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 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, June 2, 2023.”
David Johnston, registrar, and Dr. Vladamir Dvoracek, associate vice-president of Institutional Research and Integrated Planning, presented a detailed report on the new Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) Plan for 2023-2030. Their presentation highlighted the expected intake of full-time domestic and international student enrolments and their targeted enrolment percentages. According to a memo from Dvoracek, “the 2030/31 institutional target for domestic FTEs [full-time enrolments] was set by referring to the forecasted increase from 2022 to 2030 in the Fraser Valley College Region’s (FVCR) population, weighted by the age distribution of the UFV student population.”
Furthermore, there is an expected 25 per cent increase in the international student FTEs during this seven-year period, and an estimated 17 per cent increase in domestic student FTEs. According to a memo to the Senate, when this percentage is taken into account and “applied to the 2022/23 FTEs of 7,046, it yields a rounded value of 8,250 domestic FTEs as the 2030/31 institutional target.”
Acting provost, Tracy Ryder-Glass, motioned to approve the dean’s summary report for the chemistry program review that was made by Dr. Lucy Lee, dean of the faculty of science. This included challenges faced by the department in the areas of “the physical state of the laboratories; laboratory health and safety concerns; course availability; equipment/infrastructure maintenance; and curriculum indigenization.”
UFV is taking steps to help improve the chemistry department, which include continuous student engagement and incorporating more indigenization into the curriculum. This will be accomplished by “inviting Indigenous scientists or allies to expand indigenization knowledge through workshops,” which are projected to be offered either “within the year or by spring 2024.” Another step being taken is making territorial acknowledgements part of the course syllabuses and/or on the Blackboard online portal. The motion was favorably voted on by the Senate.
Another motion to the Senate was the recommendation to make the School of Land Use and Environmental Change two departments instead of one. A reason for this change is the emergence of a new degree program called the bachelor of regional and community planning (BRCP), which is slated to be introduced in September 2023. Faculty recognized that it is “necessary not only to move forward with the launch and accreditation of the newly approved BRCP program, but also to grow Environmental Studies and reinvigorate Physical Geography and Geographic Information Systems.”
In a memo, Dr. Lee explained that having two departments will be more manageable and less overwhelming for one department head. Lee also pointed out that “having separate department heads, each with more affinity to the new departments, would be less costly than having a director and it would gain better cohesiveness among members of the two separate units.” The motion carried.
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.
