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| Volume 11, Number 16 | April 16, 2004 |
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Faculty use General Academic Assembly as forum for concernsThe annual meeting of the University’s General Academic Assembly April 7 provided a forum for a number of faculty to express concerns on various topics to President Peter MacKinnon and Provost and Vice-President Academic Michael Atkinson. As in recent years, the GAA failed to have a quorum of members, but proceeded with general informational reports from MacKinnon and Council Chair Bob Lucas.
A couple of members pressed MacKinnon and Atkinson on what the evolving University Plan for 2003-07 intends to do with Extension Division. An April 2 Saskatoon StarPhoenix story suggested the University plans to save $2.5 million by revamping Extension. Bob Cram, humanities and social sciences program director in Extension, said the article “was surprising and even shocking, since almost no discussion has taken place on campus or with our extended partners.” Peter Jonker, environment science and technology program director in Extension, also told MacKinnon and Atkinson that decentralizing the extension function across campus “would have serious consequences for the University.” Atkinson told the GAA he didn’t say Extension’s budget would be freed up by reorganizing those services, and he agrees “the conversation that needs to take place hasn’t. Nothing will be decided precipitously.” But he told Cram and Jonker, “we do need to take a look at Extension Division, its services and organization. Shall we wait until we develop an Outreach Foundational Document? No. “We have enormous outreach responsibilities and in a sense we need to recapture and sharpen them,” Atkinson said, adding, “I think we will see some change in the Extension Division. Council will be consulted and Extension Division will be fully engaged” during any changes, he assured the GAA. Chemical Engineering department head Gordon Hill suggested the timeline for Council’s upcoming consideration of the draft University Plan for 2003-07 is too short and it should perhaps be put back to this fall. MacKinnon said the multi-year budget must go to the Board of Governors on May 7. Atkinson told Hill the plan is an evolving document that can take sharper shape in the future, and he said he was surprised this was the first he heard these concerns from Hill, who is a member of Council’s College Plans Review Committee, which has been very involved in development of the University plan. Psychology Associate Prof. Jim Cheesman told MacKinnon there are problems with collegiality on campus and some faculty fear retribution from academic administrators if they express their opinions on issues. “I think there are many people at this University now who are afraid to speak out,” Cheesman said. “Many deans and administrators have a corporate agenda.” To applause, he asked MacKinnon to urge them to respect collegiality. MacKinnon said, “I’m very troubled if in any quarter of the University there is a regime of fear and penalties.” He noted in recent years Council and the integrated planning process have been open and deliberative. He said he would like to pursue the question further with Cheesman.
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