Five letters of reference attached to application
Despite a record of pioneering teaching methods in the department of mathematics at Memorial University in St. John’s, an associate professor was turned down in her efforts to be promoted to full professorship.
Sherry Mantyka joined the university in 1978 and was promoted to associate in 1986. On Sept. 15, 2014, she applied to become a professor but was rejected via a letter April 15, 2015, written by Gary Kachanoski, president and vice-chancellor.
Kachanoski referenced his reasons from a report dated April 7 by Noreen Golfman, provost and vice-president (academic).
“I conclude that Dr. Mantyka has not demonstrated either a ‘superior record of teaching effectiveness and scholarly competence as a teacher’ or a ‘substantial record of research, scholarship or creative and professional activities,’ and I recommend that promotion to professor not be granted at this time,” wrote Golfman.
The collective agreement provided detailed instructions of when a professorship would be granted. One of two requirements had to be met for a successful promotion. The associate must demonstrate “a superior record of research, scholarship, or creative and professional performance” or “a superior record of teaching effectiveness, as evidenced by documentation compiled by the faculty member following suggestions in the CAUT teaching dossier, along with a substantial record of research, scholarship, or creative and professional activities.”
Mantyka applied for the professorship under the latter criteria. But on Feb. 24, Kachanoski provided her with an initial negative assessment from the promotion and tenure committee:
“We feel that the information within your assessment file does not adequately distinguish between the effectiveness with which you carry out this assignment versus the performance of the Mathematics Learning Centre as an entity unto itself. The distinction between your administrative activities and your teaching duties also seems to be blurred.”
As well, Mantyka’s academic output was critiqued and found to be lacking: “Your peer-reviewed research output in this discipline has been one journal article (in 2014), one article in a book (published in 2009) and two conference proceedings (in 2008 and 2001).”
The union, the Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association (MUNFA), grieved the decision on June 2 and charged the employer with breaching the collective agreement by not providing Mantyka with notice that she could submit further documentation with the initial application.
As well, the union said Mantyka’s career was “non-traditional” and her innovative teaching didn’t necessarily include many peer-reviewed papers because of its unique nature.
Arbitrator chair Pamela Picher (along with board members Gregory Kealey and Jennie Hornosty) dismissed the grievance, but they found the employer did breach the agreement when it didn’t provide Mantyka with the initial notice of adding further documentation.
However, any breaches “were technical in nature only and did not undermine the integrity of the process applied to Dr. Mantyka’s application for promotion to full professor,” said Picher.
Five letters of reference were attached to the promotion application, but they were not ignored by the committee, despite the association’s charge that they were.
“The board has concluded that the committee balanced the five positive endorsements along with the other relevant factors placed before it and with fairness and due process came to its own determination that, in the board’s assessment, was not arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable and was well supported by the evidence before it,” said Picher.
Despite unorthodox teaching methods, the committee fairly found that Mantyka did not demonstrate a “substantial record of research, scholarship, or creative and professional activities,” said Picher.
“The committee and subsequent levels of review applied a substantive evaluation to all relevant factors and provided Dr. Mantyka with a full and fair evaluation of her application for promotion to full professor.”
Reference: Memorial University of Newfoundland and Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association. Pamela Picher — arbitrator. Darren Stratton for the employer. James Farrell for the employee. Jan. 19, 2018. 2018 CarswellNfld 30
