UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK SAINT JOHN CAMPUS SENATE MEETING MINUTES

Transcription

1 Saint John Senate 22 February 2006 Agenda Item #2 UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK SAINT JOHN CAMPUS SENATE MEETING MINUTES The one-hundred-forty-sixth (146 th ) meeting of the Saint John Senate was held at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 18 January 2006, in Room 206 of Oland Hall. Dr. Kathryn Hamer was in the chair, and the following members were present: T. Alderson L. Both T. Buckley J. Christie R. Clark S. DeVarenne (Secretary) T. Goud R. Humphries C. Hurley M. Kabir G. Kealey D. Lindsay N. Logue M. López R. MacKinnon D. MacLatchy J. McLaughlin M. Mendelson S. Rinehart C. Ryan D. Shalala A. Wilson Also Present: D. Downes (Minute 8.) S. Strople (University Secretary) J. Terhune (Minute 9.) Unable to Attend: P. Beamish A. Belcastro K. Bonner P. Cavaliere G. Davies J. Frooman L. Garey J. Hamer M. Jones M. Kamel A-M. McGrath D. Murray

2 Saint John Senate 2 18 January 2006 ATTACHMENTS TO THE OFFICIAL COPY OF THE MINUTES Materials which were before the members, and which are not attached as an Appendix to the circulated minutes, are listed below and are attached to the Official Copy of the Minutes in the Saint John Senate Office. Other attachments to the Official Copy of the Agenda are as indicated in the Minutes. Minute Page 1. Announcements Draft Terms of Reference for a Vice-President Research Committee on Conflict of Interest, Disclosure of Financial Interests, and Integrity in Research and Scholarship Update from the Teaching Excellence & Policy Committee Report on the Activities of the 17 January 2006 meeting of the Fredericton Senate... 15

3 Saint John Senate 3 18 January Announcements (handed out) 1.1 Announcements by the Chair Kevin Bonner, Gwen Davies, Jeff Frooman, Larry Garey, Jessica Hamer, Miriam Jones, Merzik Kamel and Anne Marie McGrath have sent regrets as they are unable to attend today s meeting As most of you are aware, Nancy Waugh, Administrative Assistant in the Vice- President s Office, will be retiring this spring. In honour of her more than 25 years with UNB Saint John, we are planning a celebration at 11:30a.m. on Thursday, February 23 in the Study Lounge of the Ward Chipman Library Building The W.C. Desmond Pacey Memorial Lecture will be held on Wednesday, 15 February at 5:45p.m. in Room 107 of K.C. Irving Hall. Dr. Lea Stirling, Canada Research Chair in Roman Archaeology in the Department of Classics at the University of Manitoba, will speak on Statuary of Gods and Heroes from a Late Roman Villa at Corinth. A reception will precede the lecture. 1.2 Announcements from the Vice-President Research G. Kealey gave notice that, due to the generosity of the Harrison McCain Foundation, he will be bringing forward a proposal to establish the Harrison McCain Young Scholars Awards, the Harrison McCain Visiting Professorships and the Harrison McCain Visitorships at the February Senate meeting. The Harrison McCain Foundation has generously committed some $200,000 per year over the next five years for a total contribution of $1 million for these awards Referring to the draft document handed out at the meeting, G. Kealey noted plans for a Vice-President Research Committee on Conflict of Interest, Disclosure of Financial Interests, and Integrity in Research and Scholarship. This Committee will advise the Vice-President Research on these issues and he will report to Senate on the Committee s recommendations in the Spring or Fall of Other Announcements S. Rinehart noted that Judith Dunstan and Jack Blackier from the Faculty of Business were formally named Fellow Chartered Accountants on Friday, 13 January K. Hamer noted that other announcements had been circulated as a handout for Senate s information. 2. Approval of Agenda and Minutes of 23 November 2005 (circulated with agenda) K. Hamer noted the addition of an Update from the Teaching Excellence & Policy Committee under Matters Arising from the Minutes, as item 3.2 MOTION 2, 1 Alderson/MacKinnon That Senate approve the agenda, as amended and the Minutes of 23 November 2005, as circulated. 3. Matters Arising from the Minutes 3.1. Certificate in Mathematics for Education (circulated with agenda) D. MacLatchy noted that the revised calendar copy for the Certificate in Mathematics for Education (formerly Certificate in Mathematics for Teachers) was circulated for Senate s information. During the approval process, the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) raised questions regarding the requirements for such a certificate at UNB Saint John and at other institutions. This text represents the version that was given approval by MPHEC.

