President’s Column

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the inaugural edition of News and Views and my first message to you as the 28th President of the University of Calgary Faculty Association (TUCFA). I  am honoured to be leading TUCFA, your union, over the next three years and look forward to representing, supporting, and advocating for the interests of all members.

This time of year – a transition from summer to winter – reveals itself in autumn colours and the “fall” of leaves, and a reminder that a new season is on the way. TUCFA is also undergoing considerable change to bring about a new season in our union – one that is member-driven and engaged. A new logo and colour scheme are now in place, both of which were selected by the Board of Directors to reflect a revitalized union after many decades of status quo.

TUCFA’s first strategic plan is in development, led by our Vice President, Leighton Wilks, and Oleksiy Osiyevskyy (both of whom are members of Haskayne School of Business), and is expected to be finalized over the coming months, with an anticipated launch at our Annual General Meeting of members in the new year. The strategic plan will serve as a roadmap to achieving our long-term goals and the revitalization of our union.

TUCFA has a new Executive Team and several additions to our Board of Directors as of July 1st. This was reported to you in the June edition of Academic Views. Since then, the Board voted to appoint Trevor Tombe (Faculty of Arts) as Treasurer (as of September 1st) and Leighton Wilks (Haskayne School of Business) as Vice President. (Note that these two positions were formerly one position). This completes the makeup of the Executive team for the next two years.

Pursuant to the Post-secondary Learning Act, the Minister of Advanced Education has approved our nominee to the Board of Governors, Bart Beaty (Faculty of Arts). He will serve a three-year term. Five members have agreed to represent TUCFA as Directors of the CAUT Defence Fund: Myles Leslie (Cumming School of Medicine), Chris Sears (Faculty of Arts), Dora Tam (Faculty of Social Work), Melanee Thomas (Faculty of Arts), and Justine Wheeler (Libraries and Cultural Resources).

TUCFA is preparing a new communications strategy, under the direction of Chris Sears, Executive Officer-at-Large (Communications). This will transform TUCFA’s website and social media platforms in the coming months. As the sixth-largest Association in the country, our online presence will ultimately reflect that stature. You’ll notice that Chris Sears and Marie-Andrée Bergeron (Faculty of Arts) are the co-editors of News & Views, and they work closely with Daniel Tseghay, Communications and Member Engagement Officer.

As part of our new plan to engage members from different groups within our union, Justine Wheeler, Executive Officer-at-Large, is leading another new portfolio: Administrative and Professional Academics / Sessional Instructors. With the help of Rosalind Carson, sessional instructor representative on TUCFA’s Board of Directors, several information meetings for sessional instructors are being scheduled, the first one took place virtually on October 9 and was well attended. Plans to engage with other administrative and professional members of TUCFA are also underway. We are also in the early stages of assembling a new team to assist in organizing and promoting member engagement across the university, including plans for social events for all TUCFA members.

These developments are just the beginning of a series of meaningful and significant changes that began under the leadership of J. Kent Donlevy, our Past President. In honour of his contributions and service to our union, the Board of Directors held a special luncheon celebration last month and awarded him a plaque to commemorate his achievements (see page 3). In my role as TUCFA’s President, I commit to building a union driven by member engagement, with a focus on better working conditions for all academic staff. I look forward to sharing more updates in future editions of News & Views.

Sending my very best wishes to all,

Francine G. Smith, Ph.D.
President, TUCFA