Geneviève L. Picard
When Caroline Andrew closes her office door behind her on June 30, she closes the door on a deanship that has had a profound effect on the Faculty of Social Sciences. For those who know Caroline Andrew, it’s no surprise — the dean simply passed on to the institution those values most dear to her, her commitment to community, her concern for humanity and her generosity of intellect.
Andrew believes universities have a duty to build strong communities through education, academics and research, says her colleague Tim Aubry, director of the Centre for Research on Community Services and associate professor in the School of Psychology. As an example, he points to the establishment of interdisciplinary programs in health, gerontology and social service.
In fact, the development of many new programs and research centres are among the achievements of which Caroline Andrew is most proud. However, she is quick to emphasize, in her own modest way, that it is not she who did the work. She concedes quite simply, that in her role as dean, she had “a certain ability to encourage people who have good ideas.”
She is just as happy to have improved the links between the Faculty and the community through an increase in co-operative programs and such programs as public administration and international development.
When asked if she would do anything differently should her deanship start over again today, Caroline Andrew breaks into laughter, “Many things!” Then she begins again, more seriously, “There are many projects I could have done more in depth. But the significance of being dean is that there are so many possibilities, so many spheres of activity . . .
“But if I was to do it over, I would delegate more, and from the very beginning,” she says, emphasizing that the number of people who were quick to respond positively to her requests constitutes one of the best memories of her eight years as dean.
While administrative work took up a great deal of her time, Caroline Andrew’s commitment to the community never faltered during her years as head of the Faculty. It is worth noting that she was one of the driving forces in a project to improve access for women in municipal programs and services at the City of Ottawa.
“My volunteer activity is often based on my research interests, such as municipal policy. Observation and participation is a good way to collect information.”
Carl Nicholson, executive director of the Catholic Immigration Centre of Ottawa, praises Andrew’s guidance and communication skills, as well as her “warm and approachable” personality. Neither did these qualities escape the eye of journalists, who often called on her to comment on political news.
When Andrew arrived here in 1971, she was convinced she would only work at the University of Ottawa until she found a job with the federal government. But she was not to leave the campus so soon. On July 1, Caroline Andrew begins an administrative leave, which will allow her, for one thing, to “clean up” her office. A Herculean task! Afterwards, she will return to research and teaching. “There are very good courses on the volunteer sector in public administration . . .”
In her career as well as in her private life, Caroline Andrew will continue to be guided by the title of a book by Ethel Wilson, a writer from British Columbia: The Equations of Love. “It’s a splendid title. Life is a whole series of equations of love,” she says.
