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, Nov. 17, 2023
Pathways to Programs, UFV’s draft proposal to implement the 2023-24 Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Grant, was co-presented to the Senate by Dr. Chris Campbell, department head of Information Studies, and professor Christine Nehring, program head of Applied Business Technology. They discussed the need to set up a “mechanism” at UFV to help determine if vocational or non-recognized credits from different programs outside of the university (such as Red Seal credentials) can be considered transferable credits.
Stated in the report, “Doing so will empower current and returning students to continue their education and maintain skills required throughout their career paths and position UFV to deliver on its strategic imperatives/SEM plan.”
At this stage, Campbell is looking for the Senate board to become part of the discussion, reiterating that they are in the beginning stages of researching and developing ideas for this project and will later return to the Senate with a recommendation in 2024.
Acting president James Mandigo mentioned in his report that president Joanne MacLean is expected to return to UFV in the new year. The report also focused on the importance of maintaining global diversity and internationalization.
“Recent media reports, primarily about private colleges in Ontario, have highlighted how some international students have been exploited,” said Mandigo, “often through fraudulent agents or poor-quality educational programs and services.”
Mandigo reported that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has decided to make changes to their expectations and procedures to avoid this in the future. This will require “all Canadian institutions to verify Letters of Acceptance (LOA) for all international students through a portal managed by IRCC. Failure to do so will result in a student’s application for a student visa being cancelled.”
In compliance with the new process and steps that are being taken by both the federal and provincial governments, Mandigo expressed his confidence in UFV’s role to continue supporting students to reach their full potential in the midst of these changes.
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.
