Category: VOX

VOX is a publication sponsored by the USFA and is published by an independent Editorial Board. It is a forum for the expression of opinions of USFA members. Materials published in VOX do not necessarily express USFA policy, the views of the USFA Executive or the Editorial Board

Academic Freedom and Freedom from Sexual Assault

For ten years now, the USFA has sponsored an annual Academic Freedom Event. This year, Dr. Dianne Miller, a historian and sociologist of education, raised the question of whether women can inquire in a manner free from institutional restraints where they are victims of sexual predation and violence. Read what she had to say in… Continue reading Academic Freedom and Freedom from Sexual Assault

James Alan Brooke – A Tribute and The Presidential Search

This issue of VOX contains a tribute to James Brooke, professor of mathematics and statistics, and an article urging an open process for selecting our next president. On the one hand, an account of the life and intellectual interests of an esteemed and dedicated colleague; on the other, a rational plea for a presidential search… Continue reading James Alan Brooke – A Tribute and The Presidential Search

Published
Categorized as All News, VOX

What the University of Saskatchewan should aim for: a Faculty’s perspective

This article was sent to us before interim president Gordon Barnhart addressed the University on September 9. Nevertheless, it raises serious questions that continue to be relevant. First, it reveals some very disturbing issues with the development of what is supposed to be a prestigious element of the University. Moreover, it leads to some critical… Continue reading What the University of Saskatchewan should aim for: a Faculty’s perspective

Published
Categorized as All News, VOX

The New Normal

Professor Claire Card, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sceinces University of Saskatchewan The University received an increase of 2% to their operating grant from the Provincial Government, which is below a cost of living increase. Ilene Busch -Vishniac stated “I am very appreciative of the province’s investment in the University of Saskatchewan, and much of… Continue reading The New Normal

Manufacturing Collegial Consent?

Len Findlay, Professor of English and University Professor, U of S At the January meeting of University Council the President of the USSU Council, Max Fineday, read the text of a motion unanimously passed by the USSU Executive expressing non-confidence in TransformUS. This news was greeted by prolonged applause from students and faculty in attendance,… Continue reading Manufacturing Collegial Consent?

The Mismatch: The Council and Our Fate! and Watch Us Shrink into Greatness

Important changes are facing all of us as members of the University. TransformUs, in particular, has been the lightning rod for critical comment by colleagues not only in the pages of VOX but in other print media. Nor should it surprise us that the “Dickeson model” guiding TransformUS has been rejected by universities and colleges… Continue reading The Mismatch: The Council and Our Fate! and Watch Us Shrink into Greatness

STOP THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND POLITICAL INTRUSION INTO ACADEMIA! (Part Two)

We have had a bounty of submissions this year to VOX and we hope that it continues. It is important for all of us to be actively involved in dialogue about issues of relevance to the U of S. While at times it takes courage to put our views in writing, we have a responsibility… Continue reading STOP THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND POLITICAL INTRUSION INTO ACADEMIA! (Part Two)

STOP THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND POLITICAL INTRUSION INTO THE ARTS AND SCIENCES! (Part One)

Whether public or private, the single most important defining characteristic of a university is its faculty. Faculty transform both the university and the generations of students they teach by means of the advancement and dissemination of shared knowledge. As is the case at many universities, some faculty at the U of S were educated here,… Continue reading STOP THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND POLITICAL INTRUSION INTO THE ARTS AND SCIENCES! (Part One)

Open letter to the President of the University of Saskatchewan

Many people are concerned about the TransformUS process as a means of academic decision making at the University of Saskatchewan. The model on which TransformUS is based is being implemented, or being considered for implementation, at several Canadian Universities and many at those institutions are likewise concerned (http://ocufa.on.ca/wordpress/assets/Dickeson-Right-for-Ontario-Craig-Heron.pdf, http://www.academicmatters.ca/2014/01/doing-the-ppp-a-skeptical-perspective/). At the U of S the… Continue reading Open letter to the President of the University of Saskatchewan