TRANSCENDING BORDERS CULTURAL, TECHNOLOGICAL, ACADEMIC, AND GEOPOLITICAL Higher education’s consummate polymath ponders life in a post-pandemic world

Jeffrey G. Harris, MBA & Richard A. Skinner, PhD orry, Skull and Bones. 15th president of the University of British Close, but no cigar, Sphinx. Columbia (UBC). Stay sharp, Quill and Dagger; In all, Ono has been affiliated with eight maybe next time. universities in three countries, six of which are When it comes to higher education’s members of the prestigious Association of most exclusive clubs, not even the Ivy League’s American Universities, the “gold standard” for mostS celebrated societies can match the research institutions in the United States and nameless — but hardly secret — cadre of men Canada. The two others — University College LISTEN IN and women who have served as president of at London and the University of Cincinnati — least two top-tier research universities. A few rank eighth and 139th, respectively, in the hardy souls have held the top job at three such Times Higher Education World University schools. (And then there’s E. Gordon Gee, who Rankings. has led five R1 institutions, one of them twice.) Ono’s rich and diverse academic Not many of these storied campus background makes for an impressive executives, however, have presided over world- curriculum vitae, but it does not make the man. class universities in two countries. (Not even To fully appreciate Ono’s multidimensional Gee can make that claim.) impact on academia and beyond, one must Meet Santa J. Ono, PhD, who holds that factor in the many roles that don’t appear on his highly unusual distinction. CV — e.g., accomplished cellist (he studied at A child of Japanese parents, Ono grew up in Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory of Music); Vancouver, British Columbia, attended the Eucharistic minister (his favorite book is University of Chicago for undergraduate Francis S. Collins’ The Language of God: A studies, then returned to Canada to earn a Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief); mental- doctorate in experimental medicine from health crusader (he speaks openly about the Santa J. Ono, PhD, a Montreal’s McGill University. He did post- debilitating depression he suffered in his teens biomedical researcher and graduate work at Harvard University before and 20s); bow-tie aficionado (he once presided president of the University of joining the medical faculties of — in over a bow-tie design competition that drew British Columbia, assesses chronological order — Johns Hopkins some 100 entries); and social-media superstar COVID-19’s impact on higher University, University College London, and (he amassed more than 70,000 Twitter education — and society as a Emory University in Atlanta. followers during his tenure at Cincinnati). whole — in the latest edition of Because of his prowess in biomedical Ono began his administrative career as a the higher education podcast department head at UCL. At Emory, he served research, his standing as the consummate first as vice provost for academic initiatives and polymath, and his proven ability to transcend Innovators. The audio series, deputy to the provost and later as senior vice cultural, disciplinary, technological, and presented by Harris Search provost. In 2010, he moved to the University of geopolitical boundaries, Ono seems uniquely Associates, is available on the Cincinnati to become provost and senior vice positioned to speculate about the future of web at HarrisSearch.com president for academic affairs. After just two higher education in a world upended by the and on leading podcast years in that role, he ascended to the COVID-19 pandemic. platforms such as Libsyn, Apple institution’s top post, thereby gaining admission Put another way: Who better to assess a Podcasts, Google Podcasts, to yet another very exclusive club: Asian- period of unprecedented unpredictability in Overcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. American college presidents. higher education than a higher education In August 2016, Ono returned to his native visionary who has spent his career eschewing Vancouver to assume his current position: precedent and predictability? Vehr Communications VIRAL SPREAD Ono, a highly regarded biomedical researcher specializing in the immune system, was “going viral" long before the emergence of COVID-19. Above: In 2014, while president of the University of Cincinnati, he was declared the winner of “Twitter Madness,” a competition that compared the digital reach of leaders at the 68 schools in that year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Right: Students at the University of British Columbia’s 2017 homecoming football game scramble to get video of Ono’s “crowd-surfing” debut. University of British Columbia

