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 hybrid Senate meeting that took place on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022.
The motion for the Department of Arts Studies to have its name changed to the Department of Arts and Integrated Studies was unanimously passed by senate. This new name change was first addressed on June, 8, 2022, where it was suggested for a motion for Senate to vote on by the Academic Planning and Priorities Committee.
According to Professor Hannah Celinski, department head of arts studies, courses such as University 101, Arts 299 and Portfolio 399 have contributed to why the General Studies diploma and the Bachelor of Integrated Studies program were added to Arts Studies. Celinski explained that these courses can be combined with both programs.
The seven year strategic enrolment management (SEM) plan for 2023–2030 was the main item that was voted on and discussed by Senate. According to Dr. James Mandigo, provost and vice president academic, the SEM Plan was created in light of the anticipated increase in student population, both international and domestic. It is projected that there will be a 25 per cent increase over the span of ten years and the goal of the SEM plan is to help students on their academic journey.
In the SEM plan, Senate outlined various goals that they hope to accomplish in areas such as “student recruitment, admissions, retention and graduation,” according to the 70-page SEM plan. One objective that will impact students is the fifth proposed goal under “UFV Student Experience,” which is to bring the numbers down on the waitlist, especially for popular classes.
According to the SEM plan, UFV will create a yearly “waitlist progress report” which will pinpoint popular courses that tend to have long waitlists for classes students are required to take. As many courses have not been offered every semester, UFV will also make it a priority to resolve waitlisted students waiting for a year before being able to register for courses that are needed to graduate.
Dr. Joanna Sheppard also brought up concerns on behalf of the Chilliwack campus. Sheppard pointed out that the campus does not currently have an on-campus residency for students at this time and highlighted the limited affordable food options available. Sheppard asked what UFV plans to do in relation to the other campuses in the seven year SEM plan.
Chair Dr. Joanne MacLean, the president and vice chancellor of UFV, addressed the housing issue as being a complex one, and that the Mission, Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses were considered as candidates for additional student housing, but Abbotsford was ultimately chosen as the best location to build more student housing. MacLean explained that for now, there is not a need to build student housing due in part to the amount of programs offered there, as well as the student population.
The Applied Ethical and Political Philosophy minor (AEPP) was also suspended for two years on the grounds that there were not enough instructors to teach the essential courses and there was not a big enough turnaround for enrollment. Talks about possible changes made to the public policy minor will also be conducted during this suspension time period.
Changes to the Master of Arts (Criminal Justice) program were also made during this month’s meeting. Five of the courses were updated and four new ones were approved for the program.The Masters of Arts (Criminal Justice) program now has 30 credits instead of 32, and includes more supervision compensation. All these changes took place during the suspension to the program that began in 2020.
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.
