Academic Freedom 27. in the Managed University. Controversy, Conflict and Control February 2016

Transcription

1 27. Academic Freedom in the Managed University Controversy, Conflict and Control February 2016 Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto Details at CroweFoundation.ca PHOTO: MOPIC/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

2 Academic Freedom in the Managed University: Controversy, Conflict, and Control February 26-27, 2016 Courtyard By Marriott Toronto Downtown 475 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario Academic freedom is widely recognized as the defining feature and central value of university and college life. It is a freedom that has always faced threats from powerful interests outside the university. Today, developments within campuses are limiting the ability of academic staff to exercise their right to speak, teach, and conduct research without constraint. The increasing concentration of power in the senior administration and the development of new managerial tools and policies to control and regulate faculty performance and behaviour point to the emergence of a new front in the struggle over academic freedom. This conference explores the rise of managerial fundamentalism in the academy, how it is manifested, what it means for academic staff, and what can be done to defend the principle of academic freedom. Draft Agenda Friday, February 26 08:00 09:00 Registration 09:00 09:15 Welcome and Overview David Johnson, President, Harry Crowe Foundation David Robinson, Executive Director, Canadian Association of University Teachers 09:15 10:30 Academic Freedom and Political Necessity? 10:30 11:00 Break Keynote Address: Thomas Docherty, University of Warwick

3 Harry Crowe Foundation February 26-27, 2016 Draft Agenda Page 2 / 3 11:00 12:30 Where Are the Faculty? The Shifting Sands of University and College Governance 12:30 14:00 Lunch (provided) The undermining of collegial governance is increasingly sidelining academic staff from key decisions involving institutional priorities, curriculum, planning, and pedagogy. What do the erosion of collegial governance and the rise of managerial fundamentalism mean for the mission of universities and colleges, and for the academic freedom of staff? Peter McInnis, St. Francis Xavier University Ellen Schrecker, Yeshiva University 14:00 15:30 Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste: Academic Freedom and the Politics of Austerity 15:30 16:00 Break Claiming financial conditions demand austerity measures, universities and colleges are enacting cuts, raising tuition fees, implementing program prioritization exercises, and developing new budgeting models to drastically reduce costs. Is austerity really justified or are institutions using alleged financial crises to consolidate power and further marginalize faculty? How are various austerity measures affecting the exercise of academic freedom? Alison Hearn, Western University Len Findlay, University of Saskatchewan 16:00 17:30 Counting Out the Scholars: Measuring Faculty Performance and Productivity The use of performance indicators and metrics to assess various institutional outputs has been a controversial feature of post-secondary education for decades. More recently, however, governments and institutions are exploring new ways of quantifying faculty performance and productivity, from assessing impact to measuring student learning outcomes. Do these measures constrain academic freedom? Marc Spooner, University of Regina Sandra Grey, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand 18:00 19:30 Cash Bar Reception

4 Harry Crowe Foundation February 26-27, 2016 Draft Agenda Page 3 / 3 Saturday, February 27 09:00 10:30 Civility and its Discontents: Respectful Workplaces and Academic Freedom 10:30 11:00 Break A number of universities and colleges have in recent years adopted various measures intended to deal with the problems of harassment and discrimination on campus. Examples include respectful workplace policies, codes of civil behaviour and speech, and anti-bullying rules. Are these policies and rules necessary to prevent harmful and offensive speech, or do they put unacceptable limits on academic freedom? Michele M. Moody-Adams, Columbia University Frank Furedi, University of Kent 11:00 12:30 De-Professionalization and Academic Freedom: The Changing Face of Academic Labour The nature of the academic labour force has changed dramatically in recent years with the rapid rise in the number of contract academic staff. In some institutions, the majority of faculty are now not eligible for tenure. What are the implications of this trend for shared governance and academic freedom? What can be done to extend professional rights to contract staff? Gary Rhoades, University of Arizona Sally Hunt, General Secretary, University and College Union, United Kingdom 12:30 14:30 Lunch (on one s own) 14:30 16:00 Conclusions Penni Stewart, York University James L. Turk, Ryerson University

5 The purposes of this enquiry were twofold. The Academic Freedom Freedom of Expression Institutional Autonomy Research Integrity Scholarship first was to lend the weight of the Association to Professor Crowe in his difficult position if it were found as it was found that he had been unjustly dismissed. The second and no less important purpose was, by defining the issues and stating certain principles of right academic behaviour, to strengthen the concept of academic freedom throughout Canada. Injustice to one professor is injustice to all, and a proper defence in one instance increases the security of all. It is to be hoped that, whatever the outcome of this unhappy incident, the concepts of academic freedom and tenure, and of the teacher's essential role in the community, will be more fully understood within and without the profession. Every teacher in Canada owes a debt of gratitude to the two members of the Committee who conducted this difficult assignment with such thoroughness and dignity. Editorial preface to the Report of the Investigating Committee (V.C. Fowke and Bora Laskin) into the case of the dismissal of Professor H.S. Crowe as it appeared in the C.A.U.T. Bulletin in January of Protecting Academic Freedom 2705 Queensview Drive Ottawa, Ontario K2B 8K2 Tel: Fax: hcf@crowefoundation.ca

6 Universities and colleges play a vital role in our society. Help defend academic freedom and scholarship in Canada. The Harry Crowe Foundation In November of 2002, the governing Council of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) established a new foundation to carry out education and research on the role of postsecondary education in contemporary society. Named the Harry Crowe Foundation after the person whose academic freedom case gave rise to the modern day CAUT, the foundation sponsors research and organizes conferences on such issues as freedom of expression, the politicization of academic work, social factors affecting research priorities, institutional autonomy and governance, and scholarly communication in a digital age. PLEASE DETACH OR PHOTOCOPY DONATION FORM Our Intellectual Heritage Is Precious If you value academic freedom, please support the Harry Crowe Foundation, a registered charity that undertakes education and research on freedom of expression, institutional autonomy, and the integrity of academic research and scholarship. To contribute, fill out the coupon below and mail it to the Harry Crowe Foundation. Donors will receive a charitable tax receipt. Two ways to donate One Time Gift Monthly Pledge AMOUNT PAYMENT AMOUNT* PAYMENT $50 VISA $10/mth. Bank Account $75 Mastercard $15/mth. Please enclose a voided cheque $100 Cheque $25/mth. $250 Payable to $40/mth VISA Other $ Harry Crowe Foundation Other $ /mth. Mastercard If donating by credit card, please complete: * Monthly pledge can be changed or cancelled by the contributor at any time. Card # Expiry Date Signature Contact Information Name Address City Province Postal Code The Harry Crowe Foundation is committed to protecting personal information provided by individual donors. Please see the Foundation s privacy statement at Queensview Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2B 8K2 Tel: Fax: hcf@crowefoundation.ca