Ono shares his characteristically candid thoughts in a just-released Ono said he’s most concerned about the pandemic’s effect on installment of the podcast Innovators, a production of the global private liberal-arts colleges and four-year public universities that draw higher education recruiting firm Harris Search Associates. primarily from regional applicant pools. Students who might have It is testimony to the tenor of the times that thought leaders both chosen these institutions a year ago — before the emergence of within and outside higher education are asking not whether colleges COVID-19 — “will weigh the costs and risks of a residential college and universities will close but, rather, how many. experience and judge enrollment in mostly online courses to not Just as COVID-19 has taken a disproportionate toll on the health warrant the higher tuitions that four-year institutions, public and and wellbeing of some population groups (e.g., senior citizens, people private, charge,” he said. of color, and individuals with underlying medical conditions), the Accordingly, Ono said, these schools should brace for sharp pandemic will hit some academic institutions — or categories of declines in enrollment. Sadly, some won’t survive. academic institutions — much harder than others, Ono said The 57-year-old administrator is quick to note that his “crystal “The top 50 research universities in North America will survive ball” is no clearer than those of other higher education veterans. He because sufficient numbers of students and their families believe in the also points out that his vision of the future isn’t altogether different value of the traditional undergraduate education experience of living from what he would have foreseen in the absence of COVID-19. on or near campus in congregate housing arrangements and attending Ono endorses the conclusion that researchers at the Association of mostly in-person class, lab, and studio learning experiences — albeit, Public Land-grant Universities (APLU) reached in a recently with necessary safeguards for the COVID-19 virus — and are published study bearing the provocative title “How COVID-19 prepared to accept the health risks and the financial costs of such an Changed Everything and Nothing at All.” In short, the study found education,” he said. that the challenges weighing most heavily on higher education leaders Premier research institutions also can take heart in Ono’s now are the very same issues that were causing them to lose sleep prediction that some technology companies — both well-established before the pandemic. players and startups — will seek to forge campus partnerships that “In fact, in many regards,” the researchers wrote, “COVID-19 has extend well beyond traditional scholarship programs. only exacerbated underlying and systemic issues and risks that have Ono said these “co-branded” collaborations will yield additional been at the forefront of leaders’ minds for years.” internships for students, as well as expanded research opportunities for students and faculty members alike. The potential benefits don’t stop As patient counts drop, patience will be key there, the educator said, adding that the relationships could enhance the stature of the participating schools and give their corporate no maintains that COVID-19’s most profound impact partners an advantage in recruiting outstanding students and might be on the workforce — or, more accurately, the professors. workplace. Community colleges also should fare well (relatively speaking), Most of the Americans and Canadians who lost their courtesy of widespread enrollment growth, Ono said. The surge isn’t jobs during the pandemic will eventually return to the necessarily cause for celebration, though, inasmuch as it will be more workforce — emphasis on eventually. (Indeed, shortly after the taping attributable to desperation, or at least resignation, than to aspiration. ofO the podcast segment featuring Ono, the U.S. Federal Reserve issued Eager to save money and minimize exposure to COVID-19, more an employment forecast calling for a long, slow recovery of jobs students are likely to stay at home and take mostly online courses. eliminated because of the outbreak.) Some displaced workers, however, may find their “new” employees about the effect of government-imposed “lockdowns” on surroundings somewhat unfamiliar — even if they return to the same overall productivity. Sixty-three percent of the respondents said jobs they held previously, Ono said. The blame (or credit, depending productivity in their respective businesses had stayed the same or on one’s perspective), he said, goes to the global economy’s embrace increased. of telecommuting. Seventeen percent of the employers who were surveyed said they Even before COVID-19 began making headlines earlier this year, intend to permit telecommuting even after all public-health restrictions working from home was starting to gain popularity, thanks in part to are lifted. Among the most-cited reasons: employees’ preference to employees’ pursuit of a better work-life balance, their hunger for work from home (45 percent); savings on rent, office supplies, snacks, greater personal flexibility, and their growing frustration with time- and related expenses (35 percent); and increased productivity (16 consuming, energy-wasting, ozone-depleting