Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC

Who We Are

The Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA BC) supports high-quality post-secondary education and research in BC. We represent over 5,500 professors, lecturers, instructors, librarians, and other academic staff at the five research-intensive universities in British Columbia. These are: the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Northern British Columbia, Royal Roads University, and the University of Victoria. The Confederation has been in existence for fifty years and works closely with member faculty associations at each institution. All of our member faculty associations are unionized under the Labour Code of British Columbia.

The Role of CUFA BC

CUFA BC’s broad objectives are:
• To promote faculty members’ interests to the provincial government.
• To provide services to member faculty associations as requested.
• To promote the value of post-secondary education, academic freedom, and research to the wider public.

CUFA BC represents the interests of members as they pertain to academic labour, collective bargaining, employment rights, and institutional governance. More generally, we promote the value of post-secondary education, academic freedom, and research to the wider public. CUFA BC develops timely research and policy analysis in the areas of core funding, collective bargaining, collegial and shared governance, and emerging issues facing post-secondary, including the growing trend of precarious employment in the academy.

CUFA BC is committed to promoting an authentic model of collegial governance and ensuring our members’ voices are heard in university senates and the boards of governors. CUFA BC also works closely with other unions and progressive allies in the post-secondary education sector.
In addition to these external facing priorities, CUFA BC also celebrates the contributions of our members to wider public policy debates through our annual Distinguished Academic Awards. The awards highlight the vital role that academic research can play in addressing some of the most pressing social, environmental, and economic challenges British Columbia faces in the 21st century.