Dominique Abrioux may have grown up with one foot in his native Scotland and another in France, his parents’ birthplace, but he leaves little doubt about where his toe-hold is today.

“When I came to Canada, I felt right at home,” says Abrioux, president of Athabasca University in the town of Athabasca, north of Edmonton. “I belonged overnight.”

The same can be said of his career at Athabasca, the distance-learning university at which the 50-year-old native of Aberdeen, Scotland, has spent the past 23 years.

Judging by the way he gushes over Athabasca’s extraordinary programs and phenomenal growth, Abrioux’s still right at home.

Athabasca University photo
Dominique Abrioux predicts convergence of online and campus-based education.

1. What are your memories from a boyhood in Scotland?

“My parents were French, so our family would spend four months of the year in France and French was spoken in the home. In Scotland, I was always ‘frog legs.’ And in France I was The Scotsman. It didn’t impact me that much other than when I came to Canada (at 16, to Regina, Sask.). I immediately felt it was the right place for me.”

2. Since both your parents taught, was it a natural progression for you to become a teacher and education administrator?

“Actually, probably not. I was the third oldest of a family of six and I probably did it to prove to my parents that I was capable of it. I think my older brothers were seen to be the intellectual ones in the family. I was probably in my parents’ mind the third in rank . . . when it came to intelligence.”

3. Who has had the greatest influence on your life?

“My wife (a clinical psychologist). She has always challenged me to succeed, supported me and given of her own career so that my career could advance.”

4. What achievement are you most proud of from 23 years at Athabasca University?

“I think it’s sort of a collective achievement, not just mine. In the past four or five years, Athabasca went from being an organization of questionable value, at least in the government’s eyes, to an organization now that I think they would hold up as exemplary.”

5. With Athabasca’s enrolment at 26,000, how much growth do you project in the next few years?

“We plan for growth of 10 per cent per year. In the first 18 to 20 years, Athabasca University always had to justify what it was doing. Now our challenge is different.”

6. And that challenge is . . . ?

“Now we just have to do it better and more cost effective than other universities. And that’s an easier challenge to face.”

7. How popular do you expect online education to become in the next five to 10 years?

“I think what’s going to happen is a convergence of online and campus-based education. I think traditional universities are going to take advantage of the pedagogical advantages and benefits of online learning and merge that with what they do onsite. In the area of Athabasca’s core business, which is distance online learning, that’s going to grow at a rapid pace. There, the big shift is away from the old correspondence emphasis on books to much more online learning.”

8. Do you expect Athabasca to attract younger students in the future? “The average age of our students is decreasing. It used to be that there were very few students proportionately that were under 25 years of age. In the last five years, it has gone from 39 per cent (under 25) to 44 per cent and it’s a steady curve. I think that increasingly younger learners are going to be attracted to online courses so that helps Athabasca draw a new category of clientele, which will be the 18- and 19-year-olds.”

9. What kind of person thrives in this type of educational environment? “The key factor is motivation. You have to be motivated in order to work independently.”

10. What changes do you foresee in the way people are educated in the future?

“If you look at education in a classroom, whether it’s in (grade school) or a campus, the major change will be in the role of the teacher. The teacher will increasingly become more of a mentor. The teacher will not be responsible for giving information because information will be accessed online or from books that are designed much better than any lecture that can be given. So there will be a huge shift in the role of the teacher who becomes more of a mentor as opposed to being a provider of information.”

11. What’s your greatest concern with regard to the grade-school system in Alberta?

“I think the schools are demonstrating good results, but I think they are handicapped by a failure of the public sector to recognize and appropriately value the teaching profession. I think it would be incredibly tough to be a teacher K (kindergarten) to (Grade) 12 right now when you think about what they are paid to start and the responsibility that they have. I think they are so under-valued by the reward systems.”

