FQPPU Newsletter - April 2007

Summary

• Renewal of professors
  • From Dream to Reality: a successful colloquium
  • Becoming a professor: an arduous entry to the profession
• University funding
  • Disappointing provincial and federal budgets
  • A highly active committee
• ICT – Invitation to the FQPPU colloquium
• University research
  • A coalition is formed
  • Public research in peril
• News from the federal concil
  • Policies on university copyrights
• Psychological harassment
  • Training the unions on how to investigate a filed complaint
• Women in universities
  • CAUT Women’s Conference
  • Canadian university women and maternity
• Globalization and higher education
  • Education International meetings
  • Education for All Global Action Week
• News in brief
• Suggested reading

RENEWAL OF PROFESSORS

FROM DREAM TO REALITY,
A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL FQPPU COLLOQUIUM ON DOCTORAL STUDIES AND STARTING A PROFESSORIAL CAREER

From all over Quebec recently hired faculty, along with more experienced colleagues, students about to complete their doctorates, sessional lecturers and a few administrators, welcomed and discussed with a great deal of interest and enthusiasm the themes addressed by the 14 guest speakers at the colloquium on March 22 and 23, 2007. A summary of their presentations and links to the Powerpoint displays are provided in the long version of this text.

The participation of some one hundred people confirmed the relevance of this event. It marked a new milestone in the FQPPU’s long-standing concern about and research into the renewal of professors in Quebec universities.

Throughout all these diverse and well-documented presentations, participants were immersed in the realities of academic life which nevertheless did not stop them, at the end of their discussions, from stressing the passion which sustains them. It does take a heavy dose of passion to persist in doctoral studies, enter a professorial career and gain tenure. Mentoring and peer support are determining factors. In addition to the pleasures derived from the relationship with students, the excitement of research and the solace of collegiality, there are also the miseries of the open and declared wars in some departments, the power struggles, the glamour or stardom, the imposed and self-imposed law of silence that newly hired professors must obey for fear of jeopardizing their chances of promotion, as well as the vagueness often surrounding the rules of promotion. The hope was expressed that the FQPPU would work toward standardizing the hiring and integration practices in universities.

The colloquium also led to a call for solidarity between associate and full professors and their young colleagues in order to help the latter express their integration problems. It would be more effective if professors spoke out as a group rather than individually, and thus prevent the newly hired professors from being stigmatized. The unions must be more open to this debate since the union council could be an appropriate place for expressing such grievances and seeking long reaching solutions. The FQPPU will take stock of the discussions and strive to identify what courses of action to take in order to follow up the ideas expressed at this highly successful meeting.

Further readings:

BECOMING A PROFESSOR: AN ARDUOUS ENTRY TO THE PROFESSION

This article, which was drafted by Nathalie Dyke on behalf of the organizing committee of the From Dream to Reality colloquium (in French only), aptly addresses the challenges of the renewal of professors in Quebec universities. The difficult access to a professorial career and the high dropout rate during the first years, should entice all professors to join forces and take action.

See also Frédéric Deschenaux’s article “La dégradation des conditions d’emploi chez les jeunes universitaires: quel est notre rôle?” in the SPPUQAR Newsletter, La ligne générale.

UNIVERSITY FUNDING

DISAPPOINTING PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL BUDGETS

The issue of the under-funding of universities has still not been solved. The FQPPU reacted to the Quebec government’s announcement during the presentation of its budget on February 20 of a lukewarm re-investment and to the even more disappointing announcement by the federal government on March 21. The Canadian government is deferring to 2008 the federal transfer of $800 million for postsecondary education to all provinces. This transfer will add to Quebec’s coffers some $200 million to be shared among colleges and universities. It should be reminded that, already in 2003, the funding shortfall for Quebec universities was estimated at $375 million.

These budget statements, moreover, confirm the lasting tendency to favour financial commitments that are more likely to support the research sectors that appear to be innovative and promising in terms of commercial spin-offs. Two trends worry the FQPPU: research priorities which are systematically oriented by government economic strategies and an attack on the autonomy of universities through the use of basic funding which remains insufficient while academics are forced to make up for this shortfall by applying for funds granted under “target” programs.

A HIGHLY ACTIVE COMMITTEE

The Comité sur le financement des universités (university funding committee) is pursuing its work under the leadership of Michel Umbriaco, professor at Téluq-UQAM, and will present an interim report to the Federal Council in May, based on documents submitted by university administrators to the Parliamentary Commission on Education and on data obtained from the ministère de l’Education, du Loisir et du Sport. The Committee members are currently examining the budgetary data and indicators related to each of the Quebec universities. A more substantial report is planned for fall 2007. Briefs and related documents submitted by the administrators of universities to the Commission between November 15, 2006 and February 7, 2007.

