MOFA has sent the following letter to Minister Sarah Guillemard, Minister of Advanced Education and Training:
Hon. Sarah Guillemard
MLA for Fort Richmond
Minister of Advanced Education and Training
Room 141 Legislative Building
450 Broadway
Winnipeg, MB R3C 0V8
Phone: (204) 945-7199
Dear Minister Guillemard,
Welcome to your new position as Minister of Advanced Education and Training! As a new minister in this role, we believe that you can play an important role in promoting the interests of not only faculty, but of students, parents, and community members across the province.
The Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations (MOFA) includes members at four Manitoba public universities: Brandon University, Université de Saint-Boniface, University of Manitoba, and the University of Winnipeg. MOFA represents thousands of professors, instructors, librarians, counsellors, coaches, and academic staff.
Minister, we hope to work together constructively to ensure that Manitoba universities continue to deliver on their teaching and research missions for our province. At present, our sector awaits confirmation from your department that the government will officially abandon the proposed policy around the Post-Secondary Accountability Framework (PSAF). This policy would tie funding to universities based on metrics, which has been rejected by faculty, students, and university administrations across the province given its failure in other jurisdictions. The Premier made an announcement to step away from PSAF, but MOFA and other stakeholders have yet to receive confirmation from the previous Minister on this file, despite repeated requests.
We would be more than pleased to meet you and your staff to explore how we can work together to improve post-secondary education, specifically universities. MOFA believes that the time is right for an improved approach to post-secondary policy in Manitoba, and we look forward to discussing a vision for universities with you.
Sincerely,
Scott Forbes,
On behalf of the MOFA Council