Where was your voice, Dr. Samarasekera ?

 

When Indira Samarasekera first became the President of the University of Alberta, she spoke in visionary terms of the value of liberal arts.

I remember her musing that someday, every student at the U of A would have to study out of the country for at least one term.

Enlightened, I thought. I had high hopes that she could bring magnitude back to the perceived purpose of post-secondary education, and in the process open up the eyes of a provincial government that was, and still is, muscularly anti-academic.

Alas, apparently her vision was not accompanied by bravery.

When Thomas Lukasuk, Premier Redford’s Cabinet bully, wrote letters to all post-secondary institutions essentially forbidding them from competing with each other in their course offerings, and steered them toward becoming career factories for in-demand occupations…and THEN cut $150 million out of their budgets after they had been told to expect a 2% increase…well, that’s when the cause of higher education really needed a champion.

In Alberta, the most obvious champion would have been the President of the U of A.

Week after week, I looked to Dr. Samarasekera to say “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!!”. I waited for her to rally her fellow Presidents to collectively stand tall against the Redford PCs and say NO, YOU CAN’T DO THIS!

Students used to be the political voices you heard when education was under attack. But these days, what with rising tuitions and costly student loans, they’re all too busy attending classes and working two jobs in-between just to minimize their post-grad debt load.

No, these days it’s the top people who need courage to lead, even in the face of a bully backed by an omnipotent force like the provincial Cabinet.

So where was your voice, Dr. Samarasekera ? 

What did you do to fight the cuts, to protect those brilliant people that you eventually had to fire or retire, to stand up for the liberal arts and to defend the value of young people pursuing their own dreams, even if those dreams don’t fit into the occupational demand projections of the Alberta economy.

From you, I heard nothing, saw nothing except a meek acceptance.

I understand there’s only a year left in your contract.

Good.

Maybe next time, the University can acquire a President with vision, the ability to lead, a healthy dose of courage AND a very loud voice.

Maybe next time, we’ll get someone who doesn’t go out with a whimper.