Glen Murray has resigned his cabinet post as Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities to pursue the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party. The leader – and premier – position was left open following the resignation of Dalton McGuinty on October 15, 2012. Minister Murray’s campaign page, RenewLiberal.ca, does not yet contain full platform details. […]
Glen Murray
Last weekend, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Glen Murray met with OCUFA’s Board of Directors during its October meeting. The Minister was questioned on his plans for higher education reform in Ontario, on the government’s agenda for university pension plans, and on public sector wage restraint. Overall, it was clear that the Minister has […]
On October 9, 2012, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities made troubling comments on faculty in an article that appeared in the Peterborough Examiner. Here is OCUFA President Constance Adamson’s response. This past Wednesday, October 10, 2012 the Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Glen Murray, in an interview with the Peterborough Examiner, made this statement on the Government of […]
On October 3, 2012, the OCUFA Executive met with Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Glen Murray to discuss our submission in response to the government’s recent discussion paper. Members of the Executive highlighted OCUFA’s concerns with the assumptions and proposals contained within the discussion paper. We believe that, taken to their logical conclusion, they would lead to […]
This week, OCUFA released its response to the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities discussion paper, Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation and Knowledge . Our submission, titled Growing Ontario’s Universities for the Future, was officially launched at a press conference this morning alongside responses from the Canadian Federation of Students , The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) . The OCUFA response highlights our concerns with […]
A new study by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) suggests that three year degrees are not the productivity fix that many politicians think they are. In The Three Year Bachelor’s Degree: Reform Measure or Red Herring ?, the AASCU argues that the three year option does not meet student needs and is not likely to prove a popular educational option. In […]
Video of the July 19, 2012 consultation sessions at Fanshawe College have emerged online. The two videos, of the morning and afternoon sessions, provide an accurate sample of the kinds of discussion and comments made during the roundtables. The Minister of Training. Colleges, and Universities, Glen Murray’s afternoon comments are particulary interesting. They run from […]
On Wednesday, August 29, 2012, OCUFA President Constance Adamson met with Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Glen Murray. The purpose of the meeting was to follow-up on the recently completed consultations around the discussion paper, Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation, and Knowledge . The Minister indicated that the government hopes to announce its plans for higher education in later fall […]
Last week, OCUFA representatives participated in Government of Ontario consultations at Algonquin College in Ottawa, and at UOIT in Oshawa. The Ottawa session was a full day, and covered a variety of themes. The UOIT session focused on “experiential and entrepreneurial learning”. As with the other roundtables discussions, there was wide agreement on the […]
On Thursday, August 9, 2012, OCUFA participated in a government consultation on the greater use of technology in Ontario’s universities and colleges, held at the University of Waterloo. The session was part of the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities’ (MTCU) roundtables on ideas contained within the discussion paper, Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation, and Knowledge . Previous consultations, also attended by […]
On July 19, 2012, OCUFA President Constance Adamson and OCUFA staff attended the first of seven government-led consultations on the reform of Ontario’s universities. The session was also attended by representatives of student groups, colleges, and university administrators. The theme of the consultation was “Quality Teaching and Learning Outcomes”. The session began with presentations from a […]
On Thursday, June 28, 2012, OCUFA President Constance Adamson and OCUFA staff met with Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Glen Murray. The purpose of the meeting was for the Minister to present a discussion paper on reform to Ontario’s postsecondary sector, “ Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation and Knowledge: A discussion paper on innovation to make our university and college system stronger “. Minister Murray also outlined a consultation process on the discussion paper […]
Last week, several media outlets reported on a leaked document outlining Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Glen Murray’s plans for university reform. The report suggests that Ontario move to three-year undergraduate degrees, offer year-round university programming, and offer 60 per cent of courses online. OCUFA President Constance Adamson responded to these proposals in the […]
At the February meeting of the OCUFA Board of Directors, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Glen Murray spoke and took questions from faculty associations representatives from across Ontario. The Minister again outlined his interest in accelerated three-year undergraduate degrees, all-year instruction at universities, and increased reliance on online education. As was made clear […]
On January 23, 2012, OCUFA President Constance Adamson met with the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Glen Murray. Among other issues, Adamson spoke of the urgent need for faculty hiring and quality investments in the university sector. For his part, the Minister highlighted the province’s fiscal challenges, as well as his early plans […]