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Blind Faith: Deconstructing Unitec

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Blind Faith: Deconstructing Unitec Blind Faith: Deconstructing Unitec 2015-2017 Report to the Tertiary Education Union Dr. David Cooke National Chair, QPEC – Quality Public Education Coalition Contents CONTENTS Executive Summary .................................................................................................................4 Preface and Acknowledgments ...............................................................................................6 The Project ................................................................................................................................7 Overview: Changes of substance ............................................................................................8 Potential consequences .................................................................................................8 Decline and fall: Thirty years of change ................................................................................9 Unitec: Site of constant restructuring ....................................................................................12 Restructuring 2015-2017: Management perspective ...........................................................13 Statement of intent .........................................................................................................13 Executive leadership team agenda and effects ...........................................................14 Redefining Unitec 2015-2017 .................................................................................................15 Redefining structures ....................................................................................................19 Redefining staff ..............................................................................................................20 Redefining content .........................................................................................................22 Redefining space ............................................................................................................23 Effects ........................................................................................................................................27 Māori and Pasifika .........................................................................................................27 Effects on students .........................................................................................................27 Effects in enrolments and incomes ..............................................................................28 Conclusions ...............................................................................................................................31 Project Commentary ................................................................................................................33 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................37 References ..................................................................................................................................40 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY From 2008-2018 Unitec's executive leadership team In widespread action across Unitec, staff objected drove a series of increasingly rigorous structural strongly, vocally and in writing, to most of the changes that affected every aspect of the institution. restructuring. They record that the executive The period 2014 onwards was the most intense, leadership team ignored their commentaries. with a strong focus on teaching for workplace employability. Staff report that the restructuring affected students badly. They note that students faced significant To investigate the restructuring, the TEU difficulties in enrolment. The Common Semester was commissioned a research project, which consisted a road-block, since online delivery for vulnerable of 21 confidential, in-depth interviews with current first-year students was greatly daunting, especially as and former staff members, and drew on analysis of many lack computer resources at home. Staff record relevant documents publicly available at Unitec. that students' lives outside Unitec were often very challenged. "It's been a total failure, nothing good came out of it." Overwhelmingly, staff participants consider that the executive leadership team had a committed and pre- The executive leadership team made changes that led determined agenda for sweeping change that was to redundancies and the replacement of many staff impervious to any resistance or critical commentary: with casual, part-time appointments from industry, "It was a done deal before it happened." Participants and centralisation of administration services. The concluded that the executive leadership team was executive leadership team reconstructed faculties determined to embed a structure of projected future and departments into “networks” and “pathways.” It learning in a whirlwind of change. They commented abolished programme committees, then demanded that while the executive leadership team failed to new programmes and curriculum, with a focus on provide any convincing rationale for its initiative, it generic rather than discipline-specific content. In adhered rigidly to its concentration on new models particular, it mounted "The Common Semester," of delivery. an online course for first-year students, introduced in 2014. As part of Unitec programmes, it strongly "There's a naïve, besotted, uncritical belief supported Mind Lab, which focuses on "21st century in new models of teaching and learning – a pedagogy," digital and online learning, with funding naïve adoption of 'future focus'." from Next Generation. Beyond drawing attention to the “public relations” In general, the executive leadership team strongly language of the executive leadership team documents promoted online delivery and learning. It created and presentations, staff especially objected that the open-plan areas, reduced workspace and teaching leadership team resolutely refused to listen to staff space, resulting in hot-desking and competition responses. Different units and individuals made for office areas and classrooms. It contracted out lengthy and detailed analyses of executive leadership student services, including enrolment, to an overseas team proposals, which were consistently ignored. At company, Concentrix. It sold off a large part of the the same time, staff warned of the dangers in many Mt. Albert campus to Government. executive leadership team moves, including new enrolment practices, The Common Semester, the loss Th e executive leadershp team largely disestablished of programme committees. Such predictions were units focused on Māori and Pasifika, incorporating accurate. services into "mainstream" structures, referred to by some as "whitestreaming." In 2016, NZQA demoted Unitec from Category 1 to Category 2. Blind Faith: Deconstruting Unitec, 2015-2017 - Page 4 This project concludes that the executive leadership created great institutional damage; that it proceeded team redefined the concept and purpose of the by means of coercion, fear and dishonesty; and that institution, narrowly constraining its function to the leadership was highly destructive. training for business and employment. It is the case that a polytechnic is by practice oriented to The project argues that the reforms are a serious occupation and vocational preparation. However, the warning to the tertiary sector, including other staff in the study emphasised their own commitment tertiary education institutions, Government, the to providing an education for their students, which TEC. The impact of the reforms also pose a strong they contrasted with the executive leadership team's warning against adopting neoliberal practices in wholesale conversion of the institution to a limited such institutions. focus on work-training in every significant aspect of its restructuring. However, now is also an opportunity to rebuild the Institution in an enlightened and progressive way, As a result of the restructuring, Unitec lost constructing a democratic and collegial culture of experienced staff, institutional knowledge, students, high trust; honesty; a focus on the public interest; space to work in and reputation. The changes caused respect for staff and students; a progressive tertiary real hardship to staff and students. The executive culture; and service. Reform should create a new leadershp team's actions, corporate and hierarchical, progressive power-sharing institution. consisted of institutional coercion. It was un- academic, anti-democratic, and a denial of age-old Several participants in the study pointed out that by tertiary education culture. the end of 2017, an entirely new executive leadership team had taken over, potentially indicating more The project concludes that the redefinition of Unitec enlightened and receptive leadership. RECOMMENDATIONS Create a representative task-force to reinvent Unitec, charged with: • Reviewing major restructuring of the last decade • Reinstating Māori and Pasifika presence and provision • Convening a public meeting to review the restructuring • Reviewing the nature and function of Academic Board • Considering return of previous structures and re-hiring experienced former staff • Getting extra funding to recreate the institution • Reviewing Council membership and communication • Proposing an elected Composite Board made up of the executive leadership team, elected staff and students to provide institution leadership Processes across the institution •
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