Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 9, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press january inside Story Challenge Falls on deaf ears times up As inertia hobbles a of Bald Santin education reporter time is running out for Arnold Naimark and the univer sity of the u of m and the prov inces two other the University of Winnipeg and bran have missed the 1 deadline imposed by Educa Tion minister Clayton manness when he issued a series of Chal Lenges last Naimark is shepherding a response through the Campus that could be ready by the end of the manness told the free press recently he would be prepared to let the deadline slide Only if the universities indicated they had accepted his Challenge to re Engineer and redesign no kudos but a draft of the u of is response that went to its Senate last week is unlikely to win any kudos from that document said the universe Tys response is mainly a resubmission of the Brief it presented to the Roblin commission two years ago and the latest version of plan it was the Roblin commissions Complete rejection of that Brief that led to manness series of its unlikely that reiterating their position will convince manness he and the commission were wrong the first Naimark is relying on plan 2000 to satisfy manness the University can but that document Hast been approved and most of its contentious components May never be Naimark said he Doest expect All components of plan 2000 to be implemented by but added Over the course of the next five years most of them should be in while some Deans and other professors say there Are Many positive aspects to the Naimark himself noted in the document that even the most senior faculty have ignored his directives on the need for i Here appears to be a High level of inertia and territorial protectionism in Herent in the departmental Struc Tures of some faculties and Naimark said in the Naimark said Long ago he gave his Deans some of the same challenges issued last june by manness but no one was listening or wanted to hear Only a few responded to these questions and those that responded so in general the changes to the Board of gov which Many see As being subject to Naimark have been largely new Board committees have been informed that will try to coordinate Ilon term financial and academic planning with representatives of All academic changes must be approved by Senate and All of the Initia free press u of m president Naimark notes even the most senior faculty have ignored his directives on the need for storming be Ivory Lowers Manitoba universities Are under siege like never faced with dwindling dollars and accused of losing touch with the in this six part reporter Aldo Santin examines the mounting pressure for dramatic parts i plan a moving a1 lives Are being debated and explored by the affected faculties and Raymond Dean of said there is a consensus among most faculties for a common first and meetings to develop the concept Are but cume said there is also consensus developing that the univer sity will not abandon the three year Currie said there is a fear that of Fering Only fou year degrees would dissuade Many students from going to the u of m for financial afford we feel quite strongly that we should not cancel the three year de Currie while most academics believe the fou year programs Are cur Rie said Many students afford to go to University for another Currie said there has been no agreement to create a new Bachelor of general adding that the target group the new program would Appeal to will Likely be accommodated by the existing faculties in the years to a proposal to create a Junior col lege for academically weaker Stu which was in the Spring has been but the Fate of weaker students re Mains a saturday the manness Challenge yesterday students at risk today plan 2000 at u of m tomorrow Small schools defended wednesday business report card thursday Cros Canada View faculty association president Ranjan Roy and Vic president Grant Wood said it appears Naimark wants to enhance the u of is reputation As a research but that could jeopardize its mandate of being accessible to All maybe that is the route to go but we need a full debate and discus Wood Moshe a professor of religious said the University Community must realize that there is an impatient and unsympathetic Public demanding immediate i dont think the climate out on the Street is terribly peo ple Are out there having a hard time making ends meet for themselves and their there finding the taxation Burden and everything else hard to carry and so there not very sympathetic to anybody who seems to live off the Public Stern said the University must find a Compromise be tween what the politicians want it to become and what the Cam pus thinks it should we have to accept the fact that the Way the Economy the Way the politics we have to expect that there is going to be significant have to somehow communicate and create a University Model that will be the Best towards the goals As we see them and still be As it to the people Wayne free press the Fate of weaker students at u of m remains a who themselves have a responsibility to the Public to spend the Money if we dont do the govern ments message was they come in and Tell us what to i think that would be disastrous because in not convinced they really have a picture of where universities Are and what universities u plan 2000 seeks new direction for u of m the University of Manitoba has drafted a blueprint called plan 2000 that outlines measures required to push the provinces largest University into the next the following Are lights of the initiative As it was presented to the u of m Senate in november 0 reallocate million Over a five year period to attract Quality faculty and introduce new distance education technology and expand Library i the University believes the Money can be found in the Sav Ings from academic retirees funds that the faculty association argues traditionally have been used for salary focus on fou year degrees instead of three year there Are