Senate is the academic governing body of UFV, with the university President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Joanne MacLean 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, which are 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 in-person Senate meeting which occurred on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.
David Johnston, university registrar and associate vice-president of enrollment management, made a motion for the Senate board to accept the revisions made to the Bachelor of Arts Criminal Justice program.
One of the main changes made to the program is that students only need a B average in two recognized Grade 12 courses to be admitted into the program. The decision was made to remove the Grade 12 English requirement that was also set for a B standard grade.
Additionally, a motion was made by Johnston for the senate to accept the revisions made to the Criminal Justice diploma program. A similar change was made for students to maintain a standard grade of C+ in two recognized Grade 12 courses; additionally, students no longer needed to have the additional C+ average in Grade 12 English to meet the program requirements.
According to the memo, the reason for these changes in both programs was in part to help students with meeting educational expectations.
“Course requirements are being revised to ensure sufficient foundational knowledge and development of institutional learning outcomes, and to include an Indigenous course requirement.”
Both motions were voted on and approved. These changes are set to begin September 2025.
Dr. Joanne MacLean, president and chair gave an update on the construction projects at the Abbotsford campus. She stated that the construction of the expanded cafeteria is proceeding as scheduled and will be opening in Fall 2025. However, the new housing is taking longer than anticipated and will now be officially open to house students beginning in January 2026.
She mentioned that the total cost of the dining hall construction is $20 million and the new student housing is $105 million.
She also made it clear in her report, that while other universities are going through financial difficulties and lay-offs, the same cannot be said about UFV.
Dr. James Mandigo, provost and vice president academic, wrote in the Provost Report that enrollment numbers for the winter semester have reached new heights. There has been a two per cent increase in student enrollment this semester compared to Winter 2024. The enrollment of both current and new domestic students has also increased by six per cent. Mandigo shared that the total number of returning international students has grown by 18 per cent.
However, Mandigo also pointed out that despite this increase, there was a 67 per cent drop in new international student enrollment due to the cap set by the Canadian government on student visas. Despite this, UFV continues to work hard in attracting prospective students to the university.
“UFV International has been actively engaged in continuing to promote UFV as a destination of choice for students around the world and promoting the high quality of education that all our students receive in our programs.”
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.
