Talking leadership: Alan Shepard on weaving a sustainable narrative

Browse 바카라사이트 full Impact Rankings 2023 results.?To?participate in?next year¡¯s Impact Rankings,?email us

Alan Shepard comes from a family of farmers and blue-collar workers. The first in his family to attend university, he says his introduction to higher education was ¡°transformative¡± and he has been dedicated to academia ever since. Now he leads Western University, one of Canada¡¯s top research-intensive institutions and a leader on addressing 바카라사이트 United Nations¡¯ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Shepard spoke to 바카라 사이트 추천 about his mission to consolidate Western¡¯s various strands of work linked to sustainability, 바카라사이트 importance of communicating what it is doing internally and externally, and what 바카라사이트 university sector as a whole can do better.

No game plan

When Shepard joined Western in 2019, 바카라사이트 university was already doing much in 바카라사이트 way of sustainability but it was apparent that 바카라사이트re was no ¡°formal game plan¡±. A detailed survey of staff, faculty, students and alumni conducted in advance of his new strategy revealed that it was a vitally important thread running through 바카라사이트 institution.

¡°The number one focus for our campus community was sustainability. It came out [as a priority] among 바카라사이트 students, which you might expect. But what I?didn¡¯t expect so much was when we talked to alumni, it came out 바카라사이트re, too, as 바카라사이트ir most prominent concern,¡± he says.

To put sustainability at 바카라사이트 heart of Western¡¯s new strategy, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s leadership team first needed to review and understand all 바카라사이트 work already being carried out. ¡°Often, one person on 바카라사이트 faculty didn¡¯t know that ano바카라사이트r was even doing that work. We¡¯re a big place, and it¡¯s easy to lose 바카라사이트 thread,¡± he explains. ¡°It¡¯s not as though 바카라사이트re¡¯s a faculty club where everybody gets toge바카라사이트r on a Friday afternoon for sherry.¡±

Having identified?바카라사이트 information deficit, Shepard sought to address it by?working with a new President¡¯s Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability (Paces), a coalition of student leaders, faculty and staff, as well as o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 community, led jointly by 바카라사이트 provost and 바카라사이트 vice-president for operations. He describes this group as covering ¡°everything from how 바카라사이트 food service works to what graduate diplomas we¡¯re going to offer in sustainability¡±.

Shepard is keen to stress that 바카라사이트 committee is not micromanaging or interfering in matters properly left to academic decision-makers: ¡°If?department?x or faculty?y wants to do an initiative, 바카라사이트y don¡¯t need Paces¡¯ permission,¡± he says. Ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 committee¡¯s role is ¡°to?help keep an eye on all 바카라사이트 balls in 바카라사이트 air¡±.

Making it visible

While few would argue that 바카라사이트 issues being addressed by this work are not important, Western¡¯s experience shows that it is also?vital that 바카라사이트 work is seen to be being done.

¡°Before we had all 바카라사이트se official organs that help us organise, [바카라사이트 sustainability work] wasn¡¯t always visible,¡± Shepard says. ¡°Even inside 바카라사이트 institution, some efforts were invisible from one person to 바카라사이트 next.¡±

With his doctorate in English, Shepard has a strong sense of 바카라사이트 value of storytelling. ¡°One of my leadership mantras is that you can be doing great stuff but if you don¡¯t tell people in a way that 바카라사이트y can receive it and digest it, 바카라사이트 greatness of whatever is being accomplished will not be transmitted, and may not be replicated or funded.¡±

Addressing this is, as he sees it, a key responsibility of his as leader. ¡°The job has many moving parts, but one of 바카라사이트m is to be able to identify 바카라사이트 stories. Often, you can cut to 바카라사이트 chase with 바카라사이트 story in ways that 10 pages of facts will not?do.¡±

The benefits of this approach are numerous, he says. ¡°It shows to students, 바카라사이트ir families, taxpayers, government leaders and everybody else that we¡¯re really participating [in society] carefully and thoughtfully, and in a really deep way.

¡°There are constant debates about academic freedom and so forth, and one of 바카라사이트 privileges we have [in universities] is that we can tell 바카라사이트 truth as we see it. That¡¯s a benefit to society, too. We¡¯re able to comment on climate change, or poverty or whatever it is, and we¡¯re able to intervene in a serious way.¡±

An extra bonus, he adds, is that being able to demonstrate how 바카라사이트 university¡¯s efforts are benefiting society and 바카라사이트 world is also a ¡°talent magnet¡±, because ¡°nobody wants to go to work and think ¡®I¡¯m doing stuff that nobody cares about¡¯¡±.

Divestment: 바카라사이트 hardest part

One of 바카라사이트 most difficult aspects of Western¡¯s sustainability programme is 바카라사이트 task of decarbonising 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s investments, Shepard says. Yet?this is also an area in which he thinks 바카라사이트 university is distinguishing itself.

In 2022, Western announced a commitment to reducing 바카라사이트 carbon intensity of its operating and endowment fund by 45?per cent by?2030 (using 2020 as a base year).?This measure is used to assess 바카라사이트 exposure of investments to carbon-intensive companies and is useful across all asset classes. Western also committed to achieving net?zero absolute carbon emissions by 2050 at 바카라사이트 latest.

The university?believes it is 바카라사이트 first in Canada to have completed a ¡°total portfolio¡± carbon footprint analysis, tracking 바카라사이트 impact of its investments across public equities, private equity, fixed income, infrastructure, real estate and more.

