August 12, 2026 – KJIPUKTUK (Halifax), NS — A report released by the Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers (ANSUT) questions the purpose, transparency, and governance of academic program reviews currently being conducted in Nova Scotia universities. Academic Program Reviews at Nova Scotia Universities: Quality, or Control? suggests that the reviews appear to be part of a broader shift in who is influencing academic decision-making within the province’s universities, and examines the role external consultants play in the process.
“Academic programs should be reviewed by academics for academic reasons,” said Mathew Reichertz, ANSUT president. “Faculty fully support meaningful quality assurance, and have had a rigourous process in place for many years. What concerns us is that this process seems to have shifted to prioritize financial metrics and labour-market alignment over the collegial governance and academic expertise that have traditionally guided university decision-making. Faculty are genuinely concerned that this could result in corporatization of academic programs, at the expense of quality control.”
The report raises concerns about the transparency surrounding the review process. “Several faculty associations and university Senates learned through the media that the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) had hired American-based Huron Consulting Group to develop and lead the province-wide review process,” said Reichertz. “Nova Scotians deserve to understand who is shaping the future of our universities, how those decisions are being made, and what they could mean for students, faculty, and communities across the province.”
The report tracks Huron’s work at universities across Canada and the United States, which has frequently resulted in university administrations restructuring, reducing their workforce, closing programs, and implementing other cost-driven organizational changes. It also highlights the concerns expressed by faculty at those institutions regarding the lack of transparency, the growing reliance on external consultants in academic decision-making, and the erosion of collegial governance.
“Nova Scotia’s universities face real financial challenges, but the experiences of other institutions demonstrate the importance of ensuring that decisions affecting academic programs remain transparent, evidence-based, and rooted in the expertise of the academic community,” said Reichertz. “We urge our administrations and the Minister to carefully consider the consultant’s track record with other institutions before adopting a similar approach.”
“Faculty have always supported rigorous academic program review,” said Reichertz. “The concern is not with quality assurance itself, but with a process that appears to shift authority away from the collegial governance structures that have long safeguarded academic standards and institutional independence.”