August 31, 2022
Federation News
Temitope Oriola appointed Associate Dean, University of Alberta
We are pleased to share the recent appointment of Federation Board member Temitope Oriola as Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies – Faculty of Arts, at the University of Alberta. Dr. Oriola is Professor of criminology and sociology at the University of Alberta and president-elect of the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA). Read more.
Call for nominations for the 2023 Governor General’s Innovation Awards
The Federation is invited to nominate outstanding candidates from our community for the Governor General’s Innovation Awards (GGIA). In line with our commitment to EDID, we encourage associations and institutions to recommend candidates from underrepresented groups, including women, visible minorities/racialized groups, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and individuals from the LGBTQ2S+ community. To recommend an individual candidate or team, please complete this form by September 30, 2022.
Coming up in November: webinar on French-language research in minority context
The Federation and Acfas are excited to announce a collaborative webinar later this fall, showcasing the findings and policy recommendations of the recent Acfas report, Portrait et défis de la recherche en français en contexte minoritaire au Canada (in French only). Bilingualism is central to the Federation’s mandate, and this webinar will take action on a key recommendation from the “Igniting Change” report to enhance support for linguistic diversity in the humanities and social sciences. Stay tuned for more details!
Congress News
Virtual Congress 2022 a great success
The event welcomed over 5,200 attendees tuning in from 81 countries. Together, members from the 37 participating associations and the social sciences and humanities community congregated to share findings, refine ideas, and build partnerships to tackle the most critical issues of our time and help shape the Canada of tomorrow. Check out the event highlights!
(Re)discover Big Thinking at Congress 2022
All four Big Thinking lectures from Congress 2022 are now available for viewing on the Federation’s website:
- Petrocultures: Reflections on 10 years of research and advocacy for a world in crisis – with Petrocultures Research Group's co-founders Imre Szeman and Sheena Wilson
- Shift in thinking: It all begins with decolonization - with Denise Ferreira da Silva, Professor and former Director of the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at UBC
- Beyond “crimes of insolidarity”: Considerations for a transition based on economic and social rights - with Christine Vézina, associate professor at Université Laval’s Faculty of Law
- NEȾOLṈEW̱ “one mind, one people”: Radical reclamation of Indigenous languages – with Onowa McIvor and Kahtehrón:ni Iris Stacey
Congress 2023 preparations to kick off at upcoming Planning Meeting
The Federation and York University Congress team is already working full speed on bringing you another unforgettable Congress experience in 2023! Conference organizers from 60+ participating associations will meet on the York University campus on September 21 to officially kick off the planning process. Stay tuned as Congress 2023 takes shape.
HSS Community News
Acfas brief on 2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages Consultations – In a brief submitted as part of the 2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages Consultations, Acfas proposed a legislative amendment to the draft Official Languages Act, and four action items for the next Action Plan for Official Languages. Read more (in French only).
Professor flexibility, recorded lectures: Some positive university legacies of the pandemic – The COVID-19 closure of university and college campuses and move to online learning in March 2020 was a massive global educational experiment, during which many students were severely disadvantaged while others coped or thrived. Educators are divided on its impacts. Read more.
New Indigenous leadership circle is set to advise presidents of the Tri-Councils – In May, Ottawa announced the 18 members of the circle – made up of elders, youth, knowledge keepers and academics at various career stages from across the country. They were selected based on the recommendations of an external committee of First Nations, Inuit and Métis scholars and community members. Read more.
Students returning to campus want the ‘university experience’ missed during COVID-19 - Universities are implementing COVID-19 safety plans to maintain safe and healthy environments for the imminent return of students to in-person learning on campuses. While these plans include extensive efforts to help students safely return to pre-pandemic learning, focused attention should also be given to “university experience” activities. Read more.
$7.1 million in funding announced for post-secondary education in French in Saskatchewan - The funding will go towards the construction, renovation and development of post-secondary educational spaces, along with increasing the availability of programs that serve official-language minority communities in the province. Read more.
We need a better understanding of race, ‘status’ and indigeneity in Canada - Queen’s University recently released its highly anticipated report after a year-long exploration into the institution’s approaches to indigeneity. The report came about after hundreds of Indigenous academics and community members made a call following the news that several white settler faculty claiming indigeneity were, in fact, “pretendians.” Read more.
Why every university needs an accessible standard website template - For the millions of college students who use assistive technology to interact with digital content, academic success depends on web accessibility. Accessible design, however, is complex. The solution can be found in the implementation of a standard accessible website template. Read more.