4 Saint John Senate 4 18 January Matters Arising from the Minutes (cont d) 3.2. Update from the Teaching Excellence & Policy Committee (handed out) K. Hamer referred to the update handed out at the meeting, noting that Teaching Excellence & Policy Committee is planning to put the University-wide questions into the context of the complete student opinion survey before soliciting further feedback. The Committee is exploring the use of a web survey tool with the UNB Webteam and will let Senate know when access is available. 4. Question Period There were no written questions and no questions from the floor. 5. Activities of the Fredericton Senate 5.1. Activities of 29 November 2005 (circulated with agenda) 5.2. Activities of 17 January 2006 (handed out) K. Hamer referred to the report of 29 November which was circulated with the agenda and the report of 17 January which was available as a handout at the meeting. She noted that several items were common to both Senates. She highlighted the Motion from Student members of the Fredericton Senate regarding Voting Rights on SS&P, Admissions, and Senate Review Committees that was discussed at the January 17 meeting. S. Strople noted that the Fredericton Senate has approved a motion to repeal that portion of section 74 (6) of the University of New Brunswick Act that restricts the ability of students to vote on certain matters in Senate, Senate Committees, and Faculty Councils. He indicated that he will be consulting with the University Solicitor on this matter. 6. Certificate and Diploma Candidates (circulated with agenda) T. Buckley presented the list of certificate and diploma candidates circulated with the agenda. MOTION 6, 1 Buckley/ Rinehart That Senate approve Atul Vijaykumar Kunkulol as a candidate for the Certificate in Business Administration, Level II, as presented. 7. Report of the Undergraduate Scholarships Committee (circulated with agenda) T. Buckley presented the report of the Undergraduate Scholarships Committee, referring to the information circulated with the agenda. MOTION 7, 1 Buckley/MacKinnon That Senate approve modifications to awards open to students on both campuses, as presented. 8. Report of the Senate Curriculum Committee (circulated by ) D. Downes, Chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee, presented the report, referring to information circulated by in advance of the Senate meeting. K. Hamer noted that the Health Sciences Minor also was circulated as part of the Report of the Academic Planning & Resources Committee in November. D. Downes reminded Senators that the Biology Courses included in the report were referred back to the Curriculum Committee Chair at the November Senate meeting for corrections to the associated calendar text.

5 Saint John Senate 5 18 January Report of the Senate Curriculum Committee (cont d) MOTION 8, 1 Mendelson/Ryan That Senate approve the proposed modifications to BIOL 1105 (formerly BIOL 1012) and BIOL 1205 (formerly BIOL 1001) and modifications to course descriptions for BIOL 1017, 1302, 1551, 2015, 2065, 2125, 2135, 2245, 2485, 2585, and 2615, as presented. D. Downes drew Senate s attention to the proposal for a new Health Sciences Minor which was circulated as an appendix to the report. K. Hamer noted that, in its report to the November 23 Senate Meeting, the Academic Planning & Resources Committee also recommended approval of this new program. Senate postponed discussion of the AP&R recommendation pending report by the Senate Curriculum Committee. Members of Senate indicated that they would like to address both recommendations with a single motion for approval. MOTION 8, 2 Buckley/MacKinnon That Senate approve the proposed new Minor in Health Sciences, as presented. T. Goud asked about the stipend requirements for this program, noting that one of the stipend courses would be team taught. D. MacLatchy noted that stipends can be distributed among multiple instructors for team taught courses. She emphasized that this program is a priority for the Faculty and the campus and that she would make every effort to find the resources to support it. L. Both noted that the course listed as BIOL 1001 in the proposal should be corrected to reflect the change in course number to BIOL In response to questions, D. MacLatchy clarified that the HSCI course would be administered by the Faculty similar to courses with the SCI designation which are not housed within a specific department. C. Hurley noted that BA 1504 should be listed as BA K. Hamer asked C. Hurley to the Dean and the Chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee with this correction. MOTION 8, 3 Ryan/MacKinnon That Senate approve the new course HSCI 2001, as presented. 9. Graduate Matters (circulated with agenda) J. Terhune reported on behalf of the School of Graduate Studies Executive Committee, referring to the material circulated with the agenda New and Revised Graduate Courses He noted that the 2ch graduate courses in Chemistry have been proposed in response to recommendations made during the recent review of the Chemistry program. MOTION 9, 1 Kealey/Christie That Senate approve new graduate courses CHEM 6122 to MBA 6837, inclusive, and a change in number, title and description for FOR 6313 and 6302, as presented.