commutes. percent). According to data released last fall by the U.S. Census Bureau, the “Whether employers are embracing remote work or reopening average American commute in 2018 was a record 27.1 minutes each their offices, it’s clear the future of work is rapidly changing in way, up two minutes from a decade earlier. Nearly 10 percent of response to COVID-19,” wrote Andrea Curry, the author of an article workers had one- detailing the survey results. way commutes of 60 minutes or Long-term projection: More short-term jobs more, and a jaw- dropping 4.3 no points to another workforce-altering trend that was million workers picking up momentum years before the first case of spent 90 minutes COVID-19 was diagnosed: “gig" employment — in or more getting to which the traditional salaried worker is replaced by an their jobs — independent contractor who takes on specific projects or compared with 3.3 other short-term assignments. The benefit for employers is obvious: million in 2010. ByO tapping independent contractors, they can avoid the expenses All told, in 2018, associated with the provision of traditional employee benefits such as the average paid time off, insurance, and contributions to a retirement account. American worker Such arrangements were once the exclusive domain of artists, spent 225 hours — consultants, and performers (hence the term “gig”), but not anymore, more than nine full Ono said. For several years now, project-based engagements have calendar days — been gaining acceptance — if not popularity — in other fields of traveling to and University of British Columbia endeavor. from work. Experts can debate the merits and long-term implications of the Many shift to a gig economy, but, Ono said, one thing is certain: It will Canadians are in the ‘NOTED’ SCHOLAR require future college graduates to market themselves more or less same boat — or in Ono is an accomplished cellist and continuously — not only to advance their careers but also just to the same train, bus, singer. While president of the maintain a steady income. Ono said he’s confident that UBC graduates are up to the task. or car, as the case University of Cincinnati, he was invited may be. Many of the university’s students saw how the Great Recession of A 2019 study, to perform with the Cincinnati 2007-2009 affected their parents, their older siblings, and their friends, based on Canadian Symphony Orchestra. He continues to he said. They recognize that the days of spending an entire career with census data and make occasional concert appearances a single organization are all but over — at least for the foreseeable published in the at the University of British Columbia. future. journal Insights on Ono said undergraduates at UBC and other forward-looking Canadian Society, institutions will benefit from a heightened emphasis on group projects confirmed that and assignments, which, by definition, instill a deeper understanding tedious commutes of what it takes to work effectively with others, including, potentially, are also a fact of life for many Canadians. In 2016, the average one- short-term collaborators from different cultures and/or different parts way commute was 24 minutes, and more than 850,000 car-based of the world. He’s also counting on the aforementioned campus- commuters spent at least 60 minutes traveling to work — 5 percent corporate partnerships (and campus-government partnerships) to arm more than the number of Canadian workers who reported similarly students with the skills and “real-world” sensibilities needed to thrive long commutes just five years earlier. in a gig economy. With the arrival of COVID-19, telecommuting made the leap from nascent novelty to “new normal” almost overnight, Ono said. Various Physically adjacent but figuratively miles apart stay-at-home orders forced the hands of many companies, including, of course, those with reservations about not being able to keep a f there’s one subject about which Ono has virtually watchful eye on their employees during work hours. unparalleled firsthand knowledge, it’s the differences Ono noted that the performance of homebound workers during between higher education in the United States and its the early stages of the pandemic appears to have eased the concerns counterpart in Canada. of telecommuting’s biggest detractors, mostly bosses who theorized The U.S. postsecondary system — to the extent it can be that the absence of face-to-face supervision, coupled with distractions characterized as a system — is not only far larger but also far at home, would encourage lollygagging. moreI diverse, especially in regard to organizational mission and Preliminary studies suggest that employees forced to work from structure. It comprises public institutions and private institutions, home have kept their end of the bargain — and then some. nonprofit institutions and for-profit institutions, church-affiliated In June, for example, the magazine CPA Practice Advisor institutions and nonsectarian institutions — each one serving surveyed more than 900 business owners, HR managers, and students of all ages. The Canadian system, in contrast, offers fewer options. generally seen as a means to fix society’s problems — not as a Indeed, notwithstanding the institutions in Franco-centric problem that society needs to fix. Quebec, most of Canada’s major colleges and universities are What’s more, Ono said, in Canada, higher education’s cut from much the same cloth. Most encompass “traditional” overwhelmingly positive image tends to translate into generous academic disciplines, professional schools, and medical public funding — a phenomenon with which the leadership of program; most offer a range of “traditional” undergraduate and most U.S.