OCUFA has responded to the unfortunate new report on faculty productivity published by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. The response can be read on the Globe and Mail , or below. Do universities have a productivity problem, or do they have a quality problem? If you believe a new report by the government-funded Higher Education Quality […]
On Thursday, March 8, 2014, the Premier Kathleen Wynne unveiled a sweeping “Accountability Act” that, among other reforms, will allow the provincial Ombudsperson – currently Andre Marin – to investigate universities. The proposed act also extends Ombudsperson oversight to municipalities and school boards. Other reforms include changes to the lobbyist registry and a new requirement for MPPs and civil servants to […]
A new report by the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) demonstrates that Ontario’s university graduates enjoy higher earning, have better employment rates, and find employment in their fields . The findings, based on data from Statistics Canada and the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities, was published on February 25, 2014. The report counters recent media criticisms that a university education does not prepare students for the needs of the workforce. It […]
On February 27th and 28th, OCUFA played host to students, faculty, administrators, and policymakers at the “ Future U: Creating the universities we want ” conference. Over 120 people came together to share ideas on how to build democratic, high quality, and sustainable institutions that reflect the needs of students, faculty, and citizens. Through a series of panel sessions and keynotes, attendees were […]
From the Supporting Student Success research team, based at OISE at the University of Toronto: “ Supporting Student Success invites submissions for our 2014 ‘Student Experience Video Competition’. In the format of a short 4-5 minute video, we would like students to depict and discuss the blueprints they have created for themselves during their time at college and/or […]
A new American study by the Democratic staff of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce illuminates the challenging working conditions of precarious contract faculty in American universities. The report, titled The Just-in-Time Professor, finds that the growing trend of contract work in academia is forcing many highly-skilled individuals to struggle with low pay, poor benefits, job instability, […]
Last week, OCUFA made a submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, which is currently considering Bill C-525. Our submission argues that this private members bill has the potential to harm employee secrecy, encourage employer interference, disregards employee choice, and damage the existing decertification […]
The We Teach Ontario student video contest closed this week after engaging more than 1000 people in exploring and celebrating the incredible things that happen when we connect research and teaching at Ontario’s universities. Our first place winner is Brittany Dunbar of Brock University, told us about her journey to become a masters student in […]
Almost half of funding for sponsored research at Ontario universities comes from the federal government. About two-thirds of federal support is from the federal granting councils.* After a recent decline in federal funding for university research, announcements in the Federal Budget seem to make a big splash. But the reality is, after inflation, federal funding for university […]
The part-time academic staff at Algoma University held a strike vote at the end of January. Of those casting a ballot, 85% were in favour in favour of a strike mandate. The Algoma University Faculty Association filed for conciliation on Feb. 7, 2014. The part-time unit is pushing for benefits and an experience-based salary grid. They […]
A recent study from Statistics Canada observed that women are still under-represented in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science), despite their growing presence in these fields. The Statcan National Household Survey for 2011 revealed that 59 per cent of 25-34 year-olds with a university degree were women. Women’s share of STEM degrees, however, was […]
Last week, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) released the report How Liberal Arts and Science Majors Fare in Employment Looking at both employment and earnings outcomes, the report finds that graduates from the humanities and social sciences tend to get good jobs and, by the end of their careers, have matched and even exceeded the earnings of their counterparts in STEM […]
Professor Ian Sakinofsky of Ryerson University has been awarded the prestigious Lorimer Award by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). This honour recognizes individuals who have worked to protect and promote the interests of Ontario’s academic staff through collective bargaining. Prof. Sakinofsky received his award at a ceremony on February 7, 2014 in […]
New data shows that the Ontario government operating funding to universities in 2012-13 did not keep up with enrolment increases. For the first time in a while, the level of funding also failed to keep up with inflation. The latest Financial Report of Ontario Universities from the Council of Finance Officers – Universities of Ontario shows that provincial operating funding was […]
On January 28, 2014, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the creation of a Technical Advisory Group to advise the government on strengthening retirement security in Ontario. This follows last week’s appointment of Paul Martin as a special advisor on the creation of a provincial pension plan. The new advisory group will “advise the government on how to improve the retirement income system, including an Ontario-based alternative to a Canada Pension Plan (CPP) enhancement.” […]