Senate is the academic governing body of UFV, with the acting university president and vice-chancellor James Mandigo as chair. They are responsible for making decisions on everything academic, including: approving new courses and programs, approving changes to programs, and setting entrance requirements and the academic calendar. The Board of Governors, which looks at the business side of the university, is advised by Senate on matters of mutual interest.
All at the university are welcome to attend Senate’s public meetings, held once a month. Senate makes decisions that impact the daily lives of both students and faculty. This article will recap the main agenda items of the hybrid Senate meeting on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023
Susan Mide Kiss, vice-president of the Community Engagement department, presented her community report that focused on a new publication called St’elt’elawtexw: Celebrating community across the Fraser Valley. The publication contains three sections: “Engaging Learners,” “Transforming Lives,” and “Building Community.” Mide Kiss explained that she and her team collected different stories from the community, including the Laramie Project and the Enactus initiative to aid local farmers.
Mide Kiss also provided updates on UFV’s upcoming 50th anniversary, taking place in April 2024. Hoping to build on the momentum of an “incredible week,” she stated her desire to “demonstrate our shared commitment to continuous improvement and performance development across the portfolio and to enable that collaborative cross-functional and co-creative project planning and delivery.”
“As we come out of our 50th anniversary year … the intention is that we will be launching a community engagement framework and strategic plan through co-creation with our university and the broader community.”
“My team and I had the great opportunity to work with CHASI,” said Mide Kiss, “We took a great deal of time to think through, to analyze, and to understand all the work that UFV has already committed to.”
Acting president and chair, James Mandigo, mentioned in his report that there will now be more funding for graduate students at UFV. It states that since his last report in June, “Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, Selina Robinson, visited UFV to announce enhanced funding for graduate students as part of the BC Graduate Scholarships Funding program.” Mandigo added that the institution “received $130,000 to support 16 scholarships for Masters students at UFV.”
According to Mandigo’s report, there has been a 10.2 per cent increase in the student population this fall. Domestic student enrollment has increased by five per cent, and international student enrollment has risen by 38.5 per cent. As per the report, the school has welcomed “2,787 new students to UFV this year; an increase of 14.2 per cent compared to last year.”
“Overall, we are welcoming back 7,888 students or 8.9% more than we did last fall.”
Rachel is working towards a BA with a concentration in English and Theatre. She has been employed at The Cascade since Fall 2021 as a Staff Writer and a Jr. News Editor. Currently, she is the sectional News Editor and enjoys meeting and interviewing people as well as taking long walks in nature. Rachel also likes to stay up to date on the latest trends and informs students through her fashion column entitled Campus Fashion.
