Job Posting: Communications Lead

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Limited Term, Full-Time Position (Policy Level A)
Deadline: Friday, October 18, 2024

Working under the supervision of the Executive Director, the successful candidate for Communication Lead plays a key role in enhancing OCUFA’s public image and communications efficacy. This position is essential for crafting clear, compelling messages that promote the OCUFA’s goals, values, and initiatives. Collaborating closely with the communications team and other departments, this role ensures a unified and effective approach to all communication efforts. This position is integral to maintaining a positive
and coherent public and internal profile for the organization. The work of the role is coordinated by the Director of Communications. The Communications Lead will be part of a dynamic team of policy staff who work collaboratively to deliver the services required to meet OCUFA’s mandate, provide support for OCUFA’s member organizations, and assist in related advocacy initiatives.

About OCUFA

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents over 18,000 university faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 30 member organizations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members toward creating a world-class university system.

For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

Areas of Responsibility

  • Preparing OCUFA communications, media releases, op-eds, and other materials for the media and OCUFA members
  • Providing communications assistance to OCUFA’s member organizations where appropriate
  • Writing for, editing, and helping in the creative development of OCUFA publications (including OCUFA Report and Academic Matters), websites, social media properties, and campaigns
  • Assist in developing OCUFA’s communications plan, and carrying it out in collaboration with OCUFA’s policy staff team
  • Manage OCUFA media relations (including developing and maintaining relationships with journalists and media contacts) along with the Director of Communications
  • Providing staff support for the OCUFA Executive & Board, assigned committees, workshops and conferences
  • Writing reports, speeches and letters for the OCUFA President, Executive Director, Executive members, and committee representatives
  • Working with OCUFA’s policy staff team to write, edit, and produce OCUFA policy papers and submissions to the provincial government, opposition parties, stakeholders, and other organizations
  • Representing OCUFA at meetings where appropriate
  • Other duties may be assigned from time to time as the needs of OCUFA, or its circumstances, change. Such duties shall be discussed prior to assignment to ensure compatibility with workload and area of expertise

Skills and Requirements

  • A high level of communication skills, experience leading strategic communications, and an in-depth understanding of advocacy, research, and critical policy analysis
  • Excellent writing ability for a variety of formats and channels
  • A high level of computer literacy, excellent social media skills on a variety of platforms, and experience with WordPress, MailChimp, ActionNetwork and graphic design software would be an asset
  • Ability to synthesize and present complex information in a succinct, clear and accessible manner
  • A minimum of a graduate degree and five years of experience in media relations, communications, and/or policy analysis (or the equivalent combination of education and work experience)
  • Knowledge of the postsecondary sector would be an asset

This is a limited term (up to 14 months) full-time position, classified as Policy Level A, as defined in the terms and conditions of employment governed by the Collective Agreement between OCUFA and CUPE Local 1281. The salary range for this position is $103,788.98 to $121,161.65. Full benefits are offered in accordance with the Collective Agreement. All OCUFA staff act under the direction and authority of the Executive Director.

Based at the OCUFA office in Toronto, Ontario. Occasional evening, weekend work, and travel will be required.

OCUFA is a unionized and equal-opportunity employer that is committed to the principle of employment equity and welcomes diversity in the workplace.

Please submit your cover letter, resume, and the names of three references, packaged in one PDF, to applications@ocufa.on.ca by Friday October 18, 2024.

Jenny Ahn
Executive Director
Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)

Bargaining Stronger Together conference recap

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Bargaining Stronger Together conference, held in September in Toronto, was a big success. The two-day event brought together the OCUFA Executive and Collective Bargaining Committee, as well as association presidents and other members who support bargaining, to discuss recommended priorities and standards and how to achieve them. 

Participants chat before conference begins

The conference opened with a panel on decolonization, reconciliation and Indigenization. Mukwa Musayett, Canada Research Chair in Indigenizing higher education from Thompson Rivers University, spoke about the structural changes needed to create pathways for Indigenous scholarship. Participants also heard about the need for competency in building trust and working with Indigenous communities from Darrel Manitowabi, President of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine Faculty and Staff Association. Akosua Matthews of Kastner Ko LLP provided an overview on the need for thorough institutional Indigenous identity verification processes.

