December 1, 2008

 

On behalf of your Executive Board, welcome to the MRFA’s new communication forum, Monthly Report. After a thorough review of our communications with members, we’re launching this new initiative to give more timely, current and relevant information on the activities of the Mount Royal Faculty Association. Among the core objectives of the Association are:

 

·         to represent members in the collective bargaining process and protect members’ rights under the Collective Agreement and institutional policy;

·         to maintain and improve the professional environment in which faculty work, including looking out for faculty welfare and contributing to a warm collegial environment;

·         to protect collegial governance and academic freedom;

·         to advocate for access to postsecondary education;

·         to provide a collective voice and group representation for faculty views.

 

The MRFA participates in many governance processes, coordinates 11 faculty committees, and administers various kinds of financial support to members. These include educational grants, tuition refunds for dependents, and compassionate funds for faculty in unexpected difficulty. We offer meeting and social space through the Faculty Centre, including daily lunch service and our Friday Attitude Adjustment and other social and recreational activities throughout the academic year. We employ two full-time staff in the Faculty Centre, an Executive Assistant and a Faculty Centre Coordinator, to support faculty and the Association.

 

The Executive Board and its sub-committees meet regularly to manage the Association’s affairs, including its business operations, advocacy for faculty, consultation on institutional matters, and administration of grievances and other formal processes involving faculty. We routinely engage in discussions with administration on relevant issues, and pride ourselves on the strong problem-solving relationship we have established over recent years. We also advance the faculty interest at Mount Royal and externally through our membership in the Alberta College and institutes Faculty Association and through them in the Canadian Association of University Teachers.

 

We hope that what we can provide in this space about the Mount Royal Faculty Association will be useful and informative.