Senate is the academic governing body of UFV, with the university president and vice-chancellor Joanne MacLean 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 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 Senate meeting on Friday, February 25, 2022.
UFV SEM Plan Update
There was a discussion on the Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) plan that “will address all factors related to enrolment, retention, engagement and graduation, as well as key co-curricular factors that impact enrolment.” Some priorities of this plan include: creating active learning opportunities outside of the classroom setting that aligns with the needs and aspirations of the Fraser Valley community, ensuring programs are accessible, flexible, and barrier free for students who face difficult circumstances, and creating a welcoming environment for students of diverse backgrounds.
Some interesting stats James Mandigo, provost and VP Academic, presented to Senate were that 80 per cent of all students who are transitioning straight from high school graduated within Fraser Valley district; 86 per cent of all first-year students (who responded to the survey) live with their parents, guardians, or relatives; and the average age of a UFV student is 25. A red flag that stood out to many senators was that nearly 40 per cent of students who start a bachelor’s degree program leave before completion. UFV is currently working to figure out why students are starting their degrees here, but leaving before receiving any credentials.
Program Reviews
Senate approved the academic program reviews of the Adult Basic Education Program (ABE), Bachelor of Integrated Studies (BIS), and General Studies diploma (GDS) in accordance with UFV Policy 189. This policy’s purpose “is to ensure accountability of academic programs and programming through the regular and systematic reviews of the objectives and delivery of programs and programming at UFV.”
Some key points the External Review Committee recommended were to appoint a director for the BIS and GDS programs to ensure program stabilization and to increase students’ sense of belonging and connection by creating a “departmental home,” which will be greatly facilitated upon the opening of Building D’s third floor in 2023. For the ABE program, the committee identified a need to promote this program more to the institution at large because of the lack of awareness from senior administration about the usefulness of this department to the institution. Also, the ABE program has a higher percentage of Indigenous students than the average program (ten per cent compared to an average of six or seven per cent), so there is a need for faculty to “continue efforts to bring indigenization and Aboriginal ways of knowing to their courses.”
Program Suspensions
The in-camera portion of the Senate reviewed the program suspension of the Engineering Physics diploma and the Automation and Robotics Technician Program each for one year due to low admission rates and “the challenge of hiring instructors with the academic requirements necessary to teach the upper-level Engineering courses.”
Communications Major Program Proposal
The in-camera portion of the Senate reviewed the program proposal for a Communications major at UFV. The Stage 1 application was approved by BC’s Degree Quality Assessment Board on Sept. 14, 2021, and the Undergraduate Education Committee approved the new major on Jan. 28, 2022. The Senate Budget Committee also confirmed the program’s financial viability.
Image: Laura Ayres / The Cascade
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
