LOSS OF PROFESSOR SURPRISES STUDENTS

Popular Academic Will Not Be Returning This Fall

by Timothy CULLEN


Students in the Political Studies department at UPEI are returning to campus this week as news surfaces that a popular professor will not be part of the faculty this year.

Neil Cruickshank, who taught international relations at UPEI, had been hired last year on a 10 month term contract with the university. When his contract expired, the administration declined to offer the professor a new term contract. At the urging of the Political Studies department, the administration gave Professor Cruickshank the option to pick up four sessional courses during the 2008-2009 school year, but he chose to leave and find work elsewhere.

The news of Professor Cruickshank's departure has surprised many students, such as fourth year political studies major Dan Aiken, who believed that the professor would be teaching some of his classes at the university this fall.

"I was shocked to hear about what happened. The students love the guy; you'll never find anyone better than Neil to teach International Relations."

"Professor Cruikshank is one of the most intelligent and resourceful educators that we had in the department. He's the kind of prof who makes you want to learn more and prepare for a truly engaging class discussion."

Aiken is not the only student singing Cruickshank's praises. Third year political studies major Mitch O'Shea thought he was the best political studies professor he'd had to date.

“He made lectures interesting with his presentations, and he was really able to relate well with his students. I had looked forward to taking more of his courses in the upcoming years, and am disappointed that I will no longer have that opportunity.”

The loss of the full time professor has put some strains on the political studies department's course calendar this year, as the department scrambles to cover Cruickshank's course load.

The Chair of the Political Studies department, Dr. Gil Germain, believes it could take years to find others to fill Professor Cruickshank's place. In the meantime, he says the department will rely on sessional and other tenured professors to pick up the slack. “If we could have found one professor to fill Cruickshank's shoes on short notice we would have. But it was impossible, so we had to rely on old stand-bys.”

Not all the courses that the department had intended to have Professor Cruickshank teach this year could be picked up or, in some cases, even taught by other members of the faculty. Two international politics courses, one on Global Governance, the other on European Integration, will be dropped from the calendar.

Germain says if the department cannot hire a new full-time professor before next year, they will be stuck piecing together a curriculum again for the 2009-2010 academic year. “As you can see, there'll be a lot of changes [to the department], and not necessarily for the better.”

In a recent interview with The Semantic, Dean of Arts Dr. Richard Kurial, the man ultimately responsible for the hiring of professors in the Faculty of Arts, said decisions such as the one not to offer Professor Cruickshank another term contract are “never easy decisions”.

He went on to say that he hopes it is possible for the political studies department to go forward and find someone who is meets the qualifications for a tenure stream position in international relations within the department.

Even if the university finds another professor in short order, it's clear that he or she will have some big shoes to fill.

“Professor Cruickshank brought a refreshing approach to international relations. He was an enthusiastic and captivating speaker who found it easy to connect with his students, and his unique teaching style provided for a creative learning environment” said Daniel Roper, a fourth year political studies major.

Clearly he will be missed.

Professor Cruickshank could not be reached for comment; however, The Semantic has learned that he has accepted a position at the University of Toronto.