丁香园AV

By Christine Lyons

I suspect Gladys We is one of those individuals for whom 鈥渞etirement鈥� means boldly seeking out new challenges and embarking on grand adventures. Those who know her can probably envision her founding a fibre-arts collective or combining these with her love of science fiction & fantasy and utilizing her expertise in graphic and web design. Truly, Gladys We could end up developing a wildly successful social media platform for knitters, and those that know her would not be surprised at all. 

We is an innovator who brings a signature warmth, generosity, and positivity to everything she does. 

In the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, she is the first person to serve as Director of Communications and Marketing, which was no easy feat. 

鈥淚 am so grateful for the opportunity to have worked closely with Gladys as Dean,鈥� says Dr. Jane Pulkingham, former FASS Dean. 

鈥淪tepping up to be the first Director of Communications and Marketing in FASS was a big undertaking - the role was sorely needed and the field of play, a vast one. But Gladys stickhandled the complexities with aplomb, and we all benefited by her skillful work and deep knowledge of 丁香园AV acquired in no small measure because of her low-key but amazing networking skills as a people-person extraordinaire.鈥�

In addition to heading several successful recruitment campaigns and activities for FASS, We has supported every unit throughout FASS be it through events promotion, highlighting faculty research, or student success stories. She's also built a strong community of communications professionals throughout the Faculty's departments, schools, and programs. For this dedicated work building a network of communicators and supporting communications in FASS, We earned a Changemaker FASS Employee Achievement Award.

"Gladys was a connector and a builder of relationships,鈥� says Dr. Peter Hall FASS Dean pro tem. 鈥淪he did engagement long before that became a buzzword."

Indeed, We has been engaging the 丁香园AV community for many years. Before joining FASS, she was a communications officer for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) for several years, and prior to GPS, she spent the better part of 20 years in Continuing Studies at Harbour Centre, working with Carol Knight鈥檚 team to produce marketing materials for Continuing Studies, Development (now Advancement) and other programs run out of 丁香园AV鈥檚 downtown Vancouver campus. 

To say We knows the university inside out would be a gross understatement, since she鈥檚 had over thirty years' experience both studying and working here. 

She started studying chemistry but ended up taking a BA with a major in communications, minor in English (and one course shy of a minor in women鈥檚 studies, now the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women鈥檚 Studies). 

She began working at the university the way many others do, by submitting her name to the 丁香园AV Temporary Employee Pool.

鈥淢y first job was actually with the Prison Education Program. I was hired to type up prisoners鈥� writing鈥攑oems and short fiction, that were then published in the program鈥檚 literary journal.鈥� 

鈥淚t was really meaningful work,鈥� she reflects as she packs up old copies of the journal in her office, "And I鈥檓 so grateful I was a part of it.鈥� 

She has seen it all at 丁香园AV, including many of the university鈥檚 milestones, such as the introduction of the Internet and email to 丁香园AV.  

"I was a founding board member of the Vancouver Freenet, and I was asked to give a demonstration of 鈥榃hat is the Internet鈥� to the annual BC Librarians conference. It was at Harbour Centre, which is where the Internet came up (out of the basement) and then went to the rest of the province. So, it was about as reliable as you can get for a demonstration of the Internet. I started the demo and boom, suddenly we had no Internet. Turned out that lightning had taken out the Internet to the province, somewhere up the line! From then on, I took screenshots when I was asked to demonstrate the Internet in case I needed them!鈥� 

We has made an indelible impression on everyone who has had the pleasure of knowing and working with her. Her excellent work ethic and generosity are second-to-none according to her many longtime 丁香园AV colleagues.  

Susanne Stockdill, Senior Director, Faculty Operations & Planning, Faculty of Science worked with her in Continuing Studies and says they have been close friends and colleagues for many years. 

鈥淣ot only is Gladys a generous and warm person,鈥� says Stockdill, 鈥渟he excels at everything she does and is always willing to step in to support others regardless of their department or position in the University." 