6 Saint John Senate 6 18 January Graduate Matters (circulated with agenda) 9.2. Honorary Research Associates J. Terhune noted that Mr. Peter Cronin has been an Honorary Research Associate (HRA) in Forestry for a number of years. He has been recommended for re-appointment as an HRA in Biology. MOTION 9, 2 Kealey/MacLatchy That Senate approve the appointment of Honorary Research Associates from Dr. Kathryn Hibbert to Dr. Norma Jean Profitt, inclusive, as presented. R. Humphries noted that the spelling of St. Francis Xavier University should be corrected New Award: The Malcolm Summerville Prize in New Brunswick History J. Terhune noted that the spelling of St. John River should be corrected in the Prize Description. MOTION 9, 3 Ryan/Kealey That Senate approve the new Malcolm Sommerville Prize in New Brunswick History, as amended. 10. Report of the Senate Academic Policy & Procedures Committee (circulated with agenda) T. Buckley presented the report of the Academic Policy & Procedures Committee, referring to the information circulated with the agenda Enhanced Awareness and Education Regarding Plagiarism He noted that the Committee discussed the two proposals attached to the report in depth, and has asked the University Secretary to draft revisions to the course outline regulations for consideration at the Committee s next meeting Confidentiality, Security and Release of Student Academic Records The Committee expressed concern about allowing access to all student records to the residence personnel identified in the proposed revisions, but recommended allowing limited access. MOTION 10, 1 Buckley/MacKinnon That Senate approve amendment of the existing regulation on Confidentiality, Security and Release of Student Academic Records to allow Dons, Associate Dons and Residence Coordinators on the Fredericton campus and the Residence Academic Leader, Residence Life Coordinator and Manager of Residence and Conference Services on the Saint John campus secure on-line access to student identification photos for those students living in the houses for which these positions are responsible as follows: The University routinely provides, through secure on-line access, a digitized image of the student identification photograph to individual instructors during the period the student is registered in the instructor s course. The Deans or their designates, Associate and Assistant Deans where specifically authorized by the Dean, the Director of the College of Extended Learning, Directors of Student Services, the Director, Associate and Assistant Directors of Residential Life, and the University s security personnel also will have access to such images. Residence Community Coordinators and house dons of the residence administrative team on the Fredericton campus and the Residence Academic Leader, Residence Life Coordinator and Manager of Residence and Conference Services on the Saint John campus will have access to such images during the period that a student is living within a house or residence for which these positions are responsible.

7 Saint John Senate 7 18 January Report of the Senate Academic Policy & Procedures Committee (cont d) Confidentiality, Security and Release of Student Academic Records (cont d) S. Strople noted that two minor amendments were made at the Fredericton Senate. Residence Community Coordinators should be Residence Coordinators and Associate Dons were added following house dons. He also noted that this is an excerpt from the full regulation. There is an additional sentence allowing students to request that their photos be suppressed. This sentence will remain unchanged. During further discussion, it was noted that the regulation provides access to student names and photos, not to academic information. On the Saint John campus, this change would provide three residence staff members with access to residence student photos. Motion 10, 1 was Establishing the Length of Examinations T. Buckley reported that the Registrars have been asked to draft a policy document on exams for review at the Committee s next meeting Rationale for Revising the Method by Which Cumulative Grade Point Averages are Calculated Discussion of this item was postponed to a future meeting due to time constraints Enhanced Exam Security The Registrar s have been asked to include recommendations for improving exam security in the policy document on exams referred to in item Proposed Calendar of Academic Dates for The Committee began discussion of the proposed Calendar of Academic Dates for , but was unable to fully resolve all of the concerns due to time constraints. A recommendation is expected to come forward to both Senates in February. 11. Report of the Senate Nominating Committee (circulated with agenda) R. Humphries presented the report of the Senate Nominating Committee, referring to the information circulated with the agenda. K. Hamer noted that Amy Nugent has indicated her willingness to serve on the Chair Search Committee for the Department of Biology Appointments to Search/Review Committees Appointment to Senate Curriculum Committee MOTION 11, 1 Humphries/MacKinnon That Senate approve appointments to Senate and Search/Review Committees as follows: 1.1 Chair Search Committee, Department of Biology Robyn Humphries, Department of Physical Sciences Amy Nugent ( ), Student Representative 1.2 Chair Search Committee, Department of Engineering Li-Hong Xu, Department of Physical Sciences Matthew Davis ( ), Student Representative 1.3 Interim Faculty of Business Representative on the Senate Curriculum Committee David Keeping, Member of the Faculty of Business Curriculum Committee

