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USFA Events

March 21, 2012 – Member Social 4:00 p.m. Faculty Club

Hello, This is to let you know that our next member social is in the Windows Room on the main floor of the Faculty Club on Wednesday, March 21st at 4:00 pm. Jim Cheesman, Senior Professional Officer and Chief Negotiator for the USFA, will offer a few comments about the rights and responsibilities of members […]

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Executive Committee Elections

The USFA Constitution mandates an annual election of one-half of the members of the Executive Committee. By now you should have received the 2012 election package. Any regular member of the Association is eligible to run for a position and the term of office is two years. While, it has long been recognized that serving […]

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What is a program of research?

The University Standards for Tenure and Promotion state that for tenure as an Assistant or Associate Professor or promotion to the rank of Associate Professor a candidate must demonstrate a “defined program of research or scholarship”.  But what does this mean?  Will a faculty member with a very narrow focus of research on a highly […]

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“Administrative” Innovation Initiatives

A few years ago, senior administration clawed back unit budgets to the tune of $10 million, claiming it was necessary to deal with the global financial crisis and, amongst other things, to shore up the pension plans. These budget reductions were difficult for units and resulted in cuts to academic programming. A change in legislation […]

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Heads up!

There is no question that your Head of department is a vital cog in the academic wheel. At U of S and just about every other institution in Canada, the head is ‘in scope,’ that is, a member of the faculty association and therefore protected by the collective agreement.  The role of the Head should […]

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USFA Events - Important Dates

March 16 and 17, 2012 – We are Breaking the Silence

On Issues of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity 15th annual conference sponsored by the College of Education, University of Saskatchewan Telling our stories – Making lives better Friday, March 16, 7:00 p.m. Special Guest: Ivan Coyote “As Good As We Can Make It: On bullying, collective responsibility, and actually making it better” Saturday, March 17, […]

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Reduced Appointment Plan (Article 13.2.3)

One long-standing feature of the Collective Agreement has been the Reduced Appointment Plan (RAP), which allows faculty members over 55 with at least 10 years of service to gradually downsize their careers by reducing to part-time without a corresponding reduction in benefits. The Collective Agreement states “[e]mployees who wish to participate in the Reduced Appointment […]

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From the Editors. . .

It is heartening to see the January 2012 issue of VOX emerge. We have articles about our past (Millard reprint), the realizations of a newcomer (Springer), thoughts on research agenda (Pratt) and a rumoured institute (Muri). VOX is your voice. What are your thoughts on issues such as: TABBS (Transparent, Activity-Based Budget System): www.usask.ca/tabbs/about? Policy […]

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Confucius Institute at the University of Saskatchewan?

By: Allison Muri, Associate Professor, Department of English, University of Saskatchewan Rumour has it that an agreement has already been signed to establish a Confucius Institute at the University of Saskatchewan, affiliated with the College of Arts & Science. There are over 300 such institutes, which are established to promote Chinese language and culture, in […]

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