The neoliberal restructuring of universities, and its effects on staff, faculty and students, is a widespread phenomenon, but how exactly is this playing out at UVic?
In 2010, Automated conducted public forums and surveys at UVic to get to the bottom of this question. This Spring, AutomatedUVic is getting the word out through postering campaigns, a report release, and more forums for discussion and collective action.
Check out the following pages for our findings, and join the discussion about how staff, students and faculty can work together in re-making the university as a democratic space for high-quality education and employment.
“The university belongs to us, those who teach, learn, research, council, clean, and create community. Together we can and do make the university work. But today this university is in crisis. The neoliberal restructuring of post-secondary education seeks to further embed market logic and corporate-style management into the academy, killing consultation, autonomy and collective decision-making. The salaries of university presidents and the ranks of administrators swell, but the people the university is supposed to serve — students — are offered assembly-line education as class sizes grow, faculty is over-worked, and teaching positions become increasingly precarious. International students and scholars seeking post-secondary or graduate education are treated as cash cows rather than as people who might contribute to both research and society. Debt-burdened students are seen as captive markets by administrators, while faculty is encouraged to leverage public funds for private research on behalf of corporate sponsors.” (Edu-Factory)
