{"id":10941,"date":"2015-09-08T06:35:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-08T13:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=10941"},"modified":"2021-09-29T12:05:10","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T19:05:10","slug":"camosun-college-president-sherri-bell-the-nexus-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2015\/09\/08\/camosun-college-president-sherri-bell-the-nexus-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Camosun College president Sherri Bell: The Nexus<\/em> interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 1, 2015, Sherri Bell began her term as the new president of Camosun College. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\"Camosun<\/a>
Camosun College president Sherri Bell (photo by Greg Pratt\/Nexus<\/em>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nexus: Congratulations on getting appointed. How is it working out so far?<\/i><\/p>\n

Bell: It\u2019s just been absolutely amazing. Even though it\u2019s 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\u2019ll stop, and say, \u201cYou\u2019re Sherri, aren\u2019t you?\u201d They\u2019ll introduce themselves. It\u2019s 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\u2019ll 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\u2019s really important that people meet me. And it\u2019s been absolutely incredible. The stories that I\u2019ve heard from employees that have been here for 25 or 30 years, they\u2019re so connected to Camosun and what Camosun stands for in the community and the service it provides students. It\u2019s heartwarming. I met a woman in the bookstore who said she attended Camosun as a student, graduated, started working here, and she\u2019s still here 26 years later. It\u2019s 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\u2019m really looking forward to the first week of classes so I can be out and about with students as well as faculty.<\/p>\n

Which is interesting, because I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ve seen other presidents out and about or having that goal.<\/i><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a huge goal of mine, to connect with students, faculty, and staff.<\/p>\n

What are you planning on bringing to Camosun?<\/i><\/p>\n

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\u2019s a controversial issue or an idea or whatever it is, if you have that relationship and trust, things move smoother. I\u2019ll bring that. I\u2019ll 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Coming from K-12 to postsecondary, will there be challenges for you?<\/i><\/p>\n

Any time you start any new position, first of all it\u2019s connecting with the people, knowing the people in the organization. And then there\u2019s always a learning curve. It\u2019s 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\u2019ve got a lot to learn from the people here, and so far people have been very generous with their time.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been no shortage of budget cuts at Camosun over the past several years. How does it feel to enter a position where that\u2019s been the trend?<\/i><\/p>\n

I come from a position where that\u2019s the trend. Public education K-12 has to make their share of sacrifices as well, so that\u2019s 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on student debt and the cost of education? Students come in to our office and I wouldn\u2019t 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\u2019re going to be dealing with this debt?<\/i><\/p>\n

I have two children of my own, one that still has student debt, so I\u2019ve lived through it. It\u2019s not easy. It\u2019s 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\u2019re finished, and the job market isn\u2019t perhaps what it has been in the past, so you\u2019re 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, \u201cOkay, I can get this entry-level job and start chipping away at this,\u201d and have that plan where they can see the end. Where I\u2019ve seen students feeling less hopeful is when they can\u2019t visualize it and don\u2019t 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\u2019s looking at that long-term picture.<\/p>\n

But even in the short-term, you say if they can chip away at the debt, but chipping away is impossible sometimes.<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an issue across the country; I think it\u2019s a little bit more difficult here just because of the cost of living.<\/p>\n

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: \u201cHere\u2019s a book, it\u2019s going to be $150, what are you going to do about it?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

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\u2019s program. There are some that are so valuable, and then others that you\u2019re 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\u2019t have the answer to that, but it is something that I\u2019m interested in.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure this isn\u2019t 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\u2019re going to be terminated?<\/i><\/p>\n

Not at all. I\u2019m not worried about it, I don\u2019t think about it, it didn\u2019t even play into my thoughts in looking into the position when I was recruited for it. I know what my capabilities are, and I\u2019m pretty confident that I\u2019m going to do a great job. So it\u2019s just not something I think about. I know that if there are things that people think I should change, I think I\u2019m the kind of person that, hopefully within a few months, people will see there\u2019s a trusting relationship, so if I am doing something that people want to give me advice about, that\u2019s how I\u2019ve always interacted with people. I worked with an elected board before, and I worked with teachers and students, and that\u2019s been my life. I think I\u2019m a pretty approachable person, and I want to build that trust. So, no, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Many people said they suspected Kathryn came under fire because she was quite outspoken about ESL cuts. Regardless of whether or not that\u2019s the case, that has been a big issue. What are your thoughts on the ESL and Adult Basic Education budget cuts?<\/i><\/p>\n