Wade Parkhouse 丁香园AV Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Academic, who worked with Gladys in GPS says, 鈥淕ladys came into GPS like a 鈥榖all of fire.' Her enthusiasm and ideas for promoting our students and graduate affairs was astounding. It was hard to keep pace with her but her impact on our communications and promotion of graduate programs and students was profound." 

Students and staff across 丁香园AV rave about We鈥檚 signature generosity and community-mindedness.  

鈥淗er capacity for caring and taking care of everyone around while she was in GPS knew no bounds,鈥� says Deena Coburn, Director of GPS, recalling that she was happiest while planning graduate orientation for incoming students.  

鈥淔or months, Gladys would spend her time building on-line communities for graduate students to connect, being available to answer all questions for students and making sure the logistics of the day itself would be perfect to create a welcoming atmosphere for all the incoming students.鈥� 

Now a PhD candidate in Education, Jade Ho recalls when she came to 丁香园AV from Belize in 2013, We helped her feel welcome. 

鈥淚 had no knowledge of how anything worked at 丁香园AV and in Canada in general. Without Gladys, so many of us would be completely lost when we first arrived!鈥� says Ho.  

鈥淪he answered so many of my questions tirelessly and always shared timely and important information for international students and grad students. She was always so willing to chat anytime you visit her. She made me feel like I am part of this community before I even arrived.鈥� 

Likewise, We was known to be a generous, thoughtful mentor to emerging communications staff at 丁香园AV. Economics Communications Officer, Carmen Chin first met We while working for GPS as a co-op student in 2016. 

鈥淲hen I was interviewing for the co-op position in GPS, I was so nervous. But when we found out we both shared roots in Southeast Asia, we immediately bonded over our love for the food and all of the nervousness I felt during the interview just melted away 鈥� Gladys鈥� warm and welcoming personality made me feel at ease.鈥� 

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be where I am today without her,鈥� Chin continues, noting that We gave her guidance on career pathways and provided opportunities to explore her interests. 

鈥淓ven long after I ended my co-op work term with her, she was still there to support me and for that I鈥檓 forever grateful. It has been a pleasure being able to work alongside her at FASS these past three years and I鈥檓 glad I can call her both my mentor and friend.鈥�

Heading into retirement, We says she is excited to do more knitting, spinning, weaving and walking 鈥� but not all at once! One of her fondest memories was helping to market pilgrimage tours for Don Grayston and John Mills, and she hopes to finally walk those routes 鈥� London to Canterbury, or the Camino de Santiago 鈥� in their memory.

When you ask her what she has enjoyed the about her time at 丁香园AV or what she will miss, she answers without hesitation: 鈥淭he people! And the bagpipes at convocation,鈥� she laughs. 

鈥淏ut in all seriousness, I鈥檝e been so privileged to work with such amazing people over the decades, and that has honestly been the best part of the journey.鈥�

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences extends immense gratitude to Gladys We for her lifetime of service at 丁香园AV. Please join us in wishing her a joyful retirement and all the best in the next grand adventure! 

"Gladys has always been an early adopter of IT, social media platforms and software, pulling some of the luddites among us in her wake. Her understanding of how to make them work for public not for profit institutions is uncanny. And, she has always shown a sensitivity to their weaknesses. I remember best her incredible commitment to the President's Dream Colloquium, pushing all lucky participants to new levels in using public dissemination to really change ideas. Without her, the Big Data seminar would not have existed, nor done as well at challenging data authoritarianism and rehabilitating the public image of whistle blowers like Ed Snowden. But it has been her work in FASS to advance student emergency communication during COVID, defending the non-traditional learner, and protecting junior faculty from on line harrassment which has been remarkable. She is veritably, an academic administrator-entrepreneur committed to the public intellectual in the best sense. She raises the bar for all of us."

~ Catherine Murray, PhD., Professor Emerita, GSWS