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Interview: A broad perspective
Global Study Magazine interviews Ian Newbould, President of Richmond, The American International University in London
When did you come over to Britain and what made you decide that you wanted to be the President at Richmond the American International University in London?
Let me begin by giving you a brief history of my life. I was born and grew up in Toronto in Canada. I first came to the UK and spent time here when I did my PhD in History at the University of Manchester. My wife and I then went to Holland and spent two years teaching there.
Upon returning to Canada I was working as a History Professor and became involved administratively more and more which lead to becoming a President at Mount Alison University in 1991. This University is on the East Coast in New Brunswick. I was the President there for ten years during which time this small undergraduate liberal Arts college was ranked number one in Canada.
I was looking for a change as ten years is a long time to be a President. I had also been the Chairman of the National Universities of Canada for two years. I took up a President position in North Carolina in the States at Westleyan College. This was a small liberal Arts college with no international aspect when I first got there. I had been there for seven years when I applied for the position at Richmond the American International University. I started and moved to Richmond in July 2008.
My wife and I, we love it! We live on campus and we are constantly catering for students in our house. We feel it is such a privilege to be so close to Richmond students, bringing the culture, language and traditions of over 100 countries. After 18 years of work as a President, the exceptionally international experience in Richmond is both challenging and extremely rewarding.
I understand that you have also been President at Universities in Canada and US. What are some of the notable differences in the education systems?
What makes the American and Canadian universities different from many others is their broader and more flexible approach towards higher education. I am referring to the so called Liberal Arts system, where students are given the opportunity to explore different subjects at the same time, which makes them more flexible and successful once graduating.
This being said, Richmond is quite unique in having managed to combine the innovativeness of the Liberal Arts education with the invaluable experience of London and Europe.
Is there a competitive advantage to the student if he or she chooses to study in the UK as opposed to the US or Canada?
While the country one chooses to study in would definitely have a certain reflection on a student's life, what makes someone competitive is a combination of many other things, such as the university environment, the kind of classmates one will meet up with there, the challenges coming from both the classroom and the outside culture and life.
What is also important is to challenge yourself and try to get out of your comfort zone, such as studying abroad. Thus whether you study in US, Canada or the UK, going to a different country for a semester or for a full degree, broadens you as an individual. Your horizons and understanding of other cultures and people develops. For example, imagine the tremendous amount a student from Iran could learn only talking to his classmate from Chile.
In order to pursue a successful career or to just get a job, do you think that having a degree from a good (i.e. ranked) University is the key?
Not necessarily; being successful in life depends on the individual and to a great extent on the genetic make up of that person. Employers are looking for the same thing – they are looking for bright, inquisitive people with a broad perspective. This is more important than even what subject they studied. Yet, while one cannot alter their inherited skills and talents, a Liberal Arts university, with an accent on cultural diversity can help to expand one's understandings and perceptions. This will make them far more competitive in their future career.
Most Universities strive to have a diverse student body. Do you agree this is important? How does your current university differ from the one in Canada and the US? Do you find one country ahead of the others in promoting student diversity? What are you doing to promote diversity at your current University?
As already mentioned above, one of the things that make Richmond unique is its diversity. While In North Carolina diversity meant black or white, in Richmond it means a rainbow of colours, i.e. nationality, culture, language, attitudes, traditions. And this is extremely important for shaping a young generation that would fit into the globalized reality of today and tomorrow, where the communications, business and relations between people has went beyond national and cultural constrains.
"Unity in diversity" is the motto behind Richmond University. In other words, the University is in a constant search for more and more places to explore and see students from.
Is there diversity amongst staff and academics at your University as well? How does it differ from your experience in the US and Canada?
Richmond staff and faculty are just as diverse as the student body. It is a phenomenon that has developed throughout the years and has made the University an exceptional academic and professional environment. One reason behind this has been both London, as a crossroad of culture and education which brings together experts from all around the world. Another reason is the fact that it is a private university which allows more recruitment flexibility than state-owned institutions.
Have you seen a drastic increase of student applications from any particular country in the last five years and what's the reason behind? Is the country increase the same in the US and Canada from your experience?
It normally follows the same pattern throughout the world, which is influenced by countries economic conditions, closeness to world educational centres, personal interests and many other factors which would be hard to summarise under national constrains.
Is the current economic crisis affecting your Universities and what are the long term prospects?
The economic crisis is affecting universities just like any other business and financial, national and private institution. The overall result of this undesirable situation is students with lower capacity to pay the tuition fees, especially when the crisis has hit the loan sector as well.
Do you have a vision of how a University should look over the next ten years?
Universities always undergo change, for instance we have seen Universities becoming very high tech, offering e-learning programs etc. For some of us this is future of higher education. However, no matter how technologically advanced education becomes, one thing will never change- the craving of young people to come together in a University environment to discover other people, ideas and cultures. This is a very natural desire, thus it is very likely that campus life will still be preferred to online degrees. But, in order to reflect the technological and ideological shifts of today, the classroom should bring a more global outlook to every future course of study. This is the approach that Richmond University currently follows.
How do you see yourself making an impact on higher education in the UK?
I don't know if I can make a change. But a university like Richmond, with its unique for the UK approach to higher education, is definitely leaving a trace in British higher education. Referring to the words of our Chair Sir John Ashworth, formerly at London School of Economics, the broad based model should be copied in UK. In other words, it would be good if the higher education in this country moves toward the broader liberal Arts models that are followed in the States.