ICT - INVITATION TO THE FQPPU COLLOQUIUM

The FQPPU is organizing a colloquium-workshop “La production et la diffusion du savoir à l’heure des TIC: enjeux pour le travail professoral” (production and diffusion of knowledge in the ICT age: what stakes and challenges for the professors) as part of the 2007 Acfas Conference. It will be held on Thursday, May 10 at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.

Since its mass integration within universities over 20 years ago, information and communication technology (ICT) has become an essential component of the professor's workload. Decisions regarding its integration have often been made without considering the professors' needs and working conditions which have been profoundly changed by the widespread use of ICT for both teaching and research. This has given rise to numerous challenges and issues, in particular those relating to the production and diffusion of knowledge.

This colloquium-workshop, open to all, will schedule presentations followed by discussions on the structuring effects of the use of information and communication technology by universities. In order to reach a large number of participants and to gather a wide range of opinions and comments, electronic networking will be available. This particular meeting seeks to make better known the kind of opportunities offered by ICT to promote participation, debate and discussion of issues that concern all university professors and not only ICT experts. This forum on the main issues related to the use of ICT in the university setting is meant to take a critical look at some of the key dimensions of academic life, which are university autonomy, the exercise of academic freedom and the promotion of the university as a public service, and whose defence constitutes the FQPPU’s raison d’être.

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH

A COALITION IS FORMED

A coalition has been formed to defend public research. Professors, professionals, students and contract researchers are now sharing their concerns and initiating joint action in order to make their viewpoints heard by decision makers. This FQPPU initiative results from the colloquium it organized in May 2006 on the theme Politique(s) et recherche universitaire (Policy (-ies) and academic research) which dealt with the structuring effects of public policies on universities. Quebec and Canadian policies subject academic research to economic imperatives without taking into consideration the resulting impacts of such practices. Along with its partners from the “Protecting Public Research” coalition, the FQPPU put out an insert in the “Université – Recherche québécoise” section published by Le Devoir on March 24, 2007.

An article by Cécile Sabourin entitled La recherche publique en danger (Public research in peril) formulates the FQPPU’s position and lists some data on the success rates relating to the various programs of grant-giving bodies, as well as consensus and findings that the FQPPU shares with the Fédération du personnel professionnel des universités et de la recherche (FPPU), the ACPQ (Association des chercheurs(es) professionnels(les) du Québec) and the Conseil national des cycles supérieurs, Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (CNCS-FEUQ).

REACTION TO THE STRATEGY FOR AN "INNOVATIVE AND PROSPEROUS QUEBEC"

Written by Pierre Hébert, the article entitled “Stratégie québécoise de la recherche et de l’innovation: une mystification qui menace l’autonomie de l’université québécoise” (Quebec strategy for research and innovation: A myth which threatens the autonomy of Quebec universities) was published in Le Devoir on February 8 under the subtitle “l’ère des universités-réalité” (the era of reality-universities). It represents the FQPPU’s reaction to the governments strategy for "An innovative and prosperous Quebec", the latest in a series of decisions that have had undesirable effects on universities.

For several years now, the FQPPU has been concerned with the growing tendency of the research funding agencies to impose a dominant, single model for developing research in universities. This model favours team research to the detriment of individual research, risky partnerships with the private sector, preferential considerations for research that leads to economic spin-offs, etc. The current Quebec research strategy consolidates all these trends, henceforth considered to be the norm regarding innovation and development, given that the Quebec government has, over the past years, linked knowledge production with economic development.

Through this policy, the Quebec government is weakening university autonomy. The government’s political will is to divert the central role of universities that traditionally has been to create and spread knowledge in our society to one that will transform knowledge into a tool for power.

Although the FQPPU accepts certain realities brought about by globalization and international competitiveness, it rejects the idea that universities must surrender their essential role to them. These are and remain the full development of society, a development which must take into account not only the economy, but also and especially the establishment of justice, environmental protection, knowledge of world cultures and, even, the quest for world peace.

Similar challenges have compelled French researchers to join forces and take action. A few months after France voted on the “Pact for Research,” the Syndicat National des Chercheurs Scientifiques (SNCS), in its quarterly journal VRS la Vie de la recherche scientifique (No. 367, October/November/December 2006), explained the effects of its implementation. This issue also contained a special report on “Femmes et sciences” (women and science).

