan

Dr. Mark Dale, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Alberta, is in the process of applying for the position of Provost at UNBC. As part of this process, Dr. Dale had to argue his case for why he is suited for this position at UNBC in front of a group of students and faculty. His credentials are many and his vision for UNBC is strong.
Since obtaining his PhD from Dalhousie University, Dr. Mark Dale has served in many positions ranging from being a Chair of Botany Studies to an Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies. He has served in his current position, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, for the last ten years at the University of Alberta and this is where he has started many initiatives including a program that sends graduate students out into the community to teach others about their field. In this position he has also gained experience in situations such as faculty evaluations and student appeals.
Some challenges that he says that he will have to deal with as Provost of UNBC are money, people, and “stuff”. People give the money, money buys the “stuff” and the “stuff” brings the people in. Keeping this cycle up will be one challenge. Other challenges he sees include providing students with programs they want and integrating teaching and research.
Some personal attributes he says that he has is that he is dedicated and hard working with knowledge of universities and insight into how they operate. He also says that he has a style that involves shared responsibility and lots of communication.
When it came time for the students and faculty to ask him questions, much more information was gained.
When it comes to research, he says that it should be of the highest quality and since we can’t do everything we should see what is done best and concentrate on that. He also says that there is a lot of potential for research in the surrounding communities since UNBC was built to serve them.
When it comes to evaluations, he said that basing teaching performance on student evaluations are unreliable due to the “lovability” factor and peer evaluations should be used to supplement the student ones.
Why did Dr. Mark Dale have to do an “interview” in front of students and faculty? It was because the university administration wants feedback from everyone to see if he is who they want to be Provost. This position affects everyone at UNBC, so the university will listen to feedback about the applicant to help decide whether he’s the right man for the job.