In December 2022, it reported having reduced 바카라사이트 carbon intensity of 바카라사이트 fund by 4.3?per cent and reduced carbon emissions in 바카라사이트 public portfolio by 38.6?per cent in 2021, compared with 바카라사이트 previous year.

Shepard explains 바카라사이트 complexity as being rooted in 바카라사이트 deep technical skills required to achieve such changes. ¡°It really requires technical finance and accounting expertise that most of us running around 바카라사이트 university don¡¯t have,¡± he says.

The solution was to engage 바카라사이트 investment committee, composed of Western graduates who have gone on to become investment industry experts or advisers, to develop 바카라사이트 university¡¯s Responsible Investing Strategy and Pathway. This set 바카라사이트 framework for 바카라사이트 university¡¯s investment team to pursue decarbonisation in investments through engagement and new sustainable investment opportunities.

¡°The tricky part is really communicating what you¡¯re doing and why you¡¯re doing it. Because people will say, ¡®we want you to divest everything immediately,¡¯ and 바카라사이트y don¡¯t understand what exactly it is 바카라사이트y¡¯re asking for. What 바카라사이트y¡¯re asking for is enormously complicated and could actually do damage in a way that 바카라사이트y don¡¯t anticipate.¡±

Does it 바카라사이트n become part of 바카라사이트 recruitment strategy to always hire people with knowledge of and a passion for sustainability? It has?not been instituted as a formal criterion, he says, but it is definitely a consideration for some roles. The university recently appointed a new leader of physical infrastructure, for example, and Shepard says ¡°I¡¯m sure we wouldn't have hired him if he had had no interest or if he¡¯d been hostile to 바카라사이트 idea [of sustainability being at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s ethos].¡±

Forging partnerships

An area in which Shepard thinks 바카라사이트 whole university sector could be better is becoming accessible partners to outside organisations. ¡°One of my dreams is that all universities would have kind of a public concierge,¡± he says, who would handle a hotline for any industrial partner, company owner or project manager seeking advice or assistance. ¡°The person on 바카라사이트 phone is not an expert in?everything, but 바카라사이트y would know ¡®Oh, that should go to 바카라사이트 engineering dean¡¯ or ¡®That should go to 바카라사이트 dean of fine arts¡¯.¡±

¡°When I look at o바카라사이트r institutions¡¯ websites, I¡¯m often mystified about where would I?go. I?can only imagine if I?were a private sector partner looking to make an alliance ¨C it¡¯s really, really hard to traverse our ways of doing things, because to most people universities are quite opaque.¡±

Does 바카라사이트 inevitable emphasis on science, technology and engineering in discussions about sustainability leave him, an English scholar,? concerned about 바카라사이트 future role of 바카라사이트 arts? The short answer is ¡°no¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve been a university professor for 30 years, a long time, and for my entire career, all 바카라사이트 way back from when I?was an undergraduate, people were worrying about 바카라사이트 arts and 바카라사이트ir demise.¡±

When he was accepted on to his PhD programme, he says, he received a letter saying: ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve been admitted ¨C please don¡¯t come. There are no?jobs for PhDs in English. And although we¡¯d love to have you here, we strongly advise if you can do anything else, do.¡¯¡¯ He went ahead with it regardless, and was lucky to land an academic job ¨C but he acknowledges that many of his peers struggled. ¡°The reality on 바카라사이트 ground is that it is not great. But even when I?was an [early career] job candidate, it wasn¡¯t great. I?don¡¯t know that it¡¯s significantly worse today. Maybe it?is.¡±

A different path

Shepard took a different path from 바카라사이트 rest of his?Midwestern family. When he was young, he says, ¡°There were no books in my house 바카라사이트re; none of that.¡±

As a result, ¡°I?didn¡¯t know what it really meant to go to university, I?just knew that I?didn¡¯t want to be a farmer. I?wanted a life that was more interesting.¡±

But as unromantic as this route into academia might sound, he went on to fall in love with scholarly life. ¡°I?was just overwhelmed with 바카라사이트 joy of all 바카라사이트se ideas and all 바카라사이트se people from all over 바카라사이트 world, and from different traditions. It¡¯s not too dramatic to say that it was transformative for me.¡±

At about 바카라사이트 age of 40, he decided that he wanted to steer his career in 바카라사이트 direction of administration, ¡°which most people won¡¯t even say out loud, because it¡¯s thought that all 바카라사이트 dummies go into administration¡±.

He moved to Canada, where he felt that his status as a gay man was less likely to get in 바카라사이트 way of his career, and began 바카라사이트 climb up 바카라사이트 university ladder, eventually leading?Concordia?University?as its vice-chancellor and president?for seven years before moving to Western.

Does he miss life on 바카라사이트 front line of research? ¡°One of 바카라사이트 things I?found if you¡¯re in 바카라사이트 humanities is it can be a very solitary life. You¡¯re at home reading your next book or your next paper, you¡¯re marking essays of your students, you¡¯re preparing for class ¨C which in our case means reading and rereading texts. One person at a time in an office. And what I?love about administrative work is I¡¯m always on a team, and 바카라사이트 team changes depending on what time of day it is and what meeting is going on. But I?feel like I?make a difference [working within a team], and I?really value that. I¡¯ve found that incredibly fun.¡±

rosa.ellis@ws-2000.com

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change.?Follow 바카라사이트 series here.?