April 2008

vol. 3 no 1

• BEING A PROFESSOR : SUCH A RESPONSIBILITY!

o Reflections on professoral responsibility : just what am I responsible for?
o Vocation : university professor. Family as refuge against "publish or perish"
o Ethics and professoral work

• WHO "OWNS" THE UNIVERSITY?

• ACADEMIC RESEARCH – ASSESSMENT AND PROSPECTS

• WOMEN AND UNIVERSITIES

• HIGHER EDUCATION : ISSUES AND ALLIANCES IN NORTH AMERICA

o Building Alliances for Higher Education, a joint NEA-AFT Conference in Washington
o North American labour representatives caucus

• FQPPU NEWS BRIEFS

o Major survey of Quebec professors
o University Financing
o University organization and administration

• UNIONS NEWS

• SUGGESTED READING

BEING A PROFESSOR: SUCH A RESPONSABILITY!

There are several reasons for taking this moment to talk about professoral responsibilities. Despite the crucial role that university professors play in the development and transmission of knowledge and despite their many contributions to society as experts in various domains, their duties are little understood. In addition, professors rarely have the opportunity to reflect collectively on their professional responsibilities.

In order to give professors a chance to share their thoughts on various aspects of their responsibilities, FQPPU has made space on its website for sharing information and exchanges. We hope that collecting these texts together — reflections, opinions, analyses, experiences — we can gain a better perception of the role and responsibilities assumed by university professors in Quebec and elsewhere. Anyone interested can send their contributions.

Several colleagues have already replied to our invitation. We present here a brief sampling of their contributions. The full text may be seen on our website.

• REFLECTIONS ON PROFESSORAL RESPONSIBILITY: JUS WHAT AM I RESPONSIBLE FOR?

Jocelyne Labrèche, professor in the Département des sciences du développement humain et social at Université du Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT)

Inspired by her own values and experiences, Jocelyne Labrèche reflects (in French only) on professoral responsibility. She traces her path since entry into the profession 27 years ago, when conditions were quite different but still seen as very demanding and above all, entailing many responsibilities. Because professors enjoy a high degree of autonomy in carrying out their duties, learning the responsibilities — « the ones I was responsible for », she says — was her first challenge. Concretely, it involved performing tasks expected by the students and the community, but completing these tasks involved shared responsibilities. With specific examples drawn mainly from her teaching and administrative duties, Professor Labrèche shows us that these shared responsibilities, difficult to define, change over the course of the career and are embodied in daily practice. In short, professoral responsibilities are an integral part of the « wheel of preservation, advancement and dissemination of knowledge ».

• VOCATION: UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR. FAMILY AS REFUGE AGAINST "PUBLISH OR PERISH"

François Courcy, professor, Department of psychology at Université de Sherbrooke

Our colleague Courcy gives an illuminating account (in French only) of the daily life of a professor. With examples illustrating ignorance of professoral workload and the expectations weighing on new professors from the moment they arrive, he portrays the dilemmas each new prof must resolve in order to identify the extent of his or her workload. Proud father, Courcy finds in family life what he calls his refuge, his antidote against anxiety and the publish or perish imperative. He presents here the making of an ordinary hero, one who has chosen the vocation of university professor.

• ETHICS AND PROFESSORAL WORK

In 1997, FQPPU adopted its policy statement « L'Éthique en milieu universitaire » (in French only). This policy states that working in the university entailed responsibilities which are necessarily shared. It recognizes the importance of academic freedom and the necessity of organizational participation, both collegial and decision-making, professional and syndical. A decade later, ethics is talked about everywhere but what is the situation within the university? Among the actions undertaken by the Fédération to define ethical behaviours in a university setting, foremost are those dealing with questions of research and sexual and psychological harassment. Should we revisit FQPPU’s policies?

The Education International (EI) adopted its « Declaration on Professional Ethics » in 2001. It set forth the individual and collective obligations of staff and students at all educational levels towards education and society as a whole, towards students, colleagues, administrative staff and parents, as well as the obligations of the community towards teachers.

In 2005 UNESCO adopted its Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. Addressing « ethical issues in medicine, life sciences and associated technologies », the declaration is aimed at States but also as appropriate to individuals, groups, communities, institutions and corporations, public and private. It proposes fifteen (15) principles directly touching decisions in policy and research matters. Universities are not mentioned in the declaration although responsibility for education and professional training in these fields and for research on bioethical matters falls partly on university establishments and on professors.

On the theme of technology and engineering, the website « dialogues, proposals, stories for global citizenship » (DPH) makes available experiences and files containing analysis and further reading on « philosophy, ethics and pedagogy »(in French only). The Centre Éthique, Technique & Société de l'Institut Catholique des Arts et Métiers de Lille (France) invites us to reflect philosophically on the role and training of engineers and the evolution of their responsibilities in the context of a rapidly transforming society. Several topics closely related to ethics in key areas of human activity are also considered.

