Knowledge Matters

Knowledge Matters, written in honour of eminent Canadian educator Bernard J. Shapiro, explores the state and prospects of higher education in Canada and beyond. The contributors, a group of distinguished thinkers who participated in a colloquium in honour of Bernard J. Shapiro upon his retirement from the principalship of McGill University, draw from their vast experience and accomplishments in the worlds of scholarship, university administration, and the public and private sectors to demonstrate that knowledge matters. The contributors offer a variety of cautionary notes, neither despairing nor sanguine, about the future of higher education. Janice Gross Stein and Chaviva M. Hosek call upon universities and academics to contribute to policy development in a world that needs their expertise. Arnold Naimark and William Pulleybank favour collaborative relationships between universities and other institutional partners, while Bruce Trigger warns against the forces of utilitarianism and technological determinism. Claude Corbo explores competing intellectual traditions in Quebec higher education and Jean-Michel LaCroix traces the complex cultural and regional dynamics that shape university life in France. Peter McNally reviews the historical role of McGill University and several of its leaders on the Canadian educational landscape, while Hanna Gray identifies qualities characteristic of successful university presidents. Paul Axelrod describes the educational and career pathways of one of Canada's most accomplished educators, Bernard J. Shapiro, principal of McGill University from 1994 to 2001. A restaurateur, psychologist, dean of education, and deputy minister in the Ontario government, Shapiro's vocational choices were eclectic and always challenging. He was fascinated by the way people attain knowledge and worked to enable them to do so more successfully both within and outside educational institutions. He has left an indelible mark on Canadian educational life; this volume is a tribute to the respect he elicited among his colleagues and peers. Contributors include Paul Axelrod, Claude Corbo (Universite du Quebec), Hanna Gray (University of Chicago), Chaviva M. Hosek (Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), Jean-Michel LaCroix (Academie d'Aix-Marseille), Peter McNally (McGill University), Arnold Naimark (University of Manitoba), William Pulleybank (IBM), Janice Gross Stein (University of Toronto), and Bruce Trigger (McGill University).