Dean Barbara Crow’s sudden departure from Queen’s has filled the faculty and its students with more uncertainty than ever.
On July 18, the Queen’s Gazette released their one and only statement on this istrative change, announcing that Dean Crow would be commencing her istrative leave this August after seven years with the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS).
The former dean’s decision to step down from her position in the FAS almost a year earlier than stated in her contract, which was set to end in June 2025, feels staggering given the precarious state she’s leaving the faculty in, and the $13.8 million deficit she is stepping away from.
With little information to work with, it’s easy for students to villainize high-level istration for their dwindling in uncertain times. It’s no surprise, then, for students to speculate Crow’s sudden departure has little to do with personal reasons and everything to do with severing associations with the ability and backlash of running the FAS.
The gap where an explanation is owed adds to the on-going transparency battle between Queen’s istration and its students, especially during the recent wave of staff layoffs, budget cuts, and changes to classrooms.
Coming out of these financial troubles will not be easy for FAS, and students need a long-term leader who’s dedicated to guiding us through the major structural changes.
With interim Dean, Bob Lemieux filling in until the search for a permanent dean is complete, Lemieux is undoubtedly going to be the face of change. Yet it’s hard to say when the climate of Queen’s Arts and Science will truly reach stability, again.
At the minimum, students deserve to feel stable in their education, but this isn’t possible when faith in their institution is at an all-time low. Anxiety from current students regarding the future state of FAS can and will impact the school’s public perception, perpetrating the cycle of prospective students who are willing to .
Transparency and stability are not as easily guaranteed as they are demanded, but for tuition-paying students the University relies on to keep afloat, they are certainly deserved.
Queen’s needs to work on lessening the gap between istration and students if they want to build trust. Repairing the FAS is a work in progress, but the first step is to come clean.
—Journal Editorial Board
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