Becoming Thompson Rivers University
Note: As TRU marks its 20th anniversary as a full university, Roger Barnsley — a president emeritus, the last president of UCC and the first president of TRU — shares the inside story of how that transformation occurred. This is an abridged version from a longer article.
By Roger Barnsley
In the fall of 1998, I began as president of the University College of the Cariboo (UCC), which had a history and reputation for quality programs and innovation. Since its creation in 1970, Cariboo College had undergone rapid growth in student numbers and programs. Two decades later, it had become University College of the Cariboo.
Shortly after my arrival, I met with the four other presidents of BC’s university colleges and we established the University Colleges of British Columbia consortium with a single goal: to gain independent legislation for B.C.’s five university colleges.
Throughout 1999 and 2000, we pursued distinct university college legislation. But the ministry and the government at the time were clear this was not going happen.
In 2001, Okanagan University College broke ranks and announced they were seeking full university status, catching the other four university colleges by surprise. This had particularly profound consequences for UCC, as a university in Kelowna and not in Kamloops would have severe educational and economic repercussions here. As a result, the UCC board of governors adopted a resolution expressing their intention to become a university.
A campaign is born
That June, a provincial election was held and the new government advised UCC that all decisions were on hold. As 2002 began, I wrote to Kamloops MLAs Claude Richmond and Kevin Krueger, expressing how critical it was that UCC become a university. A few months later, Krueger spoke to the legislature about the need for UCC to gain university status, raising our request to a much higher level of visibility with the province.
That fall, I had a transformative discussion with the late Al McNair — a former communications manager and past-president of the BC Chamber of Commerce. He said when the province was considering converting colleges into university colleges, the City of Prince George instead demanded full university status for the College of New Caledonia (CNC). The community created a successful campaign to lobby for a university and, while the five other colleges became university colleges, CNC became the University of Northern British Columbia.
McNair offered to develop and lead a similar campaign for UCC. He and then-UCC-board vice-chair Todd Stone agreed that a community lobby group would be most effective — the legal entity the Friends of UCC University Society was established.
In early 2003, the society got off the ground, involving several well-known Kamloops residents, some UCC board members and myself. The campaign began in September with an enthusiastic team of volunteers running community and campus events. Mayor Mel Rothenburger, Richmond and Krueger vocally advocated for university status with the provincial government. The society website recorded dramatic daily growth in membership and visits.
Two weeks into the campaign, Stone traced the locations of the society’s web site visitors — more than 80 per cent of the hits were coming from provincial government offices. He predicted our success; I was flabbergasted.
BC Open University has a new home
At the end of October, the campaign ended — a remarkable political success, but deafening silence from the province. A month later, I was in China visiting UCC joint programs. I will never forget the telephone call I received late in evening from Cliff Neufeld, UCC’s vice-president of administration and Neil Russell, the vice-president, academic. The Ministry of Advanced Education had called and said the signs were positive that UCC would receive university status, and they wanted us to take responsibility for the British Columbia Open University (BCOU). Neufeld and Russell recommended agreeing but taking the position that BCOU should move from Burnaby to Kamloops.
The next day, I called Jim Soles, assistant deputy minister of Advanced Education. He said UCC would receive university status and its own legislative act, but until there was a formal government announcement, everything had to be treated with utmost secrecy.
He said the government was impressed by the Friends of UCC University Society’s campaign but more importantly, was enthusiastic about the advantages and opportunities highlighted in the campaign.
On March 19, 2004, then-premier Gordon Campbell and then-education-minister Shirley Bond came to our Kamloops campus and announced UCC would become a university. The government set a date of April 2005 for BC’s newest university to be born, but wanted to announce the name that September. Finding a name seemed simple; how wrong we were.
What’s in a name?
Naming the university rested with the provincial government, but they asked the UCC board of governors to submit options based on community consultation. Ideas such as David Thompson University, Shuswap University and University of Central British Columbia did not resonate with committee members. Cordaval (loosely translated as the heart of the valley) University was floated and, perhaps out of desperation, the committee proposed the name to the board, who were mainly positive. Public response, however, was not.
As the summer ended, I received an informal call from Victoria and was told the minister would like us to consider Two Rivers University. I noted that in Kamloops we have three rivers: the North Thompson, the South Thompson and the Thompson. A few days later, the caller asked what I thought about Thompson Rivers University. I could not consult, as the government wanted to make a surprise announcement, but I felt the name and the acronym TRU would be welcomed.
On September 22, 2004, the premier and the minister of Advanced Education came to Kamloops to announce the name. I was the only one who knew and was sworn to secrecy. However, I had imagined what a great sight it would be if, as the premier announced the name, students wearing TRU emblazoned hoodies entered the room. Josh Keller and I secretly had hoodies made. When Premier Gordon Campbell announced the name, students entered wearing TRU hoodies and passed them out to officials. The sight and the enthusiasm were infectious. What a grand announcement.
Hard work paid off
Finally, March 31, 2005 arrived — the day of ceremonies to mark TRU’s official first day on April 1. The Kamloops campus was decked out in colours and banners. The mood was festive and contagious as everyone celebrated our new university.
Twenty years later, I am still astonished at what was accomplished by the amazing UCC employees. The names of those involved in the outstanding success of creating TRU are too numerous to mention; however, I want everyone to know that their hard work and contribution is known, respected and greatly appreciated.
This was obviously the beginning, not the end, of the TRU story. We should allow ourselves a sense of pride and accomplishment in realizing that together, we have pioneered, developed and refined a model of post-secondary education that creates and fosters accessibility and opportunity for all adult learners. That really is remarkable, isn’t it?