Sheila McKee-Protopapas (L) and Kate Lawson, OCUFA President
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) has recognized Sheila McKee-Protopapas, executive director of the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) and a contract academic staff member, with the prestigious Lorimer Award.
The award recognizes individuals who have worked to protect and promote the interests of Ontario’s academic staff through collective bargaining.
McKee-Protopapas, who said it was a “complete surprise and honour” to be one of the two recipients selected for the award, graduated from Laurier with an honours B.Sc. in 1981 followed by an M.Sc. from the University of Windsor.
Prior to joining WLUFA in 2009, McKee-Protopapas was a lab instructor in Laurier’s Biology department for 26 years. She has been teaching histology in the department since 1983. McKee-Protopapas was the first recipient of Laurier’s CAS Award for Teaching Excellence in 2001.
The Lorimer Award was established in honour of Doug and Joyce Lorimer, retired Laurier history professors, who were instrumental in advancing faculty association collective bargaining in Ontario. The Lorimers promoted collective bargaining at the local, provincial and national levels beginning in the late 1980s, and were both involved in the certification of WLUFA while at Laurier.
McKee-Protopapas received her award at a ceremony in Toronto on Feb. 7.
OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty and academic librarians in 28 faculty associations across Ontario.