CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS
U of Alberta restructuring plans questioned

The University of Alberta's plans to overhaul the institution's academic and administrative structure is facing criticism from faculty and staff.

The Interim Report of the Academic Restructuring Working Group, released in September, failed to quell the concerns of academic staff, according to Ricardo Acuña, President of the Association of Academic Staff: University of Alberta (AASUA).

Acuña says the focus of the process has been "almost exclusively on measuring financial efficiencies, while questions of academic integrity, research quality, talent attraction and stewardship, and student needs have taken a back seat."

The lack of effective consultation with academic staff and academic governance bodies is a significant worry.

"The General Faculties Council, the body ostensibly charged with approving and recommending these changes, has been given less than five full working days to digest 130 pages of material, and has only been allocated 50 minutes of agenda time to discuss those 130 pages," notes Acuña.

The restructuring proposals follow the administration's warning that "more job cuts are on the table" to address a $127-million gap in the University's budget.