Published on: Mar 16, 2012 @ 16:49

After reviewing the government’s funding plan and GEOGRADS’ response to it, members of the Concordia faculty have drafted a letter in response to the government. The letter broadens the debate over university funding beyond the issue of tuition hikes. A major concern of the signatories is the shift in the budget away from public funding in favour of a privately funded model. They are concerned about the impacts such a shift may have on higher education and research. Find below the text of the letter or click below if you wish to download a copy. (english version) (version française)

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Concordia Professors Opposed to Privatisation of Universities

The efforts of the Charest government to privatize university funding in Quebec have sparked widespread protests. 180,000 students are on strike across the province. Classroom teaching has ground to a halt at many CEGEPs and universities across Quebec, including the University of Montreal, University of Quebec at Montreal, and much of Concordia University.

Students are at the forefront of an important struggle over public education and its role in Quebec society. As professors at Concordia, we join our voices to those of our students. We call on the Quebec government to revisit the university funding plan and rescind the measures that would further privatize our universities through tuition hikes and increased reliance on corporate funding of research.

Historically, Quebec universities have been funded by the public on the grounds that society is enriched as a result. With public funding, tuition fees have remained low and higher education has remained accessible. Under Quebec’s educational social contract, university graduates who achieve success in the labour market keep university costs low for the next generation through their tax dollars. This arrangement is a crucial part of maintaining a more equitable society in which people have access to health care and education no matter what their income is. This is what the student movement is fighting to defend today.

The government’s plan is an attempt to break Quebec’s hard won social contract on education. The proposed 75 percent increase in tuition fees will undermine the accessibility of higher education. This is not merely a question of lost earning power for those who cannot afford to attend university. Universities create social, entrepreneurial, artistic, political and scientific networks that contribute to the productivity of our society. When access to university is restricted, society as a whole loses because these productive networks are reduced in size and diversity. Further, since the tuition hike will disproportionately affect women, people of color, and other marginalized groups who consistently earn less, the hike will worsen the economic and social stratification that Quebec society opposes.

The plan also attacks the established role of universities in advancing knowledge for the benefit of society. It expects more research to be funded by private industry, and it urges researchers to commercialize their work. Research funded by industry privileges short-term and applied objectives with immediate economic benefits and spin-offs. Many research questions that are important to society will fall off the table. Since professors draw on their research for teaching, the instrumental nature of industry-funded research will compromise their ability to provide a well-rounded, reflective education that will benefit students over their life-course.

Finally, the government’s plan will undermine the diverse, broad-based university system that exists in Quebec. It calls for universities to attract an additional $54 million in private donations each year, and it ties significant public funding to a university’s success in enticing private donors. These changes pit universities against one another in a contest for private funding, and shift resources toward the universities with the wealthiest alumnae and corporate connections. Greater inequalities between universities will downgrade the training and infrastructure available to many Quebec students, translating into broader inequalities in society at large. The competition for private donations will also place greater emphasis on university branding at the expense of broader ideals and investments in the quality of education.

The government’s plan to privatize the funding of Quebec universities threatens both the accessibility and the quality of our education system. The broad-based student strike embodies the values of our society by opposing a Liberal agenda to privatize educational funding. As professors, we lament the interruption of classes and wish to resume teaching. For this reason, we call on the Charest government to end the strike by rescinding the plan’s tuition increases and emphasis on private funding. In doing so, we stand for the accessible and public nature of higher education that the people of Quebec have long valued and defended.

