clinched it.“ At age 45, Baker had been hired largely for his experi— ence as Simon Fraser University’s academic planner at its establish— ment in the mid—1960s. lie turned out to be the perfect choice for PEl’s new university precisely because he was not ideologically driv— en, not invested in what a university should be, except that it tear/c.”

On arrival in PEI, he cheerfully told everyone he spoke to — faculty,

students, senate that it was t/neir university to make.

Baker’s inaugural duty was to take over the chair of the Univer— sity Planning Committee for a meeting that would ultimately stretch over four days, defining the very essence of the university. “ A sub— committee headed by Saul Silverman and Klichael Hennessey had

been asked to draft a charter for the new school, and was deliver—

ing its work just a week before the government needed to submit

it as legislation. Almost as a warm-up for discussion of the charter, the Planning Committee selected a name for the university. Earlier suggestions such as Kent U., i Torthumberland U., and Centennial U. were toyed with and rejected. French professor A. I. R. Galloway moved that the new institution bear the name “University of Prince Edward Island." The vote carried. Then. back to the charter.

The committee was determining the new university‘s permanent character at the very moment that cries for student power in Canada were at their height. It was February 13, 1969, only two days since students occupying George \Villiams University in i\lontreal had set a large fire and destroyed more than $1 million in computer equip— ment. This could not help but be in the minds ofthose making a new university. liennessey and Silverman had thought it important not

“to ignore the ferment within Universities at the present time," but

rather to make room for “reasonable innovation."H In that spirit, the

:1 Baker oral interview with :\ndre\v Robb. l'lebruary 2002. in the l’l‘il Collection.

:4

Baker: “I had decided at the beginning that my overall priority was to put the two places together. My second priority was to get us known." lhid.

For minutes ofthe to: meeting otithe University Planning Committee. February

[3—18.196o, see “lll’l‘ll Origins i, University Planning Committee“ vertical lile, folder 4,1’l‘ilC‘ollection. 34 iikl]l\'k‘1'5l[} CIT-11TH? I‘ll!“ RK‘IVH‘T,“January o. iii/n), ”lll’l'd Origins — University

ALAN MACliACHl-iRN — 25