Following the announcement that Dr. Cathy Bruce would be Trent University’s ninth President and Vice-Chancellor, the editors of Arthur sat down for an interview with the incoming President to discuss her vision for leadership and some of the challenges facing Trent.

Presidential hires are indicative of a university’s overall health in the opinion of key stakeholders, whether in the Senate, Board of Governors, or Staff and Faculty, and maybe even some students.

The hiring of a candidate who has been associated with the institution for more than twenty years seems to indicate that, in the eyes of most, the general direction Trent is heading in is positive and that it requires someone with intimate knowledge of the institution to continue that work moving forward.

With this in mind, from a purely objective point of view, there are very few people who could be looked upon or named as a natural successor to current President Leo Groarke other than Dr. Bruce.

Indeed, at least one-third of the editorship of Arthur had this announcement pegged from the day that President Groarke announced he would be stepping down in April of 2023. You’ll have to guess which one.

Dr. Bruce has held various roles during her more than twenty years at Trent including Professor, Dean of Trent’s School of Education, and most recently Vice President of Research and Innovation since 2022.

While she will not officially be in the President’s role until July 1st, Dr. Bruce is already thinking ahead to how she will approach the office and identified three main priorities which will inform various phases of her term. 

The first is consultation and communication which she stresses will require input from students especially. “I am really interested in hearing from our Trent community,” Bruce said before noting the other pillars of her plan which she identified as creating a strategy for implementing change and direction as well as considering exactly how to measure the success of these initiatives called for by the community

Finally, Dr. Bruce suggested that the third phase will be action. 

“I'm an action oriented person,” she said. “So of course, the third phase is action, including things like increasing experiential learning opportunities for students, response to programme opportunities, and, of course, a safe and vibrant campus.”

To this end, Dr. Bruce pointed to the Presidential Mandate — a document which was drafted by an advisory committee made up of members of the Board of Governors, Trent faculty, staff, and student senators — which includes specific guidelines and strategic initiatives for the incoming President to follow over the course of their term 

One of the pillars of the Presidential Mandate is a focus on Academic research and excellence, which Dr. Bruce was excited about, especially when looking at it from her current Vice President position.

“As the current Vice President of Research, I think that's a pretty excellent goal,” she said. “But I really want to say that the quality of the students' experience will continue to be top of mind.”

Along these lines, Dr. Bruce was eager to talk about the ways in which experiential learning opportunities will be a large part of her vision for Trent moving forward. Chances for students to learn through field courses and collaborative projects like the eventual Trent Seniors Village, Cleantech Commons, and Trent Research Farm could provide invaluable. 

“I think that idea of participating and reflecting and applying the knowledge from those experiences is really sort of a golden way to think about what can happen for students,” Bruce explained. 

When asked about how Trent might be able to respond to concerns and challenges, Dr. Bruce noted that the university is planning to create 1400 new residence spaces by 2028, which would mean a 69% increase in Trent’s housing inventory over the next four years. 

As Trent figures out how it will be affected by the recently announced cap on international study permits by the federal government, which Dr. Bruce did not directly recognize, it is notable that the enrolment growth, calculated based on full-time-equivalents (FTE’s) over the past eight years under President Leo Groarke’s leadership has increased by 57% since 2016/17 from 8,356 to 13,123 in November of 2023 according to documents from Trent’s Board of Governors.

When Dr. Bruce takes office in July, she will be the second woman to hold the position on a permanent full-term basis. 

Asked to reflect on this and how she has witnessed conversations around gender and diversity in educational spaces change over her 35 year career, Dr. Bruce told Arthur that these conversations are shifting and that she has seen significant process in recent decades.

“My path as a mathematics education professor and researcher, and even as Vice President Research, I've sometimes been the only woman in the room,” she said. “Traditionally, those are male positions. But I have to say things are changing, seeing more and more female leadership in higher education, that brings you a positive perspective.”

Seeing more women and gender diverse people in positions of power in post-secondary institutions is also good for students, she said, noting that it “serves as a good example for our students—not just our women students, but our men and gender-fluid students.” 

“I think that can serve the Trent ecosystem really well,” Dr. Bruce continued. “I anticipate we're going to see more women and diverse expressions of gender diversity in the higher education landscape over the years to come and I'm happy to be part of that.” 

Dr. Bruce’s background in education and her research related to the productive implementation of educational strategies is set to inform her approach to the President’s role as well.  

“Being an educator is who I am,” she said when asked to reflect on how her area of expertise will inform how she approaches her new office. As she did so, she pointed to her direct impact on Trent’s campus through founding and developing Trent’s Centre of Teaching and Learning as well as her work in developing programs offered through the School of Education at Trent 

“I'm personally and professionally very interested in innovative approaches to teaching and learning and I'm excited about seeing that come out even more,” she said. “I think I bring a lens of experience in efficacy and engagement to all of that work. So in the role of president, I see opportunities to take those qualities and experiences even further.”

Part of this innovative strategy, Dr. Bruce said, is being “out and about on campus” so as to engage with students whenever possible to get a sense of what students need in terms of support, both academically and regarding supports and services which enhance their experience at Trent. 

“It is part of the mandate of the presidency to support initiatives that enrich the quality of student experience and I look forward to doing that through enhancing services like academic providing accessibility health services and responsive programmes,” she said. 

Naturally, this also includes working with student leaders and associations at the university in a meaningful way which takes their concerns into account. 

“I hope for a sense of organic engagement and interaction,” Dr. Bruce told Arthur, noting that she hopes this means of engagement with students fosters a welcoming environment.