LONGTIME West Vancouver resident Dan Birch was named chancellor of Quest University in Squamish earlier this month.
"It's not administrative, and so I think that's why my imagination was captured," Birch said, likening his largely ceremonial role to the position of governor general.
Birch, who has lived on Sentinel Hill for more than 30 years, received a unanimous vote from the Quest board of governors.
"When I was initially approached, I was a little hesitant," Birch said.
The opportunity of working with the secular school convinced Birch to come out of semi-retirement. "There are no lectures, there are seminars, and no classroom is built to accommodate more than 20 students," he said.
Birch, who has served as faculty dean at Simon Fraser University and vice-president and provost at UBC, was encouraged by the level of student engagement. Quest students are the most active and engaged in Canada, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement, which reported the Squamish school at the top of every category in their 2011 survey.
Quest does not receive any public funding. "Quest then, does charge much higher fees. It has to, because it doesn't have any government grants," Birch said. "It is building an endowment to provide scholarships for outstanding students."
The school's $100-million campus is largely funded by private donors like founder David Strangway, former president of UBC.
The not-for-profit university has also leased its accommodations to secure funds, according to Birch.
Birch received a bachelor of arts in classical studies and English, as well as a master's degree in history from UBC.
jshepherd@nsnews.com
