Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

Ubc Reputation At Risk Due To Attack On Academic Freedom By Those In High Places


Bambi

Recommended Posts

Something rotten is taking place at UBC

 

Controversy @ UBC over academic freedom: 

http://globalnews.ca/news/2170497/controversy-around-ubc-leadership-escalates-after-alleged-breach-of-academic-freedom/

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubc-to-investigate-prof-jennifer-berdahl-s-claim-she-felt-gagged-1.3193945

 

 

http://jberdahl.blogspot.ca/2015/08/academic-freedom-and-ubc.html

JENNIFER BERDAHL'S BLOG:

 

 

Academic Freedom and UBC

 

I was recruited to the University of British Columbia last year with a mandate to help organizations advance gender and diversity in leadership. I interpreted this to also mean UBC, which is lacking in gender and diversity in its leadership. For example, at its Vancouver campus, 11 of the 12 deans are white and 10 are men.*

 

As someone who studies a controversial subject, it is inevitable that some of the things I have to say will upset some people, perhaps especially those who have risen to power in current systems. But as a faculty member I have always felt safe, and indeed obligated, to exercise my right to academic free speech.

 

A week ago today I received a phone call from the Chair of the UBC Board of Governors, John Montalbano, who also happens to be on the Faculty Advisory Board of the Sauder School of Business and the donor of the money for my Professorship within it. His purpose in calling was to tell me that my blog post from the day before was "incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, and greatly unfair to the Board” and “greatly and grossly embarrassing to the Board." He said I had made him "look like a hypocrite.” He said my post would cause others to question my academic credibility. He repeatedly mentioned having conversations with my Dean about it. He also repeatedly brought up RBC, which funds my outreach activities, to say that people there were on “damage control” should the media pick up on this.

 

I explained that it was never my intent to embarrass him, that I thought it was okay for us to have different perspectives, and acknowledged that the answer to the question posed on my blog, “Did Arvind Gupta Lose the Masculinity Contest?,” might be no. I was writing from my own personal observations of President Gupta as a leader and the culture of masculinity contest, a topic I study with others, that I witnessed at UBC.

 

That afternoon, I was called by my Division Chair to tell me that our Associate Dean of Faculty urgently wished to speak with me. She said Mr. Montalbano would be calling and that the dean’s office had received communications from a variety of people concerned about my blog post. She advised me to call Sauder’s Associate Director of Communications & Media Relations to get advice about how to handle media inquiries. I emailed my Associate Dean of Faculty with my phone number and said I was available to speak. He emailed back that my Division Chair had filled me in.

 

That evening, at a reception Sauder held for PhD alumni, students, faculty, and colleagues from around the world and in town for the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, I was pulled aside by our newly-appointed Associate Dean of Equity and Diversity during a conversation I was enjoying with colleagues. She brought me inside, signaled my Division Chair, and they showed me to the back of the room. They proceeded to tell me that my blog post had done serious reputational damage to Sauder and to UBC, and that I had deeply upset one of the most powerful donors to the School who also happened to be the Chair of the Board of Governors. They said they had heard he was even more upset after talking to me on the phone that day.

 

I explained that I did not see how I had hurt the reputation of Sauder or UBC. What was hurting the reputation of our institution, in my opinion, was the fact that a president had departed just a year into his term, without explanation. When I asked why the Associate Dean of Faculty or Dean kept sending my division chair to relay messages rather than speaking to me directly, she replied, “BECAUSE I AM YOUR CHAIR.”

 

I was instructed to call Sauder’s Associate Director of Communications & Media Relations to get advice on how to handle likely media inquiries in the morning, and to “minimize” my engagement and the impact of my blog post. At this point I realized that the purpose of this conversation was not just to scold me, but to discourage me from speaking further.

 

I have never in my life felt more institutional pressure to be silent.

 

The next morning I received a request to meet alone with my Dean. The meeting was rescheduled to include the Associate Dean of Equity and Diversity who had scolded me at the reception. When I informed my Dean that I would be bringing representation, he cancelled the meeting.

 

As someone whose first faculty appointment was where the free speech movement began – the University of California, Berkeley – I am simply stunned by this behavior on the part of the leadership at this university. I have never felt more gagged or threatened after expressing scholarly viewpoints and analysis of current events.

 

I am a full professor. Even if the university’s leadership doesn’t recognize it, I have a right to academic freedom and expression, free of intimidation and harassment. I cannot be fired for exercising this right.

 

When I imagine being an assistant professor at this university, or anyone without the protection of tenure, this experience becomes unspeakable. I would be terrified, not angry. I would have retracted my post, or not have written it at all. I would avoid studying and speaking on controversial topics.

 

Imagine a university of scholars so silenced, and the implications for the world we live in.

 

 

~

 

*The original version of this post stated that all 11 of the deans are white and 10 of them are men. I corrected this to specify that this applies to the Vancouver campus, and to include the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral studies and the fact that Rickey Yada has replaced Murray Isman as the Dean of Land and Food Systems (Ismas is still listed on the UBC list of deans).

 

 

 

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/08/ubc-board-of-governors-fails-serious-allegations-academic-freedom/

 

Opinion: UBC's Board fails to improve reputation after serious academic freedom allegations

 

663SHARES Share on Facebook (643) Share on Twitter (20) +

Sauder School of BusinessImage: Sauder School of Business

The University of British Columbia Board of Governors has issued a terse and hastily written statement in response to a Sauder School of Business professor who caused a stir Sunday evening when she published a blog post alleging some of UBC’s senior leadership team had “gagged and threatened” her in response to her public remarks regarding President Arvind Gupta’s resignation.

 

The university says “members of the University have the freedom, within the law, to pursue what seems to them be fruitful avenues of inquiry, to teach and to learn unhindered by external or non-academic constraints. Suppression of this freedom, whether by the institutions of the state, the officers of the University or the actions of private individuals, would prevent the University from carrying out is primary function.”

 

But according to Jennifer Berdahl, a professor at Sauder, her academic freedom was infringed upon after she wrote a blog post critical of the way the university handled President Arvind Gupta’s sudden resignation on August 7, only 13 months after being instated as president. While Berdahl never pointed fingers directly at UBC’s Board of Governors or Board Chair John Montalbano, their resulting reaction indicated a strong insecurity and lack respect for academic freedom that many in the university community had not been aware existed.

 

UBC Public Affairs / Flickr

SEE ALSO: UBC professor claims she was 'gagged and threatened' after speaking about President Gupta

Berdahl recounted their treatment of her in the days following her original article, saying that she was silenced, verbally disciplined and ‘gagged and threatened’ by several Senior Deans at Sauder as well as Montalbano.

 

If Berdahl’s allegations are true, of which we wouldn’t assume she would put her career in jeopardy for a lie or exaggeration, it shows a strong scent of insecurity on the Board’s part.

