Scott gets second term at St. Joe's

Basilian lookjs to major projects for next 5 years

By RENATO GANDIA
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

"I'd like to see . . . that there would be a much larger endowment to provide financial support. I'd like to see more important renovations done to the building although we've started doing that. We need more," he told the WCR in a Jan. 20 interview.

"And I like the people to feel a lot of comfort about the place. I like to make sure that the people working here are really enjoying what they're doing."

"I'm very hopeful for the college and tremendously grateful to the board of governors for this further opportunity to serve here."

Scott is the fifth president of St. Joe's and first person to take a second term.

Originally called rector, the title of the head of the college changed twice - principal and then president.

When asked why he took a second term, he said, "The archbishop asked me."

Scott explained there are things a president can do in a second term that can't be done during the first term.

What would contribute significantly to carrying out his duties is knowing "the community a lot better, the college a lot better" and having established a greater set of contacts.

"The board knows you better and the way that an institution builds is through relationships. And relationships take time to cultivate."

That's why he thinks there is a lot of possibilities in his second term. "The first years you start to learn about the job. But now the learning curve is over."

But for him what's most fulfilling is just the fact that he gets in contact with "all kinds of people, all kinds of different religious backgrounds in the university."

He also finds fulfillment in representing the college to the city and across the country.

"It's really a tremendous accomplishment if you're able to do that," said the priest, who was ordained in 1984.

Right after his ordination he came to St. Joe's as chaplain for three years. In 1987 he went to Rome and Jerusalem and took his licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Biblical Institute and a doctorate at the Gregorian University.

He came back to the college in 1992 to teach and in 1998 he became its fifth president.

The college is very much caught up in the unprecedented growth at the University of Alberta. Its enrolment for different courses is up by fifty per cent in the past two years and there is every indication that that growth will continue.

"But there's some limitation upon what the current faculty can do and what space is provided in the building," said the Regina-born priest.

Expansion is needed and the college wants to look at how best to do that.

The central piece of Scott's second term is to "continue in the areas of growth in their work in academics, to continue to nurture, develop and increase the college's profile in the university and throughout the archdiocese."

Scott attributes the college's growth to two things: the Catholic school board is becoming much more specific in its requirements of future teachers and greater interest in religion has followed World Youth Day.

Edmonton Catholic Schools want their present and future teachers to have a good grounding in the Catholic faith. That means if you're studying at the U of A, you should take courses in St. Joe's.

"All across Canada, I see an increase of interest in campus ministry in the past few months since WYD. I see that's going to continue."

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