In a surprising move, Laurentian University has filed for court protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) due to financial challenges it is facing as a result of reckless administrative decisions and the erosion of public university funding. Laurentian University is a public institution, not a private sector corporation. As such, it is the […]
TORONTO, Feb 2, 2021 — The Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) and Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) are concerned to hear that Laurentian University is filing for court protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement due to financial challenges it is facing as a result of poorly considered and reckless administrative decisions and the […]
OCUFA has collected information about Ontario university and university-college operating plans and course delivery strategies for the winter 2021 term. We have compiled a database of university plans, including mode of delivery, faculty choice over delivery mode, access to research spaces and offices, faculty accommodations, and student questionnaires on courses and teaching. Information was collected from […]
Each year, OCUFA is proud to celebrate outstanding achievement in teaching and academic librarianship at Ontario universities. Through the Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards, we recognize those individuals whose pedagogical leadership and support have made a positive and enduring difference to their students and colleagues. Anyone within the university community can nominate a faculty member […]
Next week, on February 2 at 7pm, OCUFA will be co-hosting a special webinar on building campuses that are safe for working, learning, and living. The webinar is also being hosted by the OFL, Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, and CUPE Ontario’s University Workers Coordinating Committee. Panelists will offer different perspectives and renew the call for […]
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 you might find interesting: Indigenization through collective bargaining: Lessons and ideas for academic staff associations By Spy Dénommé-Welch and Larry Savage, Brock University “In June 2020, members of the Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) ratified a new collective […]
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations is excited to announce the third annual $10,000 OCUFA Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism. The Fellowship is intended to address the shortage of informed investigative reporting on Canadian higher education issues and support those wishing to pursue in-depth journalism on higher education. The Fellowship is open to full-time, […]
The Ford government recently announced its plans to steamroll ahead with a reckless “performance” based funding plan. Postsecondary faculty, academic librarians, staff, and students are opposed to this flawed funding experiment and give the government a failing grade for its approach. The government, which already provides the lowest postsecondary per-student funding in Canada, has now […]
Toronto, ON, December 7, 2020 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), which represents 17,000 faculty and academic librarians across the province, is alarmed at the Ford government’s passing of Bill 213 which includes schedule 2 that gives the Canada Christian College, a private institution, university status and degree-granting privileges for Bachelor of […]
Nominations are now open for the Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowships for Excellence in Social Sciences, Humanities, or Arts. The fellowships are awarded annually to two full-time graduate students who are exceptional leaders, engaged community members, and promising academics. One Fellowship worth $2,500 is awarded at the master’s level and one at $5,000 is awarded for […]
From November 9-13, faculty from across the province held virtual meetings with their elected Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to advocate for stronger public funding for postsecondary education, fairness for contract faculty, faculty renewal, and against the threats to academic freedom and human rights in Bill 213 and the Order in Council on the definition […]
On October 31, OCUFA held its first Board of Directors Meeting of the 2020-21 academic year. The virtual meeting focused on the numerous challenges faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying priorities for 2020-21 With most academic staff and students still working and learning from […]
TORONTO, Nov 24, 2020 — University students, faculty, and academic librarians are struggling with social isolation, stress, and a lack of institutional support according to the results of a new poll which finds that those working and studying at Ontario’s universities believe the shift to online education has negatively impacted quality. Without immediate action from universities and the Ontario government to […]
The latest issue of Academic Matters explores how collective negotiation has helped to ensure that the principles of the university are upheld and that academic staff are treated and compensated fairly. In the shadow of COVID-19, it is through this process that faculty associations are working to protect their members so that they can effectively […]
Nominations for the OCUFA Equity and Social Justice Committee Award of Distinction are open. The deadline is fast approaching (November 27th, 2020) and we encourage you to nominate someone whose work has contributed meaningfully to the advancement of professors, academic librarians, and/or academic staff who are Indigenous, women, racialized, LGBTQ2S+, living with disabilities, and/or belong […]
