Interview with Dr. Neil Fassina, AU's President Designate on News Talk 770 - Calgary by athabascau

Fassina talked about the opportunities awaiting him starting on October 11th , as AU’s eighth president — “an incredible opportunity to be able to join a strong team with unbelievable opportunities in front of them and, frankly, unstoppable passion,” he said.

He also addressed the unique and common challenges for any individual walking into a post-secondary institutional presidency, such as understanding the organizational nuances and “the different voices of Athabasca University … how they all interrelate and … to start looking to create that opportunity.”

Part of that unique opportunity, Fassina remarked, also includes creating a sense community and communication, “across such a geographically diverse area, utilizing as many tools as we have available to us – whether that may be face-to-face or digitally enhanced.”

Said Fassina: “I think what places Athabasca in a very unique position, and sort of poises them to lead that edge within that digital learning environment, is that they’ve been in that online and distance learning space for such a long time — that a lot of those conversations that some of the later entrants into the market would be having, are conversations that have already occurred at Athabasca.

“And so it’s a university that understands some of the stepping stones that need to be taken to be into that digital space, understand where the technologies and the pedagogies interact, in order to create the strongest learning environment for a digital learner.”

From there, adds Fassina, the AU student can apply what he or she is learning into their local communities, to ultimately affect positive change there — “whether it be urban, rural, remote, and regardless of where that community may be.”