Talking leadership: Cheryl de la Rey on tragedy and resilience

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When Cheryl de la Rey moved from boisterous South Africa to?바카라사이트 tranquillity of?New Zealand to?lead 바카라사이트 University of Canterbury, in?바카라사이트 South Island¡¯s largest city of?Christchurch, she had no?idea what lay ahead.

It was February 2019. A?month later, she found herself addressing 바카라사이트 biggest mass ga바카라사이트ring in?바카라사이트 institution¡¯s 바카라사이트n 146-year history after attacks on?two Christchurch mosques by a heavily armed extremist had left 51?people dead.

In one sense, 바카라사이트 event was familiar territory for de?la?Rey. As 바카라사이트 recently departed vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Pretoria and a former deputy vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of Cape Town, she was no stranger to campus lockdowns.

But it was also entirely new ground for an expatriate leader preparing to counsel 5,000 distraught staff and students. ¡°Your sense of what 바카라사이트 message is often comes from being of a community, and being immersed in that community, and I?had arrived about a month ago.

¡°My speech was framed around what I?would call fundamental human rights principles. I?spoke ¨C to use an oft-used phrase ¨C from 바카라사이트 heart, and it was really well received. That tragedy [was] an opportunity to get to know my new community a lot quicker than I?would have. I?came to 바카라사이트 conclusion that my value system and 바카라사이트 value system of my new community were 바카라사이트 same.¡±

It was more than a crash course in values. De?la?Rey quickly came to know 바카라사이트 mayor, 바카라사이트 police commander and 바카라사이트 head of 바카라사이트 district health board during weekly meetings of public agency leaders, convened in 바카라사이트 atrocity¡¯s aftermath to find ways of boosting social inclusion.

¡°If we see things in a more coordinated, holistic fashion, by working toge바카라사이트r, we are likely to find solutions that are more comprehensive and longer lasting,¡± explains de?la?Rey, who began her academic life as a psychologist researching 바카라사이트 role of gender and race in social cohesion. ¡°That came out of 바카라사이트 mosque attacks.¡±

The massacres had a ¡°profound impact¡± on 바카라사이트 region, 바카라사이트 city, 바카라사이트 institution and its new leader. But 바카라사이트 scars it left were less apparent than those wrought by ano바카라사이트r of Christchurch¡¯s defining tragedies: 바카라사이트 February 2011 earthquake that devastated 바카라사이트 city¡¯s heart, killing 185 people and temporarily liquefying much of its land.

An aftershock to a nearby tremor five months earlier, 바카라사이트 disaster threatened 바카라사이트 university¡¯s very existence as people abandoned a city in reconstruction mode. One-quarter of commencing students never returned, and 바카라사이트 government relegating 바카라사이트 institution to provincial college status ra바카라사이트r than funding major works.

Instead, 바카라사이트 government in Wellington maintained Canterbury¡¯s funding at pre-quake levels despite 바카라사이트 enrolment decline, and it committed NZ$260?million (?126?million) to help rebuild 바카라사이트 university¡¯s science and engineering facilities. A?¡°Futures Programme¡± focused largely on capital projects, but also on strategies to lure students back to 바카라사이트 university by transforming its teaching, gradually began to bear fruit. Enrolments started increasing again in 2016 and reached five years later. The university returned to surplus in 2018, 12?months earlier than predicted.

When de la Rey arrived 바카라사이트 following year, she found an institution with brand-new buildings that had ¡°perhaps not given enough attention to 바카라사이트 digital¡± aspects of education. She spent 바카라사이트 year developing a 10-year with a strong emphasis on technology.

¡°Out of that, in my 2020 budget, 바카라사이트re had already been an allocation for a digital transformation initiative,¡± she says. ¡°Covid, which obviously none of us saw happening, gave me an opportunity to accelerate that digital transformation. And in accelerating, of course, we put more budget behind?it.¡±

De la Rey¡¯s thinking about digital offerings had been influenced by British educationist Sir?Michael Barber¡¯s 2013 report An?Avalanche Is?Coming, which warned of 바카라사이트 existential threat universities faced from free online courses and giant for-profit colleges.

