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Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., is proposing to shake up the structure of its academic faculties, a change that comes in the face of increased financial strain on the Nova Scotia institution, said a senior administrator Wednesday.
The proposal would see three faculties — arts, pure and applied science, and professional studies — merged into one, and 28 academic units within those three faculties condensed into eight “schools,” each with a director and a council made up of students, staff and faculty.
Ashlee Cunsolo, provost and vice-president academic, said the prime motivation for the changes is financial. Fewer administrative positions would be needed under the proposal, though faculty and their compensation would not be affected.
“Our sector is facing a really major moment of upheaval and kind of critical thinking about where we go and what we do as universities,” said Cunsolo in an interview.
Last month, Acadia laid off 31 people, including a mix of unionized and non-unionized staff in administrative and service roles, citing financial pressures, declining enrolment and rising operating costs.
In an April 6 letter to the school community entitled Rebuilding Acadia, the university said “the threats from Bill 12,” among other pressures, had placed it “at a critical moment.”
The contentious bill, which became law last year, increased the provincial government’s influence over universities in Nova Scotia. Among other things, it allows the minister of advanced education to appoint up to half of the members of a university’s board of governors, and force a university into a revitalization plan.
“To respond, and to ensure the sustainability of Acadia, we must change,” said the letter.
Cunsolo said Wednesday the restructuring proposal has not yet been costed; a process that will be required before the board of governors can approve the plan.
The changes — outlined in a letter Tuesday to faculty, staff and students — could be implemented by fall 2027, said Cunsolo.
Each ‘school’ would have a director and a council consisting of students, staff and faculty that would ‘make decisions about the academic mission of the school,’ says Cunsolo. It’s a move she says is aimed at formally integrating student representation into academic decisions. (Acadia University)
The proposal released Tuesday is the second version of the proposed changes. Twelve feedback sessions with hundreds of students, staff and faculty led to the updated version.
Alex Marland, a political science professor at Acadia, said he was happy to see the university implement feedback but said the second proposal lacked specifics. He said he wants to know how much these changes would save the university and what would happen if it doesn’t alter course.
Chelsea Gardner, a classics professor at Acadia and president of the university’s faculty association, said the union is concerned that it hasn’t been directly consulted on the proposed changes.
“We, as an association, have not been invited to give specific comment,” said Gardner.
“I would hope that the employer plans to do that because it is in the collective agreement that the association give comments and that the board gives consideration to those comments.”
Gardner said the union hasn’t had time yet to review the updated proposal but that it’s open to working with the university on changes to address its financial situation.
She said the proposal process has been rushed.
“All of this restructuring is happening in the shadow of Bill 12, and ultimately with this really deep fear that we’re all facing on a daily basis and have faced for the last year,” she said.
Cunsolo said the provincial government has had no input or involvement in the proposed structural changes to the university.
She said Acadia will work with the province on program reviews with an eye to financial viability, a process that 10 Nova Scotia universities agreed to last fall.
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