ubc | James Colliander

Notes on Academic Freedom Dialogue hosted by UBCFA

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Robert Lee Auditorium in the Alumni Center, UBCFA Fall General Meeting:

My central takeaway from the discussion below and the preceding actions by the Sr. Advisor on Academic Freedom is that faculty at UBC should be concerned. Guppy’s Historical Note on academic freedom at UBC references the Smith report but presents no analysis of the issues surrounding the Berdahl Case. Why? When asked about the lack of consequences to senior and honorific administrators who collectively violated academic freedom at UBC, Professor Guppy confirms that the history shows that there are no consequences. His position is not equipped with any authority other than to provide guidance. When pressed, Professor Guppy pointed out that his role is to advise the Provosts and that he was not appointed by the President. However, the position that Guppy presently occupies was created by M. Piper. The terms of reference in the announcement of the position promises that UBC will hire a “specialist who will proactively work with faculty, staff, and governors to ensure that academic freedom is safeguarded and preserved at UBC.” Guppy has previously reported that he does not have access to the full Smith report. Why? And why wouldn’t he demand access to that document to carry out his charge? Between the time of Piper’s promises and today, it seems that the important role of the Sr. Advisor on Academic Freedom has been directed to avoid interacting with any aspects of the Berdahl/Gordon/Helsley/Montalbano case that launched the position.

UBCFA Fall General Meeting, Tues. Oct. 24

Posted on October 10, 2017 at 1:00 AM. Technical delays led to the meeting actually starting at 1:13pm.

Join us for a Dialogue on Academic Freedom, presented by Dr. Neil Guppy, Professor of Sociology & Senior Advisor to the Provost, Academic Freedom The UBCFA Constitution requires that a general meeting be held every Fall term. This year, the first order of business will be to appoint Hedden Chong LLP as auditors for the 2017 fiscal year. Following this, Professor Neil Guppy will lead a Dialogue on Academic Freedom.

Date and Time: Tuesday, October 24th starting at 1:00 p.m. Locations:

Robert H. Lee Family Boardroom, Alumni Centre (6163 University Blvd) UBC Okanagan (Video Conference) – Sci 331 We hope you can join us!

Faculty Association Executive

Nancy Langton brings the meeting together at 1:12p. The agenda is approved. The auditors are approved. The business actions are carried out very efficiently.

Neil Guppy is introduced as a Professor and as the Sr. Advisor to the Provost on Academic Freedom. Neil gave a discussion of academic freedom to the Board of Governors. They were perhaps not as enthusiastic as this audience will be to hear this presentation.
The creation of the Sr. Advisor on Academic Freedom postion was announced by Interim President M. Piper on 2015-10-15. In the same announcement, Piper reported that “UBC accepts and will be guided by the findings” of the Smith Report.
Neil Guppy was appointed Sr. Advisor on Academic Freedom on 2016-05-25. The announcement of this appointment was made by Provost (pro tem) Angela Redish and Provost Cynthia Matheson.
Neil Guppy wrote Academic Freedom at UBC: Historical Notes.
Another page on Academic Freedom at UBC.

Neil Guppy

This is (essentially) identical to the presentation I gave to the Board of Governors. He highlights the intial tasks:

lead a dialogue
education program
online tool
formalized module

This presentation was delivered many times across campus. The one thing that has changed up about this….I did not know that much about academic freedom when I stepped forward for this role. Many things come out of the blue and I’ve found the topic to be expansive and surprising. Does academic freedom apply to staff? I’d say yes at this time.

UBC Senate statement (1976) on academic freedom

What is academic freedom?

(a) freedom to pursue knoledge claims in whatever directions they take
(b) tenure to protect knowledge-seeking activity of all legitimate kinds
(c) collegial governance and scholarly critique of the admininstration
(d) ability of the scholar to participatge freely in public life

At what point should a Dean be able to criticize a strategic plan for the university? Is there a line where the critique of the administration should not be allowed? cites the Potter case at McGill. M. Piper, wrt this line, would not be able to speak her personal opinion since she would be speaking on behalf of the university.

My own view is that UBC is good on a, b and not so good on c, d.

Smith report remarks

Gupta….Montalbano/Berdahl…..slide changed too fast for me to keep up.

