Letter from the President
Greetings,
As an educator and researcher, you should know this date: September 15, 1958. On that day, a crucial part of your professional identity was born. That’s the day on which Harry Crowe, a tenured professor at United College (now the University of Winnipeg) was fired. As a student of Harry Crowe, a year before his dismissal, I was profoundly upset about the college's senseless actions. I can personally attest to his marvelous intellect and persuasive capacity to inspire his students.
No clear reason was ever given for Harry’s dismissal, although it’s presumed it was because he wrote a letter that was critical of one of the college’s policies, and expressed his political preference in the upcoming federal election.
Outraged, fourteen professors at United College resigned in protest of the College’s treatment of Crowe. (Many of these professors paid dearly for their principles – some never got their jobs back.)
And while Harry went on to do other things – he was a columnist for the Toronto Telegraph, and a trade union researcher – he did not teach again until 1966.
Harry’s case was a glaring example of the flimsy state of academic freedom in Canadian universities at the time. His case also gave rise to what we know today as the Canadian Association of University Teachers. And with your academic freedom as our major objective, CAUT has been working on your behalf ever since.
Will you protect and support your rights
through the Harry Crowe Foundation?
I’m asking you to kindly consider making a tax-creditable gift to support the charitable foundation that bears Harry’s name.
The Harry Crowe Foundation was set up by CAUT with a mandate to undertake education and research on freedom of academic expression, institutional autonomy, and the independence of university research.
Your gift today will help the Harry Crowe Foundation to provide a vast array of educational services – such as research, seminars and conferences.
Yours sincerely,
Howard Pawley
President
Harry Crowe Foundation
P.S. Please become one of the first members of the Harry Crowe Associates, our monthly giving club. You can join for as little as $10 a month (about 33 cents a day). It’s the very best way for you to help. The details are on your reply form. Thank you.
P.P.S. With your gift of $250 or more, you will receive a copy of The Olivieri Report, the most comprehensive investigation of this dramatic academic freedom case.