On Tuesday, August 25, 2015, Chair of the UBC Board of Governors voluntarily “stepped aside” while the university investigated claims that he had violated the academic freedom of a professor. It is alleged that Montalbano intimidated Prof. Jennifer Berdahl in a phone call, after Berdahl made critical comments about the sudden resignation of UBC President Arvind Gupta. As […]
The Nipissing University Faculty Association (NUFA) has filed for conciliation, as the association and the employer “are still miles apart on the issue of a financial settlement.” Faculty at Nipissing are among the lowest paid in Ontario, and are seeking a fair and reasonable wage agreement. The employer has argued that there is a financial […]
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and the UBC faculty association are calling for Chair of Board of Governors of the University British Columbia John Montalbano to step down over accusations that he interfered with the academic freedom of a faculty member . Montalbano is alleged to have criticized Jennifer Berdahl, Professor of Leadership Studies in Gender and Diversity at the Sauder School of Business, over a blog post she […]
On August 21, 2015, the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA) announced that it had ratified its new collective agreement. As the Queen’s Board of Governors had already ratified the new agreement on August 18, 2015, the four-year deal is now in effect. The agreement contains yearly salary increases of 1%, 1.25%, 1.5%, and 1.75%. A […]
News broke last week that UBC President Arvind Gupta was resigning just one year into his contract . It was further revealed that Gupta would receive another full year of his presidential pay – almost $500,000. This is the latest incident around senior administrative salaries that suggests poor transparency and oversight of salary decisions at the highest level. UBC faculty are […]
A feature length article in Forbes magazine suggests that the liberal arts – oft-snubbed as “irrelevant” by corporate types and their buddies in politics – are in demand in the tech sector. As author George Anders notes, “software companies are discovering that liberal arts thinking makes them stronger. The article notes that growth in software engineer positions is projected at a modest […]
Faculty at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and the University of Sudbury (part of Laurentian University) have ratified new agreements with their employers. NOSM faculty, Librarians and Professional Staff ratified their deal on July 23, followed by ratification by the Board of Directors on July 31. The University of Sudbury deal was ratified […]
The Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa (APUO) has revealed that the University of Ottawa’s Vice President of Research, Mona Nemer, is receiving additional pay on top of her executive salary. Working with Ontario’s public sector disclosure data (aka the Sunshine List), APUO was able to determine that Nemer receives $30,000 a year […]
The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) has announced that David Lindsay has been appointed the new President and CEO of the organization. Lindsay will replace outgoing President Bonnie Patterson, who served for six years. Lindsay was most recently the President of the Forest Products Association of Canada. He has held deputy minister roles in the […]
Maclean’s Magazine is seeking the opinion of faculty on a variety of issues, including corporatization and equity concerns in the academy. OCUFA understands that this is the first time faculty opinions are being sought on these topics. While OCUFA provided some feedback on the expanded survey, it remains a Maclean’s project. OCUFA does not endorse […]
Faculty at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) are speaking out against a new policy that bars students, faculty members, and the public from attending meetings of the Board of Governors. The policy requires five working days of notice for any individual to attend as an observer, and 10 daysnotice for anyone wishing to speak. The policy also defines […]
A new report is sounding the alarm about attacks made against students, professors, and higher education communities around the world. Published by Scholars at Risk , an organization dedicated to protecting academic freedom and the rights of higher education communities, the report documents 333 attacks against universities, students, and professors . The attacks range from travel restrictions to imprisonment to outright killings. Flashpoints include the attacks made by […]
The summer months are usually a quiet time for faculty collective bargaining in Ontario. Nevertheless, bargaining continues at many campuses as professors and academic librarians work to secure fair deals. Faculty at Huron University College ratified their new agreement in May. The contract runs from 2015 until 2018, and features salary increases of 2.25 per […]
On Wednesday, June 16th, OCUFA President Kate Lawson presented to a Ministry of Labour panel consulting on possible reforms to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations Act. The government is consulting on how to bring labour laws in line with the changing world of work that puts an increasing number of workers in precarious […]
Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are hopeful that government consultations will result in needed improvements to employment standards and labour legislation. Faculty representatives will be presenting their views as part of the hearings on reform of the Employment Standards Act and the Labour Relations Act being held today in Toronto. “One of the most dramatic […]
