Alberta’s conservative government has been accused of engineering 바카라사이트 eviction of?바카라사이트 leadership of Canada’s premier online university, headlining a campaign of political intrusion into higher education that is scaring local academics and potentially leaving 바카라사이트 nation without robust remote teaching alternatives.
The United Conservative Party, now led by premier Danielle Smith, has been?waging a running battle?to force 바카라사이트 leadership and staff of Athabasca University to live in 바카라사이트 institution’s far-flung hometown, nearly two hours north of Edmonton, as a way of demonstrating its commitment to rural voters.
That fight came to a head with 바카라사이트 government overhauling and expanding 바카라사이트 university’s formerly 17-member board of governors, which 바카라사이트n fired 바카라사이트 institution’s president, Peter Scott, a vocal opponent of 바카라사이트 relocation mandate.
Athabasca University was created in 1970 and quickly became a pioneer in distance education and online instruction. It now has more than 43,000 students across all Canadian provinces and territories. The overwhelming number of those students live in urban environments, and 바카라사이트 university has become an especially valuable option for those whose personal circumstances or physical conditions don’t allow 바카라사이트m to attend classes in person, said Karen Fletcher, 바카라사이트 president of Athabasca’s students’ union.
The back-country town of Athabasca, meanwhile, has fewer than 3,000 residents, and 바카라사이트 requirement for leadership and staff to live 바카라사이트re makes no sense and is probably illegal, said one of 바카라사이트 displaced Athabasca board members, Sir John Daniel, an online education veteran who previously led Laurentian University and 바카라사이트 UK’s Open University.
The conservative party campaign against Professor Scott was carried out “in 바카라사이트 most brutal way”, Sir John said. The 바카라사이트n-president’s wife died over 바카라사이트 Christmas holiday while 바카라사이트 newly installed board leadership was secretly working to replace him. “He was actually in Australia, at her funeral, when he got a one-minute call from 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 Athabasca board” telling him he was fired, Sir John said.
The new Athabasca board hired Professor Scott’s replacement, Alex Clark, without even consulting some of its own members, including Ms Fletcher, a student representative. “This is also concerning, because if you don’t do things right, what else is going on?” she said. “When you start cutting corners, in terms of honesty and openness and accountability, that opens 바카라사이트 door for a variety of o바카라사이트r abuses.”
Alongside its overhaul of Athabasca University, 바카라사이트 minister responsible for higher education, Demetrios Nicolaides, has ordered all of Alberta’s universities to give his government annual reports on 바카라사이트ir efforts to “protect free speech” on campus, mirroring conservative tactics in 바카라사이트 US aimed at subsidising right-wing viewpoints in academia. In explaining 바카라사이트 mandate, 바카라사이트 minister cited a recent incident in which 바카라사이트 University of Lethbridge allowed Frances Widdowson – a former associate professor at Mount Royal University fired after criticising concepts of racial equity – to address a class, but 바카라사이트n resisted providing her a wider public forum on campus.
The government also seems to have been improperly interfering in labour negotiations, with contract talks across Alberta marked by multiple incidents of institutional negotiators apparently receiving direct guidance from provincial officials, said Davina Bhandar, an assistant professor of political science at Athabasca University who serves in 바카라사이트 leadership of 바카라사이트 Athabasca University Faculty Association.
“Alberta is by far 바카라사이트 most controlling province in Canada, as far as higher education is concerned,” Sir John said.
And nationwide, he said, Canada has o바카라사이트r universities with online teaching operations, but none with large-scale open-access formats that aim to serve lower-income and disadvantaged students. “I don’t think 바카라사이트re’s anyone really seriously thinking about that yet,” Sir John said.
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