When a professor at Acadia University found out administrators had adjusted a grade he’d handed out — to “accommodate” the needs of an international student — without consulting him, he felt angry and distraught.

The work done by CAUT members and staff is admired, and the protections it affords are envied around the world. Our participation at international fora such as Education International has earned us global respect, and we have built important bilateral partnerships.

For CAUT’s newly-elected president, the situation is clear: academic freedom is the key element in the fight to take back collegial governance.

Each year, CAUT honours two journalists — one student and one professional — for outstanding reporting on issues related to post-secondary education.

The word upstander might not appear in the Oxford dictionary yet, but if and when it does, Françoise Baylis, a Dalhousie University professor and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Bioethics and Philosophy, might be cited as an example to illustrate the concept of someone who has the courage to move from silence to action.

A decade ago educators built a powerful coalition that fought for and won progressive copyright reforms. These reforms are now under threat, from international trade negotiations and from an upcoming review of the Copyright Act. It’s time to reassemble the team, and protect our victory.

Jacques St-Pierre, 12th president of CAUT, and Université de Montréal professor emeritus, died March 29, 2016 at age 95.