BCBUSINESS.CA NOVEMBER 2016 BCBUSINESS 37
formally inaugurated as the 101-year-
old university's 15th president on
November 22, the day before he turns
54, has a monumental task ahead of
him. A casual observer might never
guess that from Ono's first couple of
weeks, when he possibly outdid Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau in some kind
of selfie record and where he seemed
amenable to participating in just
about any goofy activity. In late
August, when 1,500 students filled
Thunderbird Stadium for a pre-class
welcome show—complete with bhangra
dancers, opera and hip-hop—Ono was
right there in the stands, shooting
video on his phone and applauding
the showy numbers. And when the
order came to dance, he rose and
unselfconsciously dad-danced with
everyone else.
The social capital that Ono is accu-
mulating as he dances, selfies and
hugs will stand him in good stead, say
observers, as he pushes for change.
He's already started to build up a level
of trust that was missing before. "One
thing that is really clear about him
already is that he really means it when
he says faculty are important to the
university," says Mark Mac Lean, the
president of the
UBC Faculty Associa-
tion, which has been sharply critical of
UBC's administration in recent years.
People at the university may have
unreasonable expectations about Ono,
says Mac Lean—that "he will walk on
water and make tuition increases go
away"—but Mac Lean is feeling more
optimistic than he has in a while. Just
one small sign of the difference: Mac
Lean now has open access to the presi-
dent, able to send him a text or call
on his cell any time. And it goes both
ways. "I have gotten messages from
him at 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. He's a very
strong communicator."
That's all part of the strategy for
those who view themselves as both
servants and leaders. And it doesn't
mean just listening and repackaging.
Those who've spoken with Ono have
seen how he listens but also sorts, sift-
ing the important from the peripheral.
He will now have to exercise that skill
to the utmost—in a place where every-
one has an opinion, a demand and a
piece of turf to protect.
n
DIGITAL DOES THE
HEAVY LIFTING FOR
BIGFOOT CRANE.
