There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Here are some recent articles for your summer reading pleasure. And if you haven’t already, now is a great time to catch up on our latest print issue: Decolonizing the university in an era of Truth and Reconciliation. Precarious employment in education impacts workers, families and students By Michael Mindzak, Brock University “Recent announcements […]
The 2019 Worldviews on Media and Higher Education Conference brought together hundreds of academics, students, higher education leaders, communications professionals, and journalists from around the globe to explore the conference’s theme: Democracy at risk? Reflecting on the future of higher education and media in a “post-truth” world. Proceedings kicked off with a special screening of […]
The Ford government introduced sweeping legislation to cap public sector wage increases. The proposed legislation represents an attack on the right to free and fair collective bargaining, and is in line with the government’s broader anti-worker agenda. The legislation was introduced on June 5, and although the legislature has now risen until October 28, the bill […]
TORONTO – Ontario faculty are deeply concerned by the Ford government’s attempt to cap public sector compensation increases at one per cent per year. This legislation represents an attack on the right to free and fair collective bargaining, a threat to pay equity and benefits for contract faculty and other marginalized workers, and an erosion […]
The latest issue of Academic Matters asks whether universities are doing enough to respond to colonization in higher education. An insightful group of scholars contribute their perspectives. It’s a must read and available online for free. Bringing Indigenous viewpoints to higher education By Tanya Talaga and Victoria McMurchy Ojibway author and journalist Tanya Talaga sits down with Victoria McMurchy to discuss how Canadian postsecondary institutions have responded to the Truth […]
As part of the Ministry of Labour’s consultation on pay transparency reporting, OCUFA sent Minister Laurie Scott a letter expressing faculty concerns about the staggering 31.5 per cent gender pay gap that exists in Ontario and the pervasive pay inequities that exist within most sectors. The Ontario Pay Transparency Act, passed in May 2018 by […]
TORONTO – Ontario’s faculty are alarmed by the Doug Ford government’s budget proposal to allocate 60 per cent of university funding based on institutional performance. By design, performance-based funding threatens education quality as it rewards institutions that meet specific performance targets while penalizing those that do not. Faculty are also concerned by signals that the […]
There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Healthy research ecosystem – healthy researchers? The researcher as an organism of focus within a ‘research ecosystem’ By Michelle L.A. Nelson and Ross Upshur “The academic research environment is changing and researchers report struggling to adapt in order to be successful. Funding shortfalls are perennial, but what systemic shifts […]
At the 2019 Worldviews Lecture, Ojibway author and journalist Tanya Talaga addressed the need for better education for Indigenous students in Canada and how higher education can be a part of the solution. After her lecture, Talaga joined a panel discussion about the responsibilities higher education and the media have regarding truth and reconciliation. Watch the 2019 Worldviews Lecture by Tanya Talaga on truth and reconciliation in higher education and the media. Talaga’s […]
TORONTO – Ontario’s university faculty were troubled to learn the results of the Ontario Government’s Student Voices on Sexual Violence survey released today. It is deeply disturbing that over 63 per cent of university students surveyed disclosed an experience of sexual harassment and that sexual violence remains so pervasive on campus. These results point to […]
Next Tuesday, March 19, Tanya Talaga will be delivering the 2019 Worldviews Lecture on Media and Higher Education. The lecture is sold out, but we are streaming it online for free. Truth and reconciliation in higher education and the media: What are the responsibilities? What is needed to overcome the legacy of colonialism? When: Tuesday, […]
During the recent Social Media Day of Action in support of Fairness for Contract Faculty, OCUFA released a new video highlighting the struggles faced by contract faculty, and why job security, fair pay, and benefits are so vital. Watch it now: Show your support for Fairness for Contract faculty here: https://ocufa.on.ca/fairness/
On Saturday, February 9 and Sunday, February 10, OCUFA held its second Board of Directors meeting of the 2018-19 academic year. Over the weekend, board members discussed the organization’s current priorities – good jobs, university funding, and capacity building – with a focus on challenges to the postsecondary sector under the current government. During a […]
The report of the OCUFA Working Group on Student Questionnaires on Courses and Teaching (SQCT) has now been released. Prompted by increasing reports of the misuse of results and the harassment of faculty through anonymous comments, and by suggestions in the policy community that SQCT scores be used as university “performance” metrics, OCUFA established the […]
TORONTO, February 8, 2019 – Lianne Leddy, an assistant professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, has won the 2018 Equity and Social Justice Committee Award of Distinction, presented by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). The award, sponsored by OCUFA’s Equity and Social Justice Committee, recognizes faculty whose work has improved the lives and […]
