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University Council 2:30 Feb 27 Arts 241

The next meeting of University Council is tomorrow, Thursday, February 27, at 2:30pm in Room 241 Arts (Neatby-Timlin Theatre). At this meeting, the following motion will be considered: “The University Council expresses non-confidence in the TransformUS process as a means of making academic decisions, and Council will therefore continue to rely on existing collegial structures […]

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University Council and You

University Council is currently composed of 105 voting members – 64 faculty representatives from academic units on campus, 20 administrators, 10 representatives from affiliated and federated institutions and 11 student representatives. It is the most important decision-making body on campus. It is responsible for overseeing and directing the university’s academic affairs. It has the power […]

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Member Social 4:00 p.m. February 26 University Club

Hello everyone. The next USFA member social is on Wednesday,  February 26, 2014 from 4:00 – 6:30 pm at the University Club in the Windows Room. Please join me, other Executive Committee members and USFA staff for some refreshments. There’s a lot happening on campus and this is an opportunity to connect with colleagues in […]

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A Message from the Chair

Hello everyone. I have just finished writing our next issue of Collectively Speaking. It is a message from me to USFA members about TransformUS and the deficit senior administrators keep talking about. You will be receiving a hard copy in the next few days. It’s also available on the USFA website at the following link. […]

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VOX and the USFA

VOX is an arm’s length publication sponsored by the USFA. VOX has an independent editorial board and the USFA Executive does not evaluate nor endorse the articles appearing in VOX. VOX allows members of the University community to express their views regarding issues and topics related to the University and our profession. The opinions and […]

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Collegial Governance and TransformUS

The USFA has recently been asked to endorse an open letter expressing dissatisfaction with the TransformUS process and to pass a motion of non-support for the TransformUS process because of its perceived inadequacies.  The position of the Executive is that these issues should be addressed and resolved through collegial governance via University Council and the […]

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TransformUS and the Financial Crisis

“The goal for TransformUS is to obtain $20-25 million in permanent annual savings, or approximately five per cent of the university’s total operating budget. In addition, $5 million will be reallocated to top priority programs and services that would benefit from increased resources.” (Provost and Vice-President Academic Fairburn, report to University Council, January 2014) The […]

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Reminder: Millard Award & Dooley Legacy Award

There is less than one month until nominations close for the USFA Peter T. Millard Award and the USFA Peter C. Dooley Legacy Award. Nominations must be in by February 7. The Millard Award is a way for you to acknowledge fellow USFA members for contributions to the USFA and its membership. Who do you […]

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Don’t play the name and shame game

The timing and speed of the TransformUS process may not have allowed for thorough involvement of everyone in an academic unit in completing the TransformUS templates and, in some units, it meant the responsibility fell to one person. The unfortunate side-effect of this means that programs may not have been portrayed appropriately or completely. Now […]

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The Black Hole of Pension Solvency

In 2010-11, a University wide austerity exercise saw reductions in unit budgets in order to free up $10,000,000 of base budget money to cover off pension solvency costs and reduced investment income. The University had a financial crisis and it needed to be addressed immediately!! Looking over the financial statements since 2010-11, investment income has […]

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