Every month we send our supporters a newsletter with the latest CAUT and post-secondary education sector news. This newsletter was published on September 28, 2021. Subscribe to get the newsletter straight to your inbox.
In this issue
- CAUT working to hold government to account for PSE: post-election 2021
- “Victory for academic freedom”: U of T reverses course on Dr. Azarova
- Tuition fees on the rise: new Statistics Canada data
- CAUT marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Register now for Indigenizing the Academy event
- Looking to squeeze in some podcast listening this fall?
- Upcoming Events
CAUT working to hold government to account for PSE: post-election 2021
CAUT will be working with all political parties in the 44th Parliament to push post-secondary education higher on the new government’s agenda. There were few promises related to post-secondary education and fewer on science and research made during election 2021, which saw a Liberal minority government returned to power. Answering calls from CAUT and other allies, the Liberals promised to protect public post-secondary educational institutions from being subject to corporate restructuring and to permanently increase funding for post-secondary institutions in official language minority communities to $80 million per year.
To see what the parties promised, check out CAUT’s party platform analysis and party questionnaires. Read an op-ed by CAUT President Brenda Austin-Smith published last week in the Hill Times, on a post-secondary agenda for the new government.
“Victory for academic freedom”: U of T reverses course on Dr. Azarova
On September 17, CAUT hit the pause button on the censure against University of Toronto, calling for its members and supporters within the University of Toronto, across the country and the world to suspend actions related to the censure against the U of T. This decision is in response to the U of T’s decision to reverse course and re-offer Dr. Valentina Azarova the position of Director of the International Human Rights Program in the Faculty of Law. CAUT’s Executive Committee considers U of T decision to be a “victory for academic freedom”.
Tuition fees on the rise: new Statistics Canada data
Undergraduate and graduate students across Canada—in particular, international students—are paying higher tuition fees this academic year. Nationally, Canadian students enrolled full-time in undergraduate programs will pay, on average, $6,693 in tuition for the upcoming 2021-2022 academic year, up 1.7% from the previous year. The average cost for graduate programs rose 1.5% to $7,472. As provincial contributions to education have declined in recent years, post-secondary institutions are relying increasingly on international students to boost their revenue. International students are paying almost 5% more in 2021-2022. Overall, tuition now accounts for more than one-third (31.6%) of the operating revenue stream for post-secondary education institutions—up from one-quarter (25.5%) six years ago.
CAUT marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
On Thursday September 30, the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, CAUT calls on members to honour the Indigenous people who survived the residential school system, mourns those who were lost, and affirms its commitment to the restoration and renewal of Indigenous practices, languages, knowledge, and communities. Many post-secondary institutions across the country are observing this day by canceling classes and suspending non-essential campus services. CAUT encourages academic staff associations and their members to consider how the work they do can lead to a deeper understanding of how Canada became the country it is today.
Register now for Indigenizing the Academy event
Registration is now open for the CAUT virtual forum “Building Solidarity and Alliances: Indigenizing the Academy” on Friday, 15 October 2021. This webinar is an opportunity for all members of the academic community—Indigenous and non-Indigenous—to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and explore concrete approaches to advancing and strengthening Indigenization. Panel presentations focus on collective bargaining wins, Indigenous self-identification, and recruitment and retention of Indigenous faculty and staff. Details to register and complete agenda can be found on the CAUT website.
Looking to squeeze in some podcast listening this fall?
Here are two suggestions, to get you going.
In episode 4 (The Conquest of Bread) of the Darts and Letters podcast, host Gordon Katic takes on the “long and sordid” history of McKinsey and Company, the management consultants hired by the Alberta government in 2020 to conduct a $3.7 million review of the province’s post-secondary education system. His guests include Joel Westheimer, University Research Chair in Democracy and Education at the University of Ottawa, and Matthew Stewart, author of the tell-all book The Management Myth: Debunking the Modern Philosophy of Business. The Darts and Letters podcast is a recommendation from Marc Spooner, a professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Regina.
Episode 698 (Journalism Schools Are Revolting) of Canadaland podcast – a well-known Canadian brand with weekly episodes and diverse guest co-hosts – deconstructs the controversial revolt against institutionalized racism and discrimination at Ryerson University.
Happy listening!
Upcoming events