Ten (10) principles for the exercise of human responsibilities could inspire the wording of responsibilities for university professors and for any other group engaged in collective reflection on this subject. The Alliance citoyenne pour une Charte des responsabilités humaines proposes principles which can be adapted to apply to various activities or aspects of life in society. Pretext for discussion, the text being developed - pre-text for a Charter of Human Responsibilities.

WHO "OWNS" THE UNIVERSITY?

This May 8 coming, FQPPU will hold its 3^rd annual colloquium at Quebec during ACFAS, on the theme Who « owns » the university? (in French only). Knowledge is an essential part of society’s progress – how ever one defines progress- and in this context the university more than ever is sought after for its ability to further knowledge. It is not surprising therefore that, for a little more than a decade, it is not clear who « owns » the university as institution : the State, which legislates policies ? big business, which seeks to commercialize knowledge ? boards of governors ? students, now increasingly seen as clients ? lecturers, who give more than half the courses ? professors, who are central to teaching and research ? « society », which supplies most of its funding ? FQPPU invites all those who are concerned for the future of the university to come and take part in the debate on this crucial question.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH – ASSESSMENT AND PROSPECTS

Last January 18, FQPPU held a Seminar on university research – Assessment and prospects. Five invited speakers — Isabelle Dostaler (Concordia), Marie-Élise Parent (INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier), Louise Vandelac (UQAM) Claude Côté (Association des chercheurs(es) professionnels(les) du Québec) and Normand Mousseau (Université de Montréal) — presented their views on the subject as a starting point for discussions. The goal of the seminar, which drew 23 participants, was to discuss the current situation and future prospects of research, and to lay the groundwork for an eventual working group to study in depth this topic so dear to the heart of the professoriate and FQPPU.

The debate revealed the complexity of the subject and the abundance of matters to discuss. In fact, one day was not enough to do it justice. However, from the discussion the Comité exécutif was able to confirm several analyses and hypotheses, and to identify certain courses of future action, some of which are already in the works. Among the action principles affirmed by participants let us mention the need to :

• affirm and defend the distinct nature of university research, especially as concerns the incompatibility between public research and the short-term interests of corporations;
• affirm the link between teaching and research and ensure greater stability at the core of the system, notably in putting an end to « schizophrenic » funding of university missions;
• carry out studies and analyses to deepen our understanding of the situation, while collecting quantitative data and personal experiences.

One political aspect caught everyone’s attention. It concerns the future of public research and can be summed up as follows : Who is competent (1) to make decisions about the direction of research ?; (2) to recognize research likely to produce innovative results and their eventual commercial success?; and (3) to identify the key themes in humanities and social sciences ? A full account (in French only) is available to FQPPU members on our site.

WOMEN AND UNIVERSITIES

On February 8 this year, FQPPU invited female professors to take part in a study session on women and universities. Ten accepted and shared facts and analysis on the current situation for women in the university. Three topics in particular emerged : female representation on the universities’ decision-making bodies, reconciling work, family and personal life, and salary equity.

While participants recognized the distance come by women, who are now in the majority among undergraduate and masters students. They agreed that achieving equality in all fields and at all levels remains a real challenge. Competition, which has entrenched itself everywhere in the university, requires an even greater vigilance now to avoid having women’s gains damaged by a backlash. Participants expressed a desire that FQPPU help revive solidarity networks, formal and informal, for women profs, work on improving integration procedures for new profs, give priority to the problem of work-family reconciliation, and study new forms of salary inequity which are in full upswing. A press release entitled L’université québécoise a appris ses leçons, mais doit poursuivre ses devoirs (in French only) was circulated in time for International Women’s Day.

A full account (in French only) is available to FQPPU members on its website.

The secretary of FQPPU, Françoise Naudillon, participated in the 52^nd session of the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women. It drew record participation, especially from labour representatives, and unsurprisingly, a prime topic was the urgent need for real access to education for women and girls around the world. Among other topics discussed were the Millennium development goals – goals which no-one expects to be achieved due to a lack of sufficient investments – and women’s access to decent jobs. On this subject, representatives from the labour movement agreed on the pertinence of developing a labour programme towards decent employment, and this before the Doha International Conference on Financing for Development in late 2008. The full report (in French only) is available on the FQPPU website.

HIGHER EDUCATION : ISSUES ANS ALLIANCES IN NORTH AMERICA

• BUILDING ALLIANCES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, A JOINT NEA-AFT CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON

Last March 28 to 30, the President of FQPPU took part in Building Alliances for Higher Education, a conference organized jointly by the two biggest labour organizations in the education sector in the United States, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Seven hundred and fifty (750) people attended the conference which was a rare opportunity for faculty association representatives to discuss the chief issues facing colleges and universities, access to postsecondary studies and academic working conditions. Several workshops dealt with the consequences of underfunding for establishments and the need to develop alliances in order to tackle the fundamental problems affecting the quality of university services. Among the topics most hotly debated were the lack of secure employment for professors, academic liberty and the deterioration of work and study conditions in universities and colleges, and the need for lobbying for education in the public administration and political party sectors.

