OCUFA’s Third Annual Awards of Distinction

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The third annual Awards of Distinction ceremony was held at the iconic Westin Harbour Castle overlooking the lake.

Approximately 100 guests – including faculty members; university leaders and administrators; law firm allies; friends in the labour movement – gathered to celebrate and honour members of the university community who exemplify the best in teaching, librarianship, scholarship, service and collective bargaining at Ontario universities; and journalism on Canadian postsecondary education.

This year’s event was extra special as OCUFA turns 60! We commemorated this important milestone by screening a 60th anniversary video, and we are so happy that former OCUFA presidents – Sue Wurtele, Rahul Sapra, Gyllie Phillips, Kate Lawson – were able to join us.

The award statue is a beautiful eagle sculpture by Indigenous artist Leroy Henry. The eagle is an important part of Native Legends. It is the bird that flies above all others and is therefore the first to see what is over the horizon. The great bird of flight warns us of what is to come and is therefore regarded as our guardian or protector.

The night’s MC was OCUFA’s very own president, Nigmendra Narain, whose charisma and “professor jokes” always bring a chuckle to the room!

We heard from all the award winners on what inspires them, advice they may have, and the loved ones who support them on their journey. We especially loved hearing about what the award means to them and what the future holds.

It was such a lovely evening connecting with everyone. One of the award recipients might have summed it up best: “What joy OCUFA shared… the event represented both a celebration of what has been accomplished and the igniting of energy for what lays ahead.”

We are honoured to host the Awards of Distinction every year. In fact, we will start accepting submissions for 2025 soon! Check back on our OCUFA website in mid-December for further detail.

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