 

Her first article “Did President Arvind Gupta Lose the Masculinity Contest?” was not a written assault on the university nor the Board of Governors. As a researcher and professor, Berdahl knows much more than the average on the issue of diversity and gender in the work place and among organizational hierarchies. Her theory on the ‘masculinity contest’ was a critical approach to the reason why Gupta may have resigned or have been pushed to resign by the Board.

 

What it was not was allegations that the Board was racist, intolerant or failed in their position to support Gupta.

 

Yet, Montalbano appears to have read it that way, telling Berdahl in a phone call that her blog post was “incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, and greatly unfair to the Board” and “greatly and grossly embarrassing to the Board.”

 

Some could argue Montalbano had a right to be embarrassed, however Berdahl’s theory should not have been the reason. What should have been much more embarrassing to him and the Board was the fact that Gupta had resigned only 13 months into his presidency, a position overseen and nominated by the Board. Searching for a new president comes at a huge cost to the university and takes an exorbitant amount of time. Montalbano should have been embarrassed about wasting the time and money of students, staff and faculty at UBC.

 

After Berdahl’s more defaming blog post telling of disciplinary back-room chats and run-around phone calls, it was only a matter of time before the public heard wind of the university’s response. That came mid-morning on Monday when a Ubyssey photographer stumbled across a secret Board of Governor’s meeting at UBC’s Alumni Centre.

 

At a public institution partially funded by taxpayer dollars and the rest paid for by students – and mostly student loans – and donors, the idea of closed-door Board meetings send a bad message but are unfortunately commonplace. However, today’s secret meeting went beyond.

 

According to a series of tweets from the Ubyssey, after the student media realized they had found a story, the building’s fire alarm went off and everyone evacuated the building, except for the members of the Board. It is still unconfirmed, and likely never will be, whether the fire alarm was intentionally pulled by someone on the Board, but no fire or police vehicles responded to the call.

 

The meeting then apparently moved to the Old Administrative Building where Judy Kirk of Kirk & Co., a public relations firm dealing with consultation and damage control, entered the room. A growing media presence was asked to wait outside the room and at one point was taken down the stairs before the group overruled requests from the Board’s secretary to stay put in case they were to hear anything through the walls.

 

Outside the building, windows from the second floor meeting room were whited out.

 

At around 3 p.m., the all-day meeting let out and Angela Redish, Acting President read the university’s statement, distracting the media as Montalbano slipped out the back door.

 

The day was a sad display of the lack of transparency apparent in B.C.’s largest public post-secondary institution and identifies the university more as a corporation than a place for higher learning. The Board’s reaction to Berdahl’s academic theory on masculinity in leadership also reeks of sensitivity, insecurity and defensiveness.

 

But perhaps the Board responded like a corporation, because in essence they are a corporation. Their primary objective is to maintain the success and reputation of the school in order to raise funds for its operation. Board members’ backgrounds are no different.

 

Montalbano is past CEO of RBC Global Asset Management, and other Board member’s previous positions include Corporate Director at RBC, Director of BC Hydro, Managing Partner at Ernst & Young BC, Executive Vice President of Disney Online Studios, National Co-Chair of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, President and CEO of Medical Imaging Group, CEO of WhatsNexx, Partner at Yorkton Securities. Many Board members also serve or have served on various oil and gas corporate boards.

 

While the university’s statement acknowledges that members of the university have the right to “intellectual honesty and objectivity, unfettered by personal gain or financial or political considerations,” they are not commenting further on Berdahl’s allegations until the facts are gathered and all parties are heard.

 

UBC’s Faculty Association is not sold on the Board’s understanding of academic freedom and refuses to put their faith in Montalbano.

 

“There are sufficient facts known to lead us to question how well those involved, including the Chair of the Board himself, understand the principle of academic freedom, and whether they understand their obligations under UBC’s public commitment to providing a respectful workplace environment,” Mark MacLean, President of the Faculty Association says in a notice issued Monday afternoon.

 

“Mr Montalbano’s apparent lack of understanding of the principles of academic freedom, and the questionable judgement he is alleged to have exhibited in interfering with internal operations and with university employees, have caused the Faculty Association Executive Committee to lose confidence in Mr. Montalbano as the Chair of the Board of Governors.”

 

The lesson here for UBC’s Board of Governors should be making transparency a primary concern in all university matters. Had President Gupta’s resignation not been clouded in so much mystery and caused so much postulation, neither the university nor Berdahl would have had to endure so much reputation damage as they have in the last two weeks.

 

 

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubc-board-chair-john-montalbano-claims-he-didn-t-threaten-professor-s-academic-freedom-1.3195356

 

UBC board chair John Montalbano claims he didn't threaten professor's academic freedom

John Montalbano says he's 'deeply concerned' by allegations made by Prof. Jennifer Berdahl

By Jason Proctor, CBC News Posted: Aug 18, 2015 3:20 PM PT Last Updated: Aug 18, 2015 5:37 PM PT

 

The chairman of the University of British Columbia's board of governors, John Montalbano, says he didn't intend to threaten the academic freedom or funding of a professor who wrote a controversial blog post about the resignation of the school's former president.

 

John Montalbano says he's "deeply concerned" about the portrayal of a telephone conversation he had with Jennifer Berdahl after she suggested former UBC president Arvind Gupta lost a "masculinity contest" with school leadership.

 

"At no time did I ask the professor to retract any of her blog and at no time did I threaten her funding," Montalbano said in a written statement on Tuesday.

 

"In fact, I reinforced that her funding would continue. At no time did I intend to impinge her academic freedom."

 

'A productive conversation'

 

Berdahl, an expert in gender and diversity, occupies a professorship created by a $2-million donation from Montalbano, a former RBC executive.

 

Montalbano's statement follows a day of allegations and meetings on campus in the wake of two of Berdahl's blog postings.

 

In the first post, she questioned Gupta's surprise resignation, a little more than a year into a five-year term.

 

Little is known of his reasons for leaving, due to a confidentiality agreement between the former president and the board.

 

But Berdahl suggested Gupta — who is, she noted, "a brown man" — had lost a "masculinity contest among the leadership at UBC, as most women and minorities do at institutions dominated by white men."

 

UBC Sauder School of Business Prof. Jennifer Berdahl

UBC Sauder School of Business Prof. Jennifer Berdahl claims the chair of UBC's board of governors and administrators at the school tried to intimidate her. (CBC)

 

In her second post, Berdahl claimed Montalbano called her after the first post ran.

 

"He said I had made him 'look like a hypocrite,'" she wrote. "He said my post would cause others to question my academic credibility. He repeatedly mentioned having conversations with my Dean about it."

 

But Montalbano says he only contacted Berdahl with the intention of further understanding her concerns.

 

"I asked if she thought the discussion would in any way compromise her academic freedom. I asked her to stop me at any time if she felt uncomfortable," Montalbano wrote.

 

"At the end of our telephone call, Professor Berdahl agreed that we had a productive conversation," he wrote.

