In response to a request from the faculty council at Bishop’s University, CAUT has established an independent commission on governance to assist the university community resolve differences about how Bishop’s should be governed.

The three members of the commission are A. Wayne MacKay, past president of Mount Allison University, Kenneth McGovern, past president of Campion College at the University of Regina, and Anne Stalker, a professor of law at the University of Calgary.

The faculty council requested the formation of an independent commission last spring after more than 60 per cent of faculty members supported a motion of non-confidence in the university’s principal. Following the vote, the council proposed a joint commission with Bishop’s University Corporation, the institution’s governing body. In the process of that negotiation, the corporation turned down the request.

Shortly after, the council asked CAUT to create the independent commission.

“We are hopeful that the knowledgeable and respected members of the commission can help the members of Bishop’s University community as they attempt to find agreement on how to modify governance procedures,” said CAUT executive director James Turk.

The commission hopes to meet with representatives of the faculty council and the corporation in the coming weeks.