12. How did your experience as a visiting professor in Japan in 1993 and 1994 affect your perspective of education?

“It made me value North American education at the university level. It put it into perspective for me. It made me see how seriously universities here take teaching as a key part of their role. In Japan, university professors see teaching as a weight around their neck. They don’t enjoy doing it, they’re not interested in doing it well and they don’t take the same pride in students’ accomplishment as North America teachers do.”

13. Do you see yourself remaining at Athabasca long-term?

“I’d say that because of the kind of institution Athabasca is, being so forward looking and progressing, I don’t know of another institution in North America that would provide me with any challenge of the same level. So I would not be interested at this stage in moving on. We’re increasingly working in a global environment and there literally are no borders in what we do. We serve students in 67 countries. There’s never a dull moment.”

14. How does the lifestyle of a smaller centre like Athabasca suit you?

“It’s very, very picturesque. It’s a great work environment. Three years ago, I had a black bear walk by my window while I was working. It’s really the best of both worlds. It’s a rural community with a large city (Edmonton) an hour and a half away. You can drive in to the opera and come back the same day.”

15. If you have too much time on your hands, what do you do?

“I enjoy reading, although I don’t have nearly enough time to read anything that isn’t work related. I’m not proud of that. When I do have time to read anything not work related, I tend to read thrillers just to relax at night. And all my leisure reading is done in French since I don’t have the opportunity to practise my French that much. I play a little bit of golf, I swim regularly to keep fit and family is very important. I travel so much with my work that I don’t like to travel in my leisure time.”

16. Do you have a hero or celebrity you would walk over hot coals in bare feet to have lunch with?

“No, I don’t actually idolize people. I think we all have different potential and I don’t think one should compare the accomplishments of people in relation to other people. And I think when you choose an idol, that’s what you’re doing.”

17. What is your philosophy of life?

“I think we should strive to be the best that we can and be driven by values that we’re proud of. I also believe in value-driven management, which means that you walk the talk.”

18. God taps you on the shoulder and says you can change one thing in your life?

“I have to sidestep that. When I do something, I always believe I’ve made the best decision and I live with it as the best decision. If I recognize it as a mistake, then of course I correct it. But what would I change? I think I’d have been born in Canada. I’d have wanted to live my whole life in Canada. For me, it was a huge advantage coming to Canada. If I had stayed in Scotland or France, because of demographics, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have the exciting life that I have led professionally.”

19. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in life?

“To admit my mistakes. I also think it’s really important in life to strive, but not to strive beyond what’s attainable. You have to stretch yourself, but I wouldn’t want to be in a situation that I couldn’t handle.”

20. Are there any personal aspirations for which you haven’t had time?

“No. I’ve been lucky. Not many people get married at 20 and are still as happy (30 years later) with their spouse as I am. I have a granddaughter and a challenging job. I guess the one thing I’d like to have is more time to myself. That will certainly come.”

IN PROFILE: Dominique Abrioux

* Born/raised/age: Aberdeen, Scotland; Aberdeen, Regina, Sask.; 50.
* Title: President, Athabasca University.
* Family: Wife Marie-Louise, daughter Nicola, son Mario.
* Education: PhD (comparative literature), University of Alberta.
* Career: Abrioux has spent 23 years at Athabasca University. Prior to being appointed president in 1995, he held positions as professor of French, dean of Arts and acting vice-president. He also tutors a French course.
* Passions: Reading, golf, swimming.

THE INSTITUTION: Athabasca University

* Brass: Dominique Abrioux, president.
* Profile: Athabasca is Canada’s largest distance education university and bills itself as Canada's open university. Athabasca provides a university education to people regardless of where they live or work, or regardless of career and family situations. It strives to remove such barriers as time, space and past education experience. Courses are provided through online learning or other distance delivery methods.
* Programs: Athabasca offers 500 individualized study and grouped study courses, bachelors and masters degrees, university certificates and diplomas.
* Stat: In 1999-2000, Athabasca served 19,552 students with a gender balance of 62.9 per cent female and 37.1 per cent male.
* Web site: www.athabascau.ca
* Address: 1 University Drive, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3.
* Phone: 780-657-6100, 1-800-788-9041.