FA Leadership Transition and Thank You
Dear Members,
I am writing to remind you that I will be ending my term as FA President tomorrow, July 31st. I have served in this role (with a couple of brief breaks) since July 2019. I have been honoured to serve, and have very much appreciated being able to work with impressive FA members and staff, as well as with other unions and student groups, in making some positive changes on this campus. The support of our members has been key for me in making what can sometimes be challenging work into a positive experience, and I thank you all.
As we all know, there is still a great deal of work to be done. I hope that many of you will continue to recognize that working through the FA is an important way to challenge some of the more troubling directions that our leadership (and to be fair) much of the university sector is heading towards. When I joined UVic in the early 90s it was far from perfect. There have been improvements on some fronts, particularly for white women in some parts of campus. Deep challenges remain for many members, despite the University’s stated commitments to equity, inclusion, anti-racism and decolonization. And on other fronts things have gotten worse since the 1990s. Many of us entered academic jobs because of the freedom and joy in pursuing our academic and creative interests, in research and teaching. That hasn’t disappeared, but in an increasingly corporate university there are more and more efforts to control how we behave and how we do our jobs.
I recognize that we all have unique challenges in the workplace, and we also have a responsibility to strive for decency and respect in how we treat one another. At the same time, the significantly increasing numbers of oral discussion and letter of expectation meetings our members are being required to attend, to “correct their behaviour,” and the continuing increase in the number of investigations members are being told they will be facing (generally with at best minimal information about the reasons for such investigations), as well as the increase in various forms of discipline being imposed, points to an administration that is committed to spending more and more time and resources on surveilling and controlling our members, rather than supporting and strengthening the core academic mission of the University.
Trust in universities is currently at a low ebb among the public, while governments continue to underfund the postsecondary sector, and create new barriers and challenges for us. At this time we need inspired university leadership, that seeks to listen to, respect and work in collaboration with faculty, staff and student associations in seeking to resolve our shared challenges. Sadly, we continue to see more interest in control from the top, rather than collaboration.
This is why we need a union, and a strong one. I recognize that those of you in earlier stages of your careers need to focus on getting established. But I hope that once you have tenure, that more of you will be able to get involved at some level with the Association. The more of us who are actively involved with the FA, the harder it is for the senior administration to ignore us. FA service is very community-based and rewarding work. It gives you the opportunity to work towards shared goals with great colleagues from across campus. And in my many years of trying to make change on this campus, I would argue that it is the most effective way of having a positive impact.
At the same time, if FA work is not for you, there are many other ways to help move things in the right direction on campus. If our right to collegial governance is to be preserved, and to help create meaningful change, we need strong and strategic voices on Senate. I encourage you to consider running for this important decision making body. We need brave and smart people who care about the leadership of our university, at all levels, to put their names forward to serve on senior appointment committees. If we are to preserve our crucial and unique right to the ratification of our academic leaders we need to engage thoughtfully when we are given the opportunity to consider ratification votes, educate ourselves regarding the candidates, and take part in the crucial ratification process. Exercising our collegial governance rights are important at all levels, from debates and votes in department meetings, to Faculty Councils and major University bodies. And we need to recognize and respect the work of our staff and sessional colleagues, and of our students, and work in alliance and solidarity with them to improve conditions for all.
Our membership is made up of incredibly smart and committed people, who are making a huge difference in the classroom, and in their research, creative and scholarly activity every day. UVic has a strong and proud tradition of collegial governance. By our commitment to engaging actively with our colleagues and our leaders, whether through the FA, in Senate or in the range of other collegial governance spaces open to us, I know we can move UVic forward in positive ways that will benefit faculty, staff, students and the broader community.
I’m not disappearing from Association work quite yet. I’m currently helping out with membership services work as we are short-staffed. Since I hold the position of Lead Negotiator until December, over the fall as we implement the new Collective Agreement I will be providing CA information through various forums, as well as written CA guidelines on a range of issues. I will also be visiting all departments to talk about how you can revise your Unit Standards to make the workload language we worked hard to achieve something that will benefit members. I look forward to meeting with you at your department meetings.
I very much welcome Adam Con, who will be taking over as FA President on August 1st. Adam did a great job as Acting President from July 2025 to January 2026 and brings an impressive range of skills, experience and passion to the position. He will be an excellent President, and I trust you will give him your full support. Again, if you have any time to commit to the Association, it will be rewarding for you, and a contribution to improving our shared workplace.
I hope you have some time before classes start for rest and rejuvenation.
My deepest appreciation to you all and wishing you all the very best,
Lynne
