THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver Senate Secretariat Senate and Curriculum Services Enrolment Services 2016-1874 East Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 www.senate.ubc.ca VANCOUVER SENATE MINUTES OF MARCH 20, 1996 Attendance Present: President D. W. Strangway (Chair), Vice-President D. R. Birch, Mr. S. Arnold, Dr. A. P. Autor, Mr. J. A. Banfield, Dr. J. D. Berger, Dean C. S. Binkley, Dr. A. E. Boardman, Mr. J. Boritz, Dr. D. M. Brunette, Dr. D. G. A. Carter, Ms. L. Chui, Dr. D. H. Cohen, Dr. T. S. Cook, Dr. M. G. R. Coope, Ms. J. Dzerowicz, Mr. D. G. Geros, Dr. J. H. V. Gilbert, Mr. E. B. Goehring, Dean M. A. Goldberg, Dean J. R. Grace, Dean M. J. Hollenberg, Dr. M. Isaacson, Dr. J. G. T. Kelsey, Mr. D. Khan, Professor V. J. Kirkness, Dr. S. B. Knight, Ms. L. Lam, Mr. A. Lau, Mr. T. Lau, Mr. C. Lim, Dr. S. C. Lindstrom, Mr. S. Lohachitranont, Mr. R. W. Lowe, Dr. D. J. MacDougall, Dean M. P. Marchak, Dean B. C. McBride, Dr. M. D. Morrison, Dr. R. J. Patrick, Mr. R. L. de Pfyffer, Professor M. Quayle, Professor J. A. Rice, Dr. R. A. Shearer, Dean N. Sheehan, Mr. D. Shu, Dr. A. J. Sinclair, Dr. C. E. Slonecker, Dean C. L. Smith, Dr. J. R. Thompson, Dr. S. Thorne, Dr. W. Uegama, Dr. J. Vanderstoep, Mr. D. R. Verma, Dr. E. W. Whittaker, Dr. R. M. Will, Dr. D. Ll. Williams, Mr. E. C. H. Woo, Dr. W. C. Wright Jr., Dean E. H. K. Yen. Regrets: Chancellor R. H. Lee, Dr. D. R. Atkins, Dr. S. Avramidis, Dr. J. Barman, Mr. P. T. Brady, Mr. D. Culhane, Mr. I. Gill, Dr. J. Gosline, Dr. S. E. Grace, Mr. H. D. Gray, Rev. J. Hanrahan, Dr. M. Levine, Professor P. T. K. Lin, Dr. D. M. Lyster, Dr. M. MacEntee, Dean J. H. McNeill, Mr. W. B. McNulty, Dean A. Meisen, Mr. A. Pederson, Dr. W. J. Phillips, Mrs. M. Price, Dr. D. J. Randall, Professor R. S. Reid, Dean J. F. Richards, Dr. H. B. Richer, Ms. C. A. Soong, Ms. L. M. Sparrow, Dr. L. J. Stan. Minutes of the previous meeting Dean McBride l That the minutes of the sixth regular meeting Dr. Berger i of Senate for the Session 1995-96, having been circulated, be taken as read and adopted. Carried. Chair's remarks and related questions STUDENT MEMBERSHIP On behalf of Senate, President Strangway expressed thanks and appreciation to the student senators attending their last meeting. In particular, the President paid tribute to 11386 Vancouver Senate 11387 Minutes of March 20,1996 Chair's REMARKS AND RELATED QUESTIONS Mr. Brian Goehring, a member of Senate from 1988 to 1996, and to Mr. Emile Woo a member of Senate from 1992 to 1996, for their service on Senate and the Senate Budget Committee. GENERAL PURPOSE OPERATING BUDGET President Strangway drew attention to recent press reports concerning the tuition fee increase change, the grant increase cut or add, as the case may be, and inflation. The President noted that approximately 84% of the University's costs are salaries and benefits, so inflation costs are almost entirely decided by salary increases. The announcements that were made were that tuition fees would be frozen, the grant would be frozen, and the 1996/97 federal transfer payment cut of 5% would not be passed on. In addition, there was a clear statement that salaries would be frozen. The result of these items being frozen is that the budget change is basically zero. The President stated that the net result for UBC, although details are still being put together, is that there will be approximately a 1% reallocation in the general purpose core operating budget to meet essential expenditures. He stated that this was good news compared to what is happening in other provinces. President Strangway also noted that: i) there will be a further 5% cut in the federal transfer payments in 1997/98 and, ii) federal transfer payments for 1998/99 and for 1999/2000, including both tax points and the cash fund, will be frozen; thus no further cuts are expected in the following two years. In the year after that there will be some increase in the transfer payment. However, since the federal cut for next year is a further 5%, and because it is unknown at this time whether the province will shield universities as they did this year, there are still uncertainties. Vancouver Senate 11388 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE In response to a query, the President stated that the intention was that the University would honour the CUPE agreements. Reports of Committees of Senate ACADEMIC POLICY COMMITTEE Review of Policy on Discrimination and Harassment Dr. Williams, chair of the committee, reminded Senate that a motion was passed last October referring the Policy on Discrimination and Harassment to the Academic Policy Committee for review. It was suggested at that time that it would be premature to refer the policy until a 12 month review had been completed. Dr. Williams stated that the committee had now received a copy of that review, a short version of which was published in the March 7th edition of UBC Reports with some proposed revisions to the existing policy. The Academic Policy Committee wished to draw this to the intention of Senate in case members had any comments or reservations that they would like to make with regard to the policy. Dr. Williams invited members of Senate to address their comments to him in order to assist the committee in preparing its review of the policy. ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration - exchange program Dr. Will, chair of the committee, presented the report. The committee recommended approval of an exchange program with Seoul National University, Korea. Vancouver Senate 11389 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE Dr. Will l That the exchange program between the Dean Goldberg i Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration and Seoul National University be approved. Carried. Proposed changes to the Calendar Statement on Admissions The committee recommended approval of proposed changes to the admissions section of the Calendar under "Undergraduate Admissions". Dr. Will stated that the committee had updated this section of the Calendar but that there was only one change in terms of regulations. Under the heading General Admission Requirement, the following sentence had been added: "In the case of applicants with more than 60 credits of prior study, the admission average is calculated on the basis of the most recently completed 60 credits." Dr. Will explained that the regulation allows students with a very low academic record in initial post-secondary efforts to put that behind them if they had improved their performance in their later period. He stated that there are also students with more than 60 credits who initially get very high grades, possibly in another field, who could meet the grade point average for admission despite the fact that performance in the most recent grades earned was below the average required for admission. The change will put these students on the same basis as the majority of students with prior study who have 60 or fewer credits. Dr. Will then highlighted some of the other revisions proposed by the committee. Dr. Will l That the proposed revisions to the admissions Dr. Shearer i section of the Calendar be approved. Carried. Vancouver Senate 11390 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE CONTINUING STUDIES COMMITTEE Proposed revision to the policy on the establishment of Certificate Programs at UBC Proposed revisions to the policy on the establishment of Certificate Programs had been referred back to the committee at the January meeting. Dr. Vanderstoep, chair of the committee, presented the following revised report which contains amended guidelines in response to queries raised at the January meeting: Preamble Continuing education at The University of B.C. is undertaken by several Faculties who oversee discipline-specific programs, and by Continuing Studies. It is the purpose of this document to amend and to amplify the definition of University Certificate Programs approved by the University Senate in 1977, and to parallel the amended policy for Diploma programs approved by Senate in March, 1994. The 1977 policy was unclear about the role of Senate in the approval of Diploma and Certificate programs, and focused specifically on programs that consisted entirely of degree-credit courses. The amended policy for Diploma programs clarified the requirement of Senate approval for these programs comprising mainly degree-credit courses. Under this additional amendment, Certificate programs will consist primarily of certificate-credit courses and approval will rest with the academic units and Faculties. By limiting approval to the departmental or Faculty level with monitoring by the Senate Committee on Continuing Education, the revised policy responds to the need for a high level of market-place responsiveness and flexibility in the development of workplace-oriented programs. It is understood that both Faculties and Continuing Studies are mandated to develop and offer Certificate programs; the degree to which the units collaborate is subject to mutual agreement. All programs developed by Continuing Studies will be subject to approval from appropriate Faculties. Faculties may determine their own internal policies for the approval of Certificate programs undertaken within their auspices, and in regard to the role of member departments in the approval of programs undertaken by other Faculties or Continuing Studies. We ask the Senate to approve the policy revision, subject to a review process to be set five years after the date of approval. In summary, the new policy differs from the 1977 document in two respects: Vancouver Senate 11391 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE 1. Certificate programs should now consist primarily of certificate-credit courses. This change is based upon the rationale that Faculties and Continuing Studies are capable of developing academically rigorous certificate-credit courses offered in a format compatible with the needs of adult learners and employers. These courses may be offered at a university academic level appropriate for the Certificate program and need not be restricted to first and second year levels. 