Civitas Award winner pleased by unexpected benefits of Lakehead University

(June 7, 2011 - Orillia, ON) At Lakehead University's Orillia convocation ceremony this Saturday, Anderson Charters will receive Lakehead University's Civitas Award. This award is given annually to a community member residing in Simcoe County who has made a significant contribution to the community and to Lakehead University. This year, the award recognizes Charters' outstanding leadership in the establishment of the Orillia campus.

He is often referred to as the driving force behind the establishment of Lakehead University in Orillia, but Charters is quick to point out that it was a group of individuals who were responsible for the successful project. I spoke to Anderson recently about his experience and here are some highlights from that conversation.

How did your idea for a university in Orillia originate?

It was one of those "by chance" circumstances really - there was a bit of serendipity connected to the original idea. About 10 years ago, I had a chance encounter in Waterloo with an old friend from Montreal, Terry Copp, who was a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. He told me about the successful new satellite campus in Brantford and mentioned that Laurier might be interested in a second community location for another campus. He wondered about Barrie. I said, "How about Orillia?"

What about the role of the "infamous" poker group that is often mentioned in connection with a university in Orillia?

A few months after my meeting at Laurier, I brought up the idea of a satellite university campus in Orillia at a regular poker group gathering. I suggested that this was an opportunity in which the community could get involved. That was the start of what became the Orillia University Committee. Poker group members who jumped on board included Don Ross, Will McGarvey, Dennis Smith, and Norm Sinclair. The first three later became members of the Mayor's University Task Force.

How is it that we have Lakehead University in Orillia and not Laurier?

One of the first things our new committee did was to arrange a meeting in Orillia with the (former) president of Laurier, Bob Rosehart, and other senior leaders from the University. With the help of MPP Garfield Dunlop, some provincial government civil servants were also invited, and attended the meeting. Although a good start, the project stalled due to the provincial election in 2003. At the same time, Laurier also placed the project on the back burner.

We persevered and planned a public meeting, which was very well attended. A few city councillors attended, including Tim Lauer, who was really the key person at city council to support the objectives of the Orillia University Committee. He also happened to sit on the Economic Development Committee at the time, and it was his enthusiasm for the project that encouraged (former) mayor of Orillia, Ron Stevens, to establish the Mayor's University Task Force to attract a major Ontario university to Orillia.

In September, 2004, about ten months into the new Liberal government's mandate, Garfield Dunlop set up a meeting with Premier McGuinty's first Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Mary Anne Chambers. She was another key player in the project. She happened to mention that the (former) president of Lakehead University, Fred Gilbert, had recently shared with her the challenges facing Lakehead University and its growth in Northern Ontario. Ron Stevens immediately picked up on this comment and began discussions with Lakehead. Just two years later, Lakehead opened its Orillia campus at Heritage Place in downtown Orillia.

Has Lakehead University and its growth in Orillia met your expectations?

The Orillia campus has entirely met the expectations of any of us who were originally involved. Our long-term vision is to have 6,000 to 7,000 university students enrolled at Lakehead in Orillia. With another 3,000 to 4,000 at Georgian College in Orillia, that would mean 10,000 postsecondary students in our community. Then we would have something very special here. To date, Lakehead has delivered everything that the University leadership promised.

What are you most proud of, as one of the instigators of the Orillia campus?

The thing that gives me the most satisfaction is something that I had not anticipated. We emphasized the economic spinoff from the outset. We understood that in a 21st century knowledge-based economy, you absolutely need postsecondary presence for a community to thrive. What I didn't expect was the benefit to individuals in the community. Lakehead has opened up the possibility of university education for people who otherwise couldn't afford or be able to go to university. That has been very gratifying.

Lakehead Orillia's convocation ceremony takes place at Rotary Place at the West Orillia Sports Complex, University Avenue, at 10 am on Saturday, June 9. The ceremony can be viewed online at 10 am on June 9 at: http://streaming.lakeheadu.ca/convocation/.

- 30 -

By Kathy Hunt, Communications Officer at Lakehead University Orillia: kjhunt3@lakeheadu.ca.