
CAUT has written to University of Alberta President Bill Flanagan expressing concerns about the state of academic governance at the school. The Board of Governors recently decided to disregard a critical General Faculties Council (GFC) recommendation concerning the new college model proposal. Specifically, the GFC recommended against the creation of Executive Deans or any other additional layer of academic administration. The Board’s decision to disregard the recommendation of the GFC clearly violates fundamental principles of shared governance by undermining the authority of the GFC over academic matters. CAUT joins the Association of Academic Staff University of Alberta in calling on the Board to recommit to the principle of collegial governance by fully respecting the authority of the General Faculties Council.