The latest Education Indicators in Canada report from Statistics Canada shows that the national unemployment rate for those with university education continues to be lower than the remainder of the working population. Although unemployment caused by the Great Recession peaked in 2009 for most Canadians, the highest level of unemployment amongst the university-educated was in 2010. Other wrinkles […]
Academic Matters – OCUFA’s flagship publication – has received a facelift with a brand new website. The new site improves functionality, puts more emphasis on our blogs, and integrates better with the magazine’s social media channels. The official launch of the new website coincides with the publication of our May 2012 issue. Using the […]
On May 4, 2012, OCUFA’s Status of Women Committee hosted a workshop titled “Navigating the Academy: Lessons and Strategies for More Equitable Universities.” The workshop was attended by 40 participants from universities across Ontario. Presentations explored some of the challenges that women and members of other equity seeking groups face when building an academic career. […]
As it goes with student-faculty ratios at Ontario universities, so it goes with class sizes. As the number of students relative to the number of faculty increases, class sizes get bigger. This has serious implications for the quality of higher education in our province – larger classes mean less student interaction with faculty, a key […]
Registration is filling up fast for OCUFA’s Building Member Solidarity Workshop, hosted by our Collective Bargaining Committee. The workshop will be held at the Westin Harbour Castle hotel in Toronto on May 23, 2012. The goal of the workshop is to provide attendees with the skills and tools needed to run effective local engagement […]
The nomination deadline for the 2012 OCUFA Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards is May 21, 2012. Since 1973, these awards have recognized individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the quality of university education in Ontario, either through exceptional teaching or dedicated library service. Any member of an OCUFA-affiliated faculty association is eligible […]
Since the mid-1990s, Ontario has had the worst student-to-faculty ratio in Canada. While the number of students per full-time faculty member in other provinces hovered around 20-1, the Ontario ratio rose from 22-1 in the fall of 2000 to 27-1 by 2005-06 as the “double cohort” entered the university system. A slight improvement occurred […]
Download the PDF In recent weeks, the research practices of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) have come under scrutiny by the media and members of Ontario’s higher education stakeholder community. On April 10, 2012, Jennifer Massey and Sean Field, both PhD candidates at Queen’s University, wrote a letter to Harvey Weingarten, President and CEO of […]
Bargaining is heating up around the province in May, with multiple days of bargaining scheduled at Carleton, Nipissing and Brescia. York anticipates having days scheduled by mid-May. Complex negotiations are also underway at the Canadian Military Colleges Faculty Association (CMCFA), which represents faculty at the Royal Military College, to deal with Federal Budget’s demand that […]
The 2012 Ontario Budget essentially took a ‘wait and see’ approach on funding for research and development. After abruptly cancelling three rounds of funding under the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) Research Excellence program late last year, there is no immediate prospect of further cuts. But there will be no new funding to keep pace with either inflation or […]
On April 16, 2012, OCUFA President Constance Adamson, Executive Director Mark Rosenfeld, Research Director Donna Gray, and Government and Community Relations Analyst Erica Rayment met with Minister of Labour Linda Jeffrey. This was OCUFA’s first meeting with the Minister. In addition to introducing Minister Jeffrey to the organization, OCUFA sought clarification on some of […]
The average annual increase of 1.9 per cent in postsecondary and training announced in the recently tabled provincial budget may bring a sigh of relief in some corners. At first pass, it does seem better than the 1.5 per cent average recommended by the Drummond Commission . A closer look is far more disturbing. The projected 1.9 per cent increase is based on “all-in” expenditures by the Ministry of Training, […]
On April 4, 2012, 27 OCUFA ambassadors from faculty associations across Ontario met with MPPs at Queen’s Park. OCUFA representatives met one-on-one with 30 MPPs from university ridings, including six cabinet ministers. There was also a meeting with members of the Premier’s staff. The ambassadors made the case for renewed investment in public university […]
Writing in the Toronto Star , Michael Mendelsohn of the Caledon Institute for Social Policy observes that the relative size of Ontario’s deficit is not because of spending. In 2009-10, the Ontario government spent the lowest amount of any province per capita – $9,030, seven per cent less than ninth place British Columbia. He cites the Drummond report and points out that 39 per cent […]
OCUFA has completed a full analysis of the 2012 Ontario Budget. We are deeply concerned about the inadequate operating funding, as well as the apparent willingness of the Government of Ontario to interfere in collective bargaing, pensions, and compensation. Read the full analysis.