Dear Dr Axworthy,
Since beginning my term as President of UWFA, I have appreciated how in our communications you have expressed an earnest interest in improving faculty-administration relations and developing a greater understanding of faculty concerns. I, together with the UWFA Council, have been working towards this end since we last met in May. Given your expressed concern for better direct communication with UWFA and its Members, you may imagine my shock and dismay when I read the following in the Winnipeg Free Press last weekend:
“This year, we’re planning on a $4-million vacancy management reduction by exercising better timing of all new and replacement hiring. Naturally, this puts extra pressure on faculty and staff who have to pick up part of that workload until we sort things through and we are mindful of the potential problems this can create in terms of additional stress and sick leave or other productivity issues.”
Vice-President Finance and Administration Bill Balan’s presentation of the 2011-2012 budget during Senate in May (of which I have still been unable to obtain a copy despite repeated promises from Valerie Gilroy and Bill Balan) certainly suggested the possibility of upcoming financial difficulties. However, I trust you will agree that the media is not the place where our faculty should learn of a $4 million “vacancy management reduction” plan for the upcoming year.
At the very least, your choice to publicize this plan to the Free Press prior to explaining the details to faculty contradicts the spirit if not the letter of your final statement in the above quotation. It will be difficult to mitigate concerns from department Chairs and other faculty members, and indeed from all University employees, that once again your decisions have not been communicated to us, and that once again we will be expected to enforce measures without reasonable prior notice and explanation. An explanation to those who are most directly affected and opportunity for discussion may have reduced the additional stress of faculty and staff.
Your decision to discuss with the press, rather than with UWFA, a “vacancy management reduction” will work against my focused efforts to improve faculty opinion of the administration. This public announcement is yet another example of media releases that have led over your term as President to faculty anger and dissatisfaction with the administration.
Imagine our level of frustration when you stated in the article that the university “spent a great deal of time talking to people in the neighbourhood” about its plans. Faculty and staff may feel that you don’t consider your own university community worthy of the same effort. I trust that in future you, I, and all UWFA members will enjoy more open and direct communication.
Sincerely,
Pauline Pearson, UWFA President
cc. UWFA Council and UWFA Webpage.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 1:49PM by 
