The Lecturers Committee

The Lecturers Committee advises the FAUW Board on matters pertaining to the working conditions of lecturers.

Lecturers fill diverse roles within the University that are distinct from those of professorial-rank faculty and thus have distinct needs. The committee, which has representation from lecturers of all faculties, is particularly concerned with the career paths of lecturers, including terms and conditions of employment, teaching loads, and progression.

Inquiries may be directed to Su-Yin Tan, committee chair, to Matthew Root at the FAUW office, or to any committee member.

Long-term goals

The committee has established six long-term goals for teaching-intensive faculty at the University of Waterloo:

Goal 1: A fair and manageable workload that does not lead to burnout.
Goal 2: A clear, equitable, and consistent career progression pathway.
Goal 3: Salary equity and fair evaluation.
Goal 4: The opportunity to engage in professional development and scholarship.
Goal 5: Appropriate voice and representation in University governance.
Goal 6: A strong sense of connection and community.

Lecturers Committee reports

2022 Lecturers Town Hall Meeting

On March 24, 2022, FAUW Lecturers Committee (LC) hosted a virtual town hall meeting for UW Lecturers on Microsoft Teams. The focus of this meeting policies 76 (Faculty Appointments) and 77 (Tenure and Promotion of Faculty Members) revisions. The meeting was attended by 70 lecturers.

Download the meeting report from the committee (PDF)

2022 Emergency Lecturers Town Hall Meeting on the return to campus

The FAUW Lecturers Committee held a Lecturers Emergency Town Hall Meeting on January 27th, 2022 focused on safety and return to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Download the meeting slides (PDF)

2021 Lecturers Survey Report

The Lecturers Committee conducted a survey of lecturers in early 2021, covering topics including titles, scholarship/research, vacation, non-teaching terms, and the impact of COVID-19. This 2021 survey achieved an 80% (194/242) response rate.

Download the report on the 2021 lecturers survey (PDF)

2021 Lecturers Town Hall Meeting

On March 30, 2021, the Faculty Association (FAUW) Lecturers Committee hosted a meeting open to all lecturers. The session was attended by 60 members plus the Lecturers Committee, FAUW President Dan Brown and, from the Policy 76/77 drafting committee, David DeVidi, Kevin Hare, and Kate Lawson.

2020 Lecturers Town Hall Meeting

On February 25, 2020, the Faculty Association (FAUW) Lecturers Committee hosted a meeting open to all lecturers. The session was attended by 45 people plus the Lecturers Committee and other FAUW representatives.

Invited guests included David DeVidi (associate vice president, academic), David Rose (policy 76 drafting committee chair), Bryan Tolson (FAUW president), Dan Brown (incoming FAUW president, Benoit Charbonneau (FAUW chief negotiator), and Kate Lawson (OCUFA chair of the board).

This report is an integrated summary of the discussion at the Town Hall meeting.

Download the report from the 2020 Lecturers Town Hall (PDF)

2016 Lecturers Town Hall Report

The Lecturers Committee hosted town hall meetings in December 2016. The committee provided context on the relationship of the Lecturers Committee to the FAUW Board, the issues raised via a 2014 meeting of lecturers and 2015 Lecturers Survey, and the current activities of the committee. The floor was then opened for discussion.

2016 Lecturers Committee Report to the Board

This report outlined the potential pathways for addressing concerns raised in the 2015 survey. Issues identified in this report were based on discussions within the committee, survey results, and relevance to Policy 76.

Download the committee's May 2016 report to the Board (PDF)

2015 Lecturers Survey Report

The committee administered a survey in November 2015 to explore lecturers' experiences with regard to terms of appointment, teaching loads, non-teaching terms, service roles, and more.

Download the report on the 2015 Lecturers Survey (PDF)

Lecturers Appreciation Awards

The Lecturers Committee wishes to congratulate its recipients of the 2021 Lecturers Appreciation Award, Aimée Morrison and Jay Dolmage of the FAUW Equity Committee. About the award, the Lecturers Committee says:

The Lecturers Committee presented the first Lecturers Appreciation Award to Benoit Charbonneau and the rest of the Working Group on Salary Structure for securing adjustments to faculty salary thresholds so they no longer unfairly disadvantage lecturers over the course of lecturers' careers.

Committee membership

Name	Faculty
Su-Yin Tan (Chair)	Environment
Rania Al-Hammoud	Engineering
Andrea Atkins	Engineering
Anton Mosunov	Math
Elena Neiterman	Health
Reza Ramezan	Math
Collin Roberts	Math
Laila Rohani	Arts
Sarah Ruffell	Science
Megan Selinger	Arts
Sean Speziale	Math
Agnieszka Wolczuk	Renison

Interesting in joining?

Serving on the Lecturers Committee involves attending monthly meetings from September through June, contributing to one or more committee projects, and providing feedback on issues and initiatives in meetings and via email as they arise.

Members typically join for a renewable two-year term. Calls for new members are posted each spring. You must be a voting member of FAUW to join the committee.