University of the Fraser Valley: Michael's version (Part 3 of 3)

Continued from 2 May 2019 (1) ...

Baumann "stands in the way of innovation or change". But does he?

It is true, I do stand "in the way of innovation or change" if change leads to a loss of honesty and transparency, of freedom and justice (2), of equality and happiness (3). When it leads to a loss of intellectual rigour (4). Or when an idea is just a fad (5).

What do you do? 

But let me ask a different question: How often were my initiatives stonewalled by higher-ranking administrators? Three examples.

On 15 Jan 2013, I (and somebody at Queen's University) watch the same webinar on the development of Major Maps at Georgia State University. (Major Maps are visual representations of academic, extra-curricular, and career-related activities intended to help students on their journey.)  I alert the Dean of Arts and the Dean of Science to this idea, but nothing happens. Then more of nothing happens. On 26 Nov 2014, I have a meeting with the Associate Dean Students to discuss the creation of Major Maps for U.F.V.. On 2 Feb 2015, Queen's announces to be the "first Canadian university to develop 'major maps'" (6). On 5 Jun 2015, yet another meeting with the Associate Dean. A couple of days later Queen's wins the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employer (CACEE) Excellence in Innovation Award (7). Sometime in early May 2017, the Associate Dean finally produces two Major Maps, one for Philosophy, one for Psychology. To say they are awful would be a compliment. Sometime in 2018, after five years, the Associate Dean cancels the project. 

Yes, U.F.V. could have been first at something, but as so often the opportunity was squandered. 

In May 2016, at the CACEE National Conference in Montreal, a speaker from Western University presents HireWesternU.ca (8), a campaign intended to cultivate industry/university collaboration. The campaign was a great success, e.g. contributing to an increase in co-op placements from 800 in 2014 to 1,200 in 2015. Once back at U.F.V., I bring the initiative to the attention of Senior Administration and request approval of the top-level domain name hireUFV.ca. My request is denied (9).

(Note that in Oct 2017, Senior Administration approved a top-level domain name for "Academic Integrity Matters" (10), a campaign reminiscent of South Park's Sexual Harassment Panda, except that it is not a satire (11). If my daughter's alma mater likened their students to an arboreal mammal noted for its slowness and then treated them like idiots, I would strongly advise her to seek her postsecondary education elsewhere.)

In October 2017, University Affairs publishes my opinion piece on the consequences of exam scheduling at Canadian universities and the benefits of change (12). (Let's just say not exactly an irrelevant topic considering the state of student mental health.) I choose to publish with no affiliation. The article makes it into Academica Top Ten (13). My piece was mentioned to me by one -- that is, one -- higher-ranking administrator. How come?

That said, it would not surprise me if soon Senior Administration did implement some of my ideas and initiatives and sell them as their own -- U.F.V. programming for local prisons, an Aboriginal Access Graduation Coach, Project EduSim, the FutureSkills Lab, hireUFV.ca, a university-wide Employer Advisory Board, a proper Work-Integrated Internship Program, a central U.F.V. Career Resources website, the WORK 101 course, the "Don't cancel your class" initiative, an experimental exam schedule, ...

If this should happen, remember where you read about them first. 

Baumann "appears to be disengaged". You tell me.

It is true, as an introvert I naturally spend more time thinking than talking, but I do take detailed notes. And yes, there is much more to talk about, so much more. But it would be a waste of time. 

Why?

Because in my life I have learned three things: First, people do not like to stick to facts, they like to stick to whatever it is they believe. Second, people judge and choose even if they know nothing or only parts of the story. And last, people have two standards, one which they apply to themselves, family, and friends, and another that they apply to everybody else.

So you can read the "Evaluation Report" and believe that Michael Baumann is "unhelpful, negative and difficult to work with", that "he appears to be disengaged and be overly negative in meetings" (14), that "he stands in the way of innovation or change". Yes, you can believe that he single-handedly ruined the Career Centre (15). ... 

Or you can believe that he is a magnificent bastard, that he is indeed the only person who can resuscitate the academic system, make politics ethical, save the global ecology and the global economy, bring world peace, and end world hunger. ...

Or you can believe anything in between. 

But whatever you choose to believe, please, base it on facts, not fantasies. 

NOTES AND REFERENCES

(1) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ufv-michaels-version-part-2-michael-baumann/ (Accessed: 2 May 2019) 

(2) 90% of employers prefer to hire candidates with work experience (e.g. http://www.naceweb.org/job-outlook/2017-nace-job-outlook-full-report.pdf; Accessed: 2 May 2019). 82% of first-year students at U.F.V. are either working or looking for work (Canadian University Survey Consortium 2013 First-Year Student Survey: Table 22). U.F.V.'s response to this is not to encourage B.A. students to take advantage of paid work within Co-operative Education, but to force them into 120 hours of civic and intercultural engagement exercises, plus four portfolio courses.  (https://www.ufv.ca/calendar/current/ProgramsA-B/ARTS_BA.htm; Accessed: 2 May 2019). 

(3) E.g. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lAtjYjROZ1PB4VYTpkeVykc65lG3EX17/view (Accessed: 2 May 2019)

(4) The keynote presentations of both the 2017 and the 2018 U.F.V. Professional Development Day come to mind. I remember the Provost and the A.V.P. Teaching giving standing ovations to a blizzard of long-debunked myths and factual errors. 

(5) MOOCs, nano-credentials, micro-degrees, the "Digital Hub" -- the "Digital Hub" -- the "Digital Hub" come to mind. Or, if you were running a Tech firm, would you recruit somebody whose only interest in Tech so far has been a "5-Week Coding Bridging Program" (https://blogs.ufv.ca/science/2017/10/05/coding-bridgin-program/; Accessed: 2 May 2019). Or, do a quick test: Ask a random U.F.V. faculty member how many "Institutional Learning Outcomes" Senior Administration has prescribed (https://www.ufv.ca/ilos/; Accessed: 2 May 2019). ... Exactly.

(6) https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/media/news-release-queens-first-canadian-university-develop-major-maps (Accessed: 2 May 2019)

(7) https://www.cacee.com/2014-2015_Award_Recipients.html (Accessed: 2 May 2019)

(8) http://hirewesternu.ca (Accessed: 2 May 2019)

(9) Senior Administration at the University of the Fraser Valley: I am the owner of the domain https://hireUFV.ca (Accessed: 2 May 2019). If you are interested in acquiring this domain, here are the costs: $1 + an apology. 

(10) http://www.ufv-aim.ca/ (Accessed: 2 May 2019)

(11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQnNH7I07RY (Accessed: 2 May 2019)

(12) https://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/need-seriously-rethink-concept-final-exams/ (Accessed: 2 May 2019)

(13) https://www.academica.ca/top-ten/it%E2%80%99s-time-rethink-scheduling-final-exams-bauman (Accessed: 2 May 2019) 

(14) I have yet to meet the person that can be both at the same time, "disengaged" AND "overly negative".

(15) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KKVGoL4P9EyqS5AXcLUfL0emeU5cTfb7/view (Accessed: 2 May 2019)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you, my lovely wife, not only for enduring my principles, but also for being the toughest editor a writer can have. I don't know how often you threw out what I considered "pretty good stuff", but it certainly made my argument better. 

Thank you to those who dared to "like" my trilogy, few as you are. Even in the free world it takes courage to show where you stand, especially in the "free" world. (The road to Auschwitz was not paved by indifference, Sir Ian, it was paved by silence.)

And to those without courage: I always wonder why so many of you are so willing to throw away your Constitutional Rights and Freedoms. ... I wish you could swim. Like dolphins.