On July 1, 2015, Sherri Bell began her term as the new president of Camosun College. It’s a job as exciting as it is daunting, but Bell is as prepared as anyone, as she comes into the position from another education-related job: she was superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District. We sat down with Bell on a morning in July after she had only been in the position for a couple of weeks and talked to her about student debt, the cost of textbooks, what it feels like to enter a position that her predecessor was terminated from for reasons never made public, and much more.
Nexus: Congratulations on getting appointed. How is it working out so far?
Bell: It’s just been absolutely amazing. Even though it’s summertime and there are not as many students around, you can still feel the energy on both campuses; the energy as it relates to the students, but also faculty. The faculty who recognize me, they’ll stop, and say, “You’re Sherri, aren’t you?” They’ll introduce themselves. It’s been absolutely tremendous and tells me a lot about the culture here that people are so willing to stop you and say hello and welcome you. It also speaks to such pride in what they do. I spend a portion of my day out on campus, and I’ll walk into the bookstore, the cafeteria, walk behind the admissions desk and see all the offices there and just introduce myself to people there, because I think that’s really important that people meet me. And it’s been absolutely incredible. The stories that I’ve heard from employees that have been here for 25 or 30 years, they’re so connected to Camosun and what Camosun stands for in the community and the service it provides students. It’s heartwarming. I met a woman in the bookstore who said she attended Camosun as a student, graduated, started working here, and she’s still here 26 years later. It’s that kind of passion for the place that has really stood out for me. Because there are not a lot of students here yet, I’m really looking forward to the first week of classes so I can be out and about with students as well as faculty.
Which is interesting, because I’m not sure I’ve seen other presidents out and about or having that goal.
That’s a huge goal of mine, to connect with students, faculty, and staff.
What are you planning on bringing to Camosun?
Relationships and knowing people in the organization is incredibly important to me. Once you build those relationships, everything else that happens in the workplace, whether it’s a controversial issue or an idea or whatever it is, if you have that relationship and trust, things move smoother. I’ll bring that. I’ll bring the collaborative spirit. Coming from K-12 is an advantage; I have lots to learn about Camosun College in particular and postsecondary, but there’s a strong link, there always has been, between K-12 schools and Camosun College, so I bring that connection. The South Island Partnership, which is a partnership that has been going on for years where secondary students can get dual credit for attending Camosun, I can see us growing that program.
Coming from K-12 to postsecondary, will there be challenges for you?
Any time you start any new position, first of all it’s connecting with the people, knowing the people in the organization. And then there’s always a learning curve. It’s reading and listening and putting the puzzle pieces together. You meet with someone, you get a piece of the puzzle, you meet with someone else, you get another piece of the puzzle. I’ve got a lot to learn from the people here, and so far people have been very generous with their time.
There’s been no shortage of budget cuts at Camosun over the past several years. How does it feel to enter a position where that’s been the trend?
I come from a position where that’s the trend. Public education K-12 has to make their share of sacrifices as well, so that’s a part of the position I know very well. I was involved with the sad state of affairs of closing schools and cutting positions, so I know how that works. Camosun, fortunately, last year was in a position where that didn’t occur, and we were actually able to put some funds back into some much-needed student services. So that was great, and hopefully that trend will continue for us.
What are your thoughts on student debt and the cost of education? Students come in to our office and I wouldn’t always describe them as being hopeful and optimistic about the future. A lot of people my age are still paying off their student debts. What are your thoughts on students coming to Camosun knowing they’re going to be dealing with this debt?
I have two children of my own, one that still has student debt, so I’ve lived through it. It’s not easy. It’s the support system so that students can attend school, so getting a student loan is critical for many students to actually be able to attend postsecondary. And then you’re finished, and the job market isn’t perhaps what it has been in the past, so you’re in that cycle of looking for work… I think one of the most important things for students is to be able to have a plan for the future, to have that budget and think, “Okay, I can get this entry-level job and start chipping away at this,” and have that plan where they can see the end. Where I’ve seen students feeling less hopeful is when they can’t visualize it and don’t have that long-term plan for managing debt. It would be great to have more support in that area, especially for students that come from low-income families, students who are the first ones in their families to attend university or college. There are bursaries, there are other options, and certainly I think Camosun and other institutions do a good job at connecting students to ways of finding funds. We also live in a city where the cost of living is high, so I have huge empathy for students in that position. But in the long run, when you look at data and statistics about individuals who achieved something at postsecondary, their success rate and their potential earning power is much higher. Again, it’s looking at that long-term picture.