8 Saint John Senate 8 18 January Report of the Senate Nominating Committee (cont d) Appointments to Search/Review Committees (cont d) Appointment to Senate Curriculum Committee (cont d) T. Goud asked about the anticipated length of D. Keeping s appointment, expressing concern that no end date has been included in the recommendation. S. Rinehart indicated that she expects the position of Undergraduate Coordinator to be filled by the end of the academic year. Motion 11, 1 was. 12. Proposal to Discontinue the UNBSJ Writing Requirement (circulated with agenda) T. Goud spoke to the proposal to discontinue the UNBSJ Writing Requirement and delete it from the Undergraduate Calendar. He noted that this eight-year-old policy has never been implemented, and that it was suspended in October As indicated in the proposal, T. Goud suggested that the Writing Requirement be discontinued. MOTION 12, 1 Goud/Wilson That Senate approve the discontinuance of the UNB Saint John Writing Requirement and deletion of the regulation from the Undergraduate Calendar. A number of Senators indicated support for the idea of a writing requirement, but acknowledged the difficulty in implementing the current regulation. In response to questions regarding a University-wide regulation, S. Strople directed Senator s attention to the University Regulation on Competence in English, Section VIII, C. on page 40 of the Undergraduate Calendar. K. Hamer asked if Senate was interested in amending the motion to include a recommendation for development of an alternate policy. Senators discussed the University regulation on Competence in English and the difficulty associated with implementing the current Writing Requirement. C. Hurley expressed concern that continuing to include the Writing Requirement in the undergraduate calendar is misleading to students. No amendment was proposed. J. McLaughlin stressed the importance of ensuring students have strong writing skills, and suggested the regulation be retained until it can be replaced. It was suggested that the AP&R Curriculum Review Committee be asked to look into this matter as well. K. Hamer indicated that the possibility of some other writing policy could be discussed in future, but suggested that Senate deal with the proposed discontinuance of the current policy and the motion that was on the floor. 13. Report of the Academic Planning & Resources Committee (circulated with agenda) K. Hamer presented the report of the Academic Planning & Resources Committee, referring to information circulated with the agenda Terms of Reference: UNB Saint John Curriculum Review Committee She referred Senators to the terms of reference circulated with the agenda. She noted that the Committee has been staffed and plans to meet shortly.

