Posts from April 2014

OCUFA estimates reveal that the number of courses taught by precarious, part-time faculty in Ontario has jumped by 87 per cent. This is a worrying trend for both professors and the students they teach. As reported in  last week’s Data Check , the evidence is clear that the increase in the number of precarious part-time faculty in the United […]

On April 24, 2014, the Ontario Public Sector Employee Union (OPSEU)  released a report outlining challenges facing college faculty . Our colleagues in the college system face many of the same challenges that we do in the university sector- from grappling with commercialization to precarious academic work to the government’s “differentiation agenda.” The report was released at a special launch event featuring comments […]

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recently released a report on  The Employment Status of Instructional Staff Members in Higher Education . The report reveals that the growth in contingent faculty is much greater than the growth in tenured faculty, a story all-too-familiar to Canadian professors and academic librarians. Between 1989 and 2011, the total number of faculty grew by 81 per cent, but […]

This week, Minister of Finance Charles Sousa confirmed May 1, 2014 as the date for the next Ontario budget. It will be a crucial budget for the minority Liberal government; if the NDP does not support it, a spring election will be triggered. Beyond the election stakes, every Ontario budget is important in terms of […]

Academic Matters  – OCUFA’s flagship journal of higher education – has added exciting new web content over the past few months.  New exclusives include commentary and analysis of program prioritization, predatory academic publishing, and a problematic new report on faculty workloads. New content includes: The University of Windsor’s Vice-President and Provost Leo Groarke on  why program prioritization is a divisive process that doesn’t work for faculty or administrators . UOIT’s Gary […]

There are still spaces available for the “Feminist Transformative Leadership in the Academy” workshop, hosted by OCUFA’s Status of Women Committee (SWC). The workshop will be held on May 23 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto. The workshop will feature a panel of female academic leaders who will facilitate break-out tables of participants over […]

Do you know an exceptional university teacher or academic librarian? Be sure to nominate them for an OCUFA Teaching or Academic Librarianship Award by May 23, 2014. Since 1973, these awards have recognized individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the quality of Ontario’s universities. All members of an OCUFA-affiliate faculty association are eligible. […]

The Government of Ontario recently introduced two pieces of legislation that may affect the provinces universities. Bill 151 has the potential to increase government access to university data, while Bill 179 extends ombudsman oversight over universities. Bill 151, the Strengthening and Improving Government Act, was introduced at the end of December. It has had one […]

There has been a deluge of provincial budget-related news over the past few weeks. With all of the leaks, accusations, and revelations, it is difficult to know exactly what is going. Here at OCUFA, we’re working to separate the signal from the noise. The stakes are high with the upcoming budget, as it is widely […]

The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA) has  released a piercing critique of Western’s budgeting practices . Titled “Every budget is a choice,” the report highlights how Western’s administration puts the accumulation of assets ahead of funding core activities, such as teaching. “Western is not poor,” said UWOFA president Alison Hearn. “The resources are there to support the university’s core mission of […]