4 hours Ago By Brandon Sun
From the officers of the Brandon University Board of Governors: Read this article for free: Already have an account? As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $15.
99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! To continue reading, please subscribe: *$1 will be added to your next bill.
After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $4.99 a X percent off the regular rate. From the officers of the Brandon University Board of Governors: Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Opinion From the officers of the Brandon University Board of Governors: As the officers of the Brandon University Board of Governors, we feel obliged to make a statement in response to the motion that was passed last Thursday by the Brandon University Faculty Association and reported in the Brandon Sun on Monday, April 28.
This is our joint statement as individuals, as we have not yet had an opportunity to discuss this with the full board. We are disappointed by this motion and are especially concerned to see that BUFA has chosen to name three specific BU administrators, some of whom had no direct involvement in the decisions affecting the matters cited and who were acting at the direction of the board or president when they did. We wonder at the motives behind identifying these individuals and it is concerning to us that BUFA waited until the president was on leave and unable to directly respond to the allegations made against him.
A similar motion was defeated at a BUFA meeting last fall. When the board of governors learned of that unsuccessful motion, we were saddened, as the board wishes for Brandon University to be an institution where our entire campus community has confidence in the current direction we are headed, trust in the leadership team, and faith that we will achieve the vision set out in our strategic plan. Out of concern for our faculty, we immediately took steps towards addressing the concerns that were referenced in the failed motion.
Those actions included but were not limited to: 1. Twice meeting with BUFA’s executive officers with the intent of gaining a better understanding of their concerns and identifying concrete actions that we could take to address each of those concerns. Both times, we reaffirmed our unequivocal support in pursuing those actions as promptly as due process would allow.
2. Following an unfortunate delay due to the initial consultants identifying a conflict of interest, an audit of the unsuccessful Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation was initiated and is currently underway with a new consultant and we hope to see it concluded with a report and recommendations by this summer. We note that for unknown reasons, BUFA continues to report an erroneous cost of the unsuccessful project, which cost a total of approximately $4.
65 million, not $6 million as claimed in their press release. 3. An audit of campus safety was initiated in February and is ongoing.
BUFA publicly lauded this initiative when it was announced in December, as reported in The Brandon Sun. 4. The search for Brandon University’s new president has proceeded on schedule, with the three shortlisted candidates visiting campus on April 16-18.
It is the hope of the board that the new president will be announced by this summer. We remain committed to moving all of these initiatives forward. We do not speak for the president out of respect for his office, but as he is on leave, we do confirm that he has demonstrated diligent and active support for both of the requested audits to be completed before the end of his term.
As the board’s officers, we strive to support all employees of the university, regardless of their union or exempt status. We acknowledge that there are always opportunities for improvement and are happy to work constructively with our campus community towards building a better future for our institution. As the officers of the university’s governance board, we have full confidence that our president and the other named administrators share our commitment to such progress and have our full and unqualified support in their ongoing work.
Sincerely, Advertisement Advertisement.