NEWS FROM THE FEDERAL COUNCIL

UNITY WITHIN DIVERSITY. A LOOK AT COPYRIGHT POLICIES IN CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES
A talk by Marc Couture

Although never really simple, the issue of intellectual property in education and academic research has become more complex as new technologies continue to be developed. What constitutes a piece of work? Who holds the rights to this job related work: the author or the employer? To whom go the marketing revenues and who can decide to “sell” the work?

Having already participated actively in the deliberations by the FQPPU's committee on intellectual property, and having drafted the report La propriété intellectuelle en milieu universitaire au Québec (intellectual property in Quebec universities), Marc Couture, Director of the Unité d’enseignement et de recherche en science et technologie, Téluq-UQAM, presented to the delegates of last March Federal Council a survey of some 100 documents from Canadian universities, including 39 universities having 77 percent of the total number of students. He highlighted the trends on copyright policies and ended his talk by awarding prizes for the most outstanding (orange) and nearsighted (lemon) practices.

Additional information:

Provisional data on intellectual property commercialization in the higher education sector, 2005, are stocked in CANSIM: Table 358-0025.

PSYCHOLOGICAL HARASSMENT

TRAINING THE UNIONS ON HOW TO INVESTIGATE A FILED COMPLAINT

In February 2007, Maître Marie-France Chabot gave a training session to some 20 representatives of 11 of our member unions on the procedure to follow when a complaint relating to psychological harassment has been filed. After summarizing the relevant jurisprudence related to the Labour Code and the Act respecting Labour Standards, Me Chabot reviewed the different procedural steps, from planning the investigation, to weighting proof and producing a report. This session provided a set of tools to enable the union officials to follow up on their members’ complaints.

It should be pointed out that in February 2006, the FQPPU published the Guide to awareness and action – Psychological harassment among university professors and academic staff.

WOMEN IN UNIVERSITIES

CAUT WOMEN’S COMMITTEE CONFERENCE “DOING ACADEMIA DIFFERENTLY”

The FQPPU was present at the conference of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) during which a number of themes aroused interest and spurred lively discussions. These themes included, in particular, the challenge of balancing work and personal life, wage equity and feminist activism in universities.

Several participants stated that they felt pressure to “make the family invisible.” This account, among many others, reveals the difficulty of balancing work, family and personal life. Two courses of action were suggested to find solutions to this serious problem and reduce the stress it creates: the establishment of policies to guarantee universal access to services and the negotiation of provisions in collective agreements. Participants were sceptical about the possibility of real change taking place within the present university culture whose work ethic leaves little room for compromise to accommodate activities outside work. A growing number of university women and men are complaining about this phenomenon.

These accounts and discussions pointed out the perceived wage inequity between university women and men. This inequity is thought to result partly from the lack of a real wage system in most universities. As a solution to this problem, the negotiation of wage systems with reduced number of salary grades was thus put forward as a solution to this problem. This approach is being experimented within some universities and should be considered in terms of its effects on wage equity. There was a general consensus that more transparency is necessary regarding this sensitive wage issue. Many participants called for better information and better support to be provided to newly hired professors.

Some participants mentioned that universities leave them little room to express feminist viewpoints or simply any views that are different from those of the dominant culture. This type of concern was expressed by women and other minority groups.

Discussions with participants from Quebec universities convinced the FQPPU to continue to monitor the experiences of female professors, and this will be done over the coming months. Please do not hesitate to contact the FQPPU to indicate your concerns related to this matter.

SELECTED DATA ON WOMEN IN UNIVERSITIES

According to an article by professors Janice Drakich, University of Windsor, and Penni Stewart, York University, “the majority of university students in Canada are women, that is 58 percent, but they represent less than one third of full-time faculty and only 18.1 percent of full professors. Only half of those universities which were surveyed appointed women at a rate of 40 percent or higher of all new hires.” In 2004-2005, one-third of faculty in Canadian universities was made up of women, but only 19 percent of these women had reached the higher ranks. The average annual income of a full-time female professor was around $6000 lower than that of a same-rank male professor.

Sandra Acker, University of Toronto, conducted a survey in three countries, including Canada, of 31 female professors in faculties of education who are in leadership positions. The study reveals numerous cases of stress, some due to the difficulty in balancing work and family and others due to the administrative structures of universities.

According to a March 2006 CAUT publication, the under-representation of women within the ranks of academic staff has been a persistent and troubling feature of universities and colleges in Canada. While there have been some notable gains made in recent years, the academic work force today still remains largely dominated by men.