 

"Given this, I'm sure most people can understand that I'm upset and hurt by the allegations that our call was an impingement on the professor's academic freedom."

 

A question of confidence?

 

UBC's acting president, Angela Redish, said the university will investigate Berdahl's allegations. Montalbano wrote he will participate "if and when the professor lodges a formal grievance request."

 

Berdahl also claimed that following her conversation with Montalbano, she was scolded by an associate dean and advised that she might need to do damage control with the media. She said she felt gagged.

 

In the wake of Berdahl's allegations, UBC's faculty association said its members have lost confidence in Montalbano.

 

"The Chair of the Board should not be able to meddle directly in internal academic affairs," the association's executive wrote yesterday in a letter to its members.

 

"Yet, disregard for this organizational structure as well as interference in academic affairs, is precisely what is alleged to have happened this past week."

 

But the board of governors reaffirmed Montalbano as chair on Monday, and he thanked them for their support in his statement.

 

Berdahl was not available for comment.

 

 

 

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/war-of-words-faculty-leaders-spar-over-ubc-academic-freedom-1.2522150

 

War of words: Faculty, leaders spar over UBC academic freedom

 

The Canadian Press

Published Tuesday, August 18, 2015 9:48AM PDT

Last Updated Tuesday, August 18, 2015 10:30AM PDT

VANCOUVER - A public fight about academic freedom has broken out at the University of British Columbia, just weeks after the institution's former president resigned.

 

Arvind Gupta resigned on Aug. 7 after a year on the job, announcing he'd return as a computer science professor but providing no further information about his decision.

 

The professional association that represents UBC's faculty demanded details, with one member, Prof. Jennifer Berdahl, blogging that Gupta had “lost the masculinity contest” among the university's leaders. But the board of governors declined to comment, citing confidentiality.

 

The faculty association has now written an open letter, saying it has lost confidence in board chairman John Montalbano because of his “apparent lack of understanding” of academic freedom and for allegedly interfering with internal operations and university employees.

 

The university has responded, saying in a statement that a process is in place under the collective agreement to investigate any allegation of breach of academic freedom and it won't comment until it is concluded.

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/national-post-view-the-public-deserves-clarity-on-whats-happening-at-ubc

 

National Post View: The public deserves clarity on what’s happening at UBC

 

Arvind Gupta had a distinguished career in academia when he was named the University of British Columbia’s 13th president in July 2014. He appeared to be doing a commendable job in his brief tenure. According to board of governors chairman John Montalbano, Gupta “worked tirelessly,” raised more than $200 million for the university, was developing a program to support diversity and underrepresented groups and had improved student services, especially access to mental health.

 

UBC faculty association demands full explanation on sudden departure of former president as allegations swirl

 

Allegations that UBC’s board chairman meddled in academic affairs and interfered with academic freedom have led the faculty association to again call for a full explanation of the sudden departure of former UBC president Arvind Gupta.

 

The University of British Columbia responded, saying it has already begun fact finding about the alleged breach of academic freedom by board of governors chairman John Montalbano and that non-disclosure agreements prevent the board and Gupta from speaking out.

 

The facts will be gathered and all parties will be heard before reaching any conclusion,” the university’s interim president Martha Piper and acting provost Angela Redish said in a joint statement. “We welcome this process and it would be entirely inappropriate to comment further on the allegations until this process has been concluded.”

 

 

Then, abruptly, on August 7, he resigned. No explanation was given. Montalbano, pressed for more detail, said the reasons were “personal” and in everyone’s best interests. All further detail was hidden behind a confidentiality agreement.

 

If that was the extent of the mystery it would be frustrating enough. UBC receives millions of dollars in public funding and charges students a healthy tuition; the people who pay the freight have a right to know how it’s being spent. Despite resigning, Gupta will collect his full salary of $446,500 next year, then return as a professor of computer science.

 

But that’s only the tip of the odd doings at UBC. In the absence of an official explanation, speculation and theories have filled the gap. Faculty Association president Mark MacLean openly questioned the reason for Gupta’s departure and called it “a failure point in the governance of the university.” Professor Jennifer Berdahl blogged that Gupta, who was born in India, was the first “brown man” to serve as president and suggested he “lost the masculinity contest among the leadership at UBC, as most women and minorities do in institutions dominated by white men.”

 

But Berdahl is not just any member of faculty. She is the first Montalbano Professor of Leadership Studies: Gender and Diversity, a position funded by a $2 million gift from Montalbano, the chairman of the board of governors and the man who announced Gupta’s departure. After her comments appeared, Berdahl said she received a call from Montalbano complaining her remarks were “hurtful, inaccurate and greatly unfair” and made him look like a hypocrite. She was later taken aside at a reception and told she had damaged the university’s reputation and greatly upset Montalbano, chief executive of RBC Global Asset Management and an important donor. “I have never in my life felt more institutional pressure to be silent,” Berdahl wrote of the encounter. Were she not a tenured professor, she “would be terrified.”

 

We hold no brief for Berdahl’s construction of events, or her pathologizing of masculinity. But the irony in the situation is rich: a wealthy donor, who funds a special chair in diversity, allegedly accosts the university’s chosen diversity expert after she raises the very sort of concern she was hired to address. Montalbano is in something of a conflict as it is, as both a generous donor and chairman of the board of governors; given the tension between those two roles, a high level of circumspection should be expected about intruding on the personal views of faculty members. Free expression is under enough threat on today’s campuses, without university brass piling on.

 

In a letter to MacLean, Montalbano insists Gupta’s departure followed all appropriate protocols and that “rumours or speculations that have been publicly raised have contained numerous inaccuracies.” That may be so, but the culture of secrecy surrounding the affair has robbed the university of the benefit of the doubt. Interim president Martha Piper says an investigation is under way into Montalbano’s alleged breach of academic freedom, but again insists confidentiality must hold while the process is underway. Secrecy begets confidentiality begets silence.

 

Faculty, students and the taxpayers of British Columbia deserve better than this. At the very least, they are owed an explanation. If public confidence in UBC is of real concern to its governors, they should appreciate they are the ones who currently present its gravest threat.

 

http://blogs.ubc.ca/ross/

How not to run a university (Part 3): The art of misdirection [updated]

Posted on August 19, 2015 by E Wayne Ross

 

If you thought UBC was actually investigating the charges its board chairman breeched the academic freedom of a professor, you’d be wrong.

 

Following the University of British Columbia Board of Governors’ secret meeting on Monday, Angela Redish (Provost Pro Tem) and Martha Piper (Interim President) released a statement on academic freedom.

This statement was widely reported as an announcement that UBC was initiating an active investigation of the charges made by Professor Jennifer Berdahl against UBC Board of Governors Chair John Montalbano for breeching her academic freedom in his response to her analysis of the sudden departure of Arvind Gupta as UBC’s president. Details here and here.