Signed / Signée,

Georges Abinader, Part-time Faculty, Department of Physics

Freida Abtan, Part-time Faculty, Design and Computation Arts

Charles Acland, Full-time Faculty, Communication Studies

Ali Akgunduz, Full-time Faculty, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Gisele Amantea, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Vered Amit, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Matthew Anderson, Part-time Faculty, Theological Studies

Alexander Antonopoulos, Part-time Faculty, Philosophy

Sima Aprahamian, Full-time Faculty, Simone de Beauvoir Institute

Michiko Aramki, Part-time Faculty, Simone de Beauvoir Institute

Francesca Astengo, Part-time Faculty, Political Science

Kevin Austin, Full-time Faculty, Music

Ingrid Bachmann, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Renee Baert, Part-time professor, Faculty of Fine Arts

Barbara Barclay, Part-time Faculty, Education

Steve Bates, Assistant Professor (visiting artist), Studio Arts

Max Bergholz, Full-time Faculty, History

Sabine Bergler, Full-time Faculty, Computer Science and Software Engineering

Elsa Beaulieu, Part-time faculty, Community and Public Affairs

Beverley Best, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Pascale Biron, Full-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Patricia Blais, Part-time Faculty, Political Science

Kate Bligh, Part-time Faculty, Theatre

Renée Lambert-Brétière, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology Part-time Faculty

Veronique Bussieres, Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Rob Cassidy, Full-time, Psychology

Marc Champagne, Part-time faculty, Biology

Owen Chapman, Professor Department of Communication

Jean-Claude Bustros, Full time Faculty, The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Christopher Bober, Librarian, Education

Paula Bouffard, Full-time Faculty, Études françaises

Susie Breier, Librarian, Anthropology, Sociology & Women’s Studies

Kit Brennan, Full-time Faculty, Theatre

Judith Campbell, Part-time Faculty, Education

Sébastien Caquard, Full-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Josie Caruso, Part-time Faculty, Classics, Modern Languages & Linguistics

Olivier Charbonneau, Associate Librarian, Webster Library

Yogendra Chaubey, Full-time Faculty, Mathematics and Statistics

Scott Chlopan, Part-time Faculty, Education

Vasek Chvatal, Full-time Faculty, Computer Science and Software Engineering

Jenn Clamen, Part-time Faculty, Simone de Beauvoir Institute

Tim Clark, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Natasha Blanchet Cohen, Full-time Faculty, Applied Human Sciences

Sally Cooke, Part-time Faculty, Creative Art Therapies

Tony Costanzo, Full-tme Faculty, Classics, Modern Languages & Linguistics

Elizabeth Couture, Part-time Faculty, Theatre

Pearl Crichton, Part-time Faculty, Sociology/Anthropology

Daniel Dagenais, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Ernestine Daubner, Part-time Faculty, History

Mary Ellen Davis, Part-time faculty Faculty of Fine Arts

Valérie de Courville Nicol, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Diane Demers, Full-time Faculty, Applied Human Sciences

Bipin Desai, Full-time Faculty, Computer Science and Software Engineering

Jill Didur, Full-time Faculty, English

Ivana Djordjevic, Full-time Faculty, Liberal Arts College

David Douglas, Part-time Faculty, The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Rachida Dssouli, Full-time Faculty, Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering

Martin Duckworth, Part-time Faculty, The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Ricardo Duenez, Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Sandra Eber, Part-time Faculty, Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Gilbert Emond, Full-time Faculty, Applied Human Sciences

Laura Endacott, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Alexandre Enkerli, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Evergon, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Peter Feder, Part-time Faculty, English

Carolyn Fick, Full-Time Faculty, History

Florence Figols, Part-time Faculty, Contemporary Dance

Jon Paul Fiorentino, Full-time Faculty, English

Angela Ford-Rosenthal, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Debbie Folaron, Full-time Faculty, Études Françaises & Traduction

Andrew Forster, Part-time Faculty, Design Art

Barry Frank, Full-time Faculty, Physics

Ariela Freedman, Full-time Faculty, Liberal Arts College

Jim Freeman, Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Lauren Freeman, Full-time Faculty, Philosophy

Matthias Fritsch, Full-time Faculty, Philosophy

Sadegh Gaderpahah, Part-time Faculty, Engineering and Computer Science

Monika Gagnon, Full-time, Communication Studies

Judy Garfin, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Mike Gasher, Full-time Faculty, Journalism

