THUNDER BAY -- Derek Burney says you can take the boy out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the boy.
The former Canadian ambassador to the United States on Thursday returned to his Thunder Bay roots, and officially accepted the chancellorship at Lakehead University.
Though his main role will be conferring degrees at convocation, Burney said the board of governors has a meatier role in mind for Burney, who took over the position from the departed Arthur Mauro.
On top of fundraising efforts through his connections around the world, Burney will play a major part in improving the school’s image throughout Canada and beyond.
“It’s going to be a representational role that I see myself playing in the hopes of bolstering the image and reputation and the attraction of both campuses for students,” Burney said.
Burney certainly brings a wide variety of experience to the job.
A former CEO at Bell Canada International Inc., he served as the ambassador to the United States from 1989 to 1993 and before that was the chief of staff to former prime minister Brian Mulroney, helping to prepare G-7 summits on three separate occasions.
He’s a member of the Order of Canada and is a longtime supporter of Confederation College, home to Derek Burney Drive.
Education is the most important thing in life, the 73-year-old said, explaining why he took on the position.
“When I look at the challenges that Canada faces going forward as a country, if we maintain a good standard of education, then we open avenues for children and our grandchildren, in my case,” said Burney, a father of four, whose wife Joan attended the university in the 1950s, before it got its official charter.
“Where else in the world do you think a kid growing up in Fort William could become ambassador to the United States?”
The appointment was a closely guarded secret, Lakehead University president Brian Stevenson said after the announcement was made official at the school’s regal-looking senate chambers.
Stevenson said replacing Mauro was a tough act to follow, having redefined the position, transferring it from a largely ceremonial one to an active with plenty of involvement.
The school’s board of governors was looking to continue that trend, and Stevenson said Burney was an ideal fit, especially with the direction of LU’s strategic plan.
“First and foremost we’re doing a very strong international strategy. (He can) help us connect with government, because we’re trying to get a number of capital projects and others done, and (he can)help us connect with the corporate world because we’re going to be doing a major campaign in the near future,” Stevenson said.
“This chancellor brought all these things together.”
Board of governors chairman Cam Clark said any university would be proud to call Burney its chancellor, given the new initiatives the school is about to engage in.
“We have to raise money and a whole host of things where the experience he has, the contacts he has and just the wisdom he brings to the table will be hugely important in moving us forward and driving those initiatives,” Clark said.