Sample headlines:

UBC statement: “Serious” allegations of breaches of academic freedom to be investigated [Georgia Straight]

UBC to investigate Prof. Jennifer Berdahl’s claim she felt ‘gagged’ [CBC]

UBC to investigate complaint over blog post about former president [Globe and Mail]

Problem is the Redish/Piper statement does not actually say that there is or will be an investigation.

The Redish/Piper statement only describes the existing UBC policies on academic freedom and grievance and arbitration procedures.

Redish and Piper state,

UBC has rigorous processes in place – established with the agreement of the Faculty Association – to investigate any allegation of breach of academic freedom. It is imperative that we follow this impartial process embedded within and protected by the collective agreement before pre-judging unproven and untested allegations at this time.

 

The high and mighty tone of the statement regarding UBC’s commitment to the principles of academic freedom and “rigorous processes” is a misdirection from the fact that this statement does not announce an investigation of Berdahl’s complaints that Montalbano breeched her academic freedom.

All the bluster about academic freedom is followed by a non-sequitur describing a non-existent investigation.

The facts will be gathered and all parties will be heard before reaching any conclusion. We welcome this process and it would be entirely inappropriate to comment further on the allegations until this process has been concluded.

 

Presuming the process would actually ever start.

It is curious that the Redish/Piper statement focuses on the university’s collective agreement with faculty and does not mention the UBC Board of Governors Policy 3 on Discrimination and Harassment.

 

Investigation of the academic freedom charges via the collective agreement requires an individual faculty member (or the UBCFA) to file a complaint. This raises interesting questions: Why would Professor Berdahl file a grievance via collective agreement processes? What kind of remedy could she possibly receive as a result of the process?

 

Berdahal’s blog post on academic freedom says as much, that is, as a tenured full professor she can continue to exercise her academic freedom, albeit in an hostile environment. And, as she points out, the most deleterious of the effects of Montalbano’s meddling will be on faculty and students who do not have the protection of tenure, creating a chilling effect on critical discourse.

Indeed, today’s announcement by the UBC Faculty Association describes how the usual collective agreement processes have been already ben undermined by Montalbano and the university:

 

… the University itself has sidestepped standard protocols for handling grievances. More specifically, the Chair of the Board of Governors, the Board’s chief spokesperson, gave public, personal testimony related to the case in a University media release. We were shocked that this happened in a formal University media release posted on a University website. (This media release seems to have been removed from news.ubc.ca late Tuesday evening. We have a downloaded copy.) Mr. Montalbano has confused personal interests with the University’s interests. …

 

While the University has publicly said that a grievance involving Mr. Montalbano could be managed under our usual collective agreement processes, this no longer seemed possible.

 

So, if UBC leadership is serious about investigating the alleged breech of academic freedom in the Montalbano/Berdahl case they could and should proceed via Policy 3 on Discrimination and Harassment, which is what they should have done in the first place.

 

Policy 3 begins with this statement,

The University of British Columbia has responsibility for and is committed to providing its students, staff and faculty with an environment dedicated to excellence, equity and mutual respect; one that is free of Discrimination and Harassment; and one in which the ability to freely work, live, examine, question, teach, learn, comment and criticize is protected. Academic Freedom and freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression carries with it the expectation that all Members of the University Community will conduct themselves in a responsible manner so as not to cause, condone or participate in the Discrimination or Harassment of another person or group of persons.

 

There is no doubt Policy 3 is relevant in this circumstance.

 

The fundamental objective of Policy 3 is prevention discrimination and harassment on grounds protected by the B.C. Human Rights Code, and it provides procedures for handling complaints, remedying situations, and imposing discipline when such discrimination or harassment does occur.

 

The responsible executive for initiating an investigation under Policy 3 is the Provost and Vice-President Academic, Angela Redish.

 

UBC is making a quite a name for itself as a result of its lack of transparency in governance and administration.

 

The shroud of secrecy around the departure of Arvind Gupta is at the heart of the current crisis. And the lack of clarity about the actions of the Board and the administration in responding to Professor Berdahl’s academic freedom charges only compounds how the university’s leadership crisis is undermining academic integrity at UBC.

 

UBC needs to makes clear if there is an active investigation on Berdahl’s complaint and what the terms of reference are for that investigation. Or, admit that the university is not as dedicated to preserving academic freedom as they have claimed to be.

 

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/opinion/how-not-run-university-intimidation-bullying-and-harassment-ubc

 

This is Part 2 of a post by E. Wayne Ross, Professor in the Faculty of Education at UBC and co-director of the Institute for Critical Education Studies. See Part 1 at ewayneross.net. Ross tweets @ewayneross

Part 1 is below

How not to run a university: Intimidation, bullying and harassment at UBC

 

UBC board of governors chair John Montalbano seems hell-bent on proving Jennifer Berdahl right.

What should a university do when the chair of its board of governors uses intimidation tactics in an attempt to bully and harass a faculty member who critically analyzes university decisions?

 

This is the question facing the University of British Columbia this week following Professor Jennifer Berdahl‘s revelations in a blog posted Sunday night.

 

Following the announcement of Arvind Gupta’s sudden and mysterious departure as president of UBC, Berdahl suggested that perhaps Gupta had “lost the masculinity contest among the leadership at UBC, as most women and minorities do at institutions dominated by white men.”

 

I was initially skeptical of Jennifer Berdahl’s speculation, but it seems that UBC board of governors chair John Montalbano is hell-bent on proving her right.

 

Berdahl’s blog describes attempts by Montalbano and the administration of the UBC Sauder School of Business — where Berdahl is (ironically) the Montalbano Professor of Leadership Studies: Gender and Diversity — to intimidate and bully her over the issues she raised in her initial blog post.

 

According to Berdahl, Montalbano phoned her to say that her blog post was “incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, and greatly unfair to the Board” and “greatly and grossly embarrassing to the Board.” He said I had made him “look like a hypocrite.” He said my post would cause others to question my academic credibility. He repeatedly mentioned having conversations with my Dean about it. He also repeatedly brought up RBC, which funds my outreach activities, to say that people there were on “damage control” should the media pick up on this.

 

Then the Sauder School managers and bureaucrats started their harassment campaign.

They proceeded to tell me that my blog post had done serious reputational damage to Sauder and to UBC, and that I had deeply upset one of the most powerful donors to the School who also happened to be the Chair of the Board of Governors. They said they had heard he was even more upset after talking to me on the phone that day.

 

Berdahl was summoned to the Sauder dean’s office, but the meeting was canceled when she said she’d be there with representation.

 

This might seem small potatoes to folks outside academe, but assuming her account is accurate, this is a direct attack on academic freedom by the chair of the university board of governors.Montalbano’s actions along with those of Sauder School managers at the very least creates a chilling climate for professors, staff, and students.

 

Berdahl’s description captures it perfectly when she writes:

 

When I imagine being an assistant professor at this university, or anyone without the protection of tenure, this experience becomes unspeakable. I would be terrified, not angry. I would have retracted my post, or not have written it at all. I would avoid studying and speaking on controversial topics.

