TEE UPEI SUN,'ltmrsday,Sept.28,1978,page 8

UPEI ’S' PRES]

"Inaugural Address" Delivered by Peter Meincke on his install- aticn as 2nd President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Prince Edward Island Saturday, 23 September, 1978

As we go through this ceremony, I am deeply con— scious that the history of this University did not begin only nine short years ago. Its existence is firmly rooted in two very fine institutions, St. Dunstan's University, which formally opened here on this ground in 1855, and and Prince of Wales College, which was estab- lished by Royal Charter ‘as the Central Academy in 1834. I am very pleased that later today these links with the past will be even more firmly estab— liShed when the alumni present the class photo- graphs which many of you saw on display in the Library last night.

I am also very much aware of the extraordin- ary contribution that my predecessor, Ron Baker,

. has made in bringing UPEI

to where it is today. Many of my colleagues at other universities have told. me of the very high regard they have for this institution and for the Province of Prince Edward Island. Another indica- tion of how well this University is doing is the high quality of the fac- ulty that have chosen to teach at this University. One of the best mea— sures of success of an institution is how its graduates perform. I would like to share with you some of the things that I have learned so far. Last year, of all the students in Canada who tried the uniform final exam for their C.A., only a little over 50% passed. I think it

is quite significant that 100% of the students from

UPEI who tried the exams for the first time ' succeeded in passing. are also very proud of Cathy Ieeco who graduated last year at the age of

18 and had a number of outstanding scholarships offered to her. She

chose a graduate Award at Princeton and is now enrolled in a Ph.D. pro- gramme to study the Socio— logy of'Iaw. ’Ihe son of our new chairman, Martin Grant, won a coveted NRC Fellowship and is study- ing at the University of 'Ibronto. A nutber of stu— dents who have been pur- suing graduate studies have reported back that they haVe found themselves as well prepared to tackle the graduate work as stu- dents from other miver— sities.

So it is my assessment, as a newcomer to the University and to the Island, that the Univer— sity community should feel a real sense of accompli— shment, and the Province of which it is a part has goodreason .to be proud of this institu— tion and the place that it is earning for itself in the world of learning.

I have senwd in this University a growing feel- ing that is has success- fully emerged from a long

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- and sometimes difficult

period of adjustment and, now, it is prepared to look outward and to the future. What does that ' future hold? A number of recent talks and confer- ences have been devoted to the theme "'Ihe Univer- sities in a Changing Eh— vironment". Part of the changing environment is the projected decline in the population in the 18 to 20-year—old age group. Another change which has been adversely affecting universities for some time is the continuing and growing financial res- traint imposed by govern-

ments.

But I would suggest to you that there are even more fundamental changes occurring in society to- day, that we are not just experiencing a downswing in the normal type of business cycle but rather that we are poised on the threshold of a new era in man's evolution. ,

In discussing the" dil- emmas that face us, Harman of the Stanford Research Institute points out that "While many of the social problare associated with these dilemmas are tract- able if taken singly,

they cannot be solved-7 1 ., collectively in the pre. ‘- 7‘4."

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sent paradigm precisely because their origins lie in the fabulous success of that paradigm. "

I believe that, as the nature of this new para- digm becomes clearer, scale or size will emerge as fundamental parameter. There are many forces which have operated to increase the size and complexity of the struc-

tures of our society,

and a McLuhanesqueleobal. ,.».,,._~,.m Village is still seen bywu 7"

many as the ultimate goal. But there is a growing sense of aware- ness that bigger is not - always better, that per- haps we need to develop

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structures and technolo- gies that are more human in scale.

I became so fascinated with this question that I spent my sabbatical year studying the problems of scale in a number of areas and a number of countries. I came to the file conclusion that Prince Edward Island is rapidly emerging as a world lead— er in this area, and "I know that this View is

_, shared by a number of people not only in Canada

but throughout the world. If I may, Mr. Cnancellor, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute

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to Alex Campbell for his very far—sighted leader-,3, ; ship in this area. He is no doubt largely respon- .5 sible for the fact that Prince, Edward Island is being looked to from many corners of the Globe.

What then is the role of univers. ities. in this - changing enviroment and, in particularpwhat is . the role of this :Lhiverr- sity? .'Ihe debate about the role of universities has gone on throughout the ages. Even Aristotle . .' asked, "Should in life-gar or ledgebe. the aimv,0.f:rt1¥aargr, SpeCtIMiO£.mmiQMB 31 he statedsbhatzmiiom‘ knowledge" wasna le ,_)n'o:‘ trash". My own view is ._ that the answer lies some- where. in between, that a delicate balance must be struck and that adjust—' ments must constantly be made in response to the context of the times. I very much like Flexner's statement that .the univer— sity is "an expression of , theageaswellananin— fluence__operating- -

Perhaps I am too. influ—" enCed by my training as a physicist, but I think there are parallels bet‘ ween this kind of question

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that one finds in nature. Ihe fundamental particles of nature are lmown to act sometimes like part- icles and soretimes like waves.

So it is with‘the university. men it is examined in one way it appears to be far too iso— lated'in its ivory tower. When it is examined in another, it appears to be far too utilitarian, too tightly coupled into so- ciety for its own good_ ‘ . The point is that a bal- ance must be maintained . so that is does not appear to be one way or the other at all times.