Friday May 22, 2020 ~ METCHOSIN, BC
~ West Shore Voice News
Pearson College UWC has announced the appointment of global educational leader Craig Davis as their new President and Head of College effective August 1, 2020.
Calling itself “Canada’s School for the World”, Pearson College is located on the unceded territory of the Sc’ianew First Nation in Metchosin. Their student population includes youth from every province and territory in Canada and from up to 160 countries around the world.
“The reputation of the United World Colleges movement is second-to-none and I am honoured to be selected to lead a school that is one of the historic pillars of the UWC movement,” said Davis from his current home in Singapore where he is Director of Education for Dulwich College International, an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program school network spanning London, U.K. and four Southeast Asian countries.
On-campus/online blend during the pandemic:
Pearson College, like most Canadian schools, has temporarily converted to an all-online education and learning model for the current winter/spring term. The unique, two-year pre-university college is gearing up to welcome students with a blend of on-campus and online learning this fall, subject to strict health and safety measures and procedures in line with Public Health Office directives.
The College says it is mindful of the fact that some students may continue to be impacted by border restrictions and/or international travel limitations and remains committed to offer a robust global education to all students.
Returning to BC:
The incoming president says: “My family and I are also excited to be returning to my wife’s home province and to where I was privileged to earn a master’s degree in English Language and Literature at the University of British Columbia.” Davis also holds degrees from the University of London (U.K.) and the University of Wales.
“This is a challenging but a promising time to be leading Pearson,” said Anne McLellan, Chair of the College’s Board of Directors. “Craig’s extensive experience in international education leadership, his background in helping update a Theory of Knowledge curriculum with a focus on Indigenous Knowledge systems and his successful record generating revenue to support scholarships will all be put to good use as Pearson, like schools around the world, navigates the reality of a COVID-19 world.”
Davis, who holds Permanent Resident of Canada status, was Principal of the Senior School at Mulgrave International School of Vancouver from 2014 to 2017 giving him an excellent understanding of the structure and role of independent schools in the British Columbia and Canadian contexts.
In a news release from Pearson College, it was stated: “His international teaching and education sector administrative experience is also seen as an excellent fit for Pearson’s uniquely global student community.”
Davis’ spouse Sarah is a Vancouver native and, together with three of their four children, will be living on the remote campus that is about 35 km from downtown Victoria. An older daughter is currently completing secondary school in Australia.
Starting August 1:
Interim President and Head is Tyrone Pile who will resume his position as Pearson’s Vice-president, Operations and Administration after the new president officially begins his duties in August.
bout Pearson College UWC: Pearson College UWC (www.pearsoncollege.ca) is Canada’s most international school and one of 18 United World Colleges around the globe. With up to 200 students from every province and territory and up to 160 or more nations around the world, the College opened in 1974 inspired by the vision of Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Lester B. Pearson who asked, “How can there be peace without people understanding each other, and how can this be if they don’t know each other?”