The evening keynote speaker Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland spoke about the importance of universities and the immense power that unions have in lobbying governments, citing Bill 124 and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act amendments as examples. While this Liberal federal government is supportive of academics and unions, she stressed that the university sector must hold the provincial government accountable for sustainable funding.

On the second day, Stacy Davis Gates, President of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), gave an inspiring speech – to a standing ovation – on the importance of taking risks and making allies in the face of “the impossible.” The CTU’s power comes from its members and their strong ties to the community in which they live and work. Stacy attests that building union strength and working with coalitions is hard, but the alternative is simply not acceptable.

Participants also heard that the economy is the collective work of the people from Jim Stanford, renowned Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work. Stanford championed the public sector – including universities and their workforce – as significant contributors to economic output.

Economist Jim Stanford gives speech on the economy and value of universities

Strategies on how to educate, agitate, and organize support for broader public service workers and the importance of coalition building were also discussed on a panel featuring Natalie Mehra from the Ontario Health Coalition and Michelle Johnston from the Society of United Professionals. Lorimer Award recipients Leslie Jermyn (2024) and Sue Wurtele (2023) engaged with questions on how to win bigger with pattern bargaining.

Attendees were also put to work in a workshop to identify their faculty association’s goals and how to communicate them.

Participants discuss goals during workshop

Participants were engaged, inspired, and gained very useful tools to continue the vital work of achieving important gains in bargaining. The conference reaffirmed the importance of solidarity work in building towards an even stronger collective across the province.

We will host this conference again in three years; see everyone then!

University underfunding crisis exacerbated by further international student caps.

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September 19, 2024, TORONTO – The federal government’s recent announcement on additional international student caps further stresses the financial crisis faced by the university sector.

“The cap will certainly negatively impact universities, but the question we need to ask is, why are universities so reliant on international students in the first place?” says Jenny Ahn, OCUFA Executive Director. “We find ourselves in this desperate situation because over the last two decades, governments of all stripes chronically underfunded universities.”

Universities have no choice but to use international students to make up for the funding shortfalls to keep operating. In 2024-25, the average undergraduate tuition in Ontario for an international student is $48,267. Contrast this with domestic student tuition of $8,514.

International students in Ontario pay the highest – and domestic students pay the fourth highest – tuition in Canada because Ontario’s funding is dead last in the country. Ontario provided only $9,890 per domestic student in total university funding in 2021-22; the Canadian average was $15,806 that year (i.e. Ontario funds 40% lower than the national average).

As a result, tuition revenues comprise much more of Ontario university revenues than is typical in Canada. In Ontario, 41% of university revenues came from tuition in 2022-23; the Canadian average that year was 31.2%.

“International students come to share in the learning and research at our world-class universities, and they add so much to the cultural life of a university community” says Nigmendra Narain, OCUFA President. “Yet, we use them like ATMs. International students are being used by our universities to literally keep the lights on and help mitigate decades of funding neglect from provincial governments.”

Universities have limited options. They cannot increase the number of domestic students without policy changes by the government, including funding for more faculty to teach more students. They cannot increase reliance on private donors and corporations without risking undue influence on the university’s curriculum and governance.

The latest move by the federal government only exacerbates the main underlying issue: universities are in a financial crisis. It also sends the wrong message to students around the world that they are not welcome.

The system is undoubtedly broken, and these student caps only cause more problems. The only way out is for the province to properly fund universities and for the federal government to implement immigration policies that attract the world’s best talent, including international students to study in Ontario’s world-class universities.

CBC asks: Is university still worth it? We answered

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For back to school, CBC published this article: It’s a new school year. Here’s what some are saying about the value of getting a degree | CBC News

And Ian Hanomansing had this podcast: Is a university degree still worth it? Cross Country Checkup with Ian Hanomansing | Live Radio | CBC Listen

This is OCUFA’s response:

As the voice of more than 18,000 faculty, academic librarians and academic professionals, we at OCUFA are the first to agree that yes, university has become very expensive due to the chronic underfunding from the provincial government.

But, while very expensive, university education is still very much worth it.

