Category: Hello Goodbye

Sometimes New Year’s messages write themselves.  I mean, it can’t be as bad as last year, right? The first half of this year is going to be dominated by two issues: Science and Skills.   This month, former University of Toronto President David Naylor will release his review of the Government of Canada’s Science Policies.  There were a lot of high hopes for this report, some of which are likely going to be disappointed when it actually comes out.  Too many

So another year ended.  This one, few will mourn.  Despite their medieval roots, universities fundamentally serve the enlightenment; and the enlightenment, with is emphasis on toleration, progress, science, empiricism, was under attack this year as in no year since 1945.  Though higher education itself was not the target of populists’ wrath, the part of the culture we inhabit certainly was.  And that could make life pretty uncomfortable over the next few years. I wrote back here  about how the revolt

So, this is my last blog for the academic year.  For the next couple of months, I may blog occasionally if something interesting happens (but to be honest it would have to be exceptionally interesting to get me writing); you can expect normal service to resume a week or two before Labour Day. What to make of this past year?  At a campus level, I think the main story is about governance.  Partly it is a question of good governance

A short one today, the last of term.  Normal service will resume January 4th, 2016. It’s been an interesting semester.  Progress on some fronts, I think.  I was certainly very pleased that for the first time ever in this election, all three major national parties released platforms that included investments in students and, in one way or another, all targeted lower-income families.  That’s progress.  The incandescently idiotic Green platform suggests there’s still a market for dumb PSE ideas, but you can’t