Carleton University president Roseann Runte has overseen the school during an interesting time in its history, a period in which the school has institutionally matured within an increasingly hyper-technological and market-driven society with shifting attitudes.
She was the first female president of Carleton—a tenure lasting nine years of its 75-year history. On March 23, she told the school’s board of governors she’d be resigning effective July 31, pursuing a role as president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation
In her role as president, Runte was tasked with defining the university’s vision and overseeing its running, forging relations with the community, industry and the government, and presiding over major school events. The president’s influence can trickle down to the experience of every student and Carleton community member.
Indeed, it has—for better or for worse.
With Runte at the helm since 2008, Official Carleton—the school you see in perennial university rankings and admissions brochures—has prospered. Its reputation past Bronson Avenue has improved and suffice to say, the degree students earn has too.
This year, Maclean’s ranked Carleton the fifth-best university in Canada in the comprehensive category, which examines the level of research and range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees that schools offer.
In 2016, Carleton ranked fourth. In 2009, the school was seventh. Take what you will from these rankings, but the overall trajectory for Carleton as a respected university appears upwards.
Meanwhile, admission standards at Carleton are perhaps the highest it has ever been. The mean high school average of students admitted to Carleton was 75.8 per cent in 1995 compared to 82.3 per cent in 2011, according to data from the school.
Far into history are the days of William Beckel, who led the school from 1979-89. During his tenure, Carleton was known as “Hog’s Back High” or “Last Chance U.” Beckel kept admission requirements low to the point that secondary students with 60-something averages could enrol.
Runte has pushed for more connections with local Ottawa tech industry and the public sector. Her membership on Invest Ottawa’s board of directors, alongside some of the city’s biggest movers and shakers such as the mayor and Spotify’s CEO, is a testament to Carleton’s increased outreach swagger and desire for the school to produce students better fit for the workforce.
The school has secured more research agreements with the federal government, of which STEM faculties have especially benefitted. More global connections have also been forged.
The campus has grown, filling up land left unused for decades. The Canal Building and Richcraft Hall were constructed, while MacOdrum Library is finally seeing necessary upgrades.
But flipping the coin, students and faculty have criticized Runte for being too inconsiderate of students and faculty concerns and unwilling to take bold stances on controversial issues.
Contract instructors are still paid barely more than a living wage, and significantly less than their counterparts at the University of Ottawa.
Tuition has often risen above the rate of inflation, with Runte voting for it as a member of the school’s Board of Governors (BoG). She was quiet about the muzzling of dissenting voices within the BoG, where students and faculty have all but lost their voice.
To appease school administrators and alumna unwilling to accept Carleton had a “rape culture,” she supported a compromise solution regarding school’s sexual assault policy that wasn’t really a compromise solution. A victim’s concerns are still insufficiently emphasized in the policy, and it ought to be changed in two years to reflect current trends.
Funding for mental health services, of which students must wait two weeks to see a counsellor, also isn’t close to where it should be.
Such criticisms strike at the heart of whether its people feel like welcomed members of the Carleton community, which Runte should’ve paid much more attention to.
But first, presidents must be good managers, able to juggle complex issues and difference in opinion in the face of scrutiny from the government, community, and students and faculty. She represents and works for all of Carleton, even if biased to one side. Her style of leadership exudes a cerebral caution and calmness.
These days, those characteristics are underrated. The next president ought to be like Runte in that way.
– Photo by Trevor Swann