Pierre Gauthier, Full-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

José Antonio Giménez Micó, Full-time Faculty, Classics, Modern Languages & Linguistics

Maria Graciela Giordano,Full-time Faculty, Classics, Modern Languages & Linguistics

Ian Gold, Professor, Departments of Philosophy and Psychiatry

Kevin Gould, Full-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Trevor Gould, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Sheena Gourlay, Part-time faculty, Women Studies, Simone de Beauvoir Institute

Judith Grad, Part-time Faculty, Applied Human Sciences

Vince Graziano, Librarian, English and Theatre

Sarah Greig, Part-time Faculty, Design Arts

Eliza Griffiths, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Peter Grogono, Full-time Faculty, Computer Science and Software Engineering

Alex Guindon. Librarian, Geography

Jean-Philippe Gouin, Full-time Faculty, Psychology

Clara Gutsche, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Sonia Hamel, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Cynthia Hammond, Full-time Faculty, Art History

Shaman Hatley, Full-time Faculty, Religion

Hugh Hazelton, Full-time Faculty, Classics, Modern Languages & Linguistics

Matthew Hays, Part-time Faculty, Journalism

Nelson Hendricks, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Shannon Harris, Part time faculty, Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Sandra Hess, Part-time Faculty, Sociology/Anthropology

Donal Hickey, Full-time Faculty, Biology

Nasrin Himada, Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Homa Hoodfar, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Daniela Isac, Full-time Faculty, Classics, Modern Languages & Linguistics

Andrew Ivaska, Full-time Faculty, History

Wilson Jacob, Full-time Faculty, History

Jochen Jaeger, Full-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Karen Jensen, Librarian, Head, Bilbiographic Access

Elisabeth Johnston, Part-time Faculty, School of Extended Learning

Randolph Jordan, Full-time Faculty, The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

M. Zahangir Kabir, Full-time Faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Clara Khudaverdian, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Jason Knight, Professor,Studio Arts

Jo-Jo Koo, Full-time Faculty, Philosophy

Jerry Krauel, Part-time Faculty, Education

Anna Kruzynski, Full-time Faculty, School of Community and Public Affairs

Marc Lafrance, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Annie Lalancette, Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Valerie Lamontagne, Part-time Faculty,Design & Computation Arts

PK Langshaw, Full-time Faculty, Design and Computation Arts

Simon Laroche, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Barbara Layne, Professor, Department of Studio Arts

Claire Le Brun, Full-time Faculty, Études françaises

Doina Lecca, Part-time Faculty, TESL/ESL

Mark Lee, Part-time Faculty, Education

Gordon Leonard, Part-time Faculty, Institute for Information Systems Engineering

Patrick Leroux, Full-time Faculty, English & ‘Études françaises

Sharon Leslie Part-time Faculty, Applied Human Sciences

Jenny Lin, part-time faculty, Studio Arts, Concordia University

Warren Linds, Full-time Faculty, Applied Human Sciences

Edward Little, Full-time Faculty, Theatre

Alison Loader, Part-Time Faculty, Design and Computational Art

David Macaulay, Librarian, Concordia University

Krista Lynes, Full-time Faculty, Communication Studies

Jessica MacCormack, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Catherine MacKenzie, Full-time Faculty, Art History

Gada Mahrouse, Full-time Faculty, Simone de Beauvoir Institute

Maria Mamfredis Part-time Faculty, Religion

Erin Manning, Full-time Faculty, Research Chair Fine Arts & Philosophy

Cynthia Martin, Part-time Faculty, Simone de Beavouir Institute & Political Science

Sheila Mason, Full-time Faculty, Philosophy

Thérèse Mastroiacovo, Part-time Faculty, Design Art

Damon Matthews, Full-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Kim Matthews, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Rosanna Maule, Full-time Faculty, The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Dayna McLeod, Part-time Faculty, Communication Studies

Ted McCormick, Full-time Faculty, History

Marguerite Mendell, Full-time Faculty, School of Community and Public Affairs

Elizabeth Miller, Full-time Faculty, Communication Studies

Joel Miller, Part-time Faculty, Theatre

Laurie Millner, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Sushil Misra, Full-time Faculty, Physics

