The Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship (SAFS) wrote a letter to the University of Lethbridge critical of its decision to sign on to the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership. .“The ad seems to seek a person committed to a set of non-academic values and who will promote those values, primarily by inculcating them in students,” said SAFS president Mark Mercer in a July 25 letter. .“Where traditionally academics are expected to engage in the free and open pursuit of knowledge and to help students to become able to think for themselves, the Jarislowsky Chair will begin with certain social or political conclusions and attempt to pass them on to others.”.U of L announced in July it was looking to appoint a person to become the inaugural Jarislowsky Chair. The university said it's looking for a scholar, activist, or professor to fill this position. .U of L’s chair will be a founding member of the national network, which includes Acadia University, l’Université de Québec à Trois Rivières, Trent University and Vancouver Island University..“The aim of the national network is to educate the next generation of politicians and public sector leaders in ethics, democratic values and responsible governance within the contexts of Canada’s diverse citizenship, democracy and commitment to meaningful Truth and Reconciliation,” said U of L. .Mercer said it does not appear from the job description the chair will allow students to “engage in arguments for and against various theses regarding ethics, democracy and government, or that they will gauge whether and to what degree to form commitments to the findings of a government commission.”.He went on to say the SAFS is concerned about how the Jarislowsky Chair will be denied the academic freedom to teach as they wish. According to him, academics should be free to explore teaching resources and ideas, but they should be able to run their classes how they want. .Mercer said the SAFS disapproves of applicants being required to submit diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE) statements and support social justice. He added mandating DIE statements and support for social justice is “contrary to the best university traditions of academic freedom and scholarly independence.” .It appears preference will be given for candidates who belong to particular races, genders, and sexual orientations. Mercer said taking group membership into account violates the merit principle in academic hiring. .“Scholars can be harmed by being chosen on grounds of group membership because others may see them in stereotypical ways and wrongly undervalue their work,” he said. .“In addition, scholars want to be valued for the quality of their research, their teaching, and their contributions to intellectual life, not for their group membership.”