2. Each program will be reported to the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies and Senate through the regular reports of Continuing Studies and the Faculties. However, Senate will not be involved in the formal approval of Certificate programs. To ensure that academic standards and integrity are consistent with the University overall, all programs must be approved by the academic units involved in their development and offering or the Associate Vice-President of Continuing Studies, as appropriate. Faculties may establish their own additional internal approval procedures. Guidelines for the Establishment of Certificate Programs (Amendments to 1977 Guidelines for the Establishment of Diploma and Certificate Programs) I. Definition of a Certificate Program 1) A Certificate program should normally consist of specialized, certificate-credit courses offered at a university level. It may also draw from regular University degree-credit courses. Student assessment in certificate-credit courses should be consistent with University standards. 2) The program of study should be equivalent to a minimum of one-half, and a maximum of one-full year of university study. 3) Minimum admission requirements should be secondary school graduation with some exceptions made for mature students. Normal admission requirements may require some post-secondary education or professional work experience. II. Criteria for the Establishment of Certificate Programs 1) A program should be initiated only if the subject matter is appropriate to university-level teaching and research. Programs may be established collaboratively among academic units and Continuing Studies, and may include collaborative partners external to the University. Vancouver Senate 11392 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE 2) A program should have clearly defined educational objectives and may be oriented toward a career or professional standing; it should not be a set of courses to screen candidates for a graduate degree. 3) A program should be developed and maintained under the guidance of an advisory committee consisting of at least one representative from each of the appropriate academic units and may also include, as appropriate, representatives from Continuing Studies, other academic institutions, employers, professional associations, labour groups, community professionals and other interested parties. 4) The role of the program advisory committee is to undertake and/or review proposed programs with respect to: curriculum, program format, evaluative procedures, admissions criteria, assessment of internal and external resources (including library collections and students services), financial feasibility, and market demand. III. Program Approval Process 1) The proposed Certificate program is approved in principle by Deans or Unit Heads of those Faculties or departments involved in the planning process or the Associate Vice-President of Continuing Studies, as appropriate. Designated members of the respective Faculties or departments are assigned to the program advisory committee. Faculties may establish their own internal approval processes in addition to the process outlined in this policy. Programs under development should be reported to the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies. 2) Upon approval by the advisory committee, the program proposal is forwarded to appropriate Deans and Department Heads or the Associate Vice-President of Continuing Studies, as appropriate, for final approval. IV. Program Administration Implementing and maintaining appropriate administrative policies and procedures, student support services, financial administration, promotion and marketing are the responsibility of the unit which has consented to administer the program. Academic units are encouraged to work with Continuing Studies in this regard. V. Program Review Process To ensure continuing quality and relevance, each program is subject to review by Continuing Studies and/or the academic unit(s) offering the program within a specified time period not exceeding five years. Vancouver Senate 11393 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE VI. Awarding of Certificates Graduates of Certificate programs are not conferred a certificate or diploma by the Senate or the Registrar of the University, and will not attend congregation. However, graduates will receive a certificate signed by appropriate officers of the University. Dr. Vanderstoep l That Senate adopt the revised guidelines for Dr. Uegama i ^e establishment of Certificate Programs as outlined in items I, II, III, IV, V and VI. Dr. Vanderstoep reported that the committee had made minor changes