January 2001
Nominations for SAFS Board of Directors, 2001
The Nominations Committee consisting of the President (Clive Seligman),
Past-President (Doreen Kimura), and two non-director members (Ken Hilborn
and Stewart Page) have nominated the following individuals for consideration
for election to the Board at the next Annual General Meeting of the members.
Brief biographical sketches are provided for nominees who are not currently
serving on the Board.
The five nominated current Directors are: Dale Beyerstein, Murray Miles,
Clive Seligman, Harvey Shulman, and Peter Suedfeld. The three additional
nominees are:
- Tom Flanagan is Professor of Political Science at the University
of Calgary and a member of the Royal Society of Canada. He is best
known for his books on Louis Riel, the North-West Rebellion, and aboriginal
land claims. For two years in the early 1990s, he was director of
research for the Reform Party of Canada; and he continues to provide media
commentary on Canadian party politics as well as on aboriginal issues.
He writes regularly for the National Post. Dr. Flanagan’s participation
in politics, along with the controversial nature of many of the topics
on which he has published, has made him particularly concerned about issues
of academic freedom in Canada. In the spirit of John Stuart Mill,
he advocates the right of all Canadians, not just university professors,
to speak on all matters of public concern without fear of coercion from
government authorities. Just as strongly, he supports the right of
all Canadians to disagree with, to denounce, and to dissociate themselves
from people with whom they disagree.
- Steve Lupker is Professor of Psychology at the University of
Western Ontario. He is a cognitive psychologist, and his research
interests center on information processing, with specific interests in
reading, attention, and mathematical modeling. For several years,
Steve was the coordinator of the local SAFS’ organization at Western.
He has been a campus leader on issues relevant to SAFS’ twin goals of academic
freedom and the merit principle. As a member of the university Senate,
he was a determined and vocal critic of the university’s policy on learning
disabilities. In large part due to his efforts, the current policy
on learning disabilities is much improved. Steve was also a leading
opponent of the Faculty Association’s attempt to introduce preferential
faculty hiring at Western. After forcing the Faculty Association
to hold a mail ballot on the issue, preferential faculty hiring was defeated
by a margin of almost 2-1.
- Phil Resnick is Professor of Political Science at UBC.
His work has had a significant interdisciplinary component, and has
concentrated on national identities in multinational states. He has
written eight books, on Canadian politics and political theory, and has
held a variety of research grants, fellowships, and visiting appointments.
He received the Harold Innis Award of the HSSFC for the best English-language
book in the social sciences in Canada (1991). He was one of the most
vigorous critics of the McEwen Report and the precipitate and unfair action
taken in its wake against the Department of Political Science. Elected
to the Board of Governors of UBC by the faculty, Resnick was instrumental
in turning the university away from the conventions of political correctness.
He was the prime mover in removing demographic preferences from our job
advertisements in favour of a clear emphasis on merit, and has been a supporter
of academic freedom throughout his service on the Board.
Any member of SAFS may nominate individuals for election as Director.
These nominations must be received at the SAFS Office by April 15, 2001.
Each member nomination shall contain the following information: (i)
the signature of the person nominating and the signatures of two (2) seconders;
(ii) the full name and address of the person nominated; (iii) a statement
of the status and attributes of the person nominated, showing each person’s
qualifications to be a director; (iv) a written consent signed by
the person nominated agreeing to be nominated for election and to serve,
if elected.
For your information, John Furedy, Doreen Kimura, and Paul Marantz are
stepping down from the Board.
