The President’s Dialogue Series is an initiative started by KPU President, Dr. Alan Davis. This ongoing series welcomes speakers to KPU who are leaders in the private and public sectors, both locally and globally.
Visiting speakers exemplify a commitment to the values of KPU and help bring about the following key elements of KPU’s polytechnic vision:
- Inspiring educators
- All learners engaging in campus and community life
- Open and creative learning environments
- Relevant scholarship and research
- Authentic external and internal relationships
Events are free and open to the public.
Upcoming Events
Postsecondary Education in a Dynamic Socio-Economic Environment
with Dr. Gervan Fearon, President, George Brown University:
Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Time: 9:00am – 11:00am (Gathering and refreshments at 9:00am; event begins at 9:30am)
Location: KPU Surrey Campus, Cedar Building, Executive Boardroom (G2110)
The post secondary education sector is constantly subject to socio-economic trends shaping our societal institutions. Over the past 60 years, demographic, economic and technological changes have shaped the role, programming and nature of colleges and universities across Canada.
Our institutions have evolved and managed through a period marked by COVID-19 and is coping through international student policy changes established by IRCC. However, the emerging changes in demographics, economics and technology on the horizon will require a re-examination of the very role and responsibilities of colleges and universities within Canadian society as well as to how institutions response to new realities of polarization and artificial intelligence. The corresponding social-economic changes demand dictates an affirmation of the role and importance of colleges and universities as opposed to actions in retreat.
The identification of the trends affecting our existing situation and creating a momentum towards the future is imperative. Without an analysis of these forces, colleges and universities evolve on a trajectory towards a future state that may deviate from both the needs and demands of society. Such a deviation not only threatens the relevance of colleges and universities, but it also challenges the underlying social contract and financial sustainability at its core.
The presentation and dialogue on” post secondary education in a dynamic socio-economic environment” is an invitation to both explore and to shape the future of our colleges and universities.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Gervan Fearon is the President of George Brown College and the former President of both Brock University and Brandon University. One of Dr. Fearon’s primary goals is to advance the transformative opportunities that education provides for individuals and communities. Prior to his leadership roles in academia, Dr. Fearon worked in government at the Treasury Board, Ontario Ministry of Finance, and the Economic and Policy Branch, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and in the finance industry at Chase Econometrics, a Division of Chase Manhattan Bank.
Dr. Fearon serves on several boards including Ingenium – the consortium overseeing three of Canada’s museums, Colleges Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and Ingenium. He also co-founded the Canada Caribbean Institute with Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor, The University of the West Indies, and previously served as president of the board of directors for Tropicana Community Services Organization.
Amongst Dr. Fearon’s many accolades are his appointment to the Order of Ontario in 2023, the 2024 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals, The Michaëlle Jean Foundation Influencer Award and The City of Toronto’s Bob Marley Day Humanitarian Award, just to name a few. Dr. Fearon holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Western University and received his Master’s and Bachelor of Science degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of Guelph. He holds a Chartered Professional Accountant designation (CPA, CGA) and an Institute of Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D).
Where Do We Go from Here?
with Alan Mandell, Professor Emeritus, SUNY Empire State University:
Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Time: 1:00pm – 2:30pm (Gathering and refreshments at 1:00pm; event begins at 1:30pm)
Location: KPU Surrey Campus, Arbutus Building, Room 1740
The university today faces two interconnected crises. First, many of the academic alternatives that (with enthusiasm and hope) grew out of the critique of the university 50 years ago have either disappeared or have been thinned out to mirror the institutions they were created to replace. Second, the university is facing significant questions regarding its legitimacy, its public support, and its vulnerability to the political-economic-social realities of the present. Given this complex and often deeply divisive context, we can ask: Are there ways to critically examine both crises and, in doing so, imagine possible courses of action that can mitigate the confusion, despair, and cynicism that is so pervasive today? Where do we go from here?
Speaker Bio
Alan Mandell is SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and Emeritus Professor at SUNY Empire State University. Over more than four decades, he served as administrator, mentor in the social sciences and director of the university’s Mentoring Institute. Mandell co-edits (with Nan Travers, Ruud Duvekot, and Susan Forseille) a journal on prior learning assessment, PLA InsideOut. He has authored and co-authored books and essays and led workshops/trainings on mentoring, adult education, experiential learning, and contemporary issues in higher education with colleagues Shantih Clemans, Xenia Coulter, Lee Herman, Katherine Jelly, and Elana Michelson, among others. Recognition of his work includes the Eugene Sullivan Award for Leadership given by the Adult Higher Education Alliance (2009), the SUNY Chancellor’s award for Excellence in Teaching (2001) and for Professional Services (1991), the Empire State University Foundation Award in Mentoring (2000), and the Susan Turben Chair in Adult Learning and Mentoring (2008-2009). In 2023, Alan Mandell received the Morris Keeton Award by the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL).