Concurrent Sessions VII | April 15 | 1:30 PM - 2:20 PM ET
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CS 7A | Round Table - Research
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CS 7B | Round Table - Community Colleges
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CS 7C | Round Table - Small Institutions
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CS 7D | Round Table - CompDoc
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CS 7E (ACUPA) | SOS! Need Help Addressing Institutional Neutrality? Learn How to Develop a "Statement on Statements
Description
The Assistant Provost and the Assistant Vice-President of Communications at the University of Toronto will present a case study about developing and adopting a 'statement on statements' - a new institutional position on when the university will make statements on controversial, global, or political issues (i.e., rarely). In April 2024, the University of Toronto released guidance from the Provost and VP-Communications, entitled: "Memo on Institutional, Divisional, and Departmental Statements. The memo provides guidance to academic leaders about exercising restraint when speaking on behalf of academic units at the university. The result of over a year of work, and interrupted by the events of October 7, 2023, the Memo tries to address the growing demand for statements on things like global conflicts, political issues, controversial speakers, and more. The increase in resources required to manage these demands and to write, edit, approve, and respond to such communications was becoming unsustainable. And institutional statements were wrongly portraying the university as caring about some issues and members of the community more than others. After several months of consultation with department chairs, deans, and others, the Memo was adopted and led to the removal of some existing statements and the decision to avoid making many new ones. Attendees will look at similar statements adopted at other universities, reflect on communications in these challenging times, and explore the entire process undertaken at U of T.
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will reflect on the case study of the University of Toronto's development of a "Memo on Institutional, Divisional, and Departmental Statements" for academic leaders, and how it might support their own institutional efforts on neutrality in challenging times.
- Attendees will gain a basic understanding of key concepts in higher education, including academic freedom, free speech on campus, institutional autonomy, institutional neutrality, collegial governance, and shared governance.
- Attendees will explore both standard and more creative forms of consultation on proposed administrative policies and procedures, including ways to engage those who will be impacted by changes in-person and online.
Speakers
 Archana Sridhar, Assistant Provost, University of Toronto
Archana Sridhar is the Assistant Provost in the Office of the Vice-President & Provost at the University of Toronto. In her portfolio as Assistant Provost, Archana manages controversial events and issues, oversees executive searches for Deans and other senior positions, and supervises a team of project officers and administrative staff. A former Fulbright Scholar, she received her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, and her B.A. from Bard College. Archana practiced tax and non-profit law with Sullivan & Worcester LLP in Boston and worked as a fundraiser at the international humanitarian organization ReSurge International. She served as the Assistant Dean of Research & Special Projects at Indiana University's Maurer School of Law; Associate Director of York University's Jay and Barbara Hennick Centre for Business & Law; and Assistant Dean of the Graduate Program at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law. Archana has served on the Board of Directors of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario and the South Asian Philanthropy Project, which she co-founded in 2008.
 Catherine Riddell, Assistant Vice-President, Communications, University of Toronto
Catherine Riddell is an award-winning communications and public relations executive with 15+ years of experience in complex and tier-one environments. As Assistant Vice-President, Communications, at the University of Toronto, she is responsible for aligning and integrating communications and marketing strategy, products, channels, and functions, while upholding and advancing the University's positive global reputation. She has led two teams to earn the International Association of Business Communicator's Not-for-Profit Communications Department of the year (2016 and 2023). During her nearly two decades at the University, she has worked in four different divisions “ the University of Toronto Scarborough, the Rotman School of Management, the Division of University Advancement and the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. And at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). She served as Vice-President, Strategic Communications, where she established the global research organization's first strategic communications team and led its public engagement strategy. Catherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Information and Technoculture from Western University, a Master of Arts in Journalism from Western University, and a Master of Education (Leadership Cohort) from OISE.
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