-based institutions would have little familiarity. graduate degrees, including the doctorate; and most boast There are, of course, similarities, too — though Ono’s enrollments of 25,000 to 35,000 students, the bulk of whom are trademark modesty prevented him from mentioning a big one in “traditional” college students in their late teens or early 20s. (In the podcast: Universities on both sides of the U.S.-Canada terms of enrollment, the outliers are UBC, with 65,000 students; border would no doubt recognize that Ono represents an all-too- the University of Toronto, with 90,000 students; and Toronto’s rare subset of academia’s C-suite. To be more precise, he’s a York University, with 53,000 students.) multidimensional servant leader who routinely goes out of his Private, nonprofit institutions, which are seemingly way to establish genuine personal connections with vital ubiquitous in the United States, are a rarity in Canada. constituencies, especially students — a natural-born mentor In Ono’s estimation, however, the biggest difference who’s seemingly guided, at all times, by his faith and his between Canadian universities and American universities is the favorite quote, a 25-word nugget of wisdom most often manner in which they are perceived by members of the general attributed to poet Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will public, as well as government policymakers. forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but Ono said Canadian public-opinion polls invariably show people will never forget how you made them feel.” deep, broad-based support for, and confidence in, the nation’s Two institutions — one in the United States and one in postsecondary institutions. Ono noted that in Canada, unlike the Canada — have been fortunate enough to know how it feels to United States, he seldom encounters criticism that schools are have Ono at the helm. aloof, or disconnected, or elitist, or wasteful, or morally corrosive, Indeed, they may constitute higher education’s most or propagandistic. In short, in Canada, higher education is exclusive club yet.

About Harris Search Associates Harris Search Associates is a leading global higher education executive search and talent advisory firm. Established in 1997 by Jeffrey G. Harris, the firm focuses on the recruitment of senior leaders to support the growth of universities, research parks, institutes, national laboratories, academic health centers, hospital enterprises, and other organizations driving innovation and discovery. Based in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, Harris Search Associates maintains regional offices in Dallas and San Francisco. The firm is a shareholder member of IIC Partners, one of the largest global retained executive search organizations, with 48 offices in 33 countries. About the Innovators podcast The Innovators podcast features timely conversations with global thought leaders in the areas of higher education, research, engineering, technology, and the health sciences. The audio segments, which give listeners an opportunity to learn from national leaders who are changing the landscape of innovation and discovery, are available on the web at HarrisSearch.com and on leading podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Libsyn, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. About Jeffrey G. Harris, MBA Jeffrey G. Harris is founder and managing partner of Harris Search Associates. He is an active member of CUPA-HR, the v American Council on Education (ACE), the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and the Executive Search v Roundtable, an association of professionals dedicated to the development of best practices in higher education talent recruitment. Mr. Harris holds a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College and an MBA from the University of Dayton. About Richard A. Skinner, PhD Richard A. Skinner is senior consultant at Harris Search Associates. He formerly served as president of Clayton State University v in Atlanta and as president and vice chancellor of Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. Dr. Skinner also was senior vice president for programs at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. He holds a PhD and a master’s degree in Government and International Studies, both from the University of South Carolina.

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