One of the many sessions on the agenda was entitled Higher Education Across Borders : A Discussion of Accountability and Contingency with Colleagues from Canada. At this session the Quebec speakers were Marie Blais from FNEEQ-CSN, Diane Charlebois from CSQ and Cécile Sabourin from FQPPU; CAUT’s Greg Allain spoke for Canada and Theresa Montano of NEA and Sandra Schroeder of AFT represented the US. It was an opportunity to address various issues as experienced in Quebec, in the rest of Canada, and in the United States. In Canada and the US, constitutional responsibility for higher education is assigned not to the federal but to provincial or state jurisdictions. In both countries the result is legislative and funding mechanism diversity and serious disparities across the nation. The same trends are felt on both sides of the border, notably the shrinking government funding for establishments of higher learning. The wide range of financial shortfall is most likely the reason for the often substantial differences in tuition fees, employment security and working conditions overall. Despite the short length of the session, the questions and discussions were proof that the topics raised by each speaker – governance, lack of secure employment, fears regarding imposition of standardized testing, simplistic notions of rendering of accounts – reflected real workplace problems for those present.

• NORTH AMERICAN LABOUR REPRESENTATIVES CAUCUS

Following the Conference representatives of North American labour associations met for a third time. Apart from exchanging views and information on various topics, the meeting was a chance to agree on possible joint action required to counter a threat currently facing universities, namely the OECD’s use of standardized testing of students’ knowledge and skills, or Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Concerted action will be undertaken by FQPPU, NEA and AFT to publicize their joint views on this topic, views which FQPPU, together with CAUT and FNEEQ, have already expressed to education ministers in Canada, including the Council of Ministers of Education in Canada. Among other topics discussed was the work of the EI working group on PPPs. The next meeting will be held in Montréal on November 8, 2008.

FQPPU NEWS BRIEFS

• MAJOR SURVEY OF QUEBEC PROFESSORS

Currently FQPPU is engaged in an online questionnaire survey of professors in all Quebec universities. Its chief objective is to deepen our knowledge of the employment situation for university professors and their level of job satisfaction throughout Quebec universities. The impetus for a massive quantitative survey arose from several research projects and workshops on renewal of the professoriate conducted over the past three years. Qualitative research on professional integration for new university professors and a colloquium held in March, 2007 on renewal revealed the importance of polling all Quebec professors on a grand scale. The online questionnaire is being administered by the polling firm SOM. Results are expected to be available by early autumn.

• UNIVERSITY FINANCING

Representatives from the Comité sur le financement des universités (CFU) and the President of FQPPU are meeting with each of the member faculty associations in turn to present CFU's research findings on university financing and to analyze with each association the data for their institution. Launched March 12 at UQTR, the round robin continued with meetings at Concordia and École Polytechnique, March 25 and 26. More meetings were scheduled for April 7 at UQAT, April 14 at UQAR and Téluq, April 15 at INRS-Québec, April 16 at Bishop's and Sherbrooke, April 17 at INRS-Montréal and UQAM, April 18 at McGill, April 21 at UQAC and April 22 at UQO. Presentations are also organized with the media and with officials from the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS).

The principal results and analyses of this research, available since mid-March, will be published in a report expected by the end of April. Until then, progress reports will be available to members on the FQPPU website.

Since the Bulletin last appeared, FQPPU has issued position statements on university underfunding and the financial crisis at UQAM (in french only) as well as on the Quebec governement budget (in French only). Further reading: SGPUM's newsletter L'Autre Forum devote its December 2007 (in French only) issue to the theme of "Money and the University".

• UNIVERSITY ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION

The Comité exécutif of FQPPU remains alert to the evolving situation in university administration and organization (in French only). Since the IGOPP Report came out in October 2007, FQPPU has spoken out in various forms in order to express its members’ views on the principles which should determine university governance. They also strongly encouraged their members to express their views themselves during the consultations held by Minister Michelle Courchesne with the Chairs of Quebec university boards of governors, soliciting their reaction to the Report.

FQPPU has also collaborated with the Table des partenaires universitaires, composed of those Quebec labour organizations with membership in the universities, in drawing up guidelines for university administration, with the aim of emphasizing the importance of professoral participation in university decision-making bodies, among other principles. Their Déclaration sur la gouvernance universitaire (in French only) was published on February 28, 2008.

UNION NEWS

SPUQ along with the other unions and student associations at UQAM are mobilizing (in French only) to preserve the integrity of UQAM's mission. SPUQ also reacted (in French only) to the recovery plan proposed by the firm of PriceWaterhouseCoopers in early March, rejecting a call for massive cuts which would have caused major deterioration in conditions for work, teaching and study while in no way solving the financial crisis. They are pressing the Quebec government to act decisively to reestablish satisfactory conditions at UQAM.

Several unions have renewed their collective agreements or signed an agreement-in-principle. Both SPUQAT and SPUQO reached agreement after relatively harmonious negotiations. SPPUQTR however, in extremely tense negotiations, finally resorted to a strike and endured days of lockout before reaching an agreement with the aid of a mediator. It was approved in a general assembly on April 4.

Thèmes

Bibliothèque