U of T’s new interim president isn’t a man who likes distinguished labels. Even though Frank Iacobucci was a Supreme Court justice for over a decade, he prefers his name not be prefaced with the customary “Honorable” that is bestowed upon those who have been appointed to the highest court in the land. “I’m really not a title person,” he explains. “It doesn’t reflect my personality.”
Iacobucci’s interim presidency, which became effective September 1st, will last until June 30th of next year, as a special committee of Governing Council searches for a permanent presidential replacement for the outgoing Robert Birgeneau. Birgeneau made the decision to head south of the border to become the new chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley earlier this year. He is still briefing Iacobucci about the issues facing U of T until September 15th.
Iacobucci is no stranger to this institution and his return to U of T is seen by many as a homecoming. He served as a member of the law faculty from 1967 to 1985 and held two vice-presidencies before moving to Canada’s judiciary. Choosing his words carefully on contentious matters, Iacobucci laid out his views on a variety of issues facing the student body in an interview with The Varsity late last week.
Despite being appointed for a short period- his presidency will end early if a new president is selected before June- Iacobucci feels his selection was justified because it saved an existing vice-president from becoming an acting president- and removing someone with a specific portfolio from his or her job. “You don’t want to see the institution lag and not keep its momentum,” he said. “Because of the importance of the issues the university is facing…the existing vice-presidents are absolutely crucial.” When asked if there was any possibility that he may stay on to become the permanent president of U of T, Iacobucci, 67, responded emphatically: “None whatsoever. I retired from the Supreme Court of Canada for reasons of family. This office demands someone to take it on for a period of time and I don’t want to commit to that.”
Iacobucci also noted he would not be undertaking any research during his presidency. Some members of the university community were critical of what they saw as Dr. Birgeneau’s excessive research commitments during his time as president.
Another important facet of Iacobucci’s job this fall will be liaising with former Ontario Premier Bob Rae as he seeks input from the administration as Rae undertakes his review of post secondary education in this province. Iacobucci hopes the review will yield positive ideas on how to improve the post-secondary education system.
“What I really want to see come out of the review is the post-secondary university system in Ontario ranking in the top grouping in the world in terms of public teaching and research. That’s the goal,” he said, noting that government funding is needed to ensure the system’s success.
He also feels that freezing tuition is counterproductive to building a world-class institution. “There are real cost associated with a tuition freeze” he said, after going on record opposing the fee freeze put in place last year by the McGuinty government. While he wouldn’t comment on whether he feels the average Ontario student’s debt load is too high, Iacobucci thinks that tuition costs and financial aid should be examined together. “This institution has made great strides in term of financial aid and we should look at tuition being a range.”
Iacobucci told The Varsity he envisions an aid system based on income where poor students could potentially be paid, rather than pay, to attend university. “I feel very strongly about the progressivity of tuition and financial aid together” he said. He was less forthcoming when asked if the scheme he envisions should be a system of loans or needs based grants, and only responded that it should be “a mix” of options. “We don’t want to leave a debt pressure [on graduates]” he said.
When asked if he thought U of T’s nearly $17,000 annual tuition price tag for law school students was excessive, Iacobucci replied it was necessary to bear in mind the earning potential of graduates when considering tuition for various programs. “I don’t want to see distortive effects on education. We don’t want to see any kind of programs that tell students to go into careers because they are going to be high paying careers. In our pursuit for academic excellence, we mustn’t stop the progress in increasing accessibility.”
On the issue of student representation on U of T’s Governing Council (GC), Iacobucci doesn’t see the current lack of student parity as a problem. “The question is not an issue of getting all up tight about the numbers of representation- there should be effective representation,” he said. “We must ensure that in all matters pertaining to the university, we get the proper perspectives. The numbers of votes is important, but also important is the quality of the arguments made about certain issues.” While Iacobucci conceded he had heard persuasive arguments for lowering student tuition in the past, he doesn’t feel student under-representation on the GC is necessarily responsible for high tuition rates. “Linking tuition to how many student representatives are on governing council- I don’t think that’s [an] issue.”
Iacobucci refused to comment on the proportion student fees should contribute to overall university revenues, noting this is a concern the administration has been dealing with long before his appointment as interim president.
Despite his reluctance to talk numbers about tuition and student representation, there is no doubt Iacobucci is concerned about accessibility. Reflecting on the University’s past, Iacobucci sees the increased diversity on campus as one of the central strengths of U of T.
As for the switch from being one of the most powerful judges in the country to presiding over the nation’s largest educational institution, Iacobucci pauses, and broad smile comes to his face. “Some people would say it’s a step up and a lot of people would say it’s a special step. I’m very proud.”
