Retired Acadia Faculty Association

CURAC meets the RAFA

On Saturday 1 October. 2011, Cornelius Kampe, philosopher, courageously drove Vince Leung, mathematician, and Bob McCarthy, musician, through an autumnal downpour to St. Mary’s University where, on the 4^th floor of the Sobey Building, delegates gathered for the 5th  Atlantic Regional Conference of CURAC, the College and University Retirees Association of Canada (ARUCC en français).  The topic for the conference was: “Engaging with Your Community, Your University and Your Mind”

At 9:40AM, Geraldine Thomas, president of the St. Mary’s University Retirees Association, extracted Colin Dodds, president of SMU, from an arresting discussion with the Editor of the RAFA Newsletter on the relative merits of Acadia’s football team vis-à-vis St. Mary’s.  He then proceeded to welcome the attendees, and, aside from a few highly subjective comments about Acadia’s student athletes, he got the proceedings off to an enlightened and vigorous start.

There were delegates from the following organizations of retired faculty; RAFA; ADRP; MUNPA; ABPPRUM; UNBREA; UPEIRA; and SMURA.  (These acronyms were used throughout the day as a check on the mental competence of the delegates.)  Predictably, most of the delegates came from the Halifax schools, i.e. Dalhousie (ADRP) and St. Mary’s (SMURA).  Of the out-of-town delegations, however, Acadia was the largest, with the three members of the RAFA executive, along with Alan Young and Ian Murray, Executive Director, Alumni Affairs and Advancement,  who offered a key address on ”Engaging with Your University.”

Nature of Retirement

Perhaps the most crucial question of the day came from Howard Fink, past president of CURAC, who challenged the delegates to define the concept of retiree.  Specifically: is retirement a terminus ad quem or a portal to another stage in academic life?

Some universities involve retired faculty in the vital work of the university; others view retired faculty simply as “former employees”, especially when it comes to consideration for post-retirement teaching responsibilities.  Howard’s question was closely relevant to discussions on the absence of precedence for retired faculty as well as the inconsistencies in considerations for emeritus status.

“Engaging with Your Community”

The first formal presentation came from Leonard Preyra, MLA for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island.  He was introduced by his former colleague at St. Mary’s Ron Cosper, who included some gratuitous comments about patronage towards Leonard’s constituents on Sable Island in the form of “free hay.”     That was met with chilling silence from the assembly of serious academics.

Leonard expressed concern about the gap that too often develops between the university and its retired faculty, who represent a huge pool of “social capital” in the form of experienced-based skills and seasoned perspective.  Two channels for talents might be considered, i.e.:  1. Mentoring; and 2. Teaching.

“Mentoring” seems to include anything from unpaid tutoring to career counselling; to close personal contact between faculty members and their former students. Whatever its particular context, the role of Mentor is basic to exploiting the talents of retired faculty.  As a political scientist and politician, Leonard pointed to specific avenues, such as helping immigrant persons; teenagers trying to plot a career

or survive life’s crises; children at risk, etc.

He pointed to the Seniors College of Nova Scotia (SCANS) as a channel for the teaching talents of retired faculty.  This project, which was the subject of subsequent discussion, is similar to the Acadia Lifelong Learning (ALL) programme, except that the Acadia programme is shaped more by local senior citizens rather than experienced academics.

When asked about president Dodds’ comments on recent cuts to government funding, Leonard pointed to the stresses from world and national fiscal hardship which have forced Nova Scotia to adopt its across-the-board one percent policy.

One of the Acadia delegation planted the thought of government assistance in dealing with the inflexibility of some municipalities.

“Engaging with Your University”

In the second session, Ian Murray of Acadia injected a dose of practical realism into the proceedings by recalling the fundamentals of interaction with university administration in the implementation of great ideas.  He was introduced by Randy Barkhouse, president of the Association of Dalhousie Retirees and Pensioners (ADRP), who recognized that Ian would shortly move from the role of lecturer to that of quasi-cheerleader for the Acadia Alumni.

Speaking as an administrator with 22 years of experience in the voluntary sector with the Red Cross, Ian recognized the “structural impediments” that institutions can pose to volunteer contributions.  On the other hand, as an administrator, he offered practical guidance to opening channels of communication.  For example, two basic questions: “What do you want to do?     Why do you want to do it?”

