A CAUT investigatory committee has made a series of recommendations about continuing education programs, following from its investigation of allegations of violation of Dr. Laurent Leduc’s academic freedom at the University of St. Michael’s College (University of Toronto).

Leduc, on behalf of his company, Leadership Horizons, had been contracted in April 2000 by the continuing education program at St. Michael’s to develop both a non-degree credit and a certificate credit program in corporate social responsibility (CSR). When the college accepted a grant from Imperial Tobacco in December 2000, in part to support the CSR program, Leduc objected, claiming the donation would hurt the credibility of the program. The program was launched in February 2001.

Throughout 2001 Leduc reported tensions in his role with the college and in 2002 the parties reached a settlement that ended their relationship.

A member of the CSR advisory board resigned in January 2002 because of the tobacco funding, and later that year, the Non-Smokers’ Rights Association issued a statement of concern about the donation. In the ensuing months, controversy grew over the Imperial Tobacco donation and the ending of Leduc’s involvement in the program.

At the end of 2003, CAUT appointed Esam Hussein, professor and chair of mechanical engineering at the University of New Brunswick and Robert MacDermid, professor of political science at York University, to look into the alleged violation of Leduc’s academic freedom.

In April 2004, St. Michael’s president Richard Alway asked Paul Perron, the principal of University College at the University of Toronto, to conduct an independent inquiry into the ending of Leduc’s involvement in continuing education at St. Michael’s.

In September, Perron reported that “academic freedom was not involved in the matter but that there was a flaw in a commercial contract ... the disagreement was fundamentally commercial and not academic in nature.” Perron’s two-page report did not explain the reasoning or evidence behind his conclusion.

In December 2005, Professors Hussein and MacDermid reported they “could not find evidence to prove that Dr. Leduc’s objection to the Imperial Tobacco donation was connected to his treatment by the University of St. Michael’s College.” However, they noted gaps in policies and practices in the burgeoning areas of professional and continuing education.

Their recommendations to St. Michael’s include that it should review the practice of engaging corporate entities rather than individual instructors to teach continuing education. They urge that academic freedom be made a central feature of that review. They also recommend that St. Michael’s and the University of Toronto review the way part-time continuing education instructors are hired and that there be a clearer statement of academic freedom of instructors in continuing education courses. Furthermore, they urge that the two institutions develop a policy for protecting academic freedom in courses with multiple instructors and to clarify that the role of program directors does not exceed that of instructors.

In addition, the committee considered and developed several recommendations for CAUT. These include the need to develop guidelines to ensure academic freedom is not limited by contractual arrangements in professional and continuing education programs, and that CAUT develop guidelines to ensure academic freedom in team teaching environments.

It also recommended that CAUT develop policies for hiring instructors in continuing and professional education programs. As a corollary of this recommendation, the committee proposes that CAUT develop policies for dealing with grievances and conflicts that arise in that context.

There was also agreement within the committee that CAUT investigate universities’ reliance on corporations to fund specific courses and programs and the implication of that for academic freedom.

James Turk, executive director of CAUT, said the CAUT Executive Committee and the Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee will fully review the report and its recommendations at their winter meetings.

“Professors Hussein and MacDermid have brought important issues to our attention and we are grateful for their work,” he said.

A copy of the Hussein/MacDermid report is published by CAUT in this January 2006 print edition of the Bulletin.