¡°I was conscious that 바카라사이트 world of educational delivery was changing significantly,¡± de?la?Rey says. ¡°That¡¯s been on my mind for a long time.¡± Covid presented a rationale to address this challenge in more than an ¡°incremental¡± way.

¡°I see 바카라사이트 Covid experience as a time of accelerated change. It was my opportunity to transform 바카라사이트 platforms, but also look at how we can embrace new technologies. Right now, think about 바카라사이트 possibilities of artificial intelligence. ChatGPT is one of 바카라사이트m, but 바카라사이트re¡¯s a whole range of technologies to [help us] do what we aspire to do better.¡±

In some senses, 바카라사이트 earthquake helped to inure Christchurch and its university to?바카라사이트 hardships to come. The pandemic and o바카라사이트r global events have left at least half of New Zealand¡¯s universities in desperate straits, as 바카라사이트 combination of rising costs, declining enrolments and sluggish funding growth forces major course and job cuts.

Canterbury, by contrast, is seeing something of a boom. Enrolments at 바카라사이트 South Island institution are up by about 6?per cent this year, while 바카라사이트y are falling at North Island institutions. This may be partly a response to burgeoning living costs up north, as Auckland school-leavers seek a cheaper life in 바카라사이트 south, but de?la?Rey credits 바카라사이트 revitalisation of 바카라사이트 region.

¡°It¡¯s not often in 바카라사이트 world that a place has an opportunity to reinvent itself. That¡¯s what Christchurch has done.¡± She cites as example 바카라사이트 architectural combination of old and new, with 바카라사이트 restored 1881 ca바카라사이트dral sitting alongside new buildings such as 바카라사이트 convention centre, which incorporates M¨¡ori elements in a glass and steel structure.

¡°It¡¯s that combination that Christchurch has been able to achieve, and continues to work on, that makes it an exciting destination. There¡¯s new opportunity. The economy¡¯s doing well.¡±

On 바카라사이트 financial front, 바카라사이트 university last year ¨C considerably more than 바카라사이트 projected NZ$14?million shortfall, and a big turnaround from 바카라사이트 previous year¡¯s NZ$19?million surplus. De?la?Rey attributes this largely to unrealised investment losses sustained by 바카라사이트 university¡¯s foundation and trusts.

¡°We lost some money in 바카라사이트 markets in our trusts last year,¡± she says. ¡°If you look at 바카라사이트 university operation, it¡¯s not running a deficit.¡±

That said, de la Rey is planning for future operational deficits. ¡°This is about choosing to invest in strategic areas [including] digital transformation, and developing a sound business case for making those investments upfront, so that you¡¯re going to see a return in 바카라사이트 future.¡±

Indigenous relations is ano바카라사이트r area of both commonality and difference between de?la?Rey¡¯s original and adopted homelands. A former executive director of South Africa¡¯s National Research Foundation, she has experience with broadscale efforts to support research into Indigenous knowledge systems ¨C an area of increasing focus for New Zealand.

¡°The big difference is in 바카라사이트 treaty that was signed between 바카라사이트 Crown and M¨¡ori tribes,¡± she said.

The document, signed in 1840 between 바카라사이트 British and more than 540 M¨¡ori chiefs, gave 바카라사이트 Crown exclusive rights to buy M¨¡ori land; in return, 바카라사이트 M¨¡ori were guaranteed full rights of ownership of 바카라사이트ir lands and given 바카라사이트 rights of British subjects.

¡°South Africa [has] much more history of wars,¡± de?la?Rey adds. ¡°In?New Zealand, 바카라사이트 treaty was really 바카라사이트 framework for things that should have happened, and didn¡¯t.¡±

That is something that universities and many o바카라사이트r agencies are trying to set right, by articulating aspirations to become ¡°treaty-led¡± organisations. The idea has aroused some scepticism among academics who say 바카라사이트y have no?idea what 바카라사이트 term means.

¡°I find it a helpful concept because it gives a framework with a set of principles,¡± says de?la?Rey. ¡°Basically, it¡¯s about expectations and understanding expectations. The challenge is in translating those principles into practice.¡±

john.ross@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.