When Bob Skene walked into the president’s office one year ago in April, he inked the whiteboard with a long list of Royal Roads University stakeholders. In meeting after meeting over the months, he made — or mended — relationships with 25 groups in all.

Judy and Bob Skene at Bob's appreciation lunch March 30.

While the university has always enjoyed a strong relationship with learners and alumni, there was a sense that Royal Roads was adrift as an institution following former president Rick Skinner’s return to the U.S. Already chancellor, board of governor’s chair and three times retired, Skene stepped into the breach as acting president, unprecedented at any Canadian university. The non-academic took ivory-tower doubters to task, and galvanized RRU into action.

“It was apparent a year ago that relationships with stakeholders were not as strong as we wished them to be. It was clear Royal Roads had moved off-centre with respect to its roots,” Skene says. “That led to the decision to go back and re-examine our mandate and terms of reference. We wanted to bring back the reason for being — an applied university with applied research, concentrating on the domestic Canadian market.”

A year later with the entire whiteboard checked off, Skene remains board chair and chancellor (both volunteer positions, as was acting president), but has handed the reigns to incoming president Allan Cahoon, who assumed office April 2. Skene led the search for the new president, saying Cahoon is a strong administrator, academic and leader who will take RRU to the next level.

“I will miss the people but I might not miss the position. I came out of retirement for this,” Skene says, laughing. “I’ll miss the excitement of the university, but I certainly don’t plan to leave completely.”

Dan Tulip, vice-president finance and chief financial officer, said external concerns about university leadership were short-lived once Skene became acting president. Tulip said Skene earned the confidence in RRU’s vision and direction of key stakeholders at the RRU Foundation, and provincial and federal governments.

“Simply put, Bob took in the situation and reset the university’s direction quickly and decisively, but with good input from key players,” Tulip said. “He was able to quickly assimilate input from complex issues and was decisive in decision making. He has great interpersonal skills to build and maintain relationships.”

Under Skene’s watch, the university developed the cornerstone four-year strategic plan, which spurred further three-year operational and academic plans. The university broadened its marketing attention in Canada and focused its international scope to China. Labour agreements smoothed relationships between the executive, staff and faculty.

Skene is reluctant to take credit, but again under his watch the university charted unheralded levels of recognition from the greater community. Celebrated wildlife artist Robert Bateman partnered with RRU to house his life’s work in the upcoming Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre. Groundwork was laid for RRU’s Todd Thomas Institute for Values-Based Leadership and the Eric Douglass Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Moreover, under Skene the university developed renewed working relationships with the Department of National Defence and the provincial government, both fundamental partners for upgrading and adding campus infrastructure. RRU has an agreement-in-principle with the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education for a new academic building, and good progress on a public-private-partnership to build an accommodation and conference centre. The RRU Foundation is about to launch a major capital campaign to support these initiatives, and to support preserving RRU’s heritage buildings.

“This year resulted in a major coming together of all university components, as evidenced by the strategic plan and operation plan, but most importantly the professionalism, commitment and unification of staff and faculty,” Skene says.

“We have proved to the community, to the government and to other stakeholders that Royal Roads is here to stay. We have learning, teaching and applied research that is the best in the world, and can only get better. There is no reason we can’t move forward in a positive way.”

RRU Aboriginal Relations Coordinator and First Nations elder Greg Sam blesses Bob's gift kayak for safe journeys.

Skene cites a move to re-establish relationships with local First Nations, through the hiring of Greg Sam as the university’s Aboriginal Relations Coordinator, as a major achievement of his tenure (Read more about Greg). Skene also built stronger links with Royal Roads Military College graduates, understanding that the university’s future success is bound with its military history.

“From my perspective, grads of the Royal Roads Military Academy and the Naval Academy are equal to graduates of Royal Roads University,” Skene said. “Together, all the grads should be considered alumni. We want the broader community to recognize this as well.”

Stepping into the role of president was an “obvious choice,” Skene says, as no one in senior management was free to do the job. He became the only university president in Canada without a PhD, a credibility risk Skene was willing to take. “There was a lot of scepticism initially because of the lack of academic qualifications,” he said. “Somehow I overcame that.”
Indeed, Don Avison, president of the University Presidents' Council of British Columbia, recognized there were murmurs of discontent when Skene became acting president. But as RRU ushered in new planning and focus, doubts were fast set aside.

“Bob truly did an extraordinary job,” Avison said at Skene’s farewell lunch March 30 on the Quarterdeck. “I watched five university presidents support and admire Bob. He did a remarkable job to advance the interests of universities in British Columbia. Respect went up dramatically seeing his performance for the past year.”

Deborah Hull, director of the Ministry of Advanced Education’s universities and institutes branch, praised Royal Roads for finding a clear strategic path, thanks in a large part to Skene’s guidance.

“His commitment to learners is integral to their success, as was his strong leadership during this time of challenge and change,” Hull said. “To meet strategic and operational objectives, and to complete a strategic plan for 2010, is a big accomplishment.”

Faculty association representatives Paz Buttedahl, Rick Kool and Nancy Greer (not shown) announced a professional development fund in Bob Skene's name.

At the lunch, the faculty association, represented by professors Paz Buttedahl, Rick Kool and Nancy Greer, announced the Bob Skene Innovation in Teaching Fund, a fund designed to support professional growth for university faculty members. The faculty association’s $20,000 contribution to the fund will be matched by the RRU Foundation.

“In my 40 years as an academic I have never found a leader with more intelligence and integrity. He never abused his power and he always asked if he didn’t know something,” Buttedahl said. “Bob demonstrated leadership when leadership was called for.”

Dave Rutherford, manager of grounds and gardens and the staff representative on the RRU board of governors, thanked Judy Skene for loaning her husband for a year, and thanked Skene for steering the institution away from uncertainty.

“Bob has made the hard decisions to save the university, and to take it where it is today,” Rutherford said. “Thanks for not being an acting president, but for being a real president.”

Read incoming president Dr. Allan Cahoon's thoughts on Royal Roads, and the story about his appointment from the Times Colonist newspaper which was carried in the previous edition of InRoads.