Suzuki costs U of A millions in donations

[Gone_Fishin]

U of A dean posts scathing letter against granting honorary degree to David Suzuki

Gordon Kent
Published: April 23, 2018


The dean of the University of Alberta engineering faculty has posted a scathing letter on his own school’s website criticizing the decision to grant an honorary doctorate to environmentalist David Suzuki.

“It truly saddens me to know that many of you are, as am I, left feeling that one of Alberta’s most favoured children, the University of Alberta, has betrayed you by choosing to confer this honorary degree,” says the Monday post attributed to Fraser Forbes, which doesn’t mention Suzuki by name.

“I am not surprised by the level of outrage being expressed across the entire breadth of our engineering community — surely such is to be expected when one’s fundamental values are so directly questioned!”

Suzuki, a scientist, broadcaster and companion of the Order of Canada, is scheduled to receive an honorary doctorate of science during the spring convocation June 7.

The move has attracted outrage from people upset with his position that the oilsands should be shut down and pipeline construction stopped to protect the environment.

The Calgary law firm Moodys Gartner said in a letter sent Monday to the U of A it was cancelling its five-year, $100,000 funding commitment to the university’s law school. The deal would have run until 2020.

Semi-retired businessman Dennis Erker said he has donated money to the U of A and helped with fundraising campaigns since the 1970s, but that will end if Suzuki’s doctorate isn’t rescinded.

He has heard others make similar vows.

“It will probably be the most expensive degree ever granted by the university when you consider the amount of money the university gets from people from the energy sector or related to the energy sector in our province,” Erker said.

“We will probably lose 50 per cent of those contributions.”

Forbes, who couldn’t be reached for further comment, wrote the decision has precipitated a “crisis of trust” in the engineering faculty and the university has become disconnected from the people it’s meant to serve.

He feels the problem is that recipients are chosen by the university senate without faculty input.

“That the impact of this year’s honorary degree selection has created such a rift between our university and Albertans shows the university didn’t simply miss the mark, but, as you have told me loud and clear, left many of you, its supporters, feeling hurt and devalued,” he wrote.

An email campaign started by Calgary lawyer Robert Iverach last week urges people to write to U of A president David Turpin, chancellor Doug Stollery and others demanding the senate reverse what Iverach calls a “stupid decision.”

The group is looking to take out newspaper ads to publicize the issue, said Iverach, who estimates millions of dollars in public donations are at stake.

“This is a complete slap in the face to the entire energy industry in Alberta … to have a guy like Suzuki come into Alberta saying our oil should stay in the ground because of climate change and other things.”

A university spokesman declined to comment.

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[Queen K]

An interesting ethical dilemma.

Just like all PC issues today, one can't say what they feel without offending a wide swath of people.

The U of A Senate can't make a choice.
Suzuki can't say what he feels is right.
People can't donate to a university over one honourary degree, nevermind the U of A has many departments.

Just like Shania can't say she would have voted for Trump.

PC: It's out of control.

[Veovis]

Where is the ethical dilemma?

A small group of people who wanted to feel important decided to give a sexist old man a pretend accomplishment to make themselves seem important or progressive or whatever weird BS they argued, and did so wholly knowing that it was a poor idea (either that or they are grossly incompetent and should be immediately fired to not realise this). The are doing this to make themselves feel good and be damned the costs to actual students, education and funding.

These are you university admins these days.

No ethical issue at all they had two choices. Focus on the best educational outcomes for their clients (students) or be self serving pompous arses.

We know which they picked, and ethics were never a part of it.

[bob vernon]

They could have given an honorary degree to Shanya Twain.

[Veovis]

They could have given an honorary degree to Shanya Twain.

I would see that as just a dumb personally.

[blueliner]

They could have given an honorary degree to Shanya Twain.

I would see that as just a dumb personally.

Well giving a honorary degree Suzuki is even dumber

[The Green Barbarian]

I was watching CBC Newsworld yesterday and they were interviewing someone from the U of A (someone in the Senate I believe) and she was being asked how she felt about oil companies pulling funding from the U of A because of their idiotic decision to give the shyster Suzuki an honorary doctorate, and her comment was hilarious:

"what these oil companies are saying is that they can't tolerate anyone with a different opinion"

I nearly fell off my chair. Universities, especially Canadian universities, have proven over and over again that they will not tolerate opinions that they do not deem "acceptable". Just look at the lunacy with Lindsay Shepherd and her being scolded for having the audacity to show a Jordan Peterson video in class. Universities lecturing others about tolerance of opinions??? What these oil companies are saying is "enough is enough". You want to honor idiots like Suzuki, and constantly slam us, we will vote with our wallets. And kudos to them. Suzuki sucks.

[Omnitheo]

Snowflake oil companies that think they can buy science and opinion. Donating or not donating to a college isn’t going to change scientific fact. They don’t own the university.

I like how the post is titled “Suzuki costs U of A millions in donations” when in reality it has nothing to do with that.

[Queen K]

More pointed is that the honourary degree could cost the U of A millions of dollars, not that it has already.

[Queen K]

Where is the ethical dilemma?

A small group of people who wanted to feel important decided to give a sexist old man a pretend accomplishment to make themselves seem important or progressive or whatever weird BS they argued, and did so wholly knowing that it was a poor idea (either that or they are grossly incompetent and should be immediately fired to not realise this). The are doing this to make themselves feel good and be damned the costs to actual students, education and funding.

These are you university admins these days.

No ethical issue at all they had two choices. Focus on the best educational outcomes for their clients (students) or be self serving pompous arses.

We know which they picked, and ethics were never a part of it.

It's right at the heart of do we cave and recind the degree based on what could happen or do we have a right to honour people of different scientific backgrounds and therefore, opinions.

[rustled]

Sure the university has the right to honour whomever they choose.

Just as lawyers, retired business people, and other folks have the absolute right to decide whether or not they wish to continue supporting that university financially.

I think the email campaign and threats are wrongheaded, but that too is within the rights of those who have been long-term financial supporters of the institution that is now honouring someone who vilifies the source of that income. IMO, they ought to take the high road and simply notify the university that they will no longer be supporting them financially. They could use the funds instead to support individual engineering students through bursary funding, or contribute to a university that isn't bent on honouring someone who vilifies them.

The university shouldn't be so reliant on the goodwill of others that this campaign can force them to do anything. If they ARE that reliant, surely they would have considered the goodwill of their supporters before they chose to bite the hand that feeds them. (And if they failed to consider that and this withdrawal of support will sink them, perhaps Suzuki and his minions will fundraise to keep the university afloat. LOL.)

One wonders how this will affect student/parent choices.

[The Green Barbarian]

Snowflake oil companies that think they can buy science and opinion..

no, this is complete garbage. Oil companies are tired of being the whipping boys for junk science and brainless leftists, while being told they have to pay for said junk science, and brainless leftists. This is garbage.

It's the universities that are full of idiot snowflakes. And finally, just maybe, the taps are being turned off for these losers. About freaking time.

[The Green Barbarian]

It's right at the heart of do we cave and recind the degree based on what could happen or do we have a right to honour people of different scientific backgrounds and therefore, opinions.

and do we honor moron shysters like Suzuki. Why is he being honored?? He's a lying hypocrite.

[Queen K]

It's right at the heart of do we cave and recind the degree based on what could happen or do we have a right to honour people of different scientific backgrounds and therefore, opinions.

and do we honor moron shysters like Suzuki. Why is he being honored?? He's a lying hypocrite.

I have no idea why the U of A would chose him.

[ninetyninepct]

" do we cave - based on what could happen" - Hmmm. Just like the KM pipeline?