An account of the conference “Educating Women/Women’s Education in the Postsecondary Context” held at Mount Saint Vincent University (Halifax) is published in the April 2007 issue of University Affairs.

The third edition of SPUL-lien, entitled “Les femmes à l’Université Laval” (women at Université Laval) summarizes the recommendations contained in the last report of the joint committee on equal access to employment for women and on feminist research in this institution.

AN (UN)FULFILLED LIFE: CANADIAN UNIVERSITY WOMEN AND MATERNITY
A research project initiated at Concordia University

A call for participation in this research project was issued to single university women (having completed or on the way to completing their doctorates) who would like (or would have liked) to become mothers, but think that single parenthood is not a viable choice. The researchers seek to meet women aged 30 or older who are currently deciding not to have children or who have made this decision in the past. This is the first stage of the study, which will go on to interview female professors who have a partner and children, as well as those who have become single mothers by choice or otherwise.

GLOBALIZATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION

EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS

Union organizations affiliated with Education International are preparing for the 5th triennial World Congress in Berlin in July 2007, under the theme “Educators: Joining Together for Quality Education and Social Justice.”

Education International (EI) is the main voice for union organizations in the education community worldwide. It meets with international organizations which increasingly recognize education not only as a basis for societal development but also as an economic investment, indeed even as a commodity. Concerned with defending the human right to basic education and higher education, EI takes positions on behalf of its members who express their opinions at the triennial Congress and at various forums to which members sharing the same concerns are invited.

In addition to preparing its participation at 2007 Congress, FQPPU officials attended three meetings held in winter 2007. The federation of union organizations of North America and the Caribbean, the higher education organizations of North America as well as the affiliated members working in OECD member countries held preparatory meetings for the Congress and examined the themes that will be on the agenda and objects of formal proposals during the Congress. Developing solidarity in order to maintain the quality of education services and preserving education as a human right are the two challenges facing the union organizations. The Congress will certainly examine the specific conditions existing in the various regions in the world, in particular the explosive privatization of education services in the Asia-Pacific region and the acute lack of resources to ensure accessibility to education on the African continent. Forceful attacks on public education and the need to continue to strongly oppose the inclusion of education in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) will also be on the agenda.

• EI GATS Information Kit
• The GATS: What does it mean for post-secondary education in Canada? Education Review (February 2007)
• ATTAC France, Situation actuelle de la régulation du commerce international

EI AND EDUCATION FOR ALL GLOBAL ACTION WEEK
April 23 – 29, 2007

Global Action Week is an opportunity for Education International (EI) and its affiliated members worldwide to draw attention to the commitment to provide free, quality basic education for all by the year 2015. “Education as a human right” is the theme of this year’s Global Action Week.

If you have activities planned, inform EI by sending an email.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Cheating in universities

In the latest issue of The Canadian Journal of Higher Education (Vol. 36, No. 2), Julia Christensen Hughes and Donald McCabe report that 53 percent of nearly 15,000 Canadian undergraduates admitted to cheating on written work at least once in the 12 months before the survey. See the article by Alex Gillis in the April 2007 issue of University Affairs.

Health

CAUT’s Health and Safety Committee has constructed a database on diseases related to the presence of asbestos in university buildings and laboratories.

Copibec might owe you some royalties

Did you write one or more books published in Quebec? Do you write for numerous newspapers, magazines or scientific periodicals from Quebec? You might be the author we’re looking for!

SUGGESTED READING

COATES Ken and Clive Keen (2007), “Snail Males. Why are men falling behind in universities while women speed ahead?” Walrus, 4(2), March: 58-63

CUDE Wilfred (2001), The Ph.D. Trap Revisited, The Dundurn Group/Toronto-Oxford

CYALL Katherine C. and Kathleen R. Sell (2006), The True Genius of America at Risk: Are We Losing our Public Universities to De Facto Privatization? American Council on Education/Praeger, Westport (CT)

DOUMANI Beshara (ed.) (2006), Academic Freedom after September 11, Zone Books

DOWNS Donald Alexander (2005), Restoring Free Speech and Liberty on Campus, The Independent Institute and Cambridge University Press

LEMELIN Clément (2006), L’accessibilité aux études supérieures, Les Presses de l’Université Laval and les Éditions de l’IQRC

LUCIER Pierre (2007), L'université québécoise. Figures, mission, environnements, Les Presses de l’Université Laval

TUDIVER Neil (1999), Universities for Sale, ACPPU

TURK James (ed.) (2003), The Corporate Campus: Commercialization and the Dangers to Canada's Colleges and Universities, ACPPU