Ronald "Ron" James Baker, (24 August 1924 – 12 December 2020) was a Canadian academic administrator. He was the first president of the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

(1969–1978). Born in London, England, Baker served with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

from 1943 to 1947 and trained in

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. In 1947, he emigrated to Canada. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1951 and a Master of Arts degree in 1953 from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

both in English. From 1954 to 1956, he did graduate work in the

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. In 1962, he was appointed associate professor at the University of British Columbia. Baker's specialty was the History and Structure of the English Language. His classes were popular, especially among aspiring writers and poets on campus, such as

Lionel Kearns Lionel John Kearns (born February 16, 1937) is a writer, educator, philosopher and polyartist, known for his innovative literary forms, and his contributions to the field of digital poetics.Jim Andrews. Vispo. https://www.vispo.com/kearns/about. ...

, and

George Bowering George Harry Bowering, (born December 1, 1935) is a prolific Canadian novelist, poet, historian, and biographer. He was the first Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate. Life and career Bowering was born in Penticton, British Columbia, and rai ...

, who acknowledged Baker's influence on their writing careers. While at UBC, Baker was involved in the production of John B. Macdonald's report, ''Higher Education in British Columbia and a Plan for the Future'' (1962), which led directly to the development of a second university (SFU) in the Lower Mainland. In 1964, he became the first faculty member hired by the President of

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

, Patrick McTaggart-Cowan. He was the Director of Academic Planning at Simon Fraser University and served as the first head of the English Department. From 1969 to 1978, he was president of the University of Prince Edward Island. He retired in 1991 and died in December 2020 at the age of 96.

Honours

In 1978, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. He was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...

, the

125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal () is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada and was awarded to Canadians who were deemed to have made ...

, the

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

, and the

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

. He has received honorary degrees from the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

(1970),

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccal ...

(1977), University of Prince Edward Island (1989), and Simon Fraser University (1990).

References

1924 births 2020 deaths Alumni of SOAS University of London Canadian university and college chief executives English emigrants to Canada Officers of the Order of Canada Military personnel from London Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Academic staff of Simon Fraser University University of British Columbia alumni Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Academic staff of the University of Prince Edward Island {{Canada-academic-bio-stub