“If you understand what is happening in society, you understand what is happening in our universities”. Wayne Lewchuk opened the forum about the changing nature of academic labour with a powerful statement that in every part of our economy, including our universities, there is a growing number of precarious jobs. A recent study, which he […]
Posts from October 2014
New data from the Times Higher Education explores the impact of austerity on European universities. Their analysis of finances and student numbers from 2008-2013 paints a fascinating picture of the different paths taken by countries struggling with the need to accommodate increased student demand and the long hangover of the Great Recession. In all nine countries surveyed, student numbers continue to expand. However, […]
This past weekend, representatives of Ontario’s faculty associations met in Toronto at the OCUFA Board of Directors meeting. The OCUFA Board meets three times a year to discuss emerging issues in Ontario’s higher education sector, and to chart the organization’s direction for the coming months. Highlights of this meeting included a special presentation of the […]
On October 29th, CUPE 3902 and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is hosting a town hall and panel discussion on the breakdown of the traditional model of academic employment and the rise of precarious academic labour. The event will be moderated by Michael Valpy and the panelists include Winnie Ng, Wayne Lewchuk and Ira Basen from CBC Radio. The […]
On October 24th, OCUFA held the Faculty Associations in the 21st Century: Learning from the past – Shaping the future conference. Held to mark the organization’s 50th anniversary, the conference sought to review the history and explore the future of faculty associations in Ontario and beyond. Speakers included labour scholars, faculty association leaders, and higher education experts. The agenda kicked off with a special presentation on OCUFA’s history, made […]
The Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) has ratified its new collective agreement with the employer. The new three year deal will expire in 2017. Full details of the new agreement have not yet been released, but we hope to provide more information soon. In the meantime, check the WUFA website for the latest news.
Strategic mandate agreements grabbed some headlines this week: The Globe and Mail cites unnamed university administrators to suggest that attempts to reform Ontario’s university sector through the Strategic Mandate Agreements has so far been a slow process . The article features criticism from Harvey Weingarten, President of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), that the SMAs lack sufficient incentives […]
Faculty at the University of Guelph have ratified their new agreement with the university administration. The three-year deal, which will run until 2016, contains yearly aggregate average salary increases of 2.46, 2.88, and 3.77 per cent. Faculty negotiators were also able to preserve the existing lay off language in the collective agreement. Faculty at Laurentian […]
Only a few spots remain for OCUFA’s 50th Anniversary Conference, “Faculty Associations in the 21st Century.” The event will take place in Toronto on October 24, 2014. The conference will examine the evolution of OCUFA and university faculty associations over the past 50 years, consider what they have accomplished, and then explore how faculty associations […]
There were a few news stories of particular interest to faculty this past week: The senate at OCAD University passed a motion of non-confidence in the chair of the committee tasked with determining whether President Sara Diamond’s contract should be renewed. The move highlighted ongoing tensions between faculty and the president. Charles Reeve, President of the Faculty Association, noted, ““Everyone […]
TORONTO – Senior Lecturer Karen Reid of the University of Toronto has been named one of Ontario’s most outstanding university teachers by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). Ms. Reid, who teaches in the Department of Computer Science, will receive a 2013-2014 OCUFA Teaching Award at an October 25, 2014 ceremony in Toronto. […]
TORONTO – Professor Margaret Jane Kidnie of Western University has been named one of Ontario’s most outstanding university teachers by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). Prof. Kidnie, who teaches in the Department of English, will receive a 2013-2014 OCUFA Teaching Award at an October 25, 2014 ceremony in Toronto. “Prof. Kidnie’s students […]
TORONTO – Associate Lecturer Tamara Kelly of York University has been named one of Ontario’s most outstanding university teachers by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). Dr. Kelly, who teaches in the Department of Biology, will receive a 2013-2014 OCUFA Teaching Award at an October 25, 2014 ceremony in Toronto. “Dr. Kelly’s reach […]
TORONTO – Associate Professor J. Marshal Beier of McMaster University has been named one of Ontario’s most outstanding university teachers by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). Professor Beier, who teaches in the Department of Political Science, will receive a 2013-2014 OCUFA Teaching Award at an October 25, 2014 ceremony in Toronto. “Professor […]
TORONTO – Associate Professor Donna Kotsopoulos of Wilfrid Laurier University has been named one of Ontario’s most outstanding university teachers by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). Prof. Kotsopoulos, who teaches in the Faculty of Education and the Department of Mathematics, will receive a 2013-2014 OCUFA Teaching Award at an October 25, 2014 […]