McRoberts began his career at York in 1969 as a political science professor. "I was always aware of Glendon because of my interest in French and Quebec," he says. "The idea of being principal here intrigued me. I had lengthy discussions with President Lorna Marsden about Glendon's future. I've got a five-year term as principal. And I'm confident that before then Glendon will reach its enrolment target." (McRoberts admits he's puzzled by the public's lack of awareness about Glendon, and plans to get out and sell the college more. To do so, he's reinstated a full-time external affairs officer to help with the job.) Can he do it?

Perhaps. Certainly the backing of York's Academic Policy and Planning Committee (APPC) may help. APPC has given Glendon a commitment to the college's bilingual mandate, its focus on liberal arts, and keeping its present location. In addition, two new programs to attract students have been established and an existing one reinforced: business, information technology and international studies respectively.

      HÉBERT SUGGESTS Glendon needs to work harder on its national profile and sell itself as a cultural "meeting place". While former Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities politician Gregory Sorbara (who attended Glendon in the late '70s) says the college needs to pursue its mandate as a small college - looking for students from across Canada who know the benefits of a liberal arts education.

Sorbara, a member of David Peterson's cabinet, says Glendon was viewed in the '80s as a college with a national mandate more than a regional one."It's a challenge getting Glendon's message out, but it's just like the experiment called Canada. It's never easy. It's an institution that represents Canada but never has an easy road."

The trend toward international exchanges continued when Rosanne Runte, who had experience with other French-speaking campuses such as Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia, became principal. Enrolment was high when she took office and Runte says she pushed Glendon's bilingualism even further when she insisted all staff who worked there must be bilingual. She also established an arrangement with the University of Ottawa and Laurentian University to exchange faculty and share programs through video hookups.

"Glendon was unique because of its bilingual focus," says Runte. "Other universities had parallel streams - English and French - but at Glendon it was integrated, there were no parallel solitudes."

She admits her first term at Glendon was successful partly because she grabbed some increased government funding for the college. "Towards the end, though, the government's philosophy changed, and York was in a dire financial condition."

From her new position as president of Victoria University, Toronto, Runte reflects that "no institution should remain the same, it should always be changing with the times. Glendon should too. The Canadian context has changed. Escott Reid's vision for Glendon was one reality."

Runte experienced some resistance from administrators at the Keele campus who, she says, weren't supportive enough of Glendon. "There were some who didn't know Glendon existed or thought of it only as the 'French campus', not the bilingual [one]."

According to Ian Gentles, Chair of Glendon's History Department, Glendon's enrolment woes will be solved by demographics as more young people become university ready. As for its image? "Glendon is never well enough known, we don't have the big name recognition but we're gradually getting it. I see more room for the American market and McRoberts is interested in this. There are also the French African countries. The definition of francophone is changing too, it's not just Franco-Ontarians [anymore] but people from Algeria, Chad, Haiti."

He sees some value too in promoting Glendon's traditional academic focus. "We're a small liberal arts college. In the United States, people recognize the benefit of that. Once people get here it's like a 'best kept secret'. The classroom experience is better because the students can interact more with the professors.

"Glendon is a product of the '60s but it has an ongoing relevance. Quebec's place in Canada will never be resolved and will be argued about for years - Glendon represents an effort to bring people together. It's like a microcosm of Canada."

Images by Nik Sorros