 

Imagine a university of scholars so silenced, and the implications for the world we live in.

 

Not only has Montalbano engaged in a crass attempt to silence a university professor speaking out in her area of expertise, his actions are in violation of the UBC Board of Governors Policy 3 on Discrimination and Harassment, which states:

 

The University of British Columbia has responsibility for and is committed to providing its students, staff and faculty with an environment dedicated to excellence, equity and mutual respect; one that is free of Discrimination and Harassment; and one in which the ability to freely work, live, examine, question, teach, learn, comment and criticize is protected. Academic Freedom and freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression carries with it the expectation that all Members of the University Community will conduct themselves in a responsible manner so as not to cause, condone or participate in the Discrimination or Harassment of another person or group of persons.

 

UBC has gone to great lengths to publicize its respectful environment statement, which is based upon Policy 3 and the university has not hesitated to initiate investigations of faculty and staff and apply sanctions based upon these policies.

 

Given what we know about Montalbano and Sauder School managers’ actions in this case, there should at least be an immediate investigation. The responsible executive for Policy 3 is the Provost and Vice President, Academic, currently Angela Redish.

 

What should a university do when the chair of its board of governors uses intimidation tactics in an attempt to bully and harass a faculty member who critically analyzes university decisions? Well, if they are actually serious about creating a climate where academic freedom flourishes and bullying, harassment, and discrimination are discouraged then John Montalbano should choose to “return to his career in banking.”

 

How not to run a university (Part 1): Secrecy at UBC

Posted on August 17, 2015 by E Wayne Ross

 

Here in Vancouver you learn to live with the months of rain and overcast skies and when the sun shines you can feel the happy vibe just about everywhere you go.

 

But there is at least one group of folks in Rain City who will do just about anything to avoid sunshine and they’re not vampires, as far as I know. I’m talking about the University of British Columbia Board of Governors and they are apparently trying to suck the life out the university.

 

On August 7 the UBC Board of Governors announced the departure of the university’s president, Arvind Gupta.

 

The 13th president of UBC resigns, with no explanation, 13 months into a four year term. For all we know Gutpa resigned because triskaidekaphobia.

(Here’s my overview of the UBC leadership debacle up to yesterday).

 

The mystery surrounding Gupta’s departure and the Board’s (and Gupta’s) silence on the matter has stirred up quite a bit a speculation. Board chair John Montalbano has constructed a wall around himself, built with non-disclosure agreements and appeals to personnel case privacy so as to control information and thus avoid accountability for Board decision-making.

 

The Board’s lack of transparency and full communication is not new, indeed this board that has gone to great lengths to make their deliberations inaccessible and keep the public ignorant.

 

The UBC Board even keeps the contact information for Board chair Montalbano and UBC Chancellor Lindsay Gordon under wraps.

 

It’s clear that UBC Board of Governors needs a big old dose of sunshine on their activities to hold them accountable for their actions.

 

One response to current UBC leadership crisis would be for real open government regulations to be enacted for the university and the provincial government as a whole.

 

 

We’re in dire need of some sunshine laws to make meetings, records, votes, deliberations and other official actions available to the public. Without these, a small number of appointees are able to make major decisions about a public institution under a cloak of invisibility.

 

http://www.caut.ca/news/2015/08/19/ubc-chair-should-step-down-during-academic-freedom-investigation

 

CAUT/ACPPU

Canadian Association of University Teachers

 

 

UBC Chair should step down during academic freedom investigation

 

(Ottawa – August 19, 2015) The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is calling on the Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of British Columbia to step aside while an investigation is underway into allegations he interfered with the academic freedom of a faculty member.

 

“Academic freedom is the right of faculty to teach, research, and publish without reprisal or censorship,” said CAUT Executive Director David Robinson. “It is the defining value of universities and everyone has an absolute obligation to defend and protect it.”

 

The controversy began when Jennifer Berdahl, Professor of Leadership Studies in Gender and Diversity at the Sauder School of Business, said she was contacted by Board Chair John Montalbano after writing a blog article about the recent departure of the University President, Arvind Gupta.

 

Her posting discussed whether President Gupta’s unexpected and unexplained resignation may have been because he “lost the masculinity contest among the leadership at UBC, as most women and minorities do at institutions dominated by white men.”

 

Prof. Berdahl says Montalbano told her that the article harmed the reputation of the Board, raised questions about her academic credibility, and jeopardized her funding from the Royal Bank of Canada. Montalbano is vice-chairman of RBC Wealth Management, and in 2014 he and his wife established the professorship held by Berdahl.

 

In a statement released yesterday, Mr. Montalbano admitted he spoke with Prof. Berdahl about her blog but denied he interfered with her academic freedom.

 

“In contacting Professor Berdahl to discuss her posting, Mr. Montalbano certainly displayed poor judgement, but he may have also crossed the line on academic freedom,” added Robinson. “If the allegations against him are true, they raise serious questions about his suitability to continue as Board Chair of a university.”

 

The UBC administration has announced an investigation, and Robinson says the matter will also be discussed at next week’s meeting of the CAUT Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee.

 

The Canadian Association of University Teachers is the national voice of 68,000 academic and general staff at more than 120 universities and colleges across Canada.

 

Media Contact

Angela Regnier, Communications Officer, Canadian Association of University Teachers; 613-726-5186 (o); 613-601-6304 (cell).

 

 

...........................................................

The intervention of the Canadian Association of University Teachers that is the national voice of 68,000 academic and general staff at more than 120 universities and colleges across Canada ensures that no matter what the powers of UBC wish or prefer, the inappropriate actions by Mr. Montalbano, Board Chair @ UBC & vice-chairman of RBC Wealth Management are now under national scrutiny!

 

The Genie is now out of the bottle and UBC - in order to contain the damage to its reputation and redress the damage done, must do the right thing! Or else, suffer the consequences and hang their heads in shame!

..........................................................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

THE FLAMES CONTINUE:​

 

http://www.facultyassociation.ubc.ca/docs/19August2015NotetoFAmembers_web.pdf

 

From ubcfa University of British Columbia Faculty Association

 

August 19, 2015

 

Dear Colleagues:

 

The events at UBC following the unexplained resignation of Professor Arvind Gupta

as President have been exceptional. Fallout from the resignation created the

unprecedented situation in which the Chair of the Board of Governors is alleged to

have compromised the academic freedom of a UBC faculty member. Academic

administrators are also implicated in allegations surrounding this incident.

 

Since these allegations came to our attention last Wednesday, we have been

working hard to maintain the integrity of the normal labour relations processes we

use at UBC to resolve our grievances. While these processes have been working well

as we investigate the roles that various academic administrators have played in this

case, established procedures have been compromised as they pertain to the alleged

actions of the Chair.