First, university graduates earn significantly more throughout their career. Statistics Canada proves this: in 2020, within Ontario’s 35-44-year-old population, on average,

  • A high school graduate made $46,960
  • A college graduate made $56,550
  • A university graduate with a bachelor’s made $80,100
  • A university graduate with a master’s made $90,700

So, if you had a bachelor’s degree instead of just a high school diploma, you will on average earn an additional $33,140 in salary per year. For the rest of your working life. That is significant! That university tuition has paid for itself within 1 year. That is like getting a new car every year, or going to Disneyland ten times a year.

Second, not only do university graduates make significantly more money, they are also a lot more resilient during economic downturns. In 2023, the unemployment rates in Canada were:

  • High school grad: 5.6%
  • Postsecondary diploma or certificate: 4.1%
  • Bachelor’s degree: 4%
  • Above bachelor’s degree: 3.8%

The differences were even more stark in the years following the 2008 financial crisis, where university grads were less likely to lose their jobs and if they did, were able to bounce back much quicker.

Finally, university education is often on the cutting edge of future job growth areas, such as AI, biotechnology, urban planning, space travel, groundbreaking arts and music programs. Notably, the Conference Board of Canada pointed out that for every one dollar spent for a university education there is a 40% return on investment. While that is the monetary value, the value of university graduates to the health and social capital of a country’s society and democracy is unmatched.

Thanks to the government’s chronic underfunding, only very few can now afford the university experience – living in residence, learning critical thinking, making lifelong friendships – without being saddled with a large debt, much less reap its financial returns.

The question is not whether universities are still worth it, but rather, why have we let our government off the hook in properly funding public universities so that everyone who wants a university education and a promising future can get one? Education – including university – is as much of a right as health care and roads. It’s time we demand the Ontario government to step up and properly fund public universities to give our youth the brightest future possible.

New arbitration award at TMU

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In July, Arbitrator William Kaplan delivered his interest arbitration award for the Toronto Metropolitan University Faculty Association’s (TFA) 2023-2026 collective agreement.

The monetary elements of the award include Across-The-Board (ATB) increases of 3.5% in year one, 3.0% in year two, and 3.0% in year three, to apply retroactively within sixty days to current and former members; as well as increases to the Career Development Increment and Overload Course stipend. On benefits, members received a new surrogate and fertility services fund, an increase in the long-term disability maximum, and coverage for optional dental implants for retirees, a requirement that the Faculty Association be provided with a schedule of the reasonable and customary limits applying to the benefits described in the Benefit Policy, and a commitment to maintain the retiree health care spending account.

While the TFA’s goal of improving the proposal for securing sector-comparable research and other supports for Professional Counsellors was not reached, the Award provided two additional Professional Development Days, for a total of 10 days. 

 On faculty workload, a TFA proposal of a Task Force on Student Accommodations and Academic Considerations was awarded. The Task Force will study and propose appropriate action to address the increase in faculty workload related to student accommodation obligations.

OCUFA looks forward to working with new Minister of Colleges and Universities

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TORONTO, August 19, 2024 – OCUFA welcomes The Honourable Nolan Quinn to his appointment by Premier Doug Ford as Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Minister Quinn inherits an extremely important and challenging portfolio, and his term begins as hundreds of thousands of students, faculty, academic librarians and staff return to school across the province.

“OCUFA, along with students and communities across Ontario, has repeatedly informed predecessor Minister Jill Dunlop on the issues facing the university sector. These issues are more pressing than ever and cannot be resolved without the government’s support,” says Nigmendra Narain, President of OCUFA. “OCUFA looks forward to opportunities to engage Minister Quinn to right the ship and ensure that Ontarians have an opportunity to thrive.”

According to the Ontario government’s Blue-Ribbon panel, the university-age demographic will continue to grow, with 119,000 additional spaces needed for Canadian students by 2047. The next generations – the future of Ontario – deserve to have all post-secondary options available to them, including university, college and trades. Sadly, lack of public funding has made university out of reach for many, and education is no longer “for the people.”

“Universities are integral to society. They are huge economic drivers, attracting investment and spurring employment,” says Jenny Ahn, Executive Director of OCUFA. “University grads are the urban planners and architects who work alongside trades to make developments happen; they are the engineers who make EV plants possible; they are the lawyers who draw up business contracts. Ontario communities can’t thrive if they lack the university-educated talent that employers seek.”

