Collegiality under attack
For centuries, shared governance has been at the heart of how universities run.
In fact, university boards are typically mandated by law to include relevant stakeholders (academic staff, administrators, students and members of the public) in their decision-making process.
But shared governance is under attack.
University and college boards are increasingly controlled by corporate appointees with little understanding of important academic matters. Decision-making powers are concentrated in the hands of a few – who act behind closed doors – while the voices of academic staff and other key stakeholders are being weakened or silenced.
It shouldn’t be this way. Academic staff, speak up and be heard!
Where do we go from here?
- Open up Board meetings
Public educational institutions that hold closed Board meetings are blatantly disregarding their duty of transparency. - Abolish non-disclosure policies
Non-disclosure policies keep members from commenting Board decisions – a violation of academic freedom. - Eliminate codes of conduct
Strict codes of conduct are intended to muzzle dissent by holding Board members to prejudicial standards of behaviour.
