OCUFA is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 Lorimer Award, Equity and Social Justice Committee Award of Distinction, and Award for Outstanding Contribution to Grievance/Arbitration. These awards collectively celebrate the extensive contributions Ontario faculty, academic librarians, and other professional academic staff have made to improving working conditions and advancing equity on campus.
The Lorimer Award recognizes those individuals who have worked to protect and promote the interests of Ontario’s academic staff through collective bargaining. This year’s recipient is Geoffrey Hudson, an Associate Professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, who has shown an unwavering commitment to advancing the rights of his colleagues and community.
The Equity and Social Justice Committee Award of Distinction, sponsored by OCUFA’s Equity and Social Justice Committee, recognizes faculty whose work has improved the lives and working conditions of academics who are Indigenous, women, racialized, LGBTQ2S+, living with disabilities and/or belong to other historically marginalized groups. This year’s recipients are Kimberly Nugent, an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, and Andrea O’Reilly, a Professor at York University. Kimberly and Andrea have shown impressive leadership and made substantial gains for the rights of women and precariously employed contract faculty.
This is the inaugural year for the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Grievance/Arbitration, sponsored by OCUFA’s Grievance Committee, which recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the defence of collective agreements through the grievance/arbitration process. This year’s recipients are Christal Côté, the Director and Senior Grievance and Arbitration Officer for the Carleton University Academic Staff Association, and Sophie Quigley, a Professor at Ryerson University and Grievance Officer for the Ryerson Faculty Association. Through their meticulous grievance and arbitration work, Christal and Sophie have shown a steadfast commitment to defending equity and fairness on their campuses.
“OCUFA is deeply honoured to recognize faculty and academic staff who demonstrate a firm commitment to equity and to defending and advancing the rights of faculty members, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in Ontario,” said Rahul Sapra, OCUFA President. “We thank them for their dedication and are proud to present them with this recognition of their vital contributions.”
The recipients of the 2019 Lorimer Award, Equity and Social Justice Committee Award of Distinction, and Award for Outstanding Contribution to Grievance/Arbitration will be honoured at a special ceremony hosted by OCUFA in Toronto on February 8, 2020.