Chronic underfunding of universities impacts entire communities. For example, the funding crisis and the housing crisis are interconnected, as students often compete for the same affordable housing as the most vulnerable populations. Reduced support for universities has also forced universities to rely heavily on international student tuition, putting additional pressures on crumbling infrastructure and urgent housing needs.

“OCUFA urges the government to work with the university sector and experts to prepare Ontarians for jobs, increase affordable housing, and strengthen the economy; these goals can only be accomplished by working together.” says Narain.

As challenging as this portfolio is, OCUFA has ideas and solutions for overcoming the current problems Minister Quinn has inherited, and paths for Ontario’s future successes. OCUFA looks forward to dialogue and meetings with Minister Quinn to ensure that Ontarians have access to Ontario’s world-class public universities.

New agreement at Saint Paul University

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In May, members of the Professors’ Association of Saint Paul University (PASPU) ratified their collective agreement for 2024-2027. Compensation gains include an annual Across-the-Board increase of 4.5%, improved compensation for thesis supervision and direction of reading courses, promotion increments and more paid sick days for librarians, and better salary continuity during sabbatical leave for faculty. Salary anomalies will now be reviewed and corrected annually.

In a noteworthy gain in appointment provisions, the hiring salary will be determined based on years of experience since obtaining a doctorate and years of full-time work experience as a postdoctoral researcher, professor, or lecturer at a recognized university. For positions requiring specific professional or clinical experience, up to one year’s experience before or after the doctoral degree will be recognized as constituting such experience. On promotion, in rare cases, an exceptional administrative or academic contribution to the University may constitute sufficient grounds for promotion to full professor.

On workload, faculty members may request to increase their teaching workload if this does not impact their normal workload and receive the equivalent in salary. Librarians may request or accept responsibilities in addition to their normal workload, with either a reduction in other workload elements or appropriate compensation.

New agreement for McMaster Librarians

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Congratulations to the McMaster University Academic Librarians’ Association (MUALA) for recently ratifying a new collective agreement! Members made significant monetary gains in keeping with their bargaining priorities of bringing McMaster librarians’ working conditions closer to the average for academic librarians across Ontario, significant benefits gains, and improvements for members with contractually limited appointments.

 Following an initial increase to floors and ceilings in year one, members will receive annual across-the-board increases of 3% during the 2024-2028 agreement. Additionally, they received market adjustments to salaries, floors and ceilings in three out of the four years.

On the bargaining mandate priority of equitable benefits for precariously employed members, all members (regardless of probationary status), are now eligible for paid sick leave, Long-Term Disability, and membership in the group registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) from their date of hire. Further, starting in year three, members with contractually limited appointments will be eligible to receive a professional development allowance.

Retirement and benefits improvements include an increase in the group RRSP contribution rate for both employer and employee from 7 to 8%, enhanced vision care and pregnancy leave provisions, and a new health care spending account.  

OCUFA succeeds in getting universities exempted from harmful bankruptcy laws

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TORONTO, June 20, 2024 – After years of advocacy, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) and its allies have successfully secured passage of federal legislation that will exclude public universities from the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA).

OCUFA welcomes news that the House of Commons Bill C-59, which included the amendments to CCAA and BIA, passed the third reading in the federal Senate on June 19 and is awaiting Royal Assent to be passed into law.

“Public universities are not businesses and should not be treated as such, and this bill is a crucial piece of legislation that will protect university students, faculty and staff from corporate-style restructuring policies that prioritize creditors over the public interest,” said Jenny Ahn, Executive Director of OCUFA.

The news comes more than three years after Laurentian University filed for bankruptcy under the CCAA and BIA. The unprecedented move led to devastating program cuts and jeopardized the futures of nearly 1000 students. It also resulted in massive job losses for faculty and staff and disastrous ripple effects in Sudbury, Ontario, with an estimated economic cost of over $100 million.

“We saw to it that the catastrophe caused by Laurentian’s bankruptcy will never happen again. Years of OCUFA campaigning have paid off, and together with our allies, our advocacy has resulted in a more secure future for our vital public universities,” said Nigmendra Narain, President of OCUFA.