Since institutions find it difficult to “operationalize goodwill,” great ideas have to come in a well-researched plan.  In other words, the best creative projects become an administrative nightmare if they are presented “without legs.”  Ian provided several PowerPoint-style sheets to focus his message.

In response to his call for opening channels of communication, delegates reported on channels opened by their local groups, e.g.:

MUNPA has formal relationship with the university, to help in many ways such as funding, etc.;

UNBREA expects to be on an equal footing with the university if it wishes to tap the resources of retired faculty;

In that approach, the university would be expected to provide the “legs.”

UPEIRA has many informal channels.

At this point, Howard Fink of Concordia posed the challenge of clarifying the concept of retirement as an end or a continuation.

At Concordia, along with 18 of 23 Canadian universities, retired faculty are associate members of the faculty union.  While RAFA members have the right to be Associate members of the AUFA, only one is listed by the AUFA.

After serving up this Feast of Reason, Ian donned his Axeman suit and slipped out a rear window on a mission to stir up the Acadia Alumni for the athletic rituals on the rain-soaked football field.

Nonetheless, his address stimulated valuable discussion, which will hopefully continue at Acadia.  One example of his personal sensitivity was his stated respect for Acadia supporters who are not inclined towards the stereotypical group activities of sports events.  In general, he projected an impressive balance of practical realism and the “great ideas” that are central to an Acadia education, of which he is a recipient.

Thoughts of the Roundtable

There followed a Roundtable Discussion which was neither round, owing to the shape of the table, nor a discussion, but a series of “Show ‘n Tell” reports by the various organizations.  Since the proceedings were already thirty minutes behind schedule, and food was imminent, the Moderator insisted that all presentations be limited to five minutes.

1. RAFA:

Bob McCarthy improvised a three-part summary of the activities of the RAFA, i.e.: Lunch; Teach; and Negotiate.  Over the years, the RAFA has been held together by the social glue (no reflection on the Blomidon fare) of the luncheons; Secondly, the RAFA has occasionally sought to become involved in tutoring; and, thirdly, especially in its early days, the RAFA served as a kind of bargaining agent to negotiate with the administration for the rights of retired faculty.

This report was highly commended as the only one that adhered to the inflexible limit of five minutes.  Other comments were discreetly muted.

2. ADRP:

Randy Barkhouse presented a 12 minute (Q.E.D.) summary of the Activities of the 300 member Dalhousie Association, which included, among other things, the Seniors’ College Association of Nova Scotia (SCANS); Health Benefits; Pensions, etc.  The ADRP has clearly expended much time and effort in negotiating for its members’ welfare.

Until the publication of his article on Sir Charles Tupper in last year’s RAFA Outhouse, Randy was a highly respected scholar, but little known outside the Halifax area.  All of the Outhouse staff rejoiced at this shared success in launching another high profile senior career.

His remarks were supported by an enlightening handout. For further information, members are encouraged to visit the ADRP Website at:  http://adrp.dal.ca

3. MUNPA:

The 1500 member Memorial association drew special interest with their established “opt-out” policy.  Retired faculty are automatically signed up as dues-paying members unless they remember to opt out.  Apparently, most forget to do so, thus providing a substantial budget for the contributions of the MUNPA.

MUNPA has established formal liaisons with the various bargaining units on campus.  In 2013, MUNPA will his the annual CURAC meeting.

Their Website is http://www.mun.ca/munpa/

4. ABPPRUM and UNBREA:

In keeping with the bilingual ideals of CURAC, the report of ABPPRUM (Association des bibliothécaires, professeures et professeurs retraités

de l’Université de Moncton) was given totally en français.  While this posed no challenge to the Editor of the thoroughly bilingual RAFA Outhouse a.k.a. La Sanisette, some members were a bit rusty with their conversational French.

To relieve the linguistic tension, David Wiezel of UNB offered a brief anecdote, i.e. It seems that an academic with shaky conversational French found himself at the Mayor’s house for dinner with a colleague, and the Mayor’s wife, who was unilingual French.  In an effort to show off his limited French, he attempted to tell her how much he loved Fred’s restaurant, a local favourite.  Unfortunately, he involuntarily described how he loved her at Fred’s.  Je t’aime a Freds?

Somehow, the relevance to the previous presentation en français seemed clear to all.

6. UPEIRA:

Andy Robb, president of the UPEI association, summarized the state of UPEIRA, i.e. This organization, which is 14yrs old, represents the whole spectrum of employees at the University from custodians to presidents.  There are few formal relationships, but, unlike the RAFA, UPEIRA has dental benefits.  The level of social events, particularly barbeques, is very high.

