Anthony Dorcey Announces his Retirement after 40 Years at SCARP

Professor Tony Dorcey announced that after 40 wonderful years of teaching, he will be retiring in the fall of 2011. Among his many contributions that he has made over the years to SCARP, he has been a primary force in developing the school’s reputation as a leader in sustainability and engagement. As a student lucky enough to gain guidance and insights from such a talented teacher, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to ask him to reflect on his time here at SCARP. 

What did you like most about teaching at SCARP?

Working with the exceptional students who come to SCARP, passionate and committed to making a difference in the world. Their excitement and enthusiasm is contagious. Most have had diverse learning and planning related experiences before they come here so they arrive with clearer ideas about why they want to be studying at SCARP. The experiences they bring give you so much to work with as a teacher.

Over the years I’ve also come to feel that if you can help a student to be better prepared to make a difference in the real world, it’s a huge pay off for everyone and deeply satisfying. Helping students in the classroom, with their research, connecting them with internships and jobs, is very gratifying -especially when I hear back about all that they are doing and achieving. It’s interesting to hear reflections about what they found  most useful in practice and how that differs from what they felt was most important to learn when they were in School.

So I would say that it’s engaging with the students that I like the most -the passion and enthusiasm they bring to SCARP and hearing about what they do after they graduate.

During your 40 years as a professor, have there been any moments or phases that will be particularly memorable?

There’s 3 significant moments or periods that were really important for me.

First, I never had any expectations I’d have a career in the academic world teaching  and doing research, being a professor. My first decade at UBC, when I had a full-time research position in the Westwater Research Centre, was a huge high for me when I began to realize I could have that kind of career and to discover how much I enjoyed it. The teaching opportunities that came with the research, the interdisciplinary work, the policy questions we were asking, the community engagement were all very exciting in the ‘70s. As I started working with students on research related to the Centre's studies, I was drawn  increasingly into related teaching. That  decade, culminating in my joint appointment as an Assistant Professor in SCARP, was a memorable beginning for me.

The late ‘80s, early ‘90s were also very memorable; it was a period of great innovation in approaches to negotiation and integrated resource management and sustainability strategies were being evolved. Most importantly, money was around to do innovative things. I had the opportunity to engage much more substantively and widely outside of the university –to both contribute and to learn. Four years on the BC Round Table on the Environment and Economy was a great experience in developing and teaching facilitation, negotiation, and mediation tools; two years as the founding chair of the Fraser Basin Management Board was an opportunity to work with an extraordinary variety of politicians, citizens and professionals on water management and sustainability issues and enabled me to gain a better understanding for what it was most relevant to teach students;  to work internationally with the World Bank and IUCN on  controversies surrounding large dams and creating a World Commission to seek solutions was also an unforgettable experience. These assignments had huge impacts on me by enabling me to take ideas and techniques that I’d developed at Westwater and SCARP into larger forums, develop them further, all the while learning more about myself, and bringing fresh thoughts back to teaching.

The third and definitely peak experience was the 7 years beginning in 1999 I was director of SCARP.  I was able to implement a lot of changes: six new faculty members were attracted to SCARP during this time; the School became a much more collaborative enterprise by involving students in committees and governance of SCARP; we built stronger connections with the profession by extending the numbers of adjunct professors considerably and strengthening ties with the PIBC by my joining its Education Committee and a student representative joining its Council; and I attempted to advance the School’s sustainability focus , which resulted in the introduction of my Omnibus course. In 2006 the students organized a once-only international version of the CAPS conference as a lead in to UN Habitat's World Urban Forum in Vancouver –that was the year I stepped down and an outstandingly memorable way to finish my term as Director.

During my four decades at UBC, the occasional bleak moments were relatively few and far outweighed by the opportunities to do exciting new things and see the encouraging results that came from them. Throughout these experiences I had the privilege of working with inspiring students who made so much possible, helping me develop my teaching, my research, and changes in the School and wider community.

What are your hopes for the future of the School?

Firstly, I hope that the school holds to what’s made it distinctive –its breadth and diversity of faculty and students, its commitment to progressive planning, the balance it tries to achieve among the academic-theoretical and the professional practice interests, and the way it emphasizes developing students long-term analytical and problem solving capabilities beyond developing merely the skills required for entry career positions.

Secondly, I also hope SCARP will change, to be stronger in pursuing a vision that is relevant to the opportunities and constraints of the times ahead. The School needs to sharpen its focus on what is the cutting edge of sustainability so it can continue to be a leader in meeting the challenges of global change –it’s time to strongly refresh its focus and let this influence both the teaching and research programs.

 I think we need more core/required courses to ensure each student has the foundational capabilities of economic, social and environmental sustainability planning before graduating –this could be an opportunity to offer more 1-credit courses and ensure delivery to each student of a greater diversity of course material. That would mean reshaping the masters program, but the School has once-in-a -generation opportunities beginning right now with faculty retiring and new faculty members being brought in.

I would also like to see a greater integration of the practitioners and the academics in teaching, research and capacity development activities. The balance is there in terms of the numbers of people and breadth of course offerings, but if practitioners and academics became more engaged with each other, they would both offer stronger courses and we would have a much stronger school as a result. Consistent with this I hope that the idea of professional PhDs would be explored as a complement to the traditional doctorate oriented to academic careers and research. They are becoming more relevant and common as people seek more in-depth and extended research opportunities in preparing for practice careers and such a program could nicely cross fertilize with the masters program and the existing doctoral program.

These ideas all come back to what kind of faculty we want to hire to support the new thrust. Bill [Rees] and my retirement should be seen as a huge opportunity for the School to begin remaking itself. Within a decade it can make significant changes with the further retirements in prospect and that doesn’t happen often. The School needs very active dialogue within and without to see how it can capitalize on that opportunity.

What are your plans for retirement and do they involve SCARP at all?

I have really loved my time at SCARP and am by no means keen to leave all aspects of University life. But I’ve too long traded off my time and energies giving priority to the University while taking from my family. Its payback time now. And the reality is that I will be 67 in the fall -the clock is ticking and there are other things I would like to do with Plu, my wife, before it is too late. We’ve gotten into boating in a substantial way in recent years and you’ve got to take such opportunities while your health permits. The general idea for the immediate future is that Plu and I will spend 6 months of the year on Tempus Fugit cruising the waterways and coasts of Europe and 6 months of the year here on Carpe Diem sailing the inside waters from Washington to Alaska. To be able to do all this, Plu and I need to enhance our skills and qualifications; we are greatly looking forward to going back to school next year and taking courses ashore and afloat.

Part-time I’m particularly interested in dabbling in the ways in which you can use new information and communication technologies to influence debate. This may lead me back into SCARP to stimulate discussions around the future of planning and the relationship between the academy and the profession. Eventually I could see myself perhaps coming back to teach a one-off course upon occasion or I could be on my boat in some delightful spot stimulating interaction across the web, but first I’d like a window of free time and space to look over the horizon before making any commitments.

I really enjoy interacting with Plu as she develops her quilting. In the last two years she’s started creating landscapes seen from our boats and using and developing new techniques. She’s been asked to teach a course next fall, so as I’m coming out of teaching, she’s picking it up once again. Doing this and other things together is what we are looking forward to with great pleasure. We’re extraordinary lucky to be in good health and in a good position (with many thanks to the bank manager at RBC) to do these things.