Transparency
and accountability in university governance is lacking and its absence systemic. This is particularly so where universities have been exempt from Freedom of Information legislation as is the case in Ontario, Canada. To curb management malfeasance and waste of public funds there is a need for people of integrity within these organization so speak out in the public interest. These people are often known as whistleblowers and more often than not pay a severe price. To help foster integrity in the governance of publicly funded bodies, like Trent University, OurTrent is introducing the Whistleblowing department where we will endeavor to collect resources in support of whistleblowers, and those considering blowing the whistle.
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and accountability in university governance is lacking and its absence systemic. This is particularly so where universities have been exempt from Freedom of Information legislation as is the case in Ontario, Canada. To curb management malfeasance and waste of public funds there is a need for people of integrity within these organization so speak out in the public interest. These people are often known as whistleblowers and more often than not pay a severe price. To help foster integrity in the governance of publicly funded bodies, like Trent University, OurTrent is introducing the Whistleblowing department where we will endeavor to collect resources in support of whistleblowers, and those considering blowing the whistle.
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When someone blows the whistle on wrongdoing in an organization more often than not it is the whistle-blower who suffers? the most. Yet most whistle-blowers say that their sense of honour and integrity would not have allowed them to act otherwise. Drug Safety Canada in conjunction with the Canadian Health Coalition introduced a new award for 'Public Guardians': The Vanessa Award recognizing heroism and "Integrity and Courage in the Public Interest". Each recipient has acted courageously to protect the health of the public, despite the prospect and subsequent reality of great personal and professional sacrifice. Two awards were to be presented posthumously. We at OurTrent wonder how we might recognize and protect whistle-blowers in Ontario universities.
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D
rawing on such examples as fall of Enron, the Canadian Federal Sponsorship scandal, the shadow of Adelphi (and Lionel Lewis' publication When Power Corrupts), the Canadian Charities Act, the Conrad Black/Hollinger saga, the financial and legal woes that plague Trent University, and other matters of law and ethics, including encouragement and legal protection for whistleblowers, Freedom of Information legislation, the role and obligations of members of Boards of Governors, "The Naked University" © offer invaluable advice on how to lead educational institutions in the new age, rather than simply react to it. The Naked University © will demonstrate that embracing transparency and accountability in the management of universities is within the interests of the institution and the public. It will show definitively that it is within the best interests of the institution to immediately terminate the employment of those individual managers (including presidents) who are threatened by having to be accountable, or cannot in fact live up to accountability standards.
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rawing on such examples as fall of Enron, the Canadian Federal Sponsorship scandal, the shadow of Adelphi (and Lionel Lewis' publication When Power Corrupts), the Canadian Charities Act, the Conrad Black/Hollinger saga, the financial and legal woes that plague Trent University, and other matters of law and ethics, including encouragement and legal protection for whistleblowers, Freedom of Information legislation, the role and obligations of members of Boards of Governors, "The Naked University" © offer invaluable advice on how to lead educational institutions in the new age, rather than simply react to it. The Naked University © will demonstrate that embracing transparency and accountability in the management of universities is within the interests of the institution and the public. It will show definitively that it is within the best interests of the institution to immediately terminate the employment of those individual managers (including presidents) who are threatened by having to be accountable, or cannot in fact live up to accountability standards.
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UPDATED May 17, 2006: On June 16, 2003 each member of the Trent University board of governors (BoG) was given a document of some 300 pages entitled Re: Management Malfeasance in Information Technology & Human Resources, Non Union Employee Rights, Whistleblowing, the Absence of Mechanisms at Trent to Deal with these Matters (mechanisms that are in Existence at Most Other Universities), and Suggested Remedies. The document requested an independent investigation into the allegations it presented. To this date (May 17, 2006) the board of governors has refused to conduct said independent investigation. However, they tried to have the documentation destroyed in return for monetary payment to the author.