 

The concerns leading to this conclusion focus on the fact that the University itself

has sidestepped standard protocols for handling grievances. More specifically, the

Chair of the Board of Governors, the Board’s chief spokesperson, gave public,

personal testimony related to the case in a University media release. We were

shocked that this happened in a formal University media release posted on a

University website. (This media release seems to have been removed from

news.ubc.ca late Tuesday evening. We have a downloaded copy.) Mr. Montalbano

has confused personal interests with the University’s interests.

 

As a result of this communication, we had earlier in the day decided to

call for Mr. Montalbano to step aside during an investigation of the

allegations against him. By late afternoon, we became aware Mr. Montalbano was

giving a series of interviews on radio and television, entirely in contradiction to the

August 17th press release signed by Provost pro tem Anji Redish and Interim President

Martha Piper in which it was affirmed that: “it would entirely be inappropriate to comment

further on the allegations until this process has been concluded.”

 

And, yet, Mr. Montalbano was doing precisely this in his capacity as Chair of UBC’s

Board of Governors.

 

Finding a sound and proper process inside the University or with the Board for

investigation of the concerns around Mr. Montalbano’s behaviours no longer

seemed a viable option.
 

While the University has publicly said that a grievance involving Mr. Montalbano

could be managed under our usual collective agreement processes, this no longer

seemed possible. Mr. Montalbano is a government appointee, not a University

employee, so establishing and implementing a fair process to investigate the Chair

of the Board of Governors given that Chair’s dominating presence in and apparent

mobilization of the entire system in his own interest seemed challenging, to say the

least.

 

Indeed, even though we had initiated our usual informal processes with the

University in a way that made it clear that there were serious allegations against Mr.

Montalbano, Mr. Montalbano did not step aside as Chair pending the conclusion of a

full investigation.

 

We have lost confidence that there can be an internal investigation process

uninfluenced by Mr. Montalbano, either within our usual labour relations processes

or through a Board-driven process.

 

Consequently, we are calling for Mr. Montalbano’s immediate resignation as Chair of

the Board of Governors. He has shown an inability to allow proper procedures to

proceed and has used his office as Chair of the Board to engage personally and

publicly with the issues under investigation. This behaviour is ill judged and

threatens the integrity of ongoing processes.

 

We did not take this decision to request Mr. Montalbano’s resignation lightly. His

handling of Professor Gupta’s resignation and his mismanagement of subsequent

events are now compounded by breaches of standard protocols, and lead us to

believe that his resignation will be in the best interests of the University and the

public.

 

Please read our letter carefully.

 

Sincerely,

Mark Mac Lean

President

 

 

 

 

http://www.facultyassociation.ubc.ca/docs/LT%20Redish%2018%20August%202015-signed.pdf

 

From ubcfa University of British Columbia Faculty Association

 

18 August 2015

 

Angela Redish

Acting President and Vice-Chancellor

Provost & Vice-President Academic pro tem

University of British Columbia

Walter C. Koerner Library

651 – 1958 Main Mall

Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2

 

Dear Dr. Redish,

 

The Faculty Association at the University of British Columbia strongly supports and

acknowledges the University’s commitment to academic freedom. We particularly

support and agree with your unqualified commitment set out in the Statement from

UBC on Academic Freedom dated August 17, 2015:

 

 

 

The collective agreement confirms that members of the University have the

freedom, within the law, to pursue what seems to them to be fruitful avenues of

inquiry, to teach and to learn unhindered by external or non-academic

constraints. Suppression of this freedom, whether by the institutions of the

state, the officers of the University or the actions of private individuals, would

prevent the University from carrying out its primary function.

 

 

The principles of fairness and due process are also fundamental to the UBC

community, and we must respect the law to ensure all members of the

university community are enabled to contribute fully to their endeavours. As

such, UBC has rigorous processes in place –- established with the agreement of

the Faculty Association –- to investigate any allegation of breach of academic

freedom. It is imperative that we follow this impartial process embedded within

and protected by the collective agreement before pre-judging unproven and

untested allegations at this time.

 

With those comments in mind, we are extremely concerned and dismayed by the Media

Statement from the Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of British

Columbia, Mr. John Montalbano, dated August 18, 2015. As you know, Mr.

Montalbano’s actions and conduct are the subject of serious allegations. The

allegations concern an attack on the very academic freedom cited in your statement

and are in relation to the member of whom you speak in your statement of August 17,

2015. This is not all. In addition, serious questions have arisen over the Chair’s

perceived conflict of interest involving his position both as Chair of the Board of
Governors of the University and as a member of a Faculty Advisory Council. This is

further compounded by the Chair’s personal communications with a Dean over internal

operational and academic issues concerning a faculty member.

 

In our respectful opinion, it is wholly inappropriate for the Chair of the Board of

Governors to comment on his personal interactions with a faculty member and to then

seek to invoke the grievance and arbitration procedures set out in the Collective

Agreement to address the concerns raised by the faculty member. Mr. Montalbano is

appointed by the provincial government and is not an employee of the University. The

procedures available to parties of the Collective Agreement are not his to invoke.

Surely, as Chair of the Board of Governors, Mr. Montalbano should engage in more

accurate and institutionally aware public communications about University processes.

Mr. Montalbano’s comments in the media release also fail to address the fact that the

Faculty Association has, since shortly after the resignation of Dr. Gupta, engaged

appropriate labour relations processes with UBC to express our serious concerns and

to seek a thorough investigation respecting Mr. Montalbano’s actions and conduct.

Further, Mr. Montalbano should not, in his position as Chair of the Board, comment

upon and or address such a process when he is, in fact, the focus of the investigation.

 

Mr. Montalbano’s statement reveals –- once again –- that he fails to understand what a

conflict of interest is. He is publicly mixing his personal dismay at the allegations

against him with his responsibilities as Chair of the Board, and conflating his own

personal interests with those of the University.

 

While he may, in fact, want to speak personally about the allegations made against

him, he should do so only once he has stepped aside as Chair of the Board of

Governors. To speak on behalf of the University and as Chair of the Board of

Governors, and to release what amounts to a personal defense against the accusations

as a University press release, on a University website, is a serious conflict of interest. It

is, frankly, an abuse of his position. As was his phone conversation with the faculty

member and any conversations on the matter that he may have had with that faculty

member’s Dean.

 

His statement that he “welcomes” the formal grievance process, whenever it should

arise, reveals a lack of understanding of basic procedures of the university: an

investigation into those aspects of the issues that pertain to internal labour relations

has been under discussion since last week, while the precise parameters of the

investigation into Mr. Montalbano’s actions are yet to be determined.

 

By speaking to, and inserting himself publicly, into the university labour relations

processes, he appears -- once again -- to be seeking to be directly involved in internal

university affairs. In doing so, he continues to exhibit an inability to understand the

seriousness of the conflict of interest allegations he is facing, or the responsibilities

and limitations of his role on the Board. 
 

