Skip to content

UPDATED: Medical school faculty 'troubled' by proposed NOSM University governance model

Faculty and staff say the Board of Governors' power over the Senate would harm the university's reputation.
NOSM T-Bay

THUNDER BAY — Faculty at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine say they are "troubled" by the provincial government's draft regulations for the new NOSM University.

The NOSM Faculty and Staff Association (NOSMFSA) says the regulations would fundamentally undermine the university Senate's power to determine and regulate educational policy by subjecting it to approval by the Board of Governors.

"This represents a concerning deviation from the shared bicameral governance model used by public universities across Canada and around much of the world," NOSMFSA said in a statement Tuesday.

NOSMFSA President Dr. Brian Ross said the bicameral system, where the Senate makes educational policy decisions and the Board of Governors makes financial decisions, is a fundamental tenet of Canadian universities.

"The Northern Ontario School of Medicine University needs proper governance at its inception. The flawed governance model described in the draft regulations would have troublesome implications for the reputation of the university, the accreditation of the medical programs we offer, and the future of medical education in Northern Ontario," Ross said.

In an interview with TBNewswatch, he said requiring all the Senate's decisions to be approved by the Board of Governors "is not not the way it usually works. The Senate is independent of the board. It doesn't answer to them."

Ross added that the faculty are the experts in any university, "who would be in charge of curriculum, how students are taught, etc., rather than the board...But it's not the way the new NOSM University would function."

He said it's not clear yet what or who is driving the proposal.

NOSMFSA is asking the province to change the proposed structure so that Senate decisions only need board approval with respect to the expenditure of funds.

The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union – which represents NOSMFSA's two bargaining units – all support that submission.

But NOSM's administration apparently supports the planned governance model.

In response to an inquiry from TBNewswatch, it issued a statement saying it is "pleased" with the current proposal:

NOSM supports freedom of opinion and the Ontario Government's consultation process related to the NOSM University Act, 2021. We are pleased with the regulation summary document and look forward to the NOSM University Act coming into force pending proclamation of the Lieutenant-Governor.

TBNewswatch submitted a series of questions to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities regarding the rationale for the plan. 
 
The ministry replied only with a brief statement, saying the document posted on the regulatory registry is a summary of the proposed regulations "which uses simplified language to ensure ease of readability."
 
The ministry is accepting comments through the regulatory registry until Dec. 2, 2021.
 
It said the comments received will be considered when it finalizes the proposed governance model.
 
NOTE:  A previous version of this story was updated to include responses from NOSM and from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities
 
 


Gary Rinne

About the Author: Gary Rinne

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Gary started part-time at Tbnewswatch in 2016 after retiring from the CBC
Read more


Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks