● Popular television series Canadian Antiques Roadshow comes to the campus of Bishop’s University.
On June 2 close to 3,000 people came to Bishop’s - carrying items big and small, strange and mundane, old and new, brought by young and old alike. According to many who commented on the day, it was a tiring but enjoyable experience.
● Convocation 2007 . To accommodate its largest graduating class in history, Bishop’s mounted two ceremonies on June 9 (one in the morning, the other in the afternoon), both held in the gymnasium of the John H. Price Sports Centre. Receiving honorary degrees that day were former Principal Janyne Hodder, journalist Richard Gwyn, Archbishop of Québec Bruce Stavert and author Ronald Wright.
● St. Mark’s Chapel turns 150. The Chapel is a worship centre not only for the students, faculty and staff of the University and Champlain College, but for the community as well. St. Mark’s is more than just a chapel; it has a rich and vibrant history and has been designated as an historical site that is a popular stop for tourist buses operating in the area.
The celebration also included a reunion of the Guild of the Venerable Bede (alumni of the Faculty of Divinity) on the weekend of June 16-17.
● Bishop’s Summer of Labour Unrest.
From Bishop’s University News, Fall 2007:
It was a hot summer on campus, but not due to scorching heat. On June 28 over 150 non-academic staff walked off the job.
The staff unit was accredited in April 2004, and in September 2005 began negotiations for their first collective agreement as part of the APBU (Association of Professors of Bishop’s University). Bishop’s is the only Canadian university where regular faculty, librarians, contract faculty and non-academic staff are part of the same union. Faculty and librarians remained at work until 26, when the
University locked out all unionized employees. Intense negotiations resumed between the University and the union on July 31, and continued until an agreement in principle was signed on August 6. All employees were back at work on August 8, and on August 14 three units of the union (faculty, librarians, and non-academic staff) ratified new three year collective agreements. Contact faculty ratified theirs on August 28. The major issues for the University through this process included working within the University’s financial context and demonstrating fiscal restraint to the Quebec government, proceeding with a redeployment restructuring in both academic and non-academic areas,
signing a first collective agreement with non-academic staff, and ensuring long-term viability for the defined benefit pension plan. The union was, itself, concerned with concluding a first collective agreement for non-academic staff, and protecting both jobs and the pension plan.
The picket lines may have been loud at times, but they were always peaceful and respectful. The majority of services on campus continued, albeit with reduced hours and services, throughout the labour conflict due to the efforts of managers and non-unionized employees. The timing of both the strike and the lockout were both made in an effort to minimize the impact on students, which, for the most part, was accomplished.
● The 1966-67 Men's Basketball Gaiters are inducted into the RBC Wall of Distinction. The first basketball champions at Bishop's University, the Gaiters' "machine" rolled through the Ottawa-St. Lawrence Athletic Association with a 15-1 record before triumphing over Ottawa and MacDonald in the league playoffs. At the CIAU Championship in Alberta, the Gaiters lost their first game, but won the last two to gain the bronze medal.
● The New President of Corporation. Squee Gordon ’60, DCL ’04 says au revoir to Humber, salut to Bishop’s. Dr. Robert Gordon retired after 25 years as President of Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning to become President of Bishop’s University Corporation for the next four years.
● Centennial Theatre celebrates its 40th anniversary and Juno winner Holly Cole is a featured performer. The theatre, inspiration of Arthur Motyer, Professor of English and Director of Drama, was constructed to celebrate the centennial of the Canadian Confederation. It was inaugurated in January, 1967 by the Lieutenant-Governor at a special Convocation, presided over by Chancellor Douglas C. Abbott.
In 1992, with the aid of major grants from the ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec, the lobby and the theatre offices were greatly enlarged, a gallery and artists' centre were added, and the stage equipment was completely renovated. In 2006, on the threshold of its 40th anniversary, the university’s 575 seat auditorium received a $1.5 million makeover. The renovations include new seating, house lights, carpeting, and a new sound system that includes mixing boards, microphones, and lighting allowing for larger productions to be accommodated on campus. The renovations were made possible thanks to the generous support of the Minister of Culture and Communications of Quebec, Heritage Canada, the City of Sherbrooke, the Conférence régionale des élus, and Bishop’s University.
● Bishop’s Gaiters running back Jamall Lee (Port Coquitlam, B.C. / Terry Fox S.S.) and head coach Leroy Blugh are honoured as major award winners by the Quebec University Football League. Lee was awarded the Jeff Russel Trophy, given to the league’s most outstanding player, while Blugh was named QUFL Coach of the Year.
● A Change in Leadership. In November, Principal Robert Poupart “parts company” with the Corporation of Bishop’s University and Vice-Principal Jonathan Rittenhouse takes over. In the words of Dr. Rittenhouse as he addresses alumni and the Bishop’s community in the Winter 2008 issue of Bishop’s University News:
“The past few months, in reality the last few years, have been ones of great challenge for our University. This fall several major issues (accumulated deficit, decline in enrolment, strategic direction) all came to a head….November brought change in leadership to our campus; our major challenges remain. I am happy to report, however, that the entire campus is mobilizing its efforts to tackle our challenges collectively, we need to fix the present so the future will be bright.”
