Speaking of meetings with Education Minister Joan Burke, what is the latest on the Memorial University Presidential Hiring fiasco?
Has the Board of Regents been given a date and time for a meeting with the Minster to discuss the issue. It would appear that the diffusional tactics related to how the government got involved in the hiring process worked. The issue seems to have dropped below the radar which is right where the government would like it to stay.
There never was an adequate answer to the question of how the Minister went from stand-in cheerleader to Judge, Jury and Executioner!
Acting president, Eddy Campbell, announced on Aug. 1 that he was withdrawing his name from the running and requested a meeting with Minister Burke to discuss outside interference in the selection process for the next university president. That meeting has not happened.
A Google search just revealed that I missed the Telegram's Pam Framton's latest column which delves into the stalled presidential search issue.
Apparently she e-mailed the Premier in mid-August for an update and was told "The presidential search continues and in our opinion, further commentary does nothing to promote the interests of the university,"
So, we should all just shut up now because expressing concern about the Minister of Education's approach only hurts the University, although the Minister continues to say she has the right to interview and dismiss potential candidates.
Sorry that is not good enough. Until such a time as the Provincial Government clearly articulates that it will not intervene in the presidential hiring process and clears the air on its future approach people need to continue to provide commentary on this issue. The academic independence of Memorial University is too important. The Premier needs to clarify if he directed his Minister of Education to hold interviews and reject candidates, or if she exceeded his expectations. Are there briefing notes in the system from officials that advise the Minister on what she could and could not do according to legislation? Did she ignore legitimate advice from her officials? These questions need to be answered. If the Minister overruled the advice of her own officials than where did she feel the authority to interview and reject candidates came from? Either the Minister acted on her own, or she acted on the authority of the Premier.
It is to bad that the best interests of the University were not considered before the Minister derailed the process!
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