9 Saint John Senate 9 18 January Report of the Academic Planning & Resources Committee (cont d) Update on Plans for Medical Education at UNB Saint John K. Hamer updated Senators on plans for Medical Education at UNB Saint John. She noted that l Université de Sherbrooke began offering medical education on l Université de Moncton campus in January UNB has been approached with plans for a similar program for the Anglophone community. While a full medical school is cost prohibitive, our partnership with the nearby Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation (AHSC) puts UNB Saint John in a good position to develop a program similar to the one in Moncton. The Province currently purchases a total of 30 seats from Dalhousie University and Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). Medical Education at UNB would be offered in partnership with these two schools. The Premier announced some months ago that he was committed to offering a medical education program by To that end, a small Steering Committee with representatives from Health, Education, the Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation and other relevant sectors has been put in place. K. Hamer will serve as the UNB representative on this Committee. The Vice- President noted that there also will be a stakeholder committee, with greater involvement from the partner universities. Program delivery will be the responsibility of the medical schools and will be very conscious of accreditation requirements. UNB Saint John will continue to offer pre-medicine preparatory programs. There may be some sharing of facilities which are not yet in existence. Discussion of medical education is still in the very early stages. K. Hamer indicated that she has met with the Deans of Medicine from Dalhousie and MUN. There also has been some effort to create momentum for this project and to raise public awareness, as indicated by the article in the 18 January 2006 issue of the Telegraph Journal. K. Hamer emphasized that, at this point, there are still a number of what ifs to be clarified, but the Provincial Government and the Medical Schools have indicated strong commitment to this project. During further discussion, K. Hamer confirmed that the medical degree obtained through this program would be from Dalhousie or MUN, not UNB. 14. Report of the Senate Non-Credit Curriculum Committee (circulated with agenda) R. Humphries presented the report of the Senate Non-Credit Curriculum Committee. Referring to the information circulated with the agenda, he noted that the Committee considered a submission from Saint John College for courses in English, Mandarin and Spanish. The Committee approved these courses. The Committee also received a submission from the Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI). This submission was provided for information and included a number of courses to be offered through CRI by the United Nations University. D. MacLatchy noted that this information was circulated to the Non-Credit Curriculum Committee in an effort to ensure transparency. 15. Report of the Senate Student Appeals Committee (circulated with agenda) T. Alderson, Chair of the Senate Student Appeals Committee, presented the report circulated with the agenda. He noted that the Committee met fourteen times between 1 October 2004 and 30 September 2005 and heard a total of 100 cases. Some 55% of the cases heard related to academic offences, down from 62% in the previous year. He noted that, while the Committee heard fewer cases than during the same period in the previous year, more students are choosing to appear before the Committee.

10 Saint John Senate January Report of the Senate Student Appeals Committee (cont d) In response to questions, it was clarified that an amendment to a student s record could include a # notation that would identify the grade as no longer counting toward a student s gpa. T. Alderson also noted that, in some cases, students can be granted a retroactive withdrawal from a course. T. Goud asked about the actions taken when students are found guilty of an offense. T. Buckley reminded Senators that there are prescribed penalties outlined in the Regulations for Academic Offences, beginning on page 44 of the Undergraduate Calendar. He noted that the regulation on plagiarism includes accommodation for genuine misunderstanding. 16. Report of the Senate Honorary Degrees Committee (circulated with agenda) R. MacKinnon, Chair of the Senate Honorary Degrees Committee, presented the report circulated with the agenda. He noted that the Committee met three times during the fall term and considered a total of nine names. Four of these names were forwarded to the University Honorary Degrees Committee with a positive recommendation. 17. Update from the Registrar (circulated with agenda) T. Buckley updated Senate on Admissions, the April Exam Schedule, preparation of the timetable, the Datatel Waitlist pilot project, staffing changes in the Registrar s Office and Preliminary Degree Audits, referring to the information circulated with the agenda. He also reported on Undergraduate Enrolment for the Fall He noted that enrolment has decreased slightly from Fall Although the overall retention rate for the campus has increased, this increase was more than offset by a decline in intake. He noted that enrolment for the Winter Term shows the same trends seen in the Fall. Of particular note is the decrease in International Student enrolment. C. Hurley asked if a target enrolment has been set for the campus. T. Buckley noted that a precise value has not been set for the campus, but that there are some professional programs where an appropriate level has been set. He also indicated that, based on filling all physical classroom space all day every day, our theoretical maximum enrolment would be much higher than our current enrolment. In response to questions regarding the possibility of putting in place a Datatel functionality for prerequisites, T. Buckley indicated that the technical solution for this functionality is possible. However, there are a number of administrative challenges and development of a useful system would require significant program review and revision. R. MacKinnon asked about reducing the manual component of the Waitlist Functionality. T. Buckley noted that there has always been a significant manual component to the waitlist process. The move to datatel has decreased it significantly, but also has moved some of the workload out to the Faculties. Unfortunately, the level of customizations UNB has made to the datatel system makes a technical solution to the Waitlist issue impossible. 18. Other Business There was no other business The meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m. Sarah DeVarenne Secretary