Prince George, B.C.-  James Moore  has been officially installed as the new Chancellor of the University  of Northern British Columbia.

Chancellor James Moore

Standing outside the Northern Sport Centre,  Moore took some moments to speak with reporters about his new duties. “It is a week of mixed emotions for me” Moore told reporters  moments before his official  installation “My father passed away  on  Monday.  He was planning on coming up, he had a plane ticket and he  bought a new suit and he was ready to come up, so for me it’s a bit of a tough day  in that sense, but I am very proud to be back and honour my dad.”

The selection of Moore as the 6th Chancellor of the University was steeped in controversy and  sparked protests from  some faculty and students.  Moore believes he has a great deal to offer UNBC ” I will be the first graduate of the University to serve as Chancellor and so I think  there is a perspective there that I think is extremely important.  Certainly we have  student representatives on the Board and in the Senate, but I think a perspective of a former student in a position of leadership at the University I think will be helpful.”  Moore says he is very proud of UNBC  and  proud of having the opportunity to be  Chancellor and spokesperson for the school working with everybody but  wouldn’t be surprised if  there was some sort of protest during his installation “It’s pretty common  at most convocations that maybe someone says or does something, and that is fine.  It was a year ago that I said I was leaving politics, so  for me,  the political world is behind me and I am looking  to the  future with new things,  like being the Chancellor of  UNBC and if people still want to engage  politically, of course that is entirely their right to, but I’m focused on  what’s ahead.”.

Moore  has already attended two Board meetings and  says he is active in the University community having already visited  the regional campuses and plans to attend those convocation ceremonies next week. “I’ve gotten to meet faculty, student groups,  the leadership Board, so I’m getting deeply involved in the  University community again and I’m appreciative of the warm welcome  that folks have given to me and  I’m looking forward to  giving back and working for the school that  meant   so much to me.”

Moore, a former Cabinet Minister  in the Stephen Harper government,  says he has left partisan politics behind  and  won’t be taking part in this weekend’s Conservative convention  that’s underway in Vancouver  “I will be visiting friends on the margins, Stephen  Harper is calling me  this afternoon to congratulate me on today, so  I remain friends but equally, I’m also  friends with Jean Chretien,  he’s a colleague of mine at Denton’s when politics is over, we all  move on with  life and we all work together in collaborative efforts for me it’s at the law firm I work  at, and now UNBC  working with people with all different views all different perspectives, all different backgrounds you put your politics aside and you focus on your project, and this project of this University is really important for Prince George, it’s important for the North it’s important for Canada to have a school that is as unique   as this and is doing great things.”

He laughs as he recalls his first  trip to the UNBC campus  when he  was  a student  “Right behind me,  where we’re standing , was a moose just standing there,   A moose came out, blocked my way, and I honked my horn  and he stood right over the hood of my car, drooling on my car, and that was my very first visit to campus.”

Moore says  he  is happy to be at  the service of the  University, “My role is to be a servant” and he  says some initiatives he might become involved in include  increasing  enrollment of students  from the  lower mainland , fund raising,  “I recognize the role of Chancellor is to work with others and not assume what I think would be in the best interest of the University. but listen  and respond accordingly.”

He says he is looking forward to congratulating the students who have worked incredibly hard “This day is about them.”