No PhD, no degree: UBC hiring practices questioned after hiring Lewis and Klein

VANCOUVER — The University of British Columbia is facing criticism for appointing high-profile climate activists Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis to teaching positions in its geography department, despite neither holding a PhD — or, in Klein’s case, any university degree at all.The Western Standard's research into direct student feedback of the pair shows divided opinions on the couple’s performance as academics and professors at UBC..The husband-and-wife duo known for their left-wing activism, books, documentaries and co-founding of the Leap Manifesto, joined UBC in 2021 as associate professors. Klein was named the UBC Professor of Climate Justice and co-director of the Centre for Climate Justice, while Lewis has taught courses on social and political change, communication, documentary filmmaking and climate justice.Lewis, who was recently elected federal NDP leader, is currently on leave until March 2026 and last taught a third-year “climate justice” course in winter 2024.While PhDs are the standard requirement for professorships at UBC, Lewis holds only a bachelor of arts from the University of Toronto. Klein attended the University of Toronto but did not complete her degree.Online critics, academia experts, and students themselves, argue the hires prioritize celebrity and political profile over academic credentials in a field where rigorous scientific expertise is expected.Public reaction on Reddit has been sharply negative, with users accusing the university of lowering standards..“Both are cosplaying professors. A shocking waste of money by UBC and insulting to actual academics,” said one Reddit user.“Really bad look for the UBC geography department. I remember seeing the news back when they first got hired, and figured they were being hired for their fame and name recognition more than anything else. But I didn’t realize Klein doesn’t even have a degree (or that Lewis only has a bachelors) — that makes it so much worse,” wrote another.Student feedback on RateMyProfessors.com offers a mixed but revealing picture. Klein received an overall score of 3.2 out of 5, with just over half of reviewers, at 60%, saying they would take her class again. One particularly scathing review described the experience as ideological indoctrination.“What a waste of time,” the anonymous reviewer wrote. “I took this course as an elective to confirm that UBC is indoctrinating students with failed Marxism. This is the biggest load of cult like ca ca I have experienced in seven-plus years of university! The only job this course will help with is if you want to be an NDP bench warmer.”Lewis fared better with students, scoring 4.2 out of 5 and drawing mostly positive comments. However, even some satisfied reviewers raised questions about his qualifications after the fact.“Avi Lewis is an interesting person but not a good teacher. His lectures relied on reciting things from the readings, making it redundant if you did the readings already. Grades weren’t given back till months later, and the midterm focused on random quotes rather. If you already know about climate change, his teaching is unnecessary,” one reviewer noted.Another wrote: “It was a great class, but now looking back I’m wondering: how is Lewis a prof here if he has no graduate degrees? It’s like being ‘just a guy’ who made some political films is his qualifications.”According to public salary disclosures, Klein was paid $277,000 in the year ending April 1, 2025, while Lewis, employed part-time, received $92,000. Together, the couple’s UBC salaries alone total approximately $370,000 — more than 4.3 times the median BC family income.

No PhD, no degree: UBC hiring practices questioned after hiring Lewis and Klein

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