While we understand his desire to speak personally about the allegations made against

him, the manner and forum in which he has chosen to do so is utterly inappropriate

and simply confirms our lack of confidence in him as Chair of the Board. In this

context, we would point out that your statement as released by UBC on August 18 ends

with the declaration that it “would be entirely inappropriate to comment further on the

allegations until this process has been concluded.” The numerous media appearances

by Mr Montalbano today in which he addresses the situation are clearly inconsistent

with this key message from your office.

 

Both you and Mr. Montalbano have publicly committed to an investigation of his

actions. Indeed, Mr. Montalbano said today he would welcome such an

inquiry. However, given the extent to which Mr. Montalbano is intervening in internal

University processes, we do not believe that any inquiry process could be viable as

long as he remains Chair of the Board of Governors, and as long as his personal

interests are confounded with those of the University.

 

All things considered, we have reached the conclusion that Mr. Montalbano should

resign immediately as Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of British

Columbia.

 

Yours truly,

 

Mark Mac Lean

President

 

On behalf of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Association

 

 

 

 

Media Statement of Mr. Montalbano is found here:

http://www.facultyassociation.ubc.ca/docs/275052218-John-Montalbano-Statement-August-18-2015.pdf

 

 

 

 

From ubcfa University of British Columbia Faculty Association

http://www.facultyassociation.ubc.ca/docs/17August2015UBCFA_web.pdf

 

17 August 2015

 

Dear Colleagues:

 

As you may know, last week the UBC Faculty Association presented a request to the Board of Governors asking for more details on the resignation of Professor Gupta as President. We received the Board’s response on August 14.

 

We are disappointed that the Board’s response provides no new information. In essence, it asks the university community — and the public at large — to take on faith, the fact that the Board has acted responsibly and in the public interest. While the Board should normally have the trust and confidence of the university community, events surrounding the resignation of Professor Gupta make this increasingly difficult.

 

The resignation of Professor Gupta as President of UBC is not simply a “personnel matter” for the University, as the Board claims. Rather, there is a high expectation of complete transparency and accountability around the resignation of a President of a public institution as significant and vital as UBC.

 

This expectation has not been met. The absence of an informed explanation since the August 7th resignation has led to ill-informed speculation taking the place of information. In our opinion, this situation makes any non-disclosure provision in Professor Gupta’s exit agreement contrary to the public interest and contrary to the best practices expected of a major public institution.

 

Furthermore, the handling of Professor Gupta’s resignation and its aftermath have exposed​ serious weaknesses in the governance of the university, due to the apparent failure to manage significant and perceived high-risk personal conflicts of interest involving Mr. Montalbano, the Chair of the Board. The concerns raised in this regard compound those already expressed about the lack of transparency in the processes surrounding the President’s resignation. In our opinion, these conflicts of interest should not have existed in the first place and must be remedied immediately.

 

Specifically, the Chair of the Board also sits on a Faculty Advisory Council, and we are advised has been in communication with a Dean over internal operational and academic issues. This arrangement circumvents the formal organizational bicameral structure of the university, which would require that communication between the Board and the university be routed through the President (or acting President). The role of the Board is to set general policy and to manage, administer, and control the property, revenue, business, and affairs of the University, and not to become involved in academic governance.

 

The Chair of the Board should not be able to meddle directly in internal academic affairs. Yet, disregard for this organizational structure as well as interference in academic affairs, is precisely what is alleged to have happened this past week in relation to the comments made by a faculty member concerning the President’s resignation by the Chair of Board.

 

We are also concerned — in reference to the same faculty member — about alleged violations of academic freedom and of the university’s respectful environment statement committed by a number of individuals, including the Chair of the Board of Governors. While these allegations are still under investigation, there are sufficient facts known to lead us to question how well those involved, including the Chair of the Board himself, understand the principle of academic freedom, and whether they understand their obligations under UBC’s public commitment to providing a respectful workplace environment. Each of these principles is a fundamental tenet of a university.

 

Mr Montalbano's apparent lack of understanding of the principles of academic freedom, and the questionable judgement he is alleged to have exhibited in interfering with internal operations and with university employees, have caused the Faculty Association Executive Committee to lose confidence in Mr. Montalbano as the Chair of the Board of Governors.

 

Given the conflicts of interest, and the missteps that that have come to light this week, we believe it is even more imperative to have the full story behind the resignation of Professor Gupta as President of UBC. Full disclosure is the only way to restore trust in the governance of the University of British​ Columbia.

 

Sincerely,

 

Mark Mac Lean, President (Mathematics)

Vinayak Vatsal, Vice President (Mathematics)

Hugh Neary, Treasurer (Vancouver School of Economics)

Doris Doudet, Secretary (Neurology)

Lara Boyd, Member-at-Large (Physical Therapy)

Thomas Kemple, Member-at-Large (Sociology)

Deanna Kreisel, Member-at-Large (English)

Nancy Langton, Member-at-Large (Sauder School of Business)

Karen Smith, Member-at-Large (Microbiology and Immunology)

Danny Vickers, Member-at-Large (History)

Kristina McDavid, Chair, Librarians and Archivists Committee (Library)

Sarika Bose, Chair, Contract Faculty Committee (English)

Margaret Wright, Chair, Member Services and Grievance Committee (Social Work)

Jim Johnson, Chair, Okanagan Faculty Committee (Economics)

Margot Young, Chair, Status of Women Committee (Law)​

​​

Link to comment
Share on other sites

defs tl:dr, read the first part but no one has time for the rest.... This whole "reputation at risk" thing is wayy overblown. 99% of people don't know about this and even the ones who do probably won't care much. UBC is way too big for a dispute between a few academic leaders to affect the reputation of the university.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

defs tl:dr, read the first part but no one has time for the rest.... This whole "reputation at risk" thing is wayy overblown. 99% of people don't know about this and even the ones who do probably won't care much. UBC is way too big for a dispute between a few academic leaders to affect the reputation of the university.

If you have any idea of what's going on, it is definitely a concerning issue and it does actually hurt the school's reputation quite a bit in the short-medium term.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I mean is for the people involved this is a huge issue, but I don't think there is "institutional damage" in the sense that I don't think people are going to choose to go to UBC or not based on what has happened. The courses are going to be the same and everything relevant to students won't be affected.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I mean is for the people involved this is a huge issue, but I don't think there is "institutional damage" in the sense that I don't think people are going to choose to go to UBC or not based on what has happened. The courses are going to be the same and everything relevant to students won't be affected.

You're mostly right. But I do think it is relevant to students, even though most don't realize it.

 

As I said in the other thread, I honestly think the institutional culture at UBC is toxic across multiple levels and areas. And that does affect students, if indirectly.

 

Even the fact that someone mentioned that people who work for UBC aren't worried about the schools reputation plays into this, in my opinion. UBC seems to think they are so fantastic that they don't have to address things like this. Bit like McGill lately.

