Dear Adil -
Thank you for your posting. I used that very analogy when I brought the first instances of mistreatment and abuse of power at Pearson to the Board's attention back in 2000 and 2001. As a trustee, I believed that it was my duty to make my fellow trustees aware of the issues and allegations that were being brought to my attention by people who I considered trustworthy and level-headed. I organized conference calls among the alumni trustees and we discussed how best to present the problems to the Board in a way that would be credible and get some action. I and 21 other people documented our complaints in a Brief which was distributed to the Board. I was totally rebuffed by the full Board with the exception just a few trustees who knew me personally.
When I spoke of the "cancer" that was infecting Pearson and affecting students and alumni in a deleterious way, I was called "hysterical", as in a woman who was off her head. I was labeled a traitor because I dared to go against the mainstream on the Board (read: Jim Coutts, Board Chair at the time) by continuing to insist that these issues were not the root problem, they were symptoms of the problem. I finally resigned because I could not bear to be part of a group of people who continued to put their heads in the sand regarding the goings-on on Peddar Bay. The Board continues to be in denial about what is happening at Pearson in the face of falling revenues from fundraising, rising expenses because of poor management decisions and growing student discomfort.
Contrary to what people may have heard about me, I love Pearson College and want what's best for the students who come after me. I do not wish to micro-manage or grab power nor is that the intention of alumni who speak out about what is happening there. I will not cut myself off from Pearson out of disgust, as I have threatened to do on numerous occasions, however I cannot see any way to be an engine for positive change as long as the current Director and Board are in place.
Without a voice on the Board, there is no mechanism for those of us who band together to support Pearson as an institution of higher learning and international understanding to act. I urge anyone reading this post to apply for membership to the Pearson Corporation through the Board secretary, Judy Scott. The Corporation elects the trustees. The trustees have the power to create positive change. Until there is a new Pearson Board, things will remain the same.
These links should lead you to the application forms that were posted on the forum on May 11. If not, go to page 4 of the Forum and look for the post for the Draft Membership Application Form.Pearson Corporation Membership Form – Snail Mail
http://liforums.com/cgi-bin/anyboard.cgi/forum/PC123/?cmd=get&cG=331373&zu=333137&v=2&gV=
Pearson Corporation Membership Form – Online application
http://liforums.com/cgi-bin/anyboard.cgi/forum/PC123/?cmd=get&cG=331393&zu=333137&v=2&gV=
Carly