Well, the funding cuts have happened, so that\u2019s a done deal, but I am incredibly impressed with how Camosun\u2019s 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\u2019ve 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\u2019s impressive. I\u2019m proud to be part of an organization where that\u2019s the end solution, service to ESL students.<\/p>\n

You mention values a lot when talking about the college.<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019m starting to develop an understanding of where that comes from. You\u2019re 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\u2019ve had. The reputation of Camosun in the community is excellent. We\u2019re a college that really does serve the community. And there\u2019s also an innovative side of Camosun too, which is really interesting.<\/p>\n

What are a few things that you think are great about Camosun?<\/i><\/p>\n

People that work here, and again I\u2019m looking forward to meeting more students in September because there\u2019s not a lot of students around right now, there\u2019s 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\u2019s what you hear. I think there\u2019s a connection from the people in payroll to admissions to frontline, people who are instructors with students, that\u2019s their goal: all-around student success. You can see it, you can hear it, you can feel it; that\u2019s part of why they chose to come here. You know it, because you work here. You know what I\u2019m talking about, that connection.<\/p>\n

What are some areas that Camosun needs to improve in?<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been meeting with all the directors and vice presidents, and one of the questions I ask is, \u201cWhat are you working on?\u201d I\u2019d be worried if people said, \u201cNothing! We\u2019re just going along status quo.\u201d They don\u2019t do that; there\u2019s always something they\u2019re working on. And the next question is, \u201cWhat are you excited about?\u201d which could be something completely different. I think every school, every department, has something that they\u2019re working on that will end up being either good for the organization or really good for students, and that\u2019s exciting. The kinds of things that I\u2019m interested in looking into more is indigenization; I think that\u2019s really important, being involved with it and going to a different level with indigenization.<\/p>\n

What will that look like?<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure what that will look like yet. I think it would be premature for me to say. I\u2019m getting a sense of what has been done, but I\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

What else are you excited about?<\/i><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got two buildings we\u2019re 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\u2019s exiting, but it\u2019s not the actual buildings that excite me, the bricks and mortar. It\u2019s what we can do. There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Do you have any thoughts on student housing?<\/i><\/p>\n

I do, but, again, it\u2019s a little premature… I\u2019ve 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\u2019t seen that kind of capital work for a long time.<\/p>\n

The trades building, you can tell there\u2019s a lot of excitement around that.<\/i><\/p>\n

Definitely. Only some of the trades are moving to the new building, but then the potential to refresh some of the space that\u2019s already in the Drysdale and Jack White buildings will also be good for students.<\/p>\n

And some of those makeshift buildings…<\/i><\/p>\n

(laughs) And look at what space is needed to do the kind of work that the students are doing while they\u2019re here. That trades building is so impressive.<\/p>\n

Tell us a bit about you. Who are you?<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been in education my entire life. I started in school and continued in school in one form or another. That\u2019s who I am. I\u2019m an educator, and then became an educational leader. That\u2019s 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\u2019re both educators. I\u2019ve 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\u2019ve been in Victoria for about 20 years. I love it here. It\u2019s an amazing city, and I\u2019ve lived in a lot of different places, really tiny towns, I lived in Youbou for a couple of years. I\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

Did you go to the Aerosmith concert?<\/i><\/p>\n

No, I didn\u2019t. Did you?<\/p>\n

Yeah.<\/i><\/p>\n

I heard it was really great. I mean, can you believe he [Steven Tyler]\u2019s 67? We do go to a lot of concerts, but I don\u2019t know why we didn\u2019t end up going to that one.<\/p>\n

What was the last great concert you went to?<\/i><\/p>\n

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\u2019s hot, hot. We left Seattle and it was 52 degrees; it was September. We got to the Gorge, it was 92 degrees. It\u2019s built on a hill overlooking the Columbia River: the sunset\u2019s there, the river\u2019s there, it\u2019s 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\u2019d see him again for sure. The one I haven\u2019t seen who I\u2019d like to is John Mayer, for his guitar skills. The Rolling Stones were amazing. Absolutely worth seeing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard they\u2019re still fantastic. And they\u2019re like 300-year-old zombies.<\/i><\/p>\n

Hey, Mick Jagger could run circles around both of us (laughs).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On July 1, 2015, Sherri Bell began her term as the new president of Camosun College. It\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10941"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21569,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10941\/revisions\/21569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}