Michael J. Prince receives 2014 CUFA-BC award

An influential University of Victoria political scientist, frequent media commentator and long-time champion of disability rights received a top provincial award on Wednesday, April 23.

Dr. Michael J. Prince, UVic’s inaugural Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy in the Faculty of Human and Social Development, was named Academic of the Year by the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC (CUFA-BC). The awards are presented annually to faculty members from BC universities who use their research and scholarly activity to benefit the larger community.

Prince is an expert in federal-provincial relations, disability issues, seniors’ benefits, social discrimination, income security, poverty and housing. His tireless community efforts include volunteerism with Inclusion BC (formerly the BC Association for Community Living) and the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, as well as advice to governments and parliamentary committees. His book, Absent Citizens: Disability Politics and Policy in Canada (2009), explores how disability exists on the periphery of public awareness and reforms for advancing toward a more equitable and inclusive Canada.

The CUFA-BC awards program was established in 1995. Ten UVic researchers have already been honoured including most recently Eric Sager (2012), Jessica Ball (2009), Elaine Gallagher (2008) and Andrew Weaver (2007). CUFA-BC represents approximately 4,600 professors, lecturers, instructors, professional librarians and other academic staff at five research universities.

For excerpts from his remarks on social policy reform and disability issues: http://ring.uvic.ca/news/2014-cufa-bc-academic-year-awarded-michael-j-prince

For his Faces of UVic Research video: http://youtu.be/cRIKnW81fms

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