Senate is the academic governing body of UFV, with the acting university president and vice-chancellor James Mandigo as the 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 T, 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, May 5, 2023.”
Acting provost, Tracy Ryder-Glass motioned to discontinue the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): three-year (fast track) option. Originally suspended for a year back in June 2022, the program was paused to “provide the time to restructure and renew the BSN four-year program before phasing out the 3-year fast track option.”
According to the motion, removing this program “allows for a net growth in the overall nursing program because of changes being made to the LPN access program.” Part of the proposal stipulates that “because it is moving to accommodate two intakes of 40 students each, clinical placements and sessional requirements will be consistent across the BSN Program, an advantage given the challenge in staffing clinical placements.”
According to Dr. Alastair Hodges, the dean of the faculty of Health Sciences, there will be six more students graduating in the BSN program annually. Hodges added that this is “one of three changes in the program.” While the fast track option is no longer being offered, it is reported that “the BSN credential will not change, and the same number of students will graduate each year with a BSN degree.” The motion was voted in favour by the senate board.
Ryder-Glass also motioned for the immediate discontinuation of the Hospitality and Event Management certificate program. “It was decided that this program was not a priority for program development.” The certificate program was first suspended in 2020 before being renewed in 2022 for two years. However, there have been no student applications for the program, nor are there instructors who can teach and facilitate the program at UFV. The motion to permanently suspend the program was adopted.
The senate also voted on the motion to discontinue the Associate of Arts Diploma, theatre option. The program has seen low enrollment in the last five years. It was reported that there are currently no students who would be impacted if the program were to be permanently discontinued. The board voted in favor of the motion.
The senate board also voted in favour of replacing the department of communications with the school of communications, housed within the faculty of humanities, College of Arts. An increased demand from students has pushed for an expansion in Communications, and this change, “will allow for broader curriculum offerings, interdisciplinary collaborations, and greater visibility with external partners.” UFV already has the budgetary requirements to allow the transformation.
“In addition to the minor in journalism currently in the approval process, Communications is exploring opportunities in the areas of organizational communication, public relations, cross-cultural communication, social media, and digital communication.” The minor in journalism is now slated to be completed by April 2024 instead of April 2023.
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.