In the latest in an unusual series of moves around the upper echelons of the University College of the North (UCN), Konrad Jonasson has been named interim president while Denise Henning will shortly be leaving for British Columbia.
In early October, the UCN governing council decided not to renew Henning's five-year contract as UCN president and vice-chancellor. University presidents, at least in Canada, are typically allowed a second five-year term if they so desire.
The governing council's decision was kept quiet for months, until it was reported on by The Pas-based Opasquia Times just before Christmas, and confirmed to the Thompson Citizen by governing council chair Lorne Keeper on Wednesday.
An interview between Henning and the Thompson Citizen was set for Jan. 7, but was cancelled that morning with no explanation given. Further attempts to speak to Henning were refused by UCN. "I am sorry to report that Dr. Henning will not be doing anymore interviews for UCN," said Pamela Smyth, UCN external affairs coordinator, in a Jan. 10 e-mail.
That same day, it was announced that Henning had been appointed president and chief executive officer of Northwest Community College (NWCC), based in Terrace, B.C. but containing campuses in nine different communities in northwestern British Columbia, and would start in that position March 1 - even though her UCN contract was slated to run through June 30.
"I am passionate about equity and inclusion in higher education and look forward to building relationships at the college and in the communities we serve so that NWCC can continue its journey of transformational change," said Henning of her new job.
"It's a great pleasure to welcome Dr. Henning to Northwest Community College," added Rhoda Witherly, president of the NWCC board. "We are confident in Denise's leadership and thrilled to have someone with her skills and experience on board."
How Henning would be able to finish out her term with UCN while working for NWCC was not made clear until Friday evening, when UCN issued a press release stating that Jonasson, who has been UCN's vice-president of community-based services since 2002, would be taking over the president and vice-chancellor positions on an interim basis, until a permanent replacement could be found.
"I look forward to working with our Governing Council, Learning Council, Council of Elders, faculty and staff to continue to provide outstanding educational opportunities for UCN learners and the communities we serve," said Jonasson.
A member of Cross Lake First Nation originally hailing from Wabowden, Jonasson has been with UCN since 1989, when it was still known as Keewatin Community College. According to the UCN press release, his work at UCN "has involved extensive interaction with communities in Northern Manitoba, with a view to expanding UCN's presence in the region." Jonasson is based in Thompson, unlike Henning, who spent the bulk of her time working from UCN's campus in The Pas.
"The Governing Council thanks Dr. Henning for her valued contribution during her tenure at UCN. We wish her the best in her future endeavours," said Keeper.
Henning told the Times that she would have liked to stay on to see the completion of the new UCN campus in Thompson, as well as renovations to their facilities in The Pas.
Originally from Creek County in Oklahoma, Henning is Cherokee and Choctaw. She has master's degrees in urban studies and anthropologyearned bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Nebraska before moving on to New Mexico State University, where she received a doctorate in educational management and development. Before joining UCN in 2006, she had been executive director of international student success and department head of interdisciplinary studies at the University of Regina, and vice-president academic at the First Nations University of Canada, also in Saskatchewan.
