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Academic administrators are evaluated periodically. Thus, every decision comes with potential career consequences. This simple observation has important implications for understanding how higher education institutions are managed. This paper takes a step towards understanding how universities evaluate their academic administrators by investigating Canadian university decanal reappointments. The sample included 13 reappointed and one non-reappointed deans and the analysis focused on organizational politics. The paper proposes a framework based on formal, normative, and moral criteria to adjudicate political behaviour and finds reappointment politics to be simultaneously embedded, necessary, and problematic. The implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

In this paper we contribute to the emerging literature on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gender gap in research productivity. We extend previous studies by considering men and women academics from science and non-science disciplines through an analysis of data from academics at 14 universities across two countries (seven in Australia and seven in Canada) and focusing on the role of primary caregiving. Our empirical approach used logistic regressions and the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique. The latter enabled us to ask: 'How much of the gender gap in perceived productivity during the pandemic is due to gender differences in primary care responsibilities?' Within the sample (N = 2,817) of academics, 33% of women and 25% of men reported that their perceived publication ability decreased a lot during the pandemic. This is an eight percentage-point gender gap in perceived publication ability. Statistical analysis revealed that two-fifths (40%) of this gap may be explained by gender differences in having primary responsibility for the care of children. Gender differences in other characteristics such as age, discipline, and increased teaching and administrative work were not, as a group, significant. There were also no differences between Australia and Canada. The findings are important, particularly for the pursuit of gender equality within academia. In the absence of specific mitigating interventions, research disruptions in 2020 may have long-lasting career scarring effects (e.g. hiring, promotion, tenure) and, as a result, see women further disadvantaged within the academy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented shifts to higher education globally, including Canadian universities. In this paper I utilize an extended photo essay method and narrative response to document the changes seen in my local university environment during the months of April through September 2020. Emerging literature and survey results concerning the Canadian academic condition during the pandemic are discussed alongside research diary entries and policy excerpts.

Research into higher education has shown that for those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans* and/or Queer (LGBTQ), universities are places where both direct and indirect discrimination is experienced. This paper reports the findings from a systematic search and review on gender and sexual diversity in professional practice placements. This was part of a broader project exploring the way that students were supported and educated to provide appropriate support for LGBTQ people using their services and whether students who identified as LGBTQ experienced specific issues regarding the (non)disclosure of their gender or sexual diversity in placement settings. Three primary themes were identified. Environment: which relates to the way that homophobic and transphobic discrimination is experienced in professional practice. Influence: the importance of faculty on the environment as both a positive and negative force. Interventions: how students support LGBTQ people who use their services and how educators intervene with students who identify as LGBTQ. Our review showed how students in all included disciplines report feeling under-prepared for the realities of working with LGBTQ people in practice. However there are examples of positive practices which can support LGBTQ students through navigating disclosure of their own identities, as well as enabling all students to act as advocates and allies for the LGBTQ service users and peers/colleagues that they will inevitably work with and alongside, throughout their careers.

Expectations around success in academia vary, and early career academics often receive conflicting messages about what they should concentrate on to achieve promotion or tenure. Taking a social constructionist approach, this paper considers the constructs of objective and subjective career success in academia and shares the perspectives of early career academics in three countries in relation to these narratives. Key findings are that objective career success in academia dominates the literature but remains ill-defined in the minds of the early career academics to whom the measures are applied, and that subjective career success in academia needs both more research attention and more consideration in promotion, tenure, and workload deliberations and policies.

This article discusses the persistence of a gender gap among university-based academics, despite the development of equity policies and "family-friendly" initiatives. Over four decades of research are reviewed from the liberal states of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA and the UK, including my own qualitative interviews in Canada in 1973 and in New Zealand in 2008. The paper summarizes some of the structural, relational and interpretive factors contributing to the perpetuation of the gender gap. I argue that academic work has been influenced by similar global trends visible in other workplaces and that academics share the prevalent patterns of gender relations contributing to the gender gap. Despite over four decades of social change, including policy initiatives to improve the status of academic women, this article shows that the gender gap continues in these countries for similar reasons.

This paper empirically examines the impact of academic research on high-tech manufacturing growth of 28 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and emerging countries over the 1991-2005 period. A standard research and development (R&D) expenditure based measure is found to be too general to capture the input in high-tech research. To overcome this problem, a novel proxy for high-tech research investment--the supercomputer capacity--is proposed. Empirical evidence strongly supports this choice of variable. It is also found that academic R&D exerts a larger growth effect on high-tech output than its industry and government counterparts, but only the impact differential between academic and government R&D is statistically significant.

