Relations between the University of Regina and two of its federated colleges are undergoing a welcome transformation, following a change in leadership at the university.
Under its previous president and vice-chancellor, Robert Hawkins, the university cut about 40 per cent of the credit hour offerings at Luther and Campion colleges for the 2006–2007 academic year and showed every sign of imposing additional cuts to programs and staff in the coming year.
Hawkins resigned Dec. 21, citing “differences of opinion on management philosophy and other issues.” But his resignation didn’t signal a new direction in early 2007 negotiations between university and college officials that failed to resolve outstanding issues separating the parties, or dispel the worries of faculty members across the campus.
A letter sent by CAUT to the university early last month warned that continuing or imposing further cuts would compromise the continued viability of the colleges and urged the university to “mitigate the damage done to the federated colleges by last year’s extraordinary cuts.”
It also stressed the value of the colleges in attracting “students who would otherwise be unlikely to attend the University of Regina.”
Dorothy Lane, chair of the University of Regina Faculty Association, said mitigating the damage seems to be what the university now has in mind.
She said college leaders met with the university’s interim president, Allan Cahoon and his successor, Jim Tomkins, in mid-March and initial reports from that meeting suggest the university is backing off on its austerity demands.
“We’re optimistic that difficulties between the university and the colleges can be resolved,” Lane said. “Of particular relief to faculty members is the promise that program development, class offerings and enrollment limits will once again be determined through the university’s consultative mechanisms.”
She added that it was “extremely helpful” to have an experienced faculty colleague like Tomkins moving into the university’s top post.
Tomkins has a 37-year history at U of R, where he is emeritus professor of mathematics and statistics and served a term as chair of the faculty association.
“Working to resolve the conflict with its federated partners is a smart move on the part of the incoming administration,” Lane concluded. “The cuts to the colleges were having negative effects throughout the broader campus community, but now we have a chance to put some of the pieces back together.”