News Archive
TransformUS cannot be a top-down plan
January 24, 2013 | All News
University Council is being asked to approve in principle the undertaking of a process for program prioritization at its January 24th meeting, but what exactly is Council being asked to approve? We know that the prioritization process will be an exercise about choosing what programs and services get funded based on “contributions to our overall …
Letter to the editor
January 21, 2013 | All News
The comments contained in the January 16 StarPhoenix editorial regarding the troubled state of the U of S (U of S strategy sows confusion) are timely and appropriate. Universities across the country are characterized by bloated, inefficient administrations that suck resources away from the academic agenda, and the U of S is no exception. When …
Special General Meeting of the Faculty Association
January 14, 2013 | All News
Pursuant to Section 10 (a) of the Constitution of the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association, a Special General Meeting of the Faculty Association will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 in Arts 241 (Neatby-Timlin Theatre). This general meeting will focus on bargaining. Come out to hear from our Chief Negotiator and …
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February 28 – Salary Review – Article 17.5.6(vii)
January 3, 2013 | All News
By February 28, any employee wishing to appeal decisions of Salary Committees or College Review Committees shall have submitted the appeal to the secretary of the President’s Review Committee.
February 28 – Tenure – Article 15.12.10(vii)
January 3, 2013 | All News
By February 28, the President shall advise all candidates for tenure, except those pending before Renewals and Tenure Appeal Committees, of the decision of the Board.
February 28 – Renewal of Probation – Article 14.5.9(vii)
January 1, 2013 | All News
By February 28, the President shall have advised all candidates for renewal, except those pending before Renewal and Tenure Appeal Committees, of the decision of the Board.
Happy Holidays from USFA
December 18, 2012 | All News
The Executive and Staff of the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association wish you a happy holiday and prosperous New Year. Our office will be closed on Monday, December 24th reopening on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013. In the event of an urgent matter, please feel free to contact either of the following by email: Sarah Hoffman …
Cutbacks and Faculty
December 12, 2012 | All News
The USFA Executive has heard concerns expressed by members about the possibility of faculty lay-offs as our senior administrators address their current budget issues. There are no faculty lay-offs projected at this time for the New Year. Any cuts in programming must follow the provisions in Article 29.5.2 of the Collective Agreement with respect to …
USFA Peter T. Millard Award: Call for Nominations
December 4, 2012 | All News
Nominations are now open for the inaugural USFA Peter T. Millard Award. This Award was created on the 10th anniversary of the death of Peter Millard, who passed away on December 8, 2001, and to mark the 35th anniversary of the USFA Certification Order (January 26, 2012). It is meant to provide a means for …
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Be Sure to Participate in Bargaining Surveys!
December 4, 2012 | Uncategorized
Part of our bargaining preparation includes conducting membership surveys on various issues relevant to bargaining. Survey participants are randomly selected from current USFA members. Full participation in these surveys is vitally important. If you receive an email invitation to participate, please take the two to three minutes necessary to complete the survey.
In the trenches
November 26, 2012 | All News
USFA recently circulated a letter written by your Chair, Doug Chivers, to senior administration regarding problems junior faculty have establishing research programs. Doug is the Rawson Professor of Biology and, as a very successful scholar, is empathetic with these issues. The letter struck a positive chord with faculty. One commentator observed that establishing a research …
Integrated or disintegrated planning
November 20, 2012 | All News
The third integrated plan describes strategies that will be used to advance academic priorities over the next four years. These strategies are supposed to guide our planning and programing and include fostering creativity and innovation, learner-centred programming, promoting diversity and experiential learning. With the recent decision to cut the Kenderdine Campus, an experiential learning environment …
Due Diligence and Fairness
November 19, 2012 | All News
The Fall is the time of year when you deliberate on your colleagues’ renewal of probation, tenure and promotion. The Collective Agreement gives us the right – and the duty – to make these decisions and we have to exercise them with the greatest of all due diligence. If you are a committee member, the …
Reflections on my discussions with new faculty
November 16, 2012 | All News
This issue of Collectively Speaking is a memo composed by Doug Chivers, USFA Chair and Rawson Professor of Biology, to a number of senior U of S administrators including the President, the Provost and Vice-President Academic, the Vice-President Research, the Vice-Provost, Faculty Relations, the Acting Vice-President Finance and Resources and the Associate Vice-President Human Resources. …
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Lockheed Martin and the take-over of the Academy by the corporations: How far should we go?
November 15, 2012 | All News
By: Luis A. Buatois & M. Gabriela Mángano, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan A total $147 million budget cut for the three councils is under way. In particular, the situation of NSERC has been addressed in a recent news article published by the journal Nature (http://www.nature.com/news/canadian-budget-hits-basic-science-1.10366), where it reads “Canada’s latest budget will …
February 15 – Promotion – Article 16.6(viii)
November 15, 2012 | All News
By February 15, the University Review Committee shall have considered all cases for promotion and submitted its positive recommendations to the President for transmission to the Board.
Member Social 4:00 p.m. November 13 University Club
November 7, 2012 | All News
Hello everyone. Our next member social, on November 13, is fast approaching. Plan to attend and join us from 4:00 to 6:00 in the Windows Room at the University Club. It’s a wonderful opportunity to clink a glass, bend an ear, share a story, and get to know colleagues from across campus. It’s also an …
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Research Output without Faculty Input?
November 1, 2012 | All News
The title of this is e-Letter is a question that is being echoed from different parts of campus and is being focused on the new Health Sciences Building. As we meet with members as part of our bargaining preparations, we are hearing concerns about impacts on research and teaching programs in relation to relocating to …
January 31 – Salary Review – Article 17.5.6(v) and (vi)
November 1, 2012 | All News
Departmentalized colleges – By January 31, College Review Committees shall have considered all salary reviews, made awards where appropriate, submitted recommendations to the President’s Review Committee informed individual employees of decisions and recommendations, and submitted decisions to the President for the information of the Board. Non-Departmentalized colleges – By January 31, Deans shall have met …
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January 31 – Tenure – Article 15.12.10(vi)
November 1, 2012 | All News
By January 31, the University Review Committee shall have considered all cases for tenure and transmitted its recommendations in writing to the President for transmission to the Board.