Maclean’s Magazine is seeking the opinion of faculty on a variety of issues, including corporatization and equity concerns in the academy. OCUFA understands that this is the first time faculty opinions are being sought on these topics. While OCUFA provided some feedback on the expanded survey, it remains a Maclean’s project. OCUFA does not endorse […]
Faculty at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) are speaking out against a new policy that bars students, faculty members, and the public from attending meetings of the Board of Governors. The policy requires five working days of notice for any individual to attend as an observer, and 10 daysnotice for anyone wishing to speak. The policy also defines […]
This spring, the Nipissing University Faculty Association (NUFA) has been working hard with community and labour partners in North Bay to put precarious work on the political agenda. On April 14, NUFA co-hosted a Precarious Labour Forum with the North Bay and District Labour Council that brought together many different unions, worker groups and student groups. Five panelists, […]
Faculty members have delivered powerful presentations at government consultations this summer about the need for better laws to protect contract workers from unfair treatment and support effective representation for academic workers. University professors and academic librarians from Queen’s University, University of Ottawa, OCADU, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Windsor, and Western University have made presentations to the consultation panels. […]
OCUFA is pleased to announce the appointment of its 31st president – Judy Bates, Associate Professor of Geography in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. Bates officially began her two-year term on July 1, 2015. “Universities – and the professors and academic librarians who work within them – are facing […]
A new report is sounding the alarm about attacks made against students, professors, and higher education communities around the world. Published by Scholars at Risk , an organization dedicated to protecting academic freedom and the rights of higher education communities, the report documents 333 attacks against universities, students, and professors . The attacks range from travel restrictions to imprisonment to outright killings. Flashpoints include the attacks made by […]
The summer months are usually a quiet time for faculty collective bargaining in Ontario. Nevertheless, bargaining continues at many campuses as professors and academic librarians work to secure fair deals. Faculty at Huron University College ratified their new agreement in May. The contract runs from 2015 until 2018, and features salary increases of 2.25 per […]
On Wednesday, June 16th, OCUFA President Kate Lawson presented to a Ministry of Labour panel consulting on possible reforms to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations Act. The government is consulting on how to bring labour laws in line with the changing world of work that puts an increasing number of workers in precarious […]
TORONTO – Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are hopeful that government consultations will result in needed improvements to employment standards and labour legislation. Faculty representatives will be presenting their views as part of the hearings on reform of the Employment Standards Act and the Labour Relations Act being held today in Toronto. “One of the […]
Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are hopeful that government consultations will result in needed improvements to employment standards and labour legislation. Faculty representatives will be presenting their views as part of the hearings on reform of the Employment Standards Act and the Labour Relations Act being held today in Toronto. “One of the most dramatic […]
Brock University is currently searching for a new president to replace outgoing Jack Lightstone. The Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) is calling for an open presidential search, with public talks by the short-listed candidates and opportunities for the Brock community to provide input to the Advisory Committee on the Presidency. The Advisory Committee has so […]
This post originally appeared on Academic Matters . There are missing voices in the public conversation around higher education, and it is hurting our ability to articulate alternative visions for the future of our universities. Last week, OCUFA staff attended the Canadian Society for Studies in Higher Education (CSSHE) conference at the excellent Congress of the Social Sciences in Ottawa. As usual, it wasa diverse program filled with interesting higher […]
The Spring/Summer 2015 issue of Academic Matters is now live online and arriving in faculty mailboxes across Ontario. It takes a look at the challenge of contract faculty work from an international perspective. The increased use of part-time faculty is a growing challenge for higher education systems around the world. In many cases, it’s a grim situation for […]
The latest news about research and development (R&D) spending intentions for the coming year echoes the same sad story that has appeared in previous issues of OCUFA Report . The Government of Canada’s planned expenditures demonstrates that the national R&D effort continues to decline. The federal government will be increasing spending by slightly more than half a per cent. Since 2010, federal R&D […]
On May 27, 2015, OCUFA staff attended the second open briefing on the university funding formula review. These briefings are part of the government’s ongoing consultations on funding formula reform, in which OCUFA is heavily engaged. This briefing was hosted by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) and was focused on their call […]