Many who believe this new direction will bestow on the u of m the intellectual status that has eluded it in Canadas univer sity no mention is made in the plan of three year which the vast majority of students now Pur create a common course for All where performance would determine acceptance and continuation into specific majors and areas of the University has Long complained about the erratic competency of Manitoba High school critics see this As a Covert Cash cow for the u of m All students will enter first year but Only a few will make it into second offer remedial courses for struggling firs year at a full cos recovery the University says it now unnecessarily devotes resources to upgrade High scho9l critics say this will be a disincentive to disadvantaged and mature students who would be unable to afford the create a new Bachelor of general studies a three year general interest degree aimed at adult Stu the University sees a booming Market of retirees and older individuals who want a Chance to study at University without having to specialize and Are willing to pay a full Cost recovery but Many believe this program will become a dumping ground for traditionally disadvantaged students like intercity residents and women who Are unable to afford the pricey remedial courses Nec Essary to keep up with traditional High school subject All graduate programs to a review process to determine if they should be upgraded or this is seen by some As the University Token Effort to meet the govern ments demand to eliminate some existing yet plan 2000 makes no Promise that any pro Grams will be the u of m offers 76 masters programs and 41 pad some Stu dents believe that a masters pro Gram without a pad program is an second rate offering arguing Only a doctoral program can attract the Best academics needed to research and support both undergraduate and graduate 9 reorganize the Board of governors including the addition of an academic affairs the creation of an academic affairs committee could become the greatest threat to col Legia that because the bog has traditionally restricted itself to financial and management leaving the development of new academic programs to Senate is seen by Many As unresponsive to pressing needs and sometimes used by some academics to indefinitely stall any de University president Arnold Naimark wants to take away some authority from Senate but the jurisdiction of the new body has yet to be rationalize Library services by merging several standalone the u of m has been criticized for its inability to update and maintain its Library rationalization is seen As a Way to generate the funds to compensate for repeated government under Undag in this but students from Johns and Pauls colleges Are crying foul they have what Are considered the Best libraries on Campus but their holdings Are to be moved to the Elizabeth Dafoe considered by most students As one of the worst in the shaping up the jangly beast Bald Santin education reporter f Arnold Naimark is facing the toughest task of his Aca Demic he is charged with transforming the jangly beast known As the University of Manitoba into a sleek ath Able to earn National honors while outrunning the politicians who want to strip it of its if you ask somebody what characterizes the responsibility of the chief executive officer of any strategic planning should be one of their major said now entering his 15th year As president of Western Cana Das oldest what Ive tried to do in provide a framework document that is pointed specific to Chal Lenge the the Challenge Naimark has Given the University is plan a strategy released by his office last its objective is to transform the u of m before the turn of the Century into an institution that at tracts the country Best produces the country Best graduates and conducts the Best struggled Naimark said the proposal has been in the works for several years As he struggled to come to grips with the challenges facing the the University system in Canada has been drawing close scrutiny for More than three graduates have been criticized by the business Community As being ill prepared for working governments have been reducing their financial sup and hard pressed taxpayers have begun to wonder Why they should subsidize an institution that supposedly turns out High income wage in a Royal commission last january pronounced the univer sity system As too sex badly managed and out of touch with the in late education minister Clayton manness accepted the findings of the Roblin commission report and issued a series of challenges to the universities that he believes will address their simply manness told the universities the amount of government support will continue to dwindle and they have to re Engineer and redesign themselves if they Are to survive and its in this context that Naimark has issued his own set of challenges to the the University Community is approaching plan 2000 while most people faculty and students accept the need to not everyone agrees on How that should be criticism of the plan often de pends on who is affected by a civic Deans of arts and science dont want to abandon three year de the Choice of the overwhelm ing majority of their opposition to a proposed Library merger has come from students and academics at Johns and Pauls and the faculties of Engi Neering and the faculty association wonders during a time of great fiscal Nairn Ark will find million to finance his radically different the plan itself is subject to con Stant the draft that sur faced in april is radically different than the version that went to Senate in Naimark told the Senate meeting in november that the concept of the plan has to be adding the details can be worked out accomplishing his goals wont be in a setting that normally takes years of debate to introduce one new Naimark pro poses to completely change the University face in five i think Naimark figures we dont have enough time to do it the old said Moshe a professor of religious he started he started a fire that going in different ;