The December 2014 meeting of the Senate will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. in the Sankey Chamber. The full agenda and supporting materials are available here.
The following is a summary of the agenda.
The President’s Report to Senate
This summarizes Brock’s 50th anniversary celebrations and concludes that the installation of the General Brock statue will likely take place in the spring, 2015. The President speaks to government intentions to deal with differentiation through funding formula revisions.
The substance of these revisions is still unknown. More worrisome is the intention of the government with regard to capital expenditures. In spite of a changed financial circumstance (since the McGuinty government’s announcement of three new campuses) there is no indication that the plan has changed or how capital investments will take place.
Enrolment reports show that “Brock is about even with last year (and slightly short of its target, which called for 1% growth overall), with little or no impact on entry standards”.
Since demographic trends in Grade 12 graduates is in sharp decline Brock is developing a strategic enrolment plan.
The Governance Committee is informing Senate of :
1) Its discussion on the consultation process regarding the selection of the next President of the University
2) Its special meeting in December regarding the committee’s input to PPBAC
3) Its motion to appoint committee chairs to a two-year term where possible
4) Its call for nominations to committees
The Senate Committee on Graduate Studies has reviewed a program proposal for a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and the reviewers’ comments on the Review of the Graduate in Education. Its comments have been sent to ARC.
The committee is reviewing its role in relation to ARC, to changes in FHB 14.11.1 Appeal of Grades, and to FHB language in reference to exit surveys. With an intention of developing future plans, the committee is discussing trends in graduate education.
Three items of information are in the report of the Senate Information Technology and Infrastructure Committee deal with a process for making recommendations to PPBAC, classroom renovations in East Academic and some facilities in the Centre for Digital Humanities, and revisions to a Facilities management report.
The Planning, Priorities and Budget Advisory Committee will ask Senate to approve recommendations regarding expenses for 2015-2016 from two committees. In its information items, the committee refers to the 4% budget reduction, the Strategic Enrolment Management initiative a joint meeting with the Strategic Planning Committee of the Board, and its ongoing consultations with Senate standing committees.
The Research & Scholarship Policy Committee is recommending that the term of the Centre for Healthy Development through Sport and Physical Activity (CHDSPA) be extended for an additional five years. In the report information items include how the library in supporting a research culture on campus, updates on the activities of the Research Office and work being done to revise the reporting structure for all committees that oversee safety associated with teaching and research activities.
The Teaching and Learning Policy Committee is informing Senate that it is consulting with the Undergraduate Student Affairs Committee to discuss the structure of the Spring/Summer term and the proposal that “Brock University adopt an official 10-minute transfer period between classes.”
The Undergraduate Program Committee is seeking Senate approval for:
1) a Dual Degree program: Brock (Bachelor of Business Administration) – European Business School (Bachelor of Science)
2) articulation agreement between Brock University’s B.A. in Community Health degree
and Mohawk College’s Cardiovascular Technology Diploma program.
A discussion of breadth requirements (to replace core and context) is postponed to a future meeting of the Undergraduate Student Affairs Committee. The committee discussed information sharing with PPBAC.
The Academic Review Committee is seeking Senate approval for the following:
1) Program Proposal Brief for the MSc in Materials Science program
2) The final assessment report for the cyclical review in the undergraduate programs in the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
3) Final assessment report for the cyclical review in the graduate and undergraduate programs in the Centre for Communication, popular Culture and Film
The committee is informing senate that MTCU approved funding eligibility for the Master of Sustainability (non co-op) and Master of Sustainability (co-op).
The Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Program Priority is completing its work on classification of programs into five categories. The summary of its activities is found in its report.
