22-06-2025
Opinion: I'm the principal of Bishop's University. Let us do our job
This year, six of Bishop's University's 10 varsity teams earned their place on the national stage, an exceptional feat for one of Canada's smallest universities. Most remarkable of all, our women's hockey team won it all, proof that a small school can skate with the giants and win.
At a time when universities are being asked to deliver more leadership, innovation and community impact than ever before, achievements like these remind us of what higher education can accomplish.
This is not an anomaly. For 180 years, Bishop's has proven that excellence isn't about size. It is about culture, values and commitment. Bishop's has made a habit of outplaying the competition in academics, athletics, students and community life.
Rooted in W8banakiak wdakiw8k, the traditional lands of the Abenaki Nation, Bishop's is a small, immersive university that teaches in English, offers a bilingual campus life and fosters meaningful interaction between students, faculty and staff. We prioritize mentorship, interdisciplinary perspectives and leadership that emerges through service and collaboration. We educate the whole person.
This approach is effective. Our graduates are not only well-rounded, they are ready. Ready to lead, ready to adapt and ready to solve complex challenges in collaboration with others. And that is what's now at risk.
Recent policy decisions by the governments of Canada and Quebec — including tighter immigration controls, international student caps and measures meant to discourage out-of-province students — threaten the very conditions that make Bishop's such a dynamic place to learn. These changes are not just about numbers; they alter who gets to participate in higher education, how they are welcomed and what kind of society we are shaping in the process.
The current narrative too often reduces international students to dollar signs. This does not do justice to the immense contributions they bring to our campus. Our international students are not a burden; they are essential. Their presence challenges assumptions, sparks innovation and energizes campus life, and they build lifelong bridges as future ambassadors, partners and peers.
At Bishop's, close to one-third of our student body comes from provinces outside Quebec. Like their classmates from abroad, their diverse backgrounds and pursuit of new and unfamiliar experiences foster a community of understanding and a culture of dialogue that our university works so hard to cultivate. When we narrow access to institutions like ours, we limit potential. And we risk severing the very ties that make Quebec a place of global relevance and openness.
At a moment when institutions of higher education are being questioned and attacked elsewhere, we must protect universities' role as engines of democratic life and innovation in Canada.
Our model works. Just ask Gabrielle Santerre, an academic all-Canadian and MVP of the women's university hockey national championship. She chose Bishop's over offers from elite U.S. schools for its strong academics and community. Or Charles Robert, a conference MVP in basketball, chancellor's scholar and academic all-Canadian, who recently signed a professional contract. Or Victoria Gauna, a basketball standout from Argentina and academic all-Canadian who also plays on Argentina's national team. All three were named Bishop's athletes of the year, living proof of what happens when institutions invest in the whole person.
This is not just about Bishop's. It is about the role universities play in an uncertain world.
We need policies that distinguish between good actors and bad. We need space to build trust with students and partners from around the world. And we need governments to let universities do what we do best — educate, inspire and prepare the next generation.
Let us do our job, for the sake of Canada's continued leadership, innovation and our role as a global force for good.