7. Quebec:

Howard Fink of Concordia provided general comments on the state of retired faculty in Quebec.  As past president of CURAC, he was aware of the subtleties of interaction with administrators and faculty unions.  He stressed that retired faculty are associate members of the union, which has the legal power to defend the rights of pensioners.  Concordia dealt with the complex politics of emeritus status by granting it to all retired faculty.

King Solomon would have been impressed.

8. SMURA:

After lunch, there was a report of the National CURAC/ARUCC, and then Geraldine Thomas offered some brief comments on the state of SMURA at St. Mary’s.  Like ADRP, they have laboured to improve the Health Plan at SMU, but are “not there yet.”

She questioned the members on the state of Precedence for retired faculty in consideration of some part-time teaching.  Amid the wide range of practices, there seemed to emerge a pattern of age bias, by which administrators would prefer to hire an inexperienced part-timer in preference to a more competent faculty member who was labelled “former employee.”  While many recognize the wastefulness of this practice, improvements have only come on an individual basis with little formal support.

2PM:   At this point, the boys of Acadia dove into SMU’s mud-soaked football field in a game that was scandalously decided by a non-call of pass interference in last six seconds.  Perhaps the refs had mud on their glasses.

Engaging the Elders

Back in our galaxy far away,  “Engaging with Your Mind” was the larger context for the lecture entitled “Seniors as Elders of the Tribe” by Peter Russell, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto.

He recalled how he had gotten a call many years ago from a Dene Elder in Yellowknife, who asked him to come there to share his wisdom as a political scientist and constitutional expert.  When he arrived, there was a gathering at the Yellowknife Hotel at which she asked him to answer two questions, i.e.:

1. ”What is sovereignty?” and – after a well wrought pause -

2. “How did the Queen get it over us?”

Peter conveyed a strong dose of the wisdom he has absorbed from these Canadians over many years.  Clearly, there were many creative moments as this high-powered academic interacted with the Dene culture which had been formed by unknown millennia of human experimentation.

Our rule-bound southern society may find it quaint that Dene elders are not chosen by numerical age but a sort of communal osmosis.  On the other hand, anyone with front-line experience of the hand-to-hand departmental politics and administrative patronage in any Canadian University cannot reasonably dismiss the workings of that ancient system.

According to Prof, Russell, Elders know the fundamentals.  They recognize the good things that are worth passing on.  They know the fundamentals of history.  They know how things went wrong, e.g. How Queen got sovereignty “over us.”

He found the University of Toronto Seniors’ College to be much more interdisciplinary than conventional university structures.  Much is to be learned from the wide range of participants in lectures and ongoing discussions.

Engaging with one’s mind in the post-retirement world involves a kind of wisdom proper to older people, i.e. knowing the limits of your own pocket of knowledge, particularly what you can learn thru your tough empirical logic. That kind of knowledge, which is the long-term goal of humanistic education, can be acquired in the university or by contact with ancient sources of wisdom as can be found in our aboriginal societies.

The ORGANIZING COMMITTEE included:

Randy Barkhouse (ADRP),

Ron Cosper (SMURA),

Alasdair Sinclair (ADRP),

Geraldine Thomas (SMURA)

Tarun Ghose (ADRP), who was commended on his bilingual skill, i.e. English and Bengali.

Tarun has long been  a source of  wonder to all for his capacity to organize and often single-handed sustain organizations such as Atlantic CURAC.

Latest Newsletter: March 8 2010:

RETIRED ACADIA FACULTY ASSOCIATION
Editor: Bob McCarthy (rmccarth@acadiau.ca)
Editores Emeritissimi: Ralph Winter et Ed Eagles
Production Genius: Sandy Shelley
WEBSITE: http://www.rafacadia.ca
WebWizard: Larry Bogan
Newsletter 34 March, 2010
MEETING IN THE UPPER ROOM
Tuesday, 16 March, 2010 at 10:00AM

Featured Guest:

Ray Ivany, Acadia’s President and Vice-Chancellor

In the Passover Spirit of the Gospel of Mark (14:15), the RAFA will assemble in the Upper Room, a.k.a. “Studio Zed”, at Justus Coffee in Wolfville, on Tuesday 16 March, 2010 at 10:00AM to discuss the present state of Acadia University in light of two recent developments, i.e.:

1. The O’Neill Crisis/Renewal.

On January 22, 2010 at 2:49 PM, the office of Premier Darrel Dexter announced the appointment of former Bank of Montreal Executive Tim O’Neill to “provide advice and recommendations to government on how to further strengthen Nova Scotia’s world-class university system.”
On 17-18 February, president Ivany held open meetings with the Acadia community to discuss this announcement.

