As a McGill alumnus, and current staff member, may...

As a McGill alumnus, and current staff member, maybe it's risky for me to speak my mind about this university...but free thinking is central to the academy, so I guess I'm allowed to say what I want.

On as an "R1" (i.e. research-focused) school, it is clear that research is the emphasis at McGill, often to the exclusion of teaching. In my experiences as a student representative on governance committees, and more recently as an employee, it is easy to see how reduced funding and cuts have diminished the quality of student services across many of the departments at McGill. In addition to greater funding focused on student experience, and teaching quality, I would like to see the culture at McGill shift towards a more student-friendly and student-focused model.