“We thank the federal government for listening to OCUFA, its 30 member organizations, and its allies, to protect the educational institutions that set up our youth for success and drive economic growth and social development in our communities,” he said.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents more than 18,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 30 member organizations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario 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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For more information, contact: media@ocufa.on.ca

Bill C 59 Progress Update – Success!

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After years of advocacy, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) and its allies have successfully secured passage of federal legislation that will exclude public universities from the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA).

OCUFA welcomes news that the House of Commons Bill C-59, which included the amendments to CCAA and BIA, passed the third reading in the federal Senate on June 19 and is awaiting Royal Assent to be passed into law.

Read the full release here.

Academic community members recognized for outstanding work by OCUFA Awards of Distinction

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TORONTO, June 18, 2024 –The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) extends a big congratulations to the 2023-24 Awards of Distinction recipients—members of the university community who exemplify the best qualities in teaching, librarianship, scholarship, and collective bargaining at Ontario universities; and journalism on Canadian postsecondary education.

“The award recipients made significant contributions to the postsecondary sector, both on and off campus,” said Nigmendra Narain, OCUFA President. “It ‘takes a village’ to build and maintain a thriving university community, and that’s why the awards reflect the multifaceted professions in the sector.”

This year, award recipients include a professor who dedicated over a decade to improving equity initiatives on campus; an investigative journalist exposing the overuse of non-disclosure agreements at universities; and a faculty association member who steered successful rounds of collective bargaining under challenging circumstances.

AWARD RECIPIENTS

The recipients of the OCUFA Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards, recognizing excellence in education and librarianship at Ontario universities, are:

  • Ayesha Khan, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University (Teaching Award)
  • Mavis Morton, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Guelph (Teaching Award)
  • Heather MacDonald, Health and Biosciences Librarian, MacOdrum Library, Carleton University (Academic Librarianship Award)

The OCUFA Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowships for Excellence in Social Sciences, Humanities, or Arts recognizes candidates with demonstrated academic excellence, provided significant community service, and showed exceptional academic promise in their university careers. The recipients are:

  • Noah Adams (Doctoral), Adult Education and Community Development, University of Toronto
  • Nida Ansari (Masters), Higher Education, University of Guelph

The recipient of the OCUFA Mark Rosenfeld Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism, which supports a reporter to pursue in-depth and innovative journalism on higher education, is:

  • Lauren Phillips, Education Reporter, The Coast Halifax

The OCUFA Equity and Social Justice Committee Award celebrates the outstanding contributions of OCUFA members 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 to other historically marginalized groups. The recipient is:

  • Dolana Mogadime, Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA)

The OCUFA Lorimer Collective Bargaining Award honours and recognizes outstanding contributions to improving the terms and conditions of employment of Ontario university faculty through bargaining. This year’s recipient is:

  • Leslie Jermyn, Executive Director, Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA)

The recipient of the OCUFA Service Award, established to honour individuals who have done, or continue to do, exceptional work on behalf of OCUFA and its members, is:

  • Gyllian Phillips, Nipissing University Faculty Association (NUFA), OCUFA Past President, Past OCUFA Board Chair, and Member-at-Large (incoming)

The awards will be presented at the OCUFA Awards of Distinction event at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel on Saturday, October 26, 2024.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents more than 18,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 30 member organizations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario 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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For more information, contact:
Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite, Communications Lead at media@ocufa.on.ca

OCUFA BOARD MOTION: Caste Discrimination

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WHEREAS the Caste system is rooted in classism and was reinforced through colonial practices and promotes discrimination against people born to lower castes, especially Dalit or ‘untouchables’;

WHEREAS the Caste system, while rooted in India, has travelled with the Indian diaspora and its effects are felt throughout the diasporic community in Canada including direct impacts on our own members who come from lower Castes;

In keeping with OHRC’s policy position on caste-based discrimination dated October 26, 2023, BE IT RESOLVED THAT OCUFA condemns the Caste system, Caste-based discrimination and colorism and calls on our member organizations to include Caste-based discrimination in their respective anti-discrimination policies and collective agreements.