Obituary: Paul Bates led expansion of McMaster business school into Burlington
Paul Bates was instrumental in expanding McMaster University into Burlington and establishing the Ron Joyce Centre satellite campus.
But he faced turmoil during his six years (2004 to 2010) as dean of the Michael DeGroote School of Business, dealing with criticism from some faculty over his qualifications and his direction for the department.
Six professors were disciplined in 2013 by McMaster for their outspokenness - they were found to have engaged in bullying and harassing behaviour. Five were suspended without pay for various terms and one received a formal reprimand.
Though he was supported by some business students in a petition and a vote, and by businessman DeGroote (the school was named after him in 1992 due to a $3-million donation), 60 per cent of the 60-member faculty voted that Bates should not get a second five-year term in 2009.
In the end, Bates - who died Sept. 4 at age 71 - stepped down a year into his second term in order to resolve the dispute. The Carlisle-area resident went to work in a non-academic role at the Burlington campus on South Service Road. The $28-million facility opened in September 2010.
I think it came to both of us (then-McMaster president Patrick Deane) that we'd reached a point where there was an impasse that my staying wouldn't solve," Bates told The Spectator.
A very successful businessman and leader in the investment world, Bates was the first person without a PhD appointed as dean. He knew there was some grumbling from faculty about his hiring, but he believed he could smooth it over. He was called a perfect fit" by one McMaster official.
There are probably a few, a handful, who perhaps if they were in a room without me, would say they're not really sure about having a business person in here," he told The Spectator in 2005.
But I'd say that the overwhelming majority of faculty understand that I'm not there to be a pretend academic, that I'm there to build a school and rely on their academic prowess."
Bates might have had the winds against him from the outset. A 2010 report on the department said it had a culture of bullying and harassment and had a reputation for eating its deans."
Khaled Hassanein, the current dean of the business school, said it benefited greatly from Bates's vision.
He worked tirelessly to make the Ron Joyce Centre, our Burlington campus, a reality, leading the planning and development," he said.
This has been a very important achievement in DeGroote's history, providing critical growth for students in the MBA and executive education programs."
He said Bates was well-known for connecting with students.
There is no denying that made an impact on the students who had the fortune to call him dean," added Hassanein.
Bates was born Dec. 29, 1950, to Charles and Violet Bates and grew up in London. He graduated from college and went to work as a traffic cop. He directed traffic outside the National Westminster Bank and got to know a manager who offered him a job as a teller.
He worked his way up and came to Canada in 1973 to work for the Bank of Nova Scotia. He later worked for Royal Trust and then First Marathon Securities in Toronto. He started Priority Brokerage and it was bought out by Charles Schwab. He then became head of Charles Schwab Canada.
In 2000, Bates was named Canada's most influential broker by Executive Magazine. He taught marketing at the Rotman School of Management, served on the board of the Toronto Stock Exchange and as a commissioner for the Ontario Securities Commission.
After leaving DeGroote, Bates pursued studies at the masters and PhD level at McMaster's Divinity College and worked there as an assistant professor. The provincial Liberal government in 2015 named him to a panel to review Ontario's regulations governing financial planners.
Bates is survived by his wife Sally, daughters Rachel, Elizabeth and Charlotte and three grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister and brother.
Daniel Nolan can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com