Clarification on CBU comments

Back in December, I submitted a column to discuss the current status of CBU and how the university can partially (not fully) be improved by introducing thesis-based masters programs. It was taken as being overly-harsh and negative, so much so that a particular individual at CBU whom I hold in high esteem contacted me personally and told me how they, and a few other bodies at the university, were unhappy with it. In this letter, I will respond to some of the contentions.

First, there was a disagreement over the statement of a key function of universities being the generation of publications and researchers. The individual, who is a professor, lamented at the idea of chasing money all the time and following the publish-or-perish model seen in other institutions. I stand by my statement, as publications and research funding are often used as metrics to compare institutions. However, I did not mean to imply it can be the only one. Students also go on to professional programs (physiotherapy, medical/veterinary, dental, engineering) and the arts (fine arts, entrepreneurship, Government, Law) from university. I think it is necessary to nurture all these areas for a truly effective knowledge community, the kind of which I think the individual in question and myself would like to see. And while chasing money is not fun, as I’ve learned in my Masters, it appears to be a necessary annoyance to provide the kinds of tools and techniques students need to learn to stay competitive and innovative.

Second, I was informed that the statement “that’s not to say some researchers are not respected” generated ire with a few people. Here, I will confess the word “some” was not a good choice on my part, and I am sorry that people were upset with this. I honestly wasn’t trying to say that most professors at CBU are looked down on, or that it would be okay for that to be the case. This was truly a mistake.

And finally, the statement about CBU’s poor reputation was concerning as it could possibly dissuade future students. To be clear, I am not retracting this statement. It is true whether we want to believe it or not. But it doesn’t mean students shouldn’t enrol or try to lobby for improvements, that the reputation is any one entity’s fault, that the school has no good qualities, or that CBU degrees hold no sway. Plenty of graduates have gone on to have successful careers in many fields (including academia), there is strong emphasis on teaching, facilities have been improved, and there are plenty of excellent professors. I understand we have a trolley problem here, but if potential students think nothing is wrong there is less pressure on the administration to change anything.

I apologize again to anyone I upset before, truly. That being said, we must be realistic about CBU’s standing and its problems if we want to do anything about them. Matthew Penney Wolfille, N.S.

MSc Candidate, Acadia University