A recent lawsuit filed by Apotex Inc. against Dr. Nancy Olivieri is a blatant attack on academic freedom, says CAUT.

Universities are inefficient, like symphony orchestras. Consider the anecdote of the expert who writes in his report that orchestra management should cut the number of cellos to one, amplify the lone cello electronically and outsource the complicated stuff.

Each year more than two million workers die from work-related accidents and diseases, with cancer as the leading cause of premature death. And academic staff are not immune to occupational fatalities, injuries and diseases.

Two award winners, who contributed significantly to the advancement of women in Canada’s post-secondary community, were honoured at CAUT’s November Council meeting as the recipients of the Sarah Shorten Awards.

CAUT has appointed an indepen­dent committee of inquiry to investigate a series of disputes between the University of Ottawa and a physicist that initially resulted in grievances, human rights complaints and legal actions and subsequently led to his being relieved of teaching duties, and much more.

Academic staff at Ryerson University ratified a three-year agreement that gives a raise as well as additional adjustments, making the value of the salary increase closer to 4.3 per cent.

When the University of Manitoba chose not to reappoint the head of family medicine at the university, CAUT established an ad hoc investigatory committee to determine whether the university violated its policy on academic appointments.

A United States federal court has ruled that it has the power to review whether the Bush administration has a valid reason for denying a visa to a respected South Afri­can scholar.

Over half of Canadians believe that tuition fees should be low­ered, and almost 60 per cent believe tuition fees should be eliminated over time, according to a Harris De­cima poll commissioned by CAUT and the Canadian Federation of Students.

Victor Sim passed away in Ottawa, after a brief illness. He joined CAUT in 1973, where he served as associate executive secretary until his retirement in 1988. Throughout this period he also served as secretary of CAUT’s Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, in addition to a one-year stint as acting executive secre­tary.

After three decades of working with undergraduates, the author remains convin­ced that teaching is best learnt on the job. The more teaching he does, the more it becomes evident that, in the university, good teaching is not a separate and distinct activity from the rest of academic work.

Basic research has a far greater social and economic impact than commercially-driven research, according to a recent study released by the Russell Group — the informal collective of the top 20 research universities in the UK.

The view that universities are increasingly influenced by corporate dominated culture, politics and economics is hardly an original observation. The most notable books on the subject tend to advance a polarized perspective, perhaps justifiably so, on the issue.

La récente poursuite entamée par la société pharmaceutique Apotex contre la Dre Nancy Olivieri est une atteinte flagrante à la liberté académi­que, dénonce l’ACPPU.

Les accidents du travail et les ma­­ladies professionnelles font plus de deux millions de victimes chaque année, et le cancer est la première cause des décès prématurés.

Plus de la moitié des Canadiens estiment que les droits de scolarité devraient être abaissés, et près de 60 % croient que ces frais devraient être éliminés complètement avec le temps, selon un sondage Harris De­cima mené pour le compte de l’ACPPU et de la Fédération cana­dienne des étudiantes et étudiants.

Selon les conclusions d’une récente étude menée par le Russell Group (un réseau rassemblant les 20 principales universités de re­cherche au Royaume-Uni), la re­cherche fondamentale a un impact social et économique beaucoup plus important que la recherche à vocation commerciale.

Victor Sim est décédé à Ottawa, le 7 décembre dernier, après une brève maladie. Vic a rejoint l’ACPPU en 1973 où il a occupé le poste de secrétaire général associé jusqu’à son départ à la retraite en 1988.

À son assemblée de novembre dernier, le Conseil de l’ACPPU a rendu hommage aux deux lauréates du prix Sarah-Shorten 2008. Cette distinction est accordée à des femmes qui ont fait preuve de leadership dans le secteur de l’enseignement postsecondaire au Canada.