Senior administration at the University of Saskatchewan appears to be poised to undergo a marked transformation. Of 73 senior administrative positions covered by MoA 2 of the Collective Agreement, 3 are TBA, 11 are Interim, 5 are Acting and 32 have terms that will conclude in 2016. Combined, this represents more than half of all senior administrators at our university.

USFA members have not only a vested interest but also the right to participate fully in the processes of appointing and reappointing senior administrators. The Collective Agreement confirms that the University is committed to follow the Search and Review policies issued by the Board of Governors, and to allow the full range and extent of consultation envisioned by these policies.

If you participate in the search process, you are not powerless.

Especially important, the committee establishes its own procedures. If you serve on a committee that is not given that option, you are within your rights to contact the USFA for advice. Your committee might consider, for example:

• whether a search consultant will be hired;
• how the shortlist of candidates will be determined and by whom;
• whether the search will be open or confidential.

Before the process begins, committee members should not be compelled to sign sweeping confidentiality statements that require their silence on all matters related to the process. Once the process is underway, be mindful of the fact that the role of a search consultant, if hired, is advisory. Search consultants are retained to assist with searches. They should not exert undue influence on the process and they should never make decisions for a search committee.

To find out more about faculty’s roles in appointment and review of senior administrators, download the most current issue of Collectively Speaking here, or read the full Search and Review Procedures document here.