Ingrid Mittmannsgruber, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Mahmood Moghaddam, Part-time Faculty, English

Catherine Moore, Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

François Morelli, Full-time Faculty, Studio Art

David Morris, Full-time Faculty, Philosophy

Val Morrison, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Monique Moumblow, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Frank Muller, Full-time Faculty, Economics

Monica Mulrennan, Full-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Annie Murray, Librarian, Philosophy

Viviane Namaste, Full-time Faculty, Simone de Beauvoir Institute

Françoise Naudillon, Full-time Faculty, Études françaises

Roksana Nazneen, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Donna Nebenzahl, Part-time Faculty, Journalism

Heike Neumann, Full-time Faculty, Education

Ursula Neuerburg-Denzer, Full-time Faculty, Theatre

Mariella Nitoslawska, Full-time Faculty, The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Lorraine Oades, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Luis Ochoa, Full-time Faculty, Classics, Modern Languages & Linguistics

Chitu Okoli, Full-time Faculty, Decision Sciences and MIS

Olga Ormandjieva, Full-time Faculty, Computer Science and Software Engineering

Luc Otter, Full-time Faculty, The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Daniel Oxley, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Natalka Patsiurko, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Maria Peluso, Part-time Faculty, Political Science & President of CUPFA

Elaine Pigeon, Part-time Faculty, English

Pragasen Pillay, Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Mike Pinsonneault, Part-time Faculty, Music

Julie Podmore, Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Francine Potvin, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Annie Potter, Part-time Faculty, Education

Everett M. Price, Full-time Faculty, Political Science

Jason Prince, Part-time Faculty, School of Community and Public Affairs

Martin Racine, Full-time Faculty, Department of Design and Computation Arts

Genevieve Rail, Full-time Faculty, Simone de Beauvoir Institute

Chellaiyah Rajalingham, Part-time Faculty, Mechanical Engineering

Goretti Ramírez, Full-time faculty, Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics

Norma Rantisi, Full-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Rabin Raut, Full-time Faculty, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Frances Ravensbergen, Part time Faculty, Applied Human Sciences, Extended Learning, & Community and Public Affairs

April Raymonde, Professor, Studio Arts

Elena Razlogova, Full-time Faculty, History

Erwin Regler, Part-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Rosemary Reilly, Full-time Faculty, Applied Human Sciences

Bill Reimer, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Charles Reiss, Full-time Faculty, Linguistics

Shelly Reuter, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Gerardo Reyes, Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Christopher Riddle, Full-time Faculty, Philosophy

June Riley, Part-time Faculty, John Molson School of Business

Peter Rist, Full-time Faculty, The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Sébastien Robidoux, Full-time Faculty, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Mike Rollo,Full-time Faculty, Communication Studies”

Santo Romano, Part-time faculty, Design and Computation Arts

Catherine Russell, Full-time Faculty, The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Peter Rosner, Part-time Faculty, Education

Ted Rutland, Full-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Joanabbey Sack, Part-time Faculty, Creative Arts Therapies

Daniel Salée, Full-time Faculty, Community and Public Affairs & Political Science

Louise Samson, Part-time Faculty, Music

Carlos Santana, Part-time Faculty, Mathematics and Statistics

Kim Sawchuk, Full-time Faculty, Communication Studies

Tim Schwab, Full-time Faculty, Communication Studies

Gary Schwartz, Part-time Faculty, Music

Sha Xin Wei, Full-time Faculty, Design and Computation Arts

Mahesh Sharma, Full-time Faculty, John Molson School of Business

Frances Shaver, Full-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Laura Shillington, Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning & Environment