But even in the short-term, you say if they can chip away at the debt, but chipping away is impossible sometimes.
It’s an issue across the country; I think it’s a little bit more difficult here just because of the cost of living.
Can we talk about the price of textbooks? Every student who comes in and talks to us is furious about the cost of textbooks. It seems like these companies just charge whatever they want: “Here’s a book, it’s going to be $150, what are you going to do about it?”
There are a few ways to look at textbooks. One is how absolutely necessary is it for the course? There are textbooks that I still use that I used in my master’s program. There are some that are so valuable, and then others that you’re just using for the course. I know that there is a wonderful network of students that reuse textbooks, and sell them, but the problem with that is you have an old edition. So I think the cost of textbooks is an issue for sure. Looking into e-texts and online information is also important to take a look at in the context of what kind of materials are needed for coursework. Is there a better way to do it? I don’t have the answer to that, but it is something that I’m interested in.
I’m sure this isn’t the thing you most want to talk about, but coming into the position after Kathryn [Laurin, ex-Camosun president] was terminated… That was a contentious issue: people want to know what happened and probably never will. How does it feel for you to come into a position where the last person was terminated and it went public and things got a bit testy? Are you worried that tomorrow you’re going to be terminated?
Not at all. I’m not worried about it, I don’t think about it, it didn’t even play into my thoughts in looking into the position when I was recruited for it. I know what my capabilities are, and I’m pretty confident that I’m going to do a great job. So it’s just not something I think about. I know that if there are things that people think I should change, I think I’m the kind of person that, hopefully within a few months, people will see there’s a trusting relationship, so if I am doing something that people want to give me advice about, that’s how I’ve always interacted with people. I worked with an elected board before, and I worked with teachers and students, and that’s been my life. I think I’m a pretty approachable person, and I want to build that trust. So, no, it’s not something I considered because I just know that no matter what I will try to do the very, very best I can do, and if people want to give me feedback I welcome it.
Many people said they suspected Kathryn came under fire because she was quite outspoken about ESL cuts. Regardless of whether or not that’s the case, that has been a big issue. What are your thoughts on the ESL and Adult Basic Education budget cuts?
Well, the funding cuts have happened, so that’s a done deal, but I am incredibly impressed with how Camosun’s responded to that. If you look at ESL, the government has put into place bursaries for ESL students, and that will cover some of the students, but we’ve also done it at the college, and I think that speaks to the values of the people who work here, the board, that it is an important program and the college has done whatever it could to make sure that students know about the fact that they can still come here and take ESL and that there are these bursaries that they can apply for. Although there were cuts, we found a way around that, and that’s impressive. I’m proud to be part of an organization where that’s the end solution, service to ESL students.
You mention values a lot when talking about the college.
I’m starting to develop an understanding of where that comes from. You’re right; it does come up a lot. It was also one of the aspects of the college that attracted me. I live in the community and have lived here a long time and have been in education for a long time, so I knew that before I came here. The difference in knowing it and actually feeling it, I can actually feel where that comes from, just based on conversations I’ve had. The reputation of Camosun in the community is excellent. We’re a college that really does serve the community. And there’s also an innovative side of Camosun too, which is really interesting.
What are a few things that you think are great about Camosun?
People that work here, and again I’m looking forward to meeting more students in September because there’s not a lot of students around right now, there’s a real passion, dedication, commitment, to student success, and student success means different things to different people. For one student it might be taking them by the hand and actually helping them through something, and for another student it might mean something completely different. And that’s what you hear. I think there’s a connection from the people in payroll to admissions to frontline, people who are instructors with students, that’s their goal: all-around student success. You can see it, you can hear it, you can feel it; that’s part of why they chose to come here. You know it, because you work here. You know what I’m talking about, that connection.
