Brock needs to find some transparency
At some point or another, we’ve known someone whose relationship has crashed and burned. It happens to most of us sooner or later.
Breakups are messy and the only thing worse than living through it is having to explain to people outside our immediate circle what happened. Those conversations often go like this:
“I am sorry to hear you two broke up. What happened?”
“Oh, uh, you know, it was a mutual thing. We both agreed to end it.”
“Mmhmm. Uh-huh. Sure. So, did she let you down easy at least?”
It turns out, this sort of explanation isn’t limited to sour romantic relationships. It happens to universities, too.
This week was supposed to be a new beginning for Brock University led by Wendy Cukier, who was to assume the university presidency, replacing retired former president Jack Lightstone.
She was to formally assume her duties Thursday, but it never happened.
On Monday evening, Brock issued a statement saying the university and Cukier had mutually agreed to go their separate ways. We’ve since learned she is returning to her previous role at Ryerson University in Toronto.
All things being equal, it sounds like Cukier dumped Brock and has moved back in with her ex.
The truth, however, is we don’t know what happened.
Brock isn’t saying anything beyond the “it was mutual” statement and Cukier isn’t saying anything at all.
In this vacuum of information, the breakup is causing an optical problem for Brock. Speculation — including a piece by the Globe and
Mail suggesting gender bias might be at the heart of the issue — has become the order of the day.
For instance, will Brock have to pay out Cukier any of her contracted salary? If so, what will that cost? No one is answering these questions directly.
Sources close to the university wouldn’t tell me what happened, but insisted that gender bias is not at the heart of the matter, and the cause of the breakup is not scandalous — although I presume that may depend on how one wants to define “scandal.”
Either way, we haven’t any data to work with.
And Cukier’s departure is not Brock’s only problem.
After Cukier’s appointment collapsed, the university’s faculty association published an open letter to the school’s administration expressing concerns about the state of Brock’s leadership.
Specifically, the association is concerned that Brock doesn’t have a permanent VP academic, a senior leadership post held on an interim basis by a retired York University dean.
Several other key posts are being filled on an interim basis — including the presidency, temporarily held by Brock’s vice-president of administration and finance — or filled by people hired from outside Brock’s faculty ranks.
The association letter says it thought Cukier would pull the senior team together. Without a permanent president, the association isn’t confident Brock can tackle a range of issues including a new strategic plan, new sexual assault policies and contract talks with the association.
You might chalk some of this up to the association looking after its financial interests, but there is no denying Brock now faces a serious leadership vacuum. The president plays a critical role in shaping the university and has broad authority to enact the vision for the school.
A president jumping ship days before she was to take office will understandably rattle the rank and file.
It took 18 months for the university to find and hire Cukier, so don’t expect this situation to resolve itself quickly.
The cone of silence around Cukier’s departure also creates an external problem for Brock, particularly when it comes to finding a new president.
By way of example, consider the position of chief administrative officer for Niagara Region. The region is currently trying to find a new CAO after the man who held that position left in a cloud of controversy. The circumstances that lead to the CAO post becoming vacant made the Region look like a hive of discontent and infighting.
Regional council has done nothing to clear the air, with all discussion happening behind closed doors. It all looks awful.
If you were qualified to be Niagara’s CAO, how willing would you be to dive into that shark tank? Would you not have serious concerns about what happened to the person you might replace?
Brock is in a similar situation. Because the university and Cukier are steadfastly refusing to provide any clarity, any prospective president must ask a very simple question: If someone as eminently qualified as Cukier didn’t want to work at Brock, why would I?
There may indeed be explicable reasons why Cukier and Brock broke up. And there may indeed be details that aren’t appropriate for public consumption. Depending on the circumstances, those involved may want to keep some details private.
However, Brock University is a publicly funded institution. There is a difference between privacy and secrecy and, at this point, I am not certain the university’s leadership knows that. There are ways to craft considerate language to provide clarity around what happened. And it would be in the best interests of the university to do so.