The big question

“Would you like to be our new president?”

It wasn’t the question anyone had expected—least of all the person who asked it.

When UBC Communications Director Julie Ovenell first stood up at the American Marketing Association Higher Ed conference in Chicago last November, she’d intended only to ask University of Cincinnati president Santa Ono to clarify a point made during his inspiring keynote address on "The Digital Presidency: Brand-building in the age of Twitter".

Recalls Julie: “UBC was in the thick of some reputational challenges last fall, so when I introduced myself as being from UBC, he immediately laughed and said, ‘You guys have a lot going on up there at the moment.’

“And since this was a room jam-packed with educational marketers, I realized there was no point in trying to dodge the facts. And because I had been so impressed by his candor and genuine commitment to transparent communications, I just grabbed the opportunity that had presented itself.

“I said, ‘Yes, that’s true, and we’ve got a vacancy you might be interested in. Would you like to be our new president?’ And the room exploded.”

She went on to ask her original question—“which, for the life of me, I now can’t remember”—and then headed home to Vancouver. But two weeks later, she “just about fell out of the chair” when she opened her e-mail to find a personal note from Santa containing a very direct answer to her very direct question. After consulting with senior colleagues, she made sure the search committee was alerted to his interest.

“And then,” she says, “I crossed my fingers.”

It was a happy moment when she got to meet him again this week just before the public announcement of his new role as UBC’s 15th President and Vice-chancellor. He met her outstretched hand with a warm hug, declaring: “This is how it all started!”

“I am very grateful Julie asked that question. I was very content in my role as president of the University of Cincinnati. But her question forced me to think about how special it might be to return to UBC and to Canada. I'm beyond thrilled to have an opportunity to work directly with her.”

For Julie, the whole experience has been an object lesson in the value of something universities teach every day: “Don’t be afraid to ask big questions.”