More Holes than Swiss Cheese: On the Idea to Create a College of Computing

On April 8, over 200 members of the Queen’s community showed up to the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) Town Hall, where the idea of transforming the School of Computing into a “college” within FAS was the sole item on the agenda. 

QCAA has spoken with many attendees since the meeting, and, to a person, they were stunned to learn that there is no academic or financial rationale underpinning this initiative. The meeting started with a brief PowerPoint presentation packed with creepy AI-generated slides, but no proposal, or even a summary thereof, was provided. 

It’s not as if we had high expectations going into the meeting. A Town Hall organized outside the jurisdiction of Faculty Board set the alarm bells ringing as soon as the invite arrived in our inboxes. But Wednesday’s presentation had more holes than Swiss cheese, and we are perplexed that anyone thought the idea was well-formed enough to be shared in public.

A frequent response to many audience questions was that they would be better directed elsewhere, as the Town Hall hosts did not have the relevant information. One of the few hard facts to emerge concerned the estimated impact on the FAS budget–a jaw-dropping $6 million loss, with no sense of if and when that money would be recouped. 

When pressed for more details, Interim Dean Bill Nelson stated that the proposal could not be shared without approval from senior leadership. He also noted that the Town Hall was “really about sharing information,” a point he repeated later in the meeting. QCAA does not think this meets the basic bar for the meaningful consultation that is supposed to constitute collegial governance, a concern the Interim Dean seemed to share. 

The Provost’s intention to circumvent collegial governance mechanisms was confirmed the following day, when the April 16 Senate agenda was released. 

Provost Evans notes in his Notice of Motion proposing the creation of the college that the Board of Trustees has ultimate power but that “[A] Senate-initiated process is preferred with the Senate being presented with a motion recommending that the Board create the College based on core principles, create an Academic Council and associated functions, and delegate the power to create a College in the future to Senate once the Board has made necessary changes to FAS Faculty Board’s functions.” 

In other words, the Provost is asking Senate to cooperate with a charade whereby Senate pretends it initiated a proposal that came from above and which will be enacted whether or not senators vote in favour of it. (p. 45)

It has become clear that decisions about the move have been made by the Board of Trustees and the university’s Senior Leadership Team, and that they believe they can proceed without genuine consultation with—let alone approval from—Faculty Board, Senate, or QUFA. 

Readers will know that QUFA signed a rollover memorandum of understanding with the administration last year that was supposed to guarantee meaningful consultation about any plans to restructure, and prevent major restructuring, including the creation of new units, during the term of the agreement, which is in effect until June 2026. Where does the proposal to form a new college leave that agreement? 

This is one of many questions left unanswered at the end of the lively and contentious Town Hall. 

Consensus in FAS is rare. But we have yet to speak to anyone outside the School of Computing who believes that proper process has been followed. Even within the school, sentiments are decidedly mixed. 

As we were going to press, we learned that a Special Faculty Board meeting has been requested and scheduled for April 27. Stay tuned for further details. 

In the meantime, if you want to learn more about collegial governance at Queen’s, QCAA has put together a Governance 101 primer. We invite you to check it out and let us know what you think.