A reminder to pause, recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributors that shaped our university
Written and lettered by Laura Morales Padilla (she/her)
Visuals by Andrei Gueco (he/him) & Andy Poystila (he/him)
One of the strategies to mitigate the large deficit forecasted for 2026-27 included a workforce reduction. As a result, many faculty members retired earlier than planned, and—in some cases—decades of invaluable contributions ended abruptly. More than carriers of institutional knowledge, we think of these senior faculty members as part of our institution’s DNA, and as such, their absence is felt deeply.
The Courier reached out to 16 chairs and vice-chairs from the different departments at Capilano University, thanks to whom we were able to gather the names and years of service from retirees. Lastly, we reached out to Tim Acton, former president of the Capilano Faculty Association, to share a reflection on his 32 years teaching and representing other faculty members at CapU.
Letter from Tim Acton
Former president of the Capilano University Faculty Association
I started working at Capilano in 1993 and had the honour of being hired by and working alongside some of the founding members of the English Department. Over the years, the institution went through many changes, the most obvious being the evolution to become one of the province’s “special purpose teaching universities” after having been a highly successful college. I always understood that I was fortunate to work in a field where I loved my work, and I was surrounded by colleagues who almost universally shared that sentiment. After a few years, my colleagues thought highly enough of my contributions to approach me about serving as department coordinator and later as chair of Humanities, and around this time I also joined the Faculty Association bargaining team, and later still, the Faculty Association executive. All of these positions taught me the value of participation and commitment, features that were the hallmark of Capilano University.
Throughout the post-secondary sector, we have been very highly regarded for our “collegial model” which allows departments and functional areas a certain amount of autonomy over the decisions that most impact our jobs.
Engagement is essential to the success of any institution, and a place where people show up with the objective of simply collecting a pay cheque does not have the degree of commitment required for success. At one point, an outside firm was hired to do an “engagement” survey at CapilanoU, and the firm concluded that a near-majority of employees were “happily disengaged.” This is not what any post-secondary institution should want from its employees and should be seen as a sign of failure.
The institution has seen its share of ups and downs over the years, and when we went through what Joseph Fall dubbed “the Troubles” (in the previous decade), it seemed that the FA Executive was one of the few places where rational thought was still occurring. It was reassuring to listen to colleagues who argued that the institution could address challenges through a consultative, collegial approach. It was unfortunate that the administration of the day felt less inclined to welcome that participation. From that experience I reached a conclusion that has held to this day: in an educational setting, the fewer people involved in the decision-making, the greater likelihood of a poor decision compared to decisions reached in an environment of respectful dialogue. Personally, I have been honoured to serve with so many dedicated and committed colleagues!
—Tim Acton
Former president of the Capilano University Faculty Association
Also read:
CapU lost 81 full-time-equivalent faculty—with more losses to come (Letter from Michael Begg, president of the Capilano University Faculty Association)