An important element of doctoral studies is identification with the academic community. Such identification is often complicated by part-time student status. In this paper, two part-time doctoral students and their supervisor employ Lave and Wenger's concept of legitimate peripheral participation to explore, through a critical socio-cultural lens, their experiences of shifting towards fuller participation in, and identification with, the academic community. The research was conducted during a directed study course, a context students and supervisor used as an opportunity to examine their engagement in legitimate research activities as students completed their coursework requirements and prepared for academic careers. Although the research is context specific, the discussion will be useful to individuals who are working towards similar goals in university contexts.

Faculty development resources such as workshops, independent study opportunities, professional associations, networks and consortia, grants, and sabbatical leaves available to college faculty are discussed. What teachers should be taught and how to maintain good teaching are analyzed. (MSE)

This paper describes the current extent of Canada's community colleges, analyzes their major characteristics, and examines the changing relationships between the federal and provincial governments and the colleges. Finally, comparisons are made between the colleges and their closest British equivalents, the further education colleges. (Author/GLR)

This paper examines the ombudsman concept; factors which influenced the adoption of the ombudsman concept by Canadian universities; factors associated with the effectiveness of ombudsman offices; and comparative studies of university ombudsmen. It concludes that programs following the traditional ombudsman model appear to be most accepted and effective. (Author/MLW)

