Professor Jean-Pierre Derriennic will be able to continue teaching his students. After supporting its shelving by the political science department, Laval University changed its mind a few days later in the face of the outcry.
It is the current director of the department of political science, Thierry Giasson, who had signified his leave to his eldest. He was accused, in a course, of not complying exactly with the regulations in terms of student evaluation.
“The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences met with Associate Professor Jean-Pierre Derriennic”, explains the institution’s communication department, “in order to discuss with him”. They, “by mutual agreement”, agreed that Professor Derriennic would officially complete the teaching of the course he was teaching this semester, “according to the methods provided for in the course plan”.
Professor Derriennic will thus be able to continue to teach for free, as he has been doing since his retirement in 2009. To date, this exceptional professor has given 25 full lessons without asking to be paid in return, since in his opinion he was enough during his career.
In an email sent to his students, the professor indicated that he will therefore continue his teaching, “in accordance with the lesson plan”. On social networks, many students did not hide their joy and promised to mean it to the principal concerned.
An outcry
The dismissal of the professor had caused a strong outcry in the university community. The students had signified, in various ways, to appreciate the teaching of this reputedly demanding professor.
Université Laval also specifies that “Mr. Derriennic has been invited to continue to teach courses in the years to come”. Laval University adds in the same breath that it “greatly appreciates the contribution of associate professor Jean-Pierre Derriennic in terms of teaching”.
The testimonies in support of the professor had quickly multiplied after the public announcement of his sidelining. In The duty, Professor Anne-Marie Gingras, former program director in political science at Laval University, assured that “in my 30-year career, I have met very few colleagues as dedicated and as talented on the educational level” . According to her, Professor Derriennic “was the one who best supervised his students”, even when he had very large groups, which was frequent.
“The crisis is over,” soberly concludes Professor Jean-Pierre Derriennic. “I’m continuing to do my course and I’ll do the course next year. At Duty, the professor indicates that he does not really know what happened in the university administration, but he notes that the dean of the faculty has intervened with the head of the department “and it is settled”.