The public version of the Smith report is up online. Key points

Who has academic freedom?

individuals
universities

Who controls academic freedom?

Professions/Disciplines
- contexts/units in which we develop and disseminate knowledge – what is “academic”?
- questioning accepted wisdome key but within set boundaries – questioning, boundary setting
- duty to uphold standards and monitor disciplinary ranks

Restrictions and Responsibilities

Are there restrictions on academic freedom?
- Yes
How does academic freedom coexist with academic responsibilities?

Is academic freedom more than “freedom of expression”?

If yes, how does it differ?
- quality control – academic modifies the freedom
Is it less than “fredom of expression”?
Example: Why is the theory of evoution taught but not creationism?

Specific Issues of Academic Freedom

Teaching
Scholarly work
Governance
Donor relations

Questions

How do we handle the collision between the university and an individual?

What are the consequences for the failure to defend of academic freedom? When Justice Smith finds that Mr. Montalbano, Chancellor Gordon, and the leadership at Sauder contributed to a collective failure of academic freedom at UBC, why are there no consequences? OK, Mr. Montalbano resigned by the Chancellor, a position that is meant to be honorific, was reappointed to the Board. What is the impact of violating academic freedom?

“It appears that there are no consequences.”
“I am not able to provide further input on any specific case.”
Why not? “I was appointed as a special advisor to the Provost, not by the President. You seem to know more about this issue than me…”

What would you do now if a case like Berdahl/Montalbano arose again?

Based on the principles, I’d provide guidance. I’m not in a position in which I have disciplinary or punitive power.
The conclusion I see here is that the creation of this position has no authoritity to provide defense or intervention.
Based on what I see today, I wonder what UBC considers by the term “positive obligation” to protect academic freedom?

Cases

Buckingham case at USask

Media attention on the Buckingham case led to his reinstatement.
Quick resolution led to a legal non-disclosure agreement. There should have been a complete analysis.

Issue with grade changes case

Who owns the content created for online courses?

The meeting closed at 1:59pm.

The Lost Opportunity

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 19:25:29 +0000

I will vote no confidence in the UBC Board of Governors. My main reason is that this Board’s governance failure led to massive losses in opportunity. By forcing President Gupta to resign, John Montalbano, Lindsay Gordon and Greg Peet did great harm to UBC, the Province of British Columbia, Canada and our international partners. The consequences of their actions disqualify Mr. Gordon and Mr. Peet from playing any role in selecting the next President.

Hiring Gupta as President was no Fluke

Those who believe the whispers that Arvind Gupta lacked the “administrative experience” to be UBC President are invited to kiss the back side of a high velocity shovel. After achieving Full Professor with tenure at SFU, Dr. Gupta served as CEO and Scientific Director of Mitacs, a non-profit company that drives research-based innovation through partnerships intertwining government, industry and academia. Gupta led Mitacs on a tear:

Revenue grew at an average annual rate of 23% over 14 years.
More than $300 million of new money flowed into the Canadian higher education system.
Canada’s R&D ecosystem was enriched through 15,000 Mitacs academic-industrial internships.

Academic leaders noticed Gupta’s “Mitacs touch”: 60 (out of 95 nationwide) of Canada’s universities have become Mitacs partners. Government leaders noticed the Mitacs track record so Gupta was invited to serve on the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) and the Expert Panel that reviewed Federal support for R&D. The Expert Panel reviewed every program in Canada’s research and development ecosystem giving Gupta enormous insight. Industrial partners (like The Boeing Company) also noticed and partnered with Mitacs. The opportunities created by Gupta and his team were also noticed outside Canada: Brazil, France, India, Germany, Mexico, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam have all formed partnerships with Mitacs.

In Arvind Gupta, UBC had a leader who built partnerships with the Chrétien, Martin and Harper governments, with mutiple governments in each of the provinces, with thousands of companies, and with many foreign countries. UBC’s appointment received national media attention. Gupta, in what appears to have been a first for a university president, was named on the Maclean’s Power List of top 50 most important people in Canada. Gupta was also invited, another first for a university president, to the federal finance minister’s policy retreat. He may have lacked the experience of being a Dean but Arvind Gupta’s vision, connections and accomplishments qualified him to serve as President of UBC.