In this paper we contribute to the emerging literature on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gender gap in research productivity. We extend previous studies by considering men and women academics from science and non-science disciplines through an analysis of data from academics at 14 universities across two countries (seven in Australia and seven in Canada) and focusing on the role of primary caregiving. Our empirical approach used logistic regressions and the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition technique. The latter enabled us to ask: 'How much of the gender gap in perceived productivity during the pandemic is due to gender differences in primary care responsibilities?' Within the sample (N = 2,817) of academics, 33% of women and 25% of men reported that their perceived publication ability decreased a lot during the pandemic. This is an eight percentage-point gender gap in perceived publication ability. Statistical analysis revealed that two-fifths (40%) of this gap may be explained by gender differences in having primary responsibility for the care of children. Gender differences in other characteristics such as age, discipline, and increased teaching and administrative work were not, as a group, significant. There were also no differences between Australia and Canada. The findings are important, particularly for the pursuit of gender equality within academia. In the absence of specific mitigating interventions, research disruptions in 2020 may have long-lasting career scarring effects (e.g. hiring, promotion, tenure) and, as a result, see women further disadvantaged within the academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented shifts to higher education globally, including Canadian universities. In this paper I utilize an extended photo essay method and narrative response to document the changes seen in my local university environment during the months of April through September 2020. Emerging literature and survey results concerning the Canadian academic condition during the pandemic are discussed alongside research diary entries and policy excerpts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the systematic, structural, procedural and reputational differences associated with the use of budgeting for strategic planning across public sector institutions in Canada. Data obtained from a survey of 38 universities across Canada along with publicly available hand-collected data supports a heterogenous mix of budgeting practices across higher education. Our results show institutions rely on budgeting for multiple reasons including control, strategic planning, communication, and regulatory compliance. The findings indicate the adoption of performance management by some institutions, but not others based on systematic differences including budget model, institutional size, decentralization and reputation. The results support a contingency perspective of organizational practices in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite several decades of postsecondary expansion, new research finds youth from northern and rural areas in Canada still experience difficulties making the transition to postsecondary education, and those who do attend take longer to do so. Proximity, we argue, may also have a considerable impact on one's field selection, as many of Canada's larger universities and colleges, who offer considerably more program and degree options, tend to be concentrated in large, urban centers, and in the southern regions of Canada's provinces. This study draws on Cycles 1–4 of Statistics Canada's Youth in Transition Survey – Cohort A to examine regional inequalities in accessing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related fields at both the university and non-university levels. Indeed, our findings suggest that location of residence does impact field choices, as students from northern and rural areas were less likely to enter STEM as well as non-STEM, university programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a study of 384 decanal appointments and reappointments and examines Canadian university deans' demographics and career paths. The study focused on four variables: gender, race, experience, and provenance; and analyzed variations across faculty and university types. The findings show that the great majority of Canadian university deans possess a Canadian background, with half of them being recruited internally, and that proportions of non-White and female deans mostly align with those of the professoriate. However, the study reveals a pattern of upward cumulative attrition suggesting that structural barriers to success, perseverance, and promotion are shaping non-White and female deans' career paths. Finally, data suggest that about 40% of Canadian university deans are reappointed for a second term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As university public funding diminishes so the need for private funding increases commensurately. We investigate how a purposive sample of 16 professional university fundraisers in Canada successfully secured large (>$5m CAD) transformation donations from high-net-worth Canadian philanthropists. Using an inductive process, we articulate three key roles (the 3Ns - Networker, Negotiator and Knowledge-broker) professional fundraisers use for securing transformational gifts. Collectively, these roles indicate the relational nature of transformational giving; gifts arise from a co-created dyadic process of fundraiser-philanthropist interaction. The recommendations have major implications for how university development teams are developed, structured, trained and rewarded. We suggest further research investigates how trust develops between fundraisers and transformational gift-givers, and the motivations for transformational giving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-integrated learning programmes help students acquire professional acumen and provide opportunities for them to experiment with new aspects of self and identity. Twelve internship students were interviewed regarding their perspectives on how they think they learn about professionalism and the information sources they use. They describe how they renegotiate their identities in an effort to develop a professional image, yet try not to completely compromise their sense of self, a process that often creates a ‘divided self’. Dervin’s theory of sense-making provides a framework for examining the students’ struggle with professional identity development as they employ self-management and self-regulation to create and perform the role of the professional for others to see. The study findings highlight the importance of reflection for students struggling with constructing a professional self, and the role of professors and academic staff in creating spaces for students to experiment and try-on professional identities before they graduate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of US accreditation by non-US universities is one of the most salient manifestations of the internationalization of quality assurance in higher education. This process has been conceptualized as an exercise of global position taking by which institutions with limited financial and symbolic resources become associated with more prestigious institutions across national borders by sharing a common accreditation. However, the adoption of US accreditation has yet to be studied among institutions in well-positioned higher education systems. This study explored perceptions and experiences associated with the adoption of US institutional accreditation in three Canadian universities. The study reveals that several features of US higher education reflected in the accreditation standards, for example, general education, pose challenges for Canadian universities seeking US recognition. In addition, increased workload, resulting from the accreditation demands, became a source of disagreement between academics and administrators. This study provides grounded insights about the implementation of US accreditation beyond its geographic boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internationalization of higher education in Canada is happening at a rapid pace. One manifestation of internationalization is the increasing enrolment of international students in Canadian institutions. There is little research on international undergraduate students’ experiences from their own perspectives as they adapt to a new educational system in Canada. This research examines how internationalization policies at a university in Western Canada were interpreted and experienced by international undergraduates. Based on interviews with 26 such students from 9 countries, this study shows that students have multiple understandings of internationalization and view internationalization as a positive experience for academic and personal growth. Findings also indicated several persistent problems, including a neoliberal approach that treats internationalization as a marketing strategy, limited internationalization of the curriculum, and gaps between the internationalization policy and the experience of international students. The findings have important implications for providing appropriate support for international students and for internationalization policy in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In many educational settings, students may have an incentive to take courses where high grades are easier to achieve, potentially corroding student learning, evaluation of student achievement, and the fairness and efficiency of post-graduation labor outcomes. A grading system that takes into account heterogeneity of teacher standards and student ability could mitigate these problems. Using unique data from a major Canadian research university, we calculate student grade point averages (GPAs) net of course difficulty and find evidence that raw GPAs systematically distort student achievement across majors. We then link undergraduate performance and law school data. We find that adjusted GPAs better predict Law School Admissions Test scores, while the raw GPAs better predict admission to law school and grades in law school. These results suggest nuanced relationship between grades, incentives and subsequent academic outcomes. We conclude by discussing implications of our results for university leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the importance of higher education in social and economic development, governments need to build a strong higher education data and policy research infrastructure to support informed decision-making, provide policy advice, and offer a critical assessment of key trends and issues. The author discusses the decline of higher education policy research capacity in Canada and reviews the importance of strong national data systems in addressing issues of access and student mobility, and in understanding the implications of the increasing fragmentation of academic work. An international comparative study of national arrangements could illuminate useful strategies and approaches for strengthening this important policy research infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has two major objectives: to describe the structure of the student movement in Canada and the formal role of students in higher education governance, and to describe and analyze the ‘Maple Spring,’ the dramatic mobilization of students in opposition to proposed tuition fee increases in Quebec that eventually led to a provincial election and the fall of the government. Based on an analysis of documents, news reports, and a small number of interviews with student leaders, the article will analyze what became the largest student protest movement in Canadian history. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]