In early May, the government of British Columbia released a major review of post-secondary education. The report marks an important admission that the province’s last six years of policy and funding choices have not worked.

Teaching evaluations have become a permanent fixture in the academic environment. These instruments, through which students express their true feelings about classes and professors, can make or break an instructor.

In February CAUT moved into a new office building, situated within a stone’s throw of our former building, which had housed our operations since 1994. This is a good occasion to look back at the progress we’ve made in little more than a decade.

Protecting the integrity of academic work is the theme for the second Harry Crowe Foundation conference being held later this year in Ottawa.

A clear majority of Canadians want new federal funding for post-secondary education targeted to lowering tuition fees, shows a poll done for CAUT and the Canadian Federation of Students.

Lakehead University has signed an outsourcing contract with Google to run e-mail services for faculty, staff and students at the university. Initially offered at little or no cost to the university, the new arrangement has raised serious concern about loss of privacy and threats to academic freedom.

A professor of history at the University of Ottawa and president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada received CAUT’s 2007 Distinguished Academic Award.

Pianist Yaroslav Senyshyn and flautist Susan O’Neill-Senyshyn received standing ovations for their performances at CAUT’s benefit concert in late April to raise money for Discovery University and its program of university courses for low-income and homeless people in Ottawa.

In 2001 many students, alumni, faculty and staff rallied against a decision by Trent University administrators to close the university’s two colleges in downtown Peterborough. At the time Trent president claimed the downtown properties were in poor repair and a financial drain on the university.

The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada voted to place the First Nations University of Canada on probationary membership pending a resolution of governance issues, in particular the independence of the FNUC board of directors from the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations — the authority that founded the institution in the 1970s.

CAUT Council delegates voted last month to accept the membership application of St. Mary’s University College Faculty Association, representing full and part-time academic staff employed at the Catholic, liberal arts and sciences teaching and research institution located in Calgary.

Last month’s budget contained an extension of a freeze on tuition fees at Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic coupled with the reinstatement of provincial grants to students in need of financial assistance.

Alberta Premier’s first provincial budget, unveiled in April, provides massive cash infusions for public infrastructure spending, but offers only minor support to improve the affordability of post-secondary education and no new money for university research.

The University of British Columbia Faculty Association suffered a setback last month at the B.C. Court of Appeal, following a string of legal victories in a long-running promotion battle.