Lost Serendipity: Federal Election

2015 was a year of magical opportunity for the higher education system. Canada’s top three universities had new leadership. Former President of NSERC, Dr. Suzanne Fortier was entering her second year as Principal of McGill. Dr. Meric Gertler was entering his second year as President of the University of Toronto. Working together in advance of the federal election, Fortier, Gertler and Gupta had the chance to transform the government’s role in higher education. With Fortier’s Tri-Council background, Gertler’s expertise on cities, and Gupta’s record with Mitacs, these three university leaders had a unique opportunity to advocate for specific investments from the new government.

The Trudeau Government will soon announce details for the 2016 budget. If they’d had the chance, could Fortier, Gertler and Gupta have enlarged the Tri-Council budget by an additional $3.5 billion? Could the anticipated infrastructure investments have been redirected to support the knowledge economy? With Gertler and Fortier adding support to the innovative arguments presented to the Vancouver Board of Trade, could President Gupta have secured billions in federal infrastructure investment for the Broadway transportation corridor? These serendipitous opportunities were lost when the UBC Board of Governors broke the synergy of this trio by forcing the resignation of President Gupta.

Lost Serindipity: Provincial Election

Gupta’s vision for UBC, as outlined in the leaked document from January 30, 2015, included a province-wide strategy with an expanded role for UBC Okanagan and a renewed focus on research excellence. The document also revealed plans for sustainable need-based and merit-based bursaries to support students. These plans have emerged as the Centennial Scholars Program, a legacy milestone during Gupta’s abridged presidency. Equipped with mathematical models, government relations expertise, and new mechansims to fund students, Gupta was poised to transform the rigid 2% formula for funding higher education that has been in place since 2005. With Ontario’s recent move to make tuition free for thousands of students and the upcoming provincial election, UBC had a special opportunity to influence the platforms of the political parties. The election is scheduled for May 9, 2017 so the platform planning activities will be taking place this summer and fall. UBC lost its opportunity to have an established president in place, with a team and strategy ready to influence government during this period. The Board took actions that left UBC tactically disadvantaged to leverage the 41st General Election of British Columbia.

Lost Money, Lost Leadership, Lost Momentum

The presidential search, inaugurations, transition costs and legal fees will cost UBC millions of dollars. In the absence of a clear strategic vision, a mishmash of administrators from the Toope, Gupta and interim Piper presidencies direct their units as best they can. The next president will certainly make personnel changes which will incur costs. Thirty-nine days before President Gupta was forced to resign, UBC welcomed his administration’s new Vice President Finance Andrew Simpson. Mr. Simpson relocated to Vancouver from New Zealand. Actions by the current UBC Board created a situation in which Arvind Gupta continues to be paid presidential salary while UBC also pays the salary of Interim President Piper. Instead of investing in scholarships, research facilities, or faculty renewal, this Board wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on a presidential transition. Their reasons for taking these actions remain unexplained.

No Confidence

UBC lost a great opportunity in Arvind Gupta as president. Rather than a different president, what UBC needed was a successful presidency, which requires support of the Board of Governors. Actions by the Board have created initial conditions that make a successful presidency extremely unlikely. The leaked documents reveal that Chancellor Lindsay Gordon, Vice Chair Greg Peet and former Chair John Montalbano acted as a secret committee to force the resignation of President Gupta, without rightful involvement of other governors, and without the formal performance review promised in his contract. The unexplained termination of the previous president caused a loss of momentum and reputational damage to an institution that will be dealing with a prolonged period of unstable, incoherent, and unfocused management. Mr. Gordon and Mr. Peet are leading the search for the next president. Why, and on what basis and authority, were these men allowed to abort a presidency? With no new governance review or new best practices in place, what will prevent the formation of a future secret committee to control, interfere with or terminate the next presidency? The circumstances are suspicious. Can some members of the Board, acting secretly, wield excessive coercion over the next UBC president? The actions of this Board of Governors have done great harm to UBC, to British Columbia and to Canada. I stand with hundreds of my faculty colleagues to publicly indicate No Confidence in the UBC Board of Governors.

I am Joining PIMS and UBC Math

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 19:10:03 +0000

I’m excited to be joining the Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences as Deputy Director and the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia.

Here is a link to the announcement: http://www.pims.math.ca/news/james-colliander-appointed-deputy-director-pims

(I have moved my blog and web presence over here: http://colliand.com/)