The Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC), of which OCUFA is a member, has written an open letter to Elections Ontario highlighting the need for on-campus polling stations. There are major documented successes with on-campus polling stations in both the 2015 and 2019 federal elections cycles, with a 60 per cent increase in campus voter […]
After months of negotiations, substantial member engagement, and a strong strike mandate, the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) has ratified a three-year collective agreement that makes major gains for its members and bolsters education quality at York University. With regard to equity, the new agreement increases hiring for Indigenous and Black faculty, librarians, and archivists […]
In the lead-up to the Ontario election, OCUFA sent a survey to all major political parties in the province. The survey asked questions about party positions on OCUFA’s priority issues in this election. To-date, all Ontario’s major political parties, except for the Progressive Conservative Party, have responded to the survey. Read the Ontario New Democratic Party’s responses. Read the Ontario Liberal Party’s responses. Read the Green Party of Ontario’s responses. We hope these responses are helpful […]
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: Connecting people, ideas, and disciplines at Congress 2022 “In a few short weeks, scholars from nearly 40 different academic disciplines will gather virtually for the 91st annual Congress of the Humanities […]
We still have time to shape party priorities in this election and influence the mandate of Ontario’s next government. Send an email to your local candidates to tell them it’s time to prioritize public postsecondary education, invest in Ontario’s universities, support fairness for contract faculty, and increased student aid. Take action today.
The Provocation Ideas Festival is a venue for the public to engage in spirited discussion, debate, and exploration on important contemporary issues. With support from OCUFA, the 2022 festival is bringing together disparate voices working for positive change through engaging dialogue and evocative art. The festival will feature panel discussions with some of Canada’s most […]
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine University Academic and Professional Staff Union (Unit 1, OPSEU 677; NUFSA) has extended their collective agreement for one year. The extension agreement contains a one per cent ATB increase and a Bill 124 wage re-opener, as well as other provisions including additional Scholarship funding for 2022-23. The parties have […]
The OCUFA University Governance Committee has published “ Strategies for Enhancing Collegial Governance and Effectiveness in Governance Spaces .” The resource provides concrete and practical strategies and tactics for addressing barriers to collegial governance and faculty engagement in university governing bodies. As traditional processes of shared collegial governance are becoming increasingly threatened or ignored, this document aims to provide faculty and academic librarians associations and […]
On Sunday, May 1, International Workers’ Day, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is holding a province-wide Day of Action to bring together workers and their families from across Ontario to raise awareness about our priorities and demonstrate our commitment to fighting for a more progressive future for the province. In over 20 different communities, […]
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) has given the Ford government a failing grade for its election budget. After four years of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government undermining the foundations of public universities and allowing our postsecondary education system to languish behind every other province, this budget promises no improvement to university education quality, […]
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: Are there ever really ‘financial reasons’ to fire faculty? Laurentian University, academic freedom, and the disciplining of the professoriate “The 2020–21 academic year saw two incidents of Ontario professors being effectively fired: the termination of 116 of the 345 professors at Laurentian […]
TORONTO, April 25, 2022 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is calling on university administrators across the province to maintain campus masking mandates until at least the end of August. With new COVID-19 cases reaching peaks surpassing previous waves of the pandemic and other health and safety measures having been lifted, masking […]
On Saturday, February 26, OCUFA held its second Board of Directors meeting of the 2021-22 academic year. At the meeting, board members discussed the organization’s advocacy plans for the Ontario provincial election in June. OCUFA’s goal is to ensure the next provincial government is committed to supporting Ontario’s public universities. During the meeting, OCUFA member […]
TORONTO/SUDBURY, April 13, 2022 – The Auditor General of Ontario’s preliminary report on Laurentian University confirms assertions faculty have been making for more than a year—that the university’s financial crisis resulted from secretive and deficient governance practices and the Ford government’s failure to step in and support the institution when its financial needs became clear. […]
OCUFA is proud to announce that Nicholas Hune-Brown has been awarded the Canadian Hillman Prize for Journalism for The Shadowy Business of International Education, an article he wrote with the support of the Mark Rosenfeld Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism. The Hillman Prize has honoured journalists who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in service of the common good since 1950.
