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Category Archives: Board of Governors
An open letter to John Montalbano, chair of the UBC Board of Governors
Dear Sir, I have been a faculty member at UBC for 38 years, and I have served this great university in many other functions, including six years on the Board of Governors (2008-14), three of them on the Board’s Management … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors
Tagged John Montalbano, Martha Piper, Shared Governance, UBC
17 Comments
A ton of career blood in the cause of clearly defining academic freedom
“This letter is also to advise you that the administration leave scheduled to begin on July 1, 2014 is hereby revoked…You are to receive your final pay on May 30, 2014, as per the normal payroll cycle. You are to … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors
Tagged Brett Fairbairn, Ilene Busch-Vishniac, Robert Buckingham, U. Saskatchewan
3 Comments
On the dark side of philanthropy
“We are deeply disappointed that Janis Sarra has had to step down as Director of the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies… Like her, we will all work to secure the academic independence of the Institute and its programs, and … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds, Uncategorized
Tagged Academic freedom, Independence, Jim Balsillie, Munk Institute, UBC, Wall Institute, Waterloo, York University
1 Comment
Return on investment in faculty rarely captured by university CFOs
“Mr. President, We are not employees of the university. We are the university.” With these words, Isidore Rabi, a distinguished faculty member at Columbia University, interrupted Dwight Eisenhower, who had started off a speech by addressing the faculty as “employees … Continue reading
UBC appoints a doer as its 13th President
Once again, UBC has steered clear of appointing a career university administrator for its top position. Unlike UofT and UVic, who opted for the ultimate insiders, and McGill, who went for a consummate bureaucrat, UBC has chosen to appoint a … Continue reading
Bye Bye Board
Yesterday was my last day on the UBC Board of Governors, the end of an extremely rewarding six-year stint. To the faculty who elected me decisively twice for the Board and another time for the Presidential search committee, I say … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors
Tagged Board of Governors, Brad Bennett, Doug Mitchell, John Montalbano, Stephen Toope, UBC
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UBC Board approves improved faculty housing assistance program
It is hiring season at UBC and my inbox was feeling it. “Housing is proving a major factor in our current recruitment round. What is the status of the housing action plan,” wrote a department head. Similar queries were coming … Continue reading
Cost-cutting in post-secondary institutions: Rank and Yank, Lift and Shift
All the bulletins open with the same rhetoric: Universities are undergoing historic change due to the sharp downward shift in government funding, hence there is an urgent need to remove redundancy and cost while being able to preserve and improve … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds, Uncategorized
Tagged Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Saskatchewan
3 Comments
From “shared governance” to “shared services”: Lessons from the University of Michigan
A revolt is brewing at the University of Michigan. More than a thousand faculty members have signed an open letter to President Coleman and Provost Pollack: “Restore sanity to the University of Michigan.” A recent article in InsideHigherEd tells the story: “Corporatization” schemes, … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors
4 Comments
The UBC Faculty Housing Action Plan revisited
Thirteen months ago, a message to the faculty was sent on my behalf as Chair of the UBC Community Planning Task Group, announcing the UBC Housing Action Plan as approved by the Board of Governors. The plan addressed –among other things– the problem of housing affordability for tenured and … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Uncategorized
16 Comments
Beyond “the homely West-side heritage home” that shelters UBC-Mathematics
I have just received the annual newsletter of the mathematics department (my department) at the University of British Columbia. And I learned a few new facts that are worth sharing. Thanks to an interesting interview with Andrew Weaver, the very … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds
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UBC Presidential Search Committee: Large yet not representative enough
“I understand you have been elected to serve on the Presidential Search Committee. Thank you so much for taking this important task on,” wrote the Chancellor. It is of course always nice to hear that you have once again gained … Continue reading
Salary arbitration: Is the UBC Administration putting its respectable legacy on the line?
Thousands of UBC faculty members are without a contract since July 1, 2012 even though negotiations between the Administration and the Faculty Association (FA) started back in February 2012. After several failed attempts at direct bargaining, the parties have now decided to … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors
1 Comment
The faculty at UBC-Vancouver also want in!
It can get quite lonely for faculty representatives on the Board of Governors. I have written before about the latent disparity in status between the elected and the appointed. But there is also the occasional dreadful feeling: what if no … Continue reading
Nota Bene
I was not surprised to receive some push back on my last blog. I have also had a chance to revisit some of the issues I raised and the way they sounded. They are important, and it is certainly my … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors
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How far and how much could a university administration commit its successor?
Ever since Stephen Toope announced the date of his resignation from the presidency of UBC, I and a few other members of the Board of Governors have been struggling with some tough questions. Should this administration stop, or at least … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors
1 Comment
The people who let you “matter” and those who don’t
Being singled out by the Ubyssey as one of “The people who mattered at UBC in 2012-13” brought much honour and satisfaction, but also introspection. For someone who fusses regularly about whether his latest actions mattered, the mention by the venerable … Continue reading
A “piece of mind” on university governance revisited
“Your post was so highly elliptical that individuals involved will be pissed and onlookers will be puzzled,” wrote one friend. The latter part of his statement got my attention. A few other personal emails, Menzies’ comment below, and Wakefield’s column … Continue reading
When the faculty needs to step up for their universities
(From the archives) Stephen Toope announced yesterday that he would be stepping down as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia at the end of June 2014. This is a very unfortunate turn of events for UBC, and not only … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, UBC Presidential Search
2 Comments
Piece of Mind 