What are some areas that Camosun needs to improve in?
I’ve been meeting with all the directors and vice presidents, and one of the questions I ask is, “What are you working on?” I’d be worried if people said, “Nothing! We’re just going along status quo.” They don’t do that; there’s always something they’re working on. And the next question is, “What are you excited about?” which could be something completely different. I think every school, every department, has something that they’re working on that will end up being either good for the organization or really good for students, and that’s exciting. The kinds of things that I’m interested in looking into more is indigenization; I think that’s really important, being involved with it and going to a different level with indigenization.
What will that look like?
I’m not sure what that will look like yet. I think it would be premature for me to say. I’m getting a sense of what has been done, but I’d like to see what is possible, because we have a large number of aboriginal students, and a fabulous group of people who work in indigenous education, and I need to talk to them first before I can say.
What else are you excited about?
We’ve got two buildings we’re looking at: of course the opening of the trades building is going to be exciting. And the potential new health and wellness centre. That part’s exiting, but it’s not the actual buildings that excite me, the bricks and mortar. It’s what we can do. There’s a potential for rejuvenation, change, innovation. Of course, there are ongoing discussions about student housing, so I want to learn a little bit more about that.
Do you have any thoughts on student housing?
I do, but, again, it’s a little premature… I’ve read a fair bit about what has happened in the past, so we need to look forward and see what the potential is for student housing alongside two other major capital projects. Camosun hasn’t seen that kind of capital work for a long time.
The trades building, you can tell there’s a lot of excitement around that.
Definitely. Only some of the trades are moving to the new building, but then the potential to refresh some of the space that’s already in the Drysdale and Jack White buildings will also be good for students.
And some of those makeshift buildings…
(laughs) And look at what space is needed to do the kind of work that the students are doing while they’re here. That trades building is so impressive.
Tell us a bit about you. Who are you?
I’ve been in education my entire life. I started in school and continued in school in one form or another. That’s who I am. I’m an educator, and then became an educational leader. That’s the professional part. I have two children; one went to Camosun and the other went to Royal Roads. I have a husband who works at UVic, so we’re both educators. I’ve lived in Victoria for almost 20 years. I grew up in Montreal, and lived in Calgary and moved west. Each move got me further and further west, and I’ve been in Victoria for about 20 years. I love it here. It’s an amazing city, and I’ve lived in a lot of different places, really tiny towns, I lived in Youbou for a couple of years. I’ve lived in small and large cities, but this is home for sure. I enjoy the outdoors, my family likes to hike and kayak and beach walk, and exercising on our bikes on pathways throughout Victoria.
Did you go to the Aerosmith concert?
No, I didn’t. Did you?
Yeah.
I heard it was really great. I mean, can you believe he [Steven Tyler]’s 67? We do go to a lot of concerts, but I don’t know why we didn’t end up going to that one.
What was the last great concert you went to?
I saw Elton John last year in Vancouver. He was great. One that really stands out is when I went to see the Zac Brown Band at the Gorge. I like Zac Brown, but it was the venue. It was in the Columbia Valley, so it’s hot, hot. We left Seattle and it was 52 degrees; it was September. We got to the Gorge, it was 92 degrees. It’s built on a hill overlooking the Columbia River: the sunset’s there, the river’s there, it’s just incredible. The sound is great, the venue was incredible, and the music is fabulous. We wrote a list of concerts that we want to see before the bands retire. I love Bryan Adams. Just an absolute entertainer, sings one hit that everyone knows every word to after another. I’d see him again for sure. The one I haven’t seen who I’d like to is John Mayer, for his guitar skills. The Rolling Stones were amazing. Absolutely worth seeing.
I’ve heard they’re still fantastic. And they’re like 300-year-old zombies.
Hey, Mick Jagger could run circles around both of us (laughs).