Min Sook Lee, an Assistant Professor at the Ontario College of Art & Design University, has won the 2020 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 working conditions of academics who are Indigenous, women, racialized, LGBTQ2S+, living with disabilities and/or belong to other historically marginalized groups.
“Min Sook Lee has shown a tireless commitment to equity in her academic, documentary, and service work,” said Kathryn Trevenen, Chair of OCUFA’s Equity and Social Justice Committee. “This was recently demonstrated by her work helping to organize Scholar Strike Canada, an initiative that gathered widespread support and provided nationally broadcast teach-ins opposing police brutality and violence towards Indigenous and Black members of our communities.”
During the pandemic, Min Sook worked to improve the lives of precarious workers on the OCADU campus by negotiating a $650 payment for all sessional instructors teaching online—a substantive gain for contract faculty working in uncertain times. When concerns were raised about the university’s budget, she led a coalition of faculty, staff, and students who proposed their own alternative budget that prioritizes student learning experiences, academic integrity, and working conditions for everyone employed at the university.
“OCUFA is committed to advancing and protecting the personal, professional, and academic interests of members of the academy who identify as Indigenous, women, racialized, LGBTQ2S+, living with disabilities and/or belonging to other historically marginalized groups,” said Rahul Sapra, President of OCUFA. “That is why we are so thankful for Min Sook Lee’s dedication to this work, and so proud to present her with this honour for her exceptional commitment and contributions to the struggle for equity.”
Lee will receive her award at a virtual ceremony hosted by OCUFA in Toronto on February 20, 2021.
Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 professors and academic librarians in 30 faculty associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.
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