In conversation: Chancellor Arthur Labatt

Q: Mr. Labatt, congratulations on being appointed Western's 19th Chancellor. How do you view the role of Chancellor and what will be your approach to your duties over the next four years?

Arthur Labatt: First of all, let me say it was a great honour when I was asked to be Chancellor. It came right out of the blue and I was extremely honoured. Western is a great institution that has a national and international reputation.
I would see my role as Chancellor as being a bit like a vice-regal position, such as the Lieutenant Governor or Governor General. The Chancellor is the custodian of the values of the university - Truth and Service.

I see it also as an ambassadorial role. I will try to do my best to promote the institution and put it in the very best light and to promote its values to the public and the government. I think it is an important duty of the Chancellor today to make the public aware of the importance of universities, and by extension, the government. Right now health care is on everybody's mind and education is number 2, -- it's far behind health care.

I would also like to get to know the students a little bit. I don't know how to do that exactly yet, but I like young people and I think I get along with them well. I'd like to meet the students and see if there is any way through my experiences in life that I could be of help to them.

There are a lot of ceremonial duties for the Chancellor. I know that Convocation week in the spring is a very busy one and I will certainly be there and also in the fall. I will give as much time as I can to these duties.

Q: Under the UWO Act, the Chancellor sits on the Board of Governors and Senate ex officio. Do you anticipate taking an active role on Western's Board and Senate?

Labatt: When I was asked to be Chancellor, there was mention of the fact that in the early days all of the chancellors of Western came from London. In the case of the last four chancellors, they were from out of town.

It wasn't necessarily expected that I would attend all of the meetings of the Board or Senate, but my own plan is to attend those meetings when I am in Toronto. It is very easy for me to come to London. I would say I would be able to attend 50-75 per cent of the Board meetings. In the case of Senate, I would like to attend one or two meetings to see how it all works.

I do want to take a more active role than what is perhaps expected of an out-of-town chancellor.

Q: What do you personally view as the challenges facing Western and other universities in the next few years?

Labatt: I don't know really what particular challenges Western is facing relative to other universities, but for universities generally I think the importance right now is to have enough stable funding to be able to sustain the quality of teaching and research. It is also important to have enough funding to help students through bursaries and scholarships.

Federal research grant funding in the past few years has been stepped up considerably, but provincial funding has not. The challenge is to be able to maintain the position the university is in right now and be able to hire top-notch faculty and staff and maintain the research efforts.

Q: The task force headed by former Premier Bob Rae is undertaking a review of the post-secondary system in the province. What do you hope the Rae task force recommendations will accomplish?

Labatt: Well first I can say the choice of Bob Rae, who I know, is an excellent one. He is an extremely bright guy who is really plugged into the needs of universities.

What is needed is stable long-term funding and adequate funding for universities. Per capita grants for Ontario universities are about the same now as they were in 1992 and Ontario ranks last in Canada on a per capita grant basis. That is not a good thing.

I don't know exactly how he is going to do it, but I think Bob Rae has to come up with some system so that universities will know exactly what funding they are going to get and that this is long-term for continuity.

Q: You have a distinguished record of philanthropy in supporting Western and King's University College. What are your views on philanthropic support for universities and should alumni be doing more to financially support their alma mater?

Labatt: Western alumni have been very supportive of their university. I feel the last campaign the university had has been very successful and that the alumni have really come through.

United States universities have enormous endowments and there can never be enough. I think it is wonderful what alumni have done at Western and I think they should be congratulated and encouraged to give more and to try to build up an endowment for the university. I don't know that we'll ever get to the U.S. level but that should be a goal.

I believe fundraising has to be an ongoing activity and I like the government initiatives of matching grants. That does encourage people to contribute.

Q: Tuition increases continue to be a big issue for students. Do you think there is any link between tuition levels and accessibility to higher education or should students consider it a long-term investment in their futures?

Labatt: I think everybody who wants to attend university and has the academic credentials to do so should be able to attend. I do believe in a need for availability of bursaries and scholarships. But I don't think it is a bad thing necessarily for students to realize the cost of their education and to come out with some debt.

Fees in the U.S. are enormous compared to Canada and securing some debt in pursuit of a higher education is not a bad thing. Paying tuition makes you aware of some of the costs of your education.

Q: What is your fondest memory of your time as a student at Western?

Labatt: That's a tough one to answer. I went to Western to study business for just one year in 1953. Thinking back, I just remember the camaraderie that I had with very good friends who remain good friends in my life.

I do remember the football team and travelling to games in Montreal and all the other good times associated with that. I remember the serenity of the campus at that time. I don't think there were any residences on campus at that time. It was a very different scene in those days and very picturesque.
I liked to ski and we used to ski down the hills on campus before the buildings there now were built.

Q: You studied at Western, but did not graduate. What's the story behind that?

Labatt: The reason I went to Western for only one year is that I never intended to go to Western.

I have an older brother and sister who are both graduates of Western and I had gone to school in London for most of my grade school and high school. I really had a feeling that I wanted to get out of town to go to university because the Labatt name at that time was pretty well known in London. I never liked the attention it brought, so I thought it would be a good idea to go elsewhere. My family agreed with that decision and supported it.

But my father died when I was in my last year of high school and my brother and sister had left home at that time, so I decided to stay home for one year to be with my mother. I later went on to McGill but didn't get a degree there either. I really didn't apply myself and didn't have a lot of guidance. I just enjoyed myself too much.

I ended up working for Clarkson Gordon and got my CA. I intended to go back to finish off my few courses at McGill, but I never did it, which I regret. Once I got into the business world, I enjoyed it so much that I didn't go back to university.

I considered going into the family brewery business, but that was a huge disappointment to me. I always thought it was a possibility, but after my father died, my Uncle Hugh took over as President of Labatt's and he died within a couple of years. Another uncle took over and he died shortly after. All three died within a short period of time.

My brother advised me that the likelihood of the brewery being sold was very high. He advised me to take another route and he was quite right.

The brewery was sold and it was a grave disappointment to me for a long time, but it was the best thing that could have happened. I found another route and ended up in the financial services business.