Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day (IWD). For more than a century IWD has been observed around the world to raise awareness of issues affecting women. It is a global day to recognize and celebrate advancements while reminding us of the need for continued vigilance and action. The UN has declared, A promise is […]

At a special meeting of the USFA Executive Committee, a motion was passed unanimously to recommend USFA members accept the tentative agreement to extend the 2010-2013 Collective Agreement to June 30, 2014. The University of Saskatchewan is facing a projected deficit. Its cause and magnitude has received considerable attention in meetings across campus and in […]

For the first time in a long time, Council positions are not being acclaimed!  Many faculty members have stepped up as candidates – think about stepping up to vote. At the U of S, the academic culture has always drawn a line between academic decisions (definition of standards for promotion and tenure, for example) and […]

The next USFA member social is at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26 at the University Club. We’ll be in the Windows Room. Please join 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 a relaxed atmosphere.

Despite statements made by senior academic administrators that transparency will be a hallmark of U of S Administration’s approach to address the projected $44.5 million deficit and their invitations to be involved, some USFA members are reporting attempts to stifle discussion through backlash directed at those who pose questions or offer their perspectives on the […]

Academic decisions at the U of S employ an informed decision-making process. It is explicit in our Collective Agreement and implicit in academic culture. In order to be meaningfully engaged in the academy and set the academic agenda we must insist on the right to full information and full participation. The U of S is […]

In November a call for nominations was made for the inaugural USFA Peter T. Millard Award. The Millard Award was created on the 10th anniversary of the death of Peter Millard and to mark the 35th anniversary of the USFA Certification Order. It is presented to a USFA member, nominated by other USFA members, in […]

The University Secretary recently circulated information about annual elections to University Council. There are 16 three-year vacancies and 1 one-year vacancy. Nominations close on February 1. Crucial academic decisions will be made by University Council during the upcoming year as the TransformUS process unfolds. You have two days left to submit your nomination. Information and […]

University Council has the statutory authority for academic programs and will be asked to approve recommendations affecting academic programs that come out of the TransformUS prioritization process. The decisions being made will presumably change the landscape of post-secondary education at the U of S and across Saskatchewan. Oversight for Council comes from the General Academic […]

Some members of the USFA Executive Committee recently attended a conference sponsored by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations entitled “Academia in the Age of Austerity”.  The conference provided an overview of the consequences of various exercises in austerity that have been implemented in the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Canada. […]