Eric Shragge, Full-time Faculty, School of Community and Public Affairs

Geneviève Sicotte, Full-time Faculty, Études françaises

Sherry Simon, Full-time Faculty, Études françaises

Justin Smith, Full-time Faculty, Philosophy

Joseph Snyder, Part-time Faculty, Psychology

Matt Soar, Full-time Faculty, Communication Studies

Reza Soleymani, Full-time Faculty, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Candis Steenbergen, Professor Department of Women’s Studies

Jennifer Spiegel, Part-time Faculty, Theatre

Harry Standjofski, Part-time Faculty, Theatre

Marc Steinberg, Full-time Faculty The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Jeremy Stolow, Full-time Faculty, Communication Studies

Katharine Streip, Full-time Faculty, Liberal Arts College

Leila Sujir, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Mark Sussman, Full-time Faculty, Theatre

Gavin Taylor, Full-time Faculty, History

Sara Terreault, Part-time Faculty, Theological Studies

Francine Tremblay, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Jean Théberge, chargé de cours, Fine Arts / Cinéma

Patrick Traer, Full-time Faculty, Studio Arts

Pouya Valizadeh, Full-time Faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Rachel Van Fossen, Part-time Faculty, Theatre

Peter C. Van Wyck, Professor, Department of Communication Studies

Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Full-time Faculty, Physics

Roberto Viereck Salinas, Full-Time Faculty, Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics

Felix von Geyer, Part-time Faculty, Political Science

Theresa Ventura, Full-time Faculty, History

Valérie D. Walker, Part-time Faculty, Fine Arts

Jake Walsh Morrissey, Full-time Faculty, English

Jared Wiercinski, Librarian, Music

Alexander Wilson, Full-time faculty, Studio Arts

Ardath Whynacht, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Ann Woodrow, Part-time Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology

Felice Yuen, Full-time Faculty, Applied Human Sciences

Christine York Full-time Faculty,Études françaises

Valter Zazubovits, Full-time Faculty, Physics

Wei-Ping Zhu, Full-time Faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Anya Zilberstein, Full-time Faculty, History

McGill University Faculty

Alia Al Saji, Full-tme Faculty, Philosophy

David Avis, Full-time Faculty, Computer Science

Adelle Blackett, Full-time Faculty, Law,

Sebastien Bréau, Full-time Faculty, Geography

Annick Chapdelaine, Full-time Faculty, Langue et littérature françaises

Aziz Choudry, Full-time Faculty, Integrated Studies in Education

Brian Cowan, Full-time, History & Classical Studies, Canada Research Chair in Early Modern British History

Luc Devroye, Full-time Faculty, School of Computer Science

Wes Folkerth, Full-time Faculty, Department of English,

Yuriko Furuhata, Full-time Faculty, East Asian Studies

Jill Hanley, Full-time Faculty, McGill School of Social Work

Michelle Hartman, Full-time Faculty, Institute of Islamic Studies

David C. Hensley, Full-time Faculty, English

Adrienne Hurley, Full-time Faculty, East Asian Studies

Thomas Lamarre, Full-time Faculty, East Asian Studies

Bernhard Lehner, Full-time Faculty, Geography

Abby Lippman, Professor Emerita, Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Anthony Pare, Full-time Faculty, Integrated Studies in Education

William Clare Roberts, a full-time professor, Political Science

HEC Montreal

Omar Aktouf, Professeur titulaire, Service de l’enseignement du management

Université de Sherbrooke

Roxanne Rimstead, Professeur, Lettres et Communications

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Professors who wish to add their name in support can use the form below.





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Students and members of the general public

If you are a student or a member of the general public who wishes to support the professors statement in opposition to the privatization of universities you can sign a petition by clicking the links below.

Sign in Support of Concordia Professors Opposed to Privatisation of Universities

Inscription à l’appui – version Française

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Membes of Profscontrelahausse.org showing support at Concordia 20/03/12

Members of Profscontrelahausse.org marching with Concordia students as part of the protest and mock auction of President Frederick Lowy’s condominium. Concordia and some McGill professors are working with GEOGRADS and Profscontrelahausse.org to help raise consciousness about how the proposed budget will further privatize education and research in Quebec