 

It's one of the reasons I'm not sure I want to go there for residency, even though I'd love to go home to BC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're mostly right. But I do think it is relevant to students, even though most don't realize it.

 

As I said in the other thread, I honestly think the institutional culture at UBC is toxic across multiple levels and areas. And that does affect students, if indirectly.

 

Even the fact that someone mentioned that people who work for UBC aren't worried about the schools reputation plays into this, in my opinion. UBC seems to think they are so fantastic that they don't have to address things like this. Bit like McGill lately.

 

It's one of the reasons I'm not sure I want to go there for residency, even though I'd love to go home to BC.

Except many of the areas operate as silos. UBC Medicine and its training programs are further than arms length from having to worry about anything that is happening with the central administration really. 

 

But i agree, its not good to be oblivious or pompous about these sorts of things. 

 

Anyways, to each their own haha - more training spots in BC for the rest of us :P 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I totally agree that that is ridiculous that some of the faculty don't care about this. That exactly shows the problems with the culture at this school. And I disagree, I think if high school students do hear stories like this it definitely affects their perception. When I was in high school I was very into current events and a story like this would make me second guess my choice for sure.

 

For anyone into business, there is the old saying that your company is only as good as the CEO or the people at the top.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Except many of the areas operate as silos. UBC Medicine and its training programs are further than arms length from having to worry about anything that is happening with the central administration really.

 

But i agree, its not good to be oblivious or pompous about these sorts of things.

 

Anyways, to each their own haha - more training spots in BC for the rest of us :P

 

Meh. That hasn't been my experience so far. I'm sure your med school experience will be wonderful, but don't assume it's unrelated. The higher ups are involved in hiring don't forget. It trickles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I totally agree that that is ridiculous that some of the faculty don't care about this. That exactly shows the problems with the culture at this school. And I disagree, I think if high school students do hear stories like this it definitely affects their perception. When I was in high school I was very into current events and a story like this would make me second guess my choice for sure.

 

For anyone into business, there is the old saying that your company is only as good as the CEO or the people at the top.

lol, high schoolers don't know anything though. It's not like there isn't an oversupply of potential students to fill limited seats :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://ubcinsiders.ca/2015/08/where-in-the-world-is-john-montalbano/

 

ubc insiders

 

Where in the World is John Montalbano?

 

BY NEAL YONSON ⋅ AUGUST 13, 2015 ⋅ Less than a week after a secret meeting of the UBC Board of Governors was followed up later in the day with the “surprise resignation” of UBC President Arvind Gupta, the people left at the top of UBC’s power structure have continued to make themselves scarce, publicly at least.

 

John Montalbano, the Board of Governors Chair, and Lindsay Gordon, the Chancellor, have so far only addressed the issue through confusing prepared statements, or terse comments to selected media. Everyone else on the Board has been absent from the public eye. To all those looking for answers amidst the turmoil, their collective silence has said much more.

 

UBC has a directory of people associated with the university. Search the name John Montalbano… no results. Search the name Lindsay Gordon… no results. An enquiry to UBC Public Affairs for their contact information was referred to the Board of Governors Secretariat, who claimed the information was private and could not be divulged. To summarize, John Montalbano and Lindsay Gordon do not have offices. They cannot be reached by email. They cannot be reached by phone. The two most powerful men at UBC are ghosts.

 

Certainly, everyone has a right to live as private citizen, but that right ends where their duties as Governors begin. They are not acting as private citizens when they vote on raising tuition, or the university’s billion-dollar budget, or when asking university staff to stop using the term “rape culture” because it makes them uncomfortable. Mr. Montalbano was not on the search committee that ultimately chose Arvind Gupta as UBC President in the role of “random individual plucked off the street”. All of these derive from the fact that they are people who have been given control over a very large and significant public institution. If they would rather be private citizens, they are welcome to take the advice of faculty member Nassif Ghoussoub and resign. Until they do, their roles come with a duty to the public, and the tens of thousands of people who hold a very real stake in the success of this institution.

 

Adding to the confusion, Susan Danard, managing director of UBC Public Affairs, was responding to enquiries earlier this week by stating that both men were out of town on vacation. She has since stated that those vacations were cancelled and in fact, there have been frequent conversations with various campus stakeholders. Their actual whereabouts are still uncertain. The UBC Faculty Association, for their part, sent a message to its members stating that a conversation with Montalbano had occurred this week, but details of any other engagements or actions taken are hard to come by. Where are they, what are they doing and who are they meeting with? Nobody seems to know, or want to say. Of course, this is just another example of the completely secretive way in which the UBC Board of Governors does business all the time. Faced with a situation that demands more clarity, all they create is more fog.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Board of Governors are like the Directors of a major corporation, giving the university direction but not

running the university day to day. The Chairman tries to intimidate those whom he dislikes, puts his foot in his

mouth and otherwise hides. :P The President executes the overall plan of the Board and is the effective C.E.O.

of the organization.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.hamiltonnews.com/news-story/5814269-ubc-board-chairman-to-temporarily-step-down/

 

Aug 26, 2015

 

UBC board chairman to temporarily step down

 

VANCOUVER - John Montalbano is temporarily stepping down as chairman of the board of governors at the University of British Columbia amid a dispute at the school over academic freedom.

 

Faculty members had been calling for his resignation since UBC president Arvind Gupta quit earlier this month.

 

Prof. Jennifer Berdahl had accused Montalbano of trying to muzzle her over a blog she wrote about Gupta's resignation, and the faculty association previously asked the chairman to step aside so an investigation could take place.

 

According to a statement issued Tuesday, the board accepted Montalbano's request that he step down for the duration of a fact-finding process agreed to by the university and the faculty association.

 

Vice-chair Alice Laberge will assume Montalban's duties during an investigation to be conducted by retired B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lynn Smith. She will begin her probe on Sept. 1 and will submit a report no later than Oct. 7.

 

The statement says Montalbano intends to fully participate in the process while remaining a member of the board.

 

The clash between Montalbano and Berdahl erupted after she blogged that Gupta "lost the masculinity contest'' before quitting on Aug. 7.

 

Berdahl, a gender and diversity professor at the Sauder School of Business, alleged in another blog that her superiors criticized her for "embarrassing'' UBC's governors and tried to silence her, while the faculty association said it had lost confidence in Montalbano.

 

Montalbano said last week that he didn't ask Berdahl to retract her blog or threaten funding for her position and that he didn't intend to impinge on her academic freedom. He said he had invited Berdahl to grieve the issue under the collective agreement to determine if her allegations are valid.

 

The faculty association has demanded answers about Gupta's resignation but the board of governors has stayed mum, citing confidentiality.

 

By The Canadian Press

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damage control & a step in the right direction.  :P  I'm sure this was not his idea. And he really wants to stay. He needs to save face, otherwise, he will be seen as guilty/exceeded his authority - no matter how candy coated the result is. 

 

He deserves his punishment, which has just begun! Unfortunately, he still remains a member of the Board.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...