3200 University Boulevard
Squamish, BC
Canada V8B 0N8
T: 604.898.8000
F: 604.815.0829
www.questu.ca
Dr. Peter Englert,
President, Quest University Canada
Thank you, Chancellor Dan Birch, for those gracious investiture ceremonies.
I am excited and greatly honoured to serve as the fourth President of Quest
University Canada. I thank the Board of Governors for this opportunity to
lead Canada’s first and only independent, not-for-profit, secular, postsecondary institution as we continue to fulfill our charge. That mandate, of
course—which our executive staff, faculty, and Board of Governors have so
ably executed—is to provide Quest University Canada’s enlightened and
innovative liberal arts education to our students, who will become our leaders
of tomorrow.
Speaking of which, it is my pleasure to welcome to Quest one hundred
seventy eight new students and their accompanying family members, and we
extend warm thanks to each of you for participating in our special
Convocation ceremony.
I wish to acknowledge Quest’s faculty and staff and thank them for delivering
the superior academic, campus, and ancillary programs that have enabled our
graduates to meet and answer the challenges of today’s twenty-first century
world.
And I thank Joshua Joseph, a Councillor of the Squamish Nation, for
opening today’s proceedings with some well-considered thoughts and an
accompanying welcoming song for our new students. Joshua’s presence
underscores the fact that the Squamish Nation has, since our beginnings,
warmly welcomed Quest University Canada to its ancestral lands.
In 2002, Squamish District Council passed by-law amendments enabling the
inception of Quest University Canada. Following that district action, Dr.
David Strangway, our founder, hosted an International Consultation of
Academic and Business Leaders to lend expertise to the conversations about
the university. As a highlight of that conference, Chief Gibby Jacob arranged
a Blessing of the Land Ceremony for our campus locale.
Quest University Canada Convocation, August 29, 2015
Dr. Peter Englert, New President, Quest University Canada
Note: Dr. Englert was sworn in by Chancellor Dan Birch
This reproduction of Dr. Englert’s Inaugural Speech is for print reproduction
Our staff found an ideal, flat-surfaced knoll that provided a magnificent view
of the surrounding property. They erected a canvas pavilion over the site to
provide shade for our delegates and invited guests. Two of the Squamish
Nation’s Elders—Chief Alanna Andrew and her sister, Marjorie Natrall—
officiated the ceremony. Facing the gathering of participants, the elders
lifted their eyes and arms heavenward and blessed our lands, future facilities,
and campus populace. They concluded with a prayer for the safety of all
animals that would be displaced by our campus construction and included an
earnest plea for the well-being of the smallest and most vulnerable creatures.
Their entire delivery was so full of heartfelt feeling that when the sisters
lowered their arms, the entire audience remained silent, marveling at the
simple majesty and dignity of this compelling blessing.
And so, Squamish Nation Council Member, Skwetsi7meltxw Joshua Joseph,
please know that today—thirteen years later— Quest fondly remembers that
historic occasion and looks forward to future interactions with the Squamish
Nation.
I also wish to recognize the genius of those who contributed to what has
become Quest University Canada. After twelve years of retirement from his
position as President of University of British Columbia, the accomplished
Dr. David Strangway realized his long-held dream of starting a private, notfor-profit university with the assistance of Peter Ufford and Blake Bromley,
his business and financial advisors. The District of Squamish, under Mayors
Corinne Lonsdale and Ian Sutherland, supported his efforts. Prior to
becoming our second president, Dr. Thomas Wood came aboard as David
Strangway’s special right hand and took the lead in transforming innovative
curricular ideas into our university reality.
And finally, I applaud the creative and dedicated efforts of Dr. David
Helfand, our outgoing president, for having so significantly grown the
university. His graduation of our inaugural class in 2011 was a most important
milestone, especially since the high levels of achievement attained by those
graduates enabled Quest to join the ranks of the world’s leading liberal arts
colleges.
That result, of course, stems from the knowledge and dedicated enthusiasm
of our faculty members, and I thank each of them for situating this
university’s academic programs on a growth trajectory and then ratcheting up
expectations once students attain them. In other words, new students, the
parabola of your Quest University learning curve will always challenge you,
while at the same time enabling you to grasp academic enlightenment
through discussions with your tutors. All incoming students will benefit from
this learning experience, becoming key members of a community that
embraces students as individuals and valued contributors to Quest’s scholarly
endeavors.
Our way of learning represents the most advanced liberal arts concepts and
principles, and it is graduates of schools like Quest who are most welcomed
by leading innovative industries. The late Steve Jobs even noted the value of
the liberal arts, saying: “It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not
enough. It is technology married with the liberal arts, married with
humanities, that yields results that make our hearts sing.” Said even more
simply, your Quest education will transform you into a well-versed innovator
of whatever profession you choose to follow. You will make a difference—Per
quaestiones, ad sapientiam, or through questions to wisdom—the unofficial
Latin slogan for Quest University Canada that is synonymous with your
success. Your presence here today signifies your readiness to begin asking
your own important questions. We will welcome them just as we will
welcome your overall contributions to the Quest University Canada Class of
2019.
Ladies, Gentlemen, and Students, my final remarks represent the heart of
what I wish to say. We have special guests in the audience today: Dr. Stewart
Blusson and his lovely wife and soul mate, Marilyn. Through their private
foundation, the Blussons have contributed significantly to Quest University
Canada and are the university’s major benefactors.
They commenced their Quest involvement through a donation from their
private foundation in 2004. A substantial addition followed in 2005, and
their philanthropy continued over the course of time. Their support is
representative of their lives, which have been based on innovation. Dr.
Blusson was born in Vancouver and took his Bachelor of Sciences in Geology
at University of British Columbia in 1960 and his Ph.D. at the University of
California, Berkeley in 1964. He spent seventeen years with the Geological
Survey of Canada before becoming an independent geological consultant.
In 1984, Stu perfected an innovative and revolutionary method of conducting
diamond exploration programs in the Northwest Territories. As a direct
result, he and his business partner discovered what became the famed Ekati
Diamond Mine, which went into production October 14, 1998. In 2004, he
received the coveted Logan Medal from the Geological Association of
Canada for his enlightened exploration programs in the Ekati co-discovery.
Dr. Blusson was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005 for his
co-discovery of Canadian diamonds and generous philanthropy.
Stu’s donations to the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser
University supported traditional and established institutions and programs.
Conversely, his and Marilyn’s support of Quest University Canada enables
hopes and dreams and an educational concept they sincerely liked.
There is something else that I would like to share with you. Today is the 35th
Wedding anniversary of Stu and Marilyn. Ladies, gentlemen, and new
students, may I ask you to all stand and join me in extending a warm round of
applause to Stu and Marilyn in congratulations for their 35th wedding
anniversary and to thank them for their generous philanthropic support.
(Audience complied with an enthusiastic and extended round of applause.)
Thank you all very much.