UPEI faculty, staff want president review process extended

The University of Prince Edward Island is conducting an official review process of its president Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, but some faculty and staff feel the process is being rushed.

Abd-El-Aziz's five-year term is coming to an end and the review process is a requirement before he is reinstated for another term.

The review allows people to comment on the job the president has been doing.

Most people only had two weeks to provide feedback. Letters were sent to off- and on-campus faculty and staff on Jan. 7. Submissions from individuals are due this Friday. The UPEI Faculty Association, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the student union will have a couple of extra weeks to make their submissions.

The faculty association and CUPE have written letters asking the review committee to allow more time for comments from individuals.

"Certainly for the process to be seen to be a fair one, the committee I would think, would want the entire university community to be given sufficient time to provide input," said Betty Jeffery, the university's faculty association president.

"And certainly individual members do want to make submissions, but as I say, the deadline is problematic."

University officials did not want to comment about the review process.