Page 26 - NJC Magazine_Fall_2018

Jim McMurtry 1992-1996
Dayle and I worked together from 1992-96, and I remember how daunting her task was at first, for the College had seen its numbers fall along with the value of the dollar vis-a-vis the Swiss franc. Every new recruit was greeted with the enthusiasm of the crowd at Times Square on New Year's Eve. She did a brilliant job of modernizing NJC's marketing. She also kept telling
me of this new thing called email, and how it would save me a lot of time.
I remember resisting some of her technological suggestions, coming from a family where my father still doesn't use a computer! Yet, in time, I was an excited aficionado of email and so much else, for I had a desire to write long and frequent updates to parents. If memory serves me well, Dayle was hired by Mr. Hugh Hall, Chair of the Canadian Committee. Hugh was highly energetic and brought much to the College. They made a great team. After a few years both Hugh and I moved on, but Dayle remained for an additional couple of decades, making the College very lucky indeed. I can't imagine Dayle retiring anytime soon, for she appeared to be a lot younger than I, and I wish her the very best in her new career. Like so many of us, Dayle will not leave NJC behind entirely, for the memories she has made in working for such a magical little international school at the foot of the Jura Mountains will long brighten her days.
Nancy Edwards 1996-2002
It is usually an exaggeration to claim that someone is irreplaceable to an organization, but in the case of Dayle Leishman, I would argue that if ever this statement is accurate, it is accurate with regard to her contributions to Neuchâtel Junior College. Her breath-taking, almost super-human efficiency was always coupled, in my experience, by human warmth and modest friendliness, Her ability to keep the school constantly modernizing went together with an understanding of and loyalty to its core values. She could be full of fun, and she could be an enabling engine of formidable talent. She was a loyal and decent human being, not given to the gossip and egotism that can poison many an organization. It is a loss to NJC that I am using the past tense, but I am sure that Dayle will draw on this, sadly unusual, combination of qualities to transform other organisations and to touch other human beings in her future. It was a pleasure to work with you Dayle, and using the present tense, it is a pleasure to know you.
Norman Southward 2002-2009
As Principal of NJC from 2002-2009, it was always re-assuring to know that Dayle Leishman was running the College’s Canadian operations with such professionalism and care. The six hour time difference often involved late nights and early mornings as we updated each other on the College’s activities on both sides of the Atlantic. Dayle always held the highest standards for NJC – from the recruitment of students to developing the unique network
of NJC families and alumni from across Canada. The annual cycle of renewing an entire student body involved a strong business acumen, a sense for youth, building relationships and a good dose of resilience! Dayle proudly accompanied each new student cohort for the orientation to Switzerland and took a genuine interest in the growth of every student over the course of their semester or year of studies abroad. After 25 years she helped shape the unique
Neuchâtel experience that has touched the lives of so many. Congratulations Dayle – and thank you for all you have contributed to the Neuchâtel of both past and future!
Bill Boyer 1989-1992, 2009-2018
I met Dayle Leishman about 30 years ago when I was appointed Head of School the first time (1989). Dayle was working as an assistant to Hugh
Hall who was the Chair of the NJC Canadian Advisory Committee at the time. When I returned to Canada in 1992, Dayle was hired the following year to be the Canadian Representative for NJC. This was following several years of a small office in Ottawa with the late, Mrs. Jean Barton in that role. The decision was made to move the office to Toronto where it was hoped that the school would have a higher profile and be more easily accessed by interested families. Dayle remained in that role for over 25 years, essentially looking after all of the responsibilities for many years, some of which are now under the auspices of two or three others in the Canadian Office. Through Dayle’s diligence and passion for the school, her responsibilities grew quickly and her workload intensified. Although I did not work alongside Dayle
in my first term of duty as Head of School, I did spend my last nine years working closely with her and sharing her passion for NJC. She was not
only a dedicated employee of the school, but also the mother of two of its graduates, Emma ‘15 and Tess ‘18. Dayle always placed the best interests of the school as her top priority. It is safe to say that no one knows the families and students themselves better than Dayle. She could always impress me with her ability to recall not only the names of former students, but their parents as well...and the students’ years of graduation! Dayle’s institutional knowledge will be sorely missed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for everything she did for our school, and to wish her and her family much happiness and success in the years to come. Merci Dayle et bonne chance à l’avenir!
Andrew Keleher 2018-Present
Dayle Leishman’s work over the past quarter-century has been front and centre in the Canadian Office and has made a positive and lasting impact
on our institution as a whole. Among countless other responsibilities, she
has been a steady presence for parents, faculty, staff, and the entire NJC community; someone who has kept the engine running through her detailed and thoughtful communication to incoming families and alumni, in liaising with stakeholders, organizing events large and small—including the 40th, 50th and 60th Anniversaries—and knowing our alumni like none other. Every September, Mrs. Leishman would accompany our new students from Toronto and take part in the orientation trip, to see off the next graduating class as they embarked on their NJC journey—a symbolic and important connection between Canada and Swiss operations. Dayle’s involvement and influence with NJC cannot be overstated, and she will be missed. I wish her every success and happiness on the road ahead. Dayle has an open invitation to return to visit, for she will forever be a member of the NJC community, as past staff member and alumni parent of her beloved daughters Emma ’15 and Tess ‘18. On behalf of the entire NJC community: Thank You, Dayle and congratulations!
Celebrating 25 Years of Service
Director of Canadian Operations and
Alumni Relations Retires
Thank you, Dayle Leishman, from all of us and from all of the Heads of School you served...
24 Neuchâtel Junior College Magazine