2. RAFA’s efforts to assist the University.

Prior to the announcement by the Premier, the RAFA had for some time been engaged in discussions with the administration on practical ways for RAFA members to help ease the present fiscal crisis. After preparatory consultations by Vince Leung and senior administrators, the executive met with Jill Davies, Elisabeth Frost and David MacKinnon on 23 February, 2010.
RAFA 34, page 2
On 22 January, 2010, Premier Darrell announced the appointment of Tim O’Neill:

“Economist and former Bank of Montreal executive vice-president Tim O’Neill will provide advice and recommendations to government on how to further strengthen Nova Scotia’s world-class university system.

“Nova Scotia’s universities are critical to the economic and social development of the province and it is important to strengthen how we deliver education at the university level, particularly in a time where demands of the workforce and the economy are changing so rapidly,” said Premier Darrell Dexter.

Mr. O’Neill will examine the demographic trends and financial situation facing post-secondary education and assess the impact on the long-term viability of the university system. He will develop policy options for the province to ensure Nova Scotians have a sustainable and responsive education system.

“Nova Scotia benefits from a strong university system that delivers quality teaching to its students along with research that enhances the environment for innovation,” said Mr. O’Neill. “Universities also improve the economic, social and cultural life of the communities in which they operate. The aim of my work is to identify policy options which ensure the long-term viability of the university sector.”

Mr. O’Neill’s findings and advice will help develop arrangements between the province and universities, including financial support. Mr. O’Neill will also examine links between universities and economic and social development activities, including research and development, labour force and community economic development.

He will consult with university and college leaders, students and other people with expertise in the university sector.

“Our university leaders welcome the opportunity to work closely with Mr. O’Neill and the government on developing policy options which ensure the sustainability of the province’s university system,” said John Harker, president and vice-chancellor of Cape Breton University and chair of Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents.

“Mr. O’Neill’s recognition of the important role our universities play in economic growth and social and cultural development across the province is appreciated. Our universities are enthusiastic about the consultation process and look forward to being active participants.”
The report is expected in early summer.
________________________________________________________________________
This announcement is available online at:

http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20100122004

RAFA 34, page 3
The following are the Terms of Reference for the mandate of Tim O’Neill:
Mandate for External Consultant:
The consultant will be mandated to develop policy options and advice with specific emphasis on higher education. Major tasks will be:
1. Environmental scan and forecast for higher education in the province, addressing:
a. Financial condition of universities
b. Fiscal capacities of province
c. Demographic trends
d. Enrollment trends
e. Market potential for recruitment of local, Canadian and foreign students
f. Current linkages to economic and social development processes (R&D, innovation,
labour force development, community economic development, etc)
2. Identification of policy options and best practices in post?secondary education in other
jurisdictions (nationally and internationally), addressing:
a. Governance models
b. Financing arrangements
c. Restructuring strategies
d. Linkages among institutions and between higher education and community and
workplace based adult learning systems
e. Recognition of prior learning, credit transfer, foreign credential recognition and
other innovations to enhance system integration and expand participation in
higher education
f. Linkages to economic and social development processes
3. Consultations with major stakeholders inside and outside the higher education sector
4. Identification of policy options and presentation of policy and strategic recommendations to the Premier
5. Development of specific advice and guidance to inform and shape future funding arrangements and relationships.

