Investigating issues of university governance in Canada, University Commons Divided analyzes several major cases at the university level that have come to exemplify infringements on the freedom of expression

In recent years, a number of controversies have emerged from inside Canadian universities. While some of these controversies reflect debates occurring at a broader societal level, others are unique to the culture of universities and the way in which they are governed. In University Commons Divided, Peter MacKinnon provides close readings of a range of recent incidents with a view to exploring new challenges within universities and the extent to which the idea of the university as ‘commons,’ a site for open and contentious disagreement, may be under threat. Among the incidents addressed in this book are the Jennifer Berdahl case in which a UBC professor alleged a violation of her academic freedom when she was phoned by the university's board chair to discuss her blog on which she speculated about the reasons for the university president's departure from office; the case of Root Gorelick, a Carleton University biologist and member of the university’s board of governors who refused to sign a code of conduct preventing public discussion of internal board discussions; the Facebook scandal at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Dentistry in which male students posted misogynistic comments about their female classmates. These and many other examples of turmoil in universities across the country are used to reach new insights on the state of freedom of expression and academic governance in the contemporary university. Accessibly written and perceptively argued, University Commons Divided is a timely and bold examination of the pressures seeking to transform the culture and governance of universities.

Students taught with a social justice framework will ideally have a stronger sense of what is just and fair and choose careers and lifestyles that support their communities. Over time, students look at current and historical events—even their own actions—through the lens of social justice, promoting better decision-making. Building trust impacts the bottom line for global companies, and multilingual communication is a core pillar for effective growth. It is essential to promote this trust through social justice and educate learners on intercultural and multilingual communication. The Handbook of Research on Fostering Social Justice Through Intercultural and Multilingual Communication explores innovative teaching, learning, and assessment practices that foster social justice and enhance intercultural and multilingual communication in primary, secondary, post-secondary, and higher education. It demonstrates the value of adopting a social justice lens in education by broadening and strengthening the evidence base of the impact that this can make for students, educators, and society as a whole. Covering topics such as game-based assessment, social adaptation, and plurilingual classroom citizenship, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for educators and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, librarians, pre-service teachers, teacher educators, government officials, educational managers, linguists, researchers, and academicians.

'The Status of Religion and the Public Benefit in Charity Law' is an apologetic for maintaining the presumption of public benefit for the charitable category ‘advancement of religion’ in democratic countries within the English common law tradition. In response to growing academic and political pressure to reform charity law – including recurring calls to remove tax exemptions granted to religious charities – the scholars in this volume analyse the implications of legislative and legal developments in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In the process, they also confront more fundamental, sociological or philosophical questions on the very nature and role of religion in a secular society that would deny any space for religious communities outside their houses of worship. In other words, this book is concerned with the place of religion – and religious institutions – in contemporary society. It represents a series of concerns about the proper role of the state in relation to the differing beliefs of citizens – some of which will quite rightly manifest in actions to benefit the wider society. This debate, then, naturally engages with broader issues related to secularism, civic engagement and liberal democratic freedoms.

Universities play essential roles in Canadian society. The internal and external governance of these complex institutions faces ever-evolving challenges within a rapidly shifting international context. Written by a national team of scholars, University Governance in Canada asks how institutional decisions are made and who is behind these choices. By exploring the historical evolution and regional contexts of Canadian universities, as well as current trends, the book gives readers deep insight into how these institutions are governed. The authors explore the tensions between academic governance, external and internal stakeholder expectations, and societal demands as they relate to higher education and research in Canada. Comprising a case study of six major universities, the book examines the dynamics of governance at the institutional, provincial, federal, and international levels and reveals how Canadian universities make decisions and how well they are equipped to meet current and future opportunities and challenges. Canadians invest a lot of money, time, hope, and expectations in their universities. University Governance in Canada gives policy-makers, scholars, governors, leaders at all levels, faculty, staff, students, and citizens at large knowledge and tools that will help ensure the country’s universities excel in their missions and deliver fully on these investments.

This book provides new and original research on the purpose and functions of universities from the perspective of corporate social responsibility. It addresses professional ethics questions that relate to universities as corporate citizens. Divided into two sections, the book starts out with an examination of the concept of universities. It explores the differences between historic and contemporary universities, the history and nature of university governance, the role of higher education, and the problem of domination and subjugation in a management context. The second section looks at the faculty, the students, and the role of spirituality in the university and research. It examines such themes as the nature of faculty and professors, faculty as change agents, diversity, inclusivity and incivility, academic integrity, citizenship of students, and ethical responsibility of researchers. The book calls on the expertise from both the fields of business and professional ethics and university management and leadership. It approaches the subject from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Highlighting ethical leadership strategies, Conversations on Ethical Leadership explores what makes for strong, well-informed, morally sound decision-making at all levels of an organization. In addressing a range of challenges faced by universities and applying those lessons to the broader community of the public and private sectors, Ingrid Leman Stefanovic and her contributors tackle a host of issues related to advancing ethics, diversity, inclusiveness, and the art of moral leadership. Each chapter, written by an author with roots in the academy, includes a subsequent commentary by a community leader who highlights the broader takeaways that emerge for society from the university experience. In this way, the book becomes a conversation between the academic and non-academic worlds about issues that affect any prominent organization. It offers a unique range of novel and timely topics, from responsibility-centred budgeting to post-pandemic planning, responsiveness to climate change, Indigenous leadership, free speech, academic integrity, and much more. In doing so, Conversations on Ethical Leadership ultimately reveals how we can build and preserve an ethically responsible sense of purpose at our post-secondary learning institutions and beyond.