This Committee provides advice on all matters related to promoting membership engagement with and participation in UTFA.
Alongside its annual business, the Membership Committee has been busy on three main concerns this year: Fair Pay for Newly Hired Colleagues, the New Member Luncheon, and Mobilization and Organization.
This Committee provides advice on all matters related to promoting membership engagement with and participation in UTFA.
In 2024-25, the Membership Committee focused on efforts to increase engagement and outreach to the members. The Committee is spearheading four initiatives on this front.
This Committee provides advice on all matters related to promoting membership engagement with and participation in UTFA.
by Deb Cowen
Greetings colleagues!
This Committee provides advice on all matters related to promoting membership engagement with and participation in UTFA.
by Paul Hamel
Commitment to Communication to Members
It has been a pleasure to return on an interim basis as Chair of the Membership Committee this year, building on the expertise and contributions of the Committee’s prior chair, Keith Adamson. In a word, my work has been about communication. I have undertaken several projects, all of which I hope are promoted by the next chair. First, I am aiming to ensure that Council members speak up more equally so that the diverse concerns and interests of our membership are all brought to the fore.
Over the last year, the Membership Committee had to find ways to connect meaningfully with UTFA members other than face-to-face contact. The Committee is responsible for promoting members’ engagement with, and participation in, UTFA. The informed engagement of faculty and librarians has been integral to UTFA’s success in our negotiations with U of T Administration.
The Membership Committee planned for an exciting and engaging year, with continued focus on supporting strategic outreach with respect to the salary discrimination initiative, creating a plan to fill vacant constituency seats on UTFA’s Council, and engaging our broader membership through a meet-and-greet update initiative.
This has been a year of renewal and outreach for the Membership portfolio. The Membership Committee initiated an UTFA speakers series, focusing on the topic of intellectual freedom and academic rights, and is engaging with the membership on the vital topic of pension reform.
As Chair of the Membership Committee, I strive to support the work of UTFA Council and Executive in new ways, to increase dialogue with members, and to circulate ideas that matter to all of us within the membership and beyond. Some of our activities relate broadly to UTFA’s mission and the broader landscape of collegial governance, and others concern decisions we need to make at UTFA and at U of T. The broad goal of our outreach is to ensure colleagues come together during the academic year to think across divisions, departments, and fields about the common good.
The Membership Committee is one of the newest committees at UTFA, under a decade old, but its mission is central to the organization – coordinating communication with and outreach to members. Our goal is to be accessible, understand the multiple goals and concerns faculty and librarians have, and raise the level of dialogue and awareness among our members, enhancing university citizenship.