This past weekend, representatives of Ontario’s faculty associations met in Toronto at the OCUFA Board of Directors meeting. The OCUFA Board meets three times a year to discuss emerging issues in Ontario’s higher education sector, and to chart the organization’s direction for the coming months. Highlights of this meeting included a special presentation of the […]
OCUFA
On October 24th, OCUFA held the Faculty Associations in the 21st Century: Learning from the past – Shaping the future conference. Held to mark the organization’s 50th anniversary, the conference sought to review the history and explore the future of faculty associations in Ontario and beyond. Speakers included labour scholars, faculty association leaders, and higher education experts. The agenda kicked off with a special presentation on OCUFA’s history, made […]
There are only 24 hours left until Ontario goes to the polls to choose its next government. In an election that was supposedly all about jobs and the economy, the leaders of the three major parties have said very little about our job creating and economy boosting universities. But you can remind them how important […]
OCUFA is pleased to announce the release of our 2014 budget recommendations. As with past years, our budget submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (SCFEA) seeks to improve the quality of higher education in Ontario through investment in operating grants and hiring of full time faculty. We are sensitive to the […]
We Teach Ontario , OCUFA’s campaign highlighting the important connection between teaching and research, has launched a student video contest. The contest offers former and current Ontario university students the chance to win an iPhone, an iPad mini, or a trip to Toronto to attend the OCUFA “Future U” conference. To enter, students need to make a short video explaining how a […]
OCUFA is pleased to announce our 2014 Conference, “Future U: Creating the Universities We Want”. The event will be held from February 27-28, 2014 in Toronto. The Future U conference will look at current trends and the possibility of alternatives for the future of higher education. Our goal is to allow professors, librarians, administrators, students and […]
OCUFA hosted its annual Queen’s Park lobby day and reception on Wednesday, October 23. Faculty representatives from across the province were in Toronto for the day to meet with their local MPPs at the provincial legislature. Over the course of a busy day, representatives met with 27 MPPs who have a university in or near […]
Like many Ontario pension plans, some Ontario university pension plans currently have a funding shortfall, brought on in part by the financial crisis and almost 5 years of historically low interest rates. Problems with faculty pension plans existed before the financial crisis, but the fallout has worsened the situation. Unions and employers in the Ontario university […]
Faculty unionization has a positive impact on students and universities, according to a new American study . The Impact of Unionization on University Performance: A Cross-Sectional Time Series Analysis, written by Mark Cassell, shows that unionization leads to a more efficient and effective institution, while promoting student success. The paper’s primary findings include: Unionized institutions show lower costs and […]
OCUFA is pleased to announce the winners of its prestigious Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards. Since 1973, these awards have recognized exceptional contributions made by professors and librarians to the quality of higher education in Ontario. “Every day, Ontario’s professors make incredible things happen in our classrooms and labs,” said OCUFA President Kate Lawson. “This […]
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is pleased to announce the appointment of its 30th president – Kate Lawson, an Associate Professor of English in the Department of English at the University of Waterloo. Lawson officially began her two-year term on July 1, 2013. “OCUFA is a powerful advocate for high quality and […]
OCUFA is pleased to announce this year’s winner of the Mandelabum Fellowship: Sara Pavan, a doctoral candidate in political studies at Queen’s University. Sara is an outstanding student, receiving high marks throughout her coursework and a “Distinction” for her comprehensive exams, a rare honour. In addition to her first-class academics, the fellowship jury was particularly […]
Last week, OCUFA made its official submission to the Government of Ontario’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (SCFEA). Titled Preserving the Gains We’ve Made , the submission contains a plan to dramatically increase the quality and affordability of Ontario’s universities by 2020. Key recommendations include: The Government of Ontario immediately begin moving per-student public investment in universities towards the […]
Today, OCUFA released new poll findings on public attitudes towards higher education and austerity in Northern Ontario. Presented at a news conference at Laurentian University, the results indicate that residents of the region do not want the government’s deficit-cutting agenda to compromise the quality of university education in the province. Key findings include: 74 per […]
OCUFA is pleased to announce the nominations for the 2012-13 Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards (TALA) are now open. Since 1973, the awards have recognized professors who have made an outstanding contribution to student success and the quality of higher education in Ontario. Any member of an OCUFA-affiliated faculty association is eligible to be nominated. Typically, […]