Association of Universities of the Canadian Francophonie
Association of Colleges and Universities of the Canadian Francophonie (known by the acronym ACUFC for its French name, "Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne") is an association of community colleges and universities in minority francophone communities in Canada, through cooperation between its member institutions. The association represents its member institutions on topics of mutual interest before the Government of Canada, national and international organizations.
Up until 1 April 2015, the organisation was known as the Association of Universities of the Canadian Francophonie, or in French, Association des universités de la francophonie canadienne (AUFC), when it did not include community college members.
The association is made up of the following 22 institutions which promote community college and university education within minority francophone communities in Canada:[1]
Most of these institutions were founded by members of the Catholic clergy to serve isolated francophone communities. While some institutions maintain religious missions, others have assumed specialized vocations such as the Royal Military College of Canada.
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While some member institutions only offer study programs in French, others are bilingual (English/French). Some of the institutions are located in small francophone communities while others are located in heavily populated francophone areas.
The AUCC has been the executing agency of the Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program (CFSP) since July 1, 2006. The Government of Canada funds the CFSP program in its entirety. CFSP is a scholarship program which builds institutional capacities by training nationals of 37 developing countries of La Francophonie.[2] The program is administered by the Canadian Partnership Branch of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).[3]
AUFC's action plan for 2007–2012 focuses on supporting its research community and the internationalization of member institutions. The AUFC wants to play a connecting role between Official Language Minority Community (OLMC) researchers and the federal funding agencies.
creation of an advisory committee on research in June 2006,
development of a strategy to enhance researchers' ability to obtain funding from research funding agencies (e.g. concerning Francophone minority communities).
adoption of a support plan for research on Francophone minority communities on 31 May 2007
implementation of priority activities of this plan[5]
The action plan also aims to attract more students and increase the diversity of the student body.[6]
A 2005 AUFC study evaluated the state of technological infrastructure within Canada's francophone universities and recommended on its future directions.
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AUFC partners include the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS), French Language Health Services Network of Eastern Ontario, Consortium des universités de la francophonie ontarienne (CUFO), and Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF).[8]
