Response to the AUFA “Rescue Plan”

May 10, 2013

The Board of Governors of Athabasca University (the Board) respectfully cannot and will not accept the “rescue plan” motions and accompanying proposals published by the Athabasca University Faculty Association (AUFA) on May 8th, 2013.

As a public post-secondary institution under the Post-Secondary Learning Act, the Board is directed with the duty to appoint the institution’s president and with ultimate governance responsibility for financial matters.

This same legislation outlines the responsibilities and powers of a public institution’s academic staff association, which are clearly separate and distinct from those of the Board. The Board will not, and should not, delegate any of its legislatively conferred duties to any other body, no more than the Board would expect the AUFA to delegate any of theirs.

In the immediate future, the Board will move forward with the governance of the institution, including the presidential recruitment process and strategic direction for the future of the University. The AUFA will be engaged in these processes through their duly appointed Board representatives.

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For more information, contact:

Barry Walker
Chair, Athabasca University Board of Governors
780 675-6271 (office)
780 689-1515 (cell)
boardchair@athabascau.ca

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Updated August 21, 2012