Reports and Timeframe The consultant will carry out this work over 5 months beginning February 2010.
A first report will be submitted to the Premier by May 2010 and will set out policy options for the development of a more integrated, effective and sustainable higher education system in Nova Scotia.
A second report will be presented by mid June 2010 and will provide guidance on future funding arrangements.
______________________________________________________________________________Terms of Reference may be viewed online at: http://gov.ns.ca/PPO/
RAFA to the RESCUE!! RAFA 34, page 4
Ever since Acadia’s severe fiscal challenges became public, the RAFA has offered its assistance to the university administration. Recently, Secretary-Treasurer Vince Leung met with senior administrators to discuss practical ways to channel this help.
As a result of these efforts, on 4 February, Jill Davies wrote to Vince to indicate the need for tutors in “Strengths of Materials, Dynamics and Design 2”. Jill also referred us to Elizabeth Frost (O75309f@acadiau.ca or tutoring@acadiau.ca), a M.Sc. graduate student in Biology, who serves as Coordinator of Tutors, to explore other tutoring opportunities.
Elizabeth and Jill attended a meeting with the RAFA Executive on 23 February, 2010, along with David MacKinnon, Acting Dean of Research and Graduate Studies.
In a letter to Vince of 21 February, 2010, David suggested that the RAFA could be of assistance in two ways:
1. Reviewing Tri-Council Applications; and
2. Review of Honours Theses.

The RAFA proposal to have its members teach in exchange for a tax receipt was not deemed viable owing to the delicacies of contract negotiations.
Senior administration agrees that it would be helpful if the RAFA could supply a database of members, indicating the various services they might provide. These might include individual lectures; academic advising; as well as teaching through the customary channels.
Following on that, the RAFA Executive will be polling its members in the near future.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS:
• Will RAFA members be included among the “stakeholders,” college leaders, or “other people” with whom the Premier indicates Tim O’Neill will consult?
• When will he appear at Acadia for such consultation?
• Why is the “financial condition of the universities” listed first?
• Would Acadia make a good “feeder school” for Dalhousie?
• Is the free-standing mainly undergraduate Canadian university a thing of the past?
• What are the causes of Acadia’s present fiscal emergency?
• How can such crises be prevented in the future?
• Can RAFA really help? Can anyone?

CHESHIRE BUZZ: Inside the Finances.
When the Premier announced that GDZ funding for RR&D universities would be calibrated to the Net Fund fluctuations of the BTM indicators, regardless of hyperfiscal increases and/or parabolic bond ties with BRZ-10 and PKM-15 specific market values, it was assumed that compensatory default remedies would serve to balance the predicted drop in QMD and YJR indices with the 2014 – 2012 exculpatory commitments announced by the Federal OHP managers. Since that has not been the case, it will be necessary to shut down the sprinkler system in War Memorial Hall.
We regret any inconvenience or actionable bodily harm.

February 21, 2010

Vincent Leung
Retired Acadia Faculty Association

Dear Vincent:

It was a pleasure to meet with you and your colleagues from the RAFA Executive on January 26th. I apologize for taking so long to follow up from that meeting, but February is a challenging month in Research and Graduate Studies, made more so this year by the fact that we are short-staffed. But so much for excuses.

It is especially gratifying for me to know that many retired colleagues are willing to give of their time and expertise to assist the University in various ways. As we all know, these are difficult times at Acadia and the offer of assistance is most appreciated. From my perspective as Acting Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, there are two primary ways that RAFA members could be invaluable:

Reviewing Tri-Council Applications:

Each fall many faculty members apply for external funding to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Very few faculty members apply to CIHR, but many apply to the other two councils. SSHRC applications are due in this office on October 1st and to Ottawa on October 15th. NSERC applications are due here by October 15th and in Ottawa by November 1st. This makes October an exceptionally intense month in R&GS. If some RAFA members were willing to read a small number of subject-appropriate applications (1-3), this could be very helpful to the applicants and to our office. Ideally it would be best if we could connect a RAFA member with one of more applicants well ahead of the application deadlines, but knowing how many apply at the last minute, this is likely not to happen in very many cases. Faculty members must give permission for their applications to be read by someone outside of R&GS, but I expect some would jump at this opportunity.

Review of Honours Theses

The undergraduate Honours program has grown substantially at Acadia. For those students intending to graduate in May, their theses are due at R&GS by March 19th. Last year, we had slightly over 100 theses submitted. This year the Honours Committee will be doing a quick review of all theses to determine which ones will need to be reviewed by external readers. If we have difficulty finding readers on campus, it would be great if some members of RAFA were willing to read one or two theses. External readers are not asked to comment on the substantive nature of the theses, but rather to review them for spelling, grammar, and other technical-editorial errors. Thus, unlike Tri-Council applications, we would not attempt to match on the basis of subject expertise.

I look forward to hearing from you following your meeting on the 23rd. If you have any questions, or if I have overlooked something in this letter that we talked about in January, please contact me at any time at 585-1787, or at this e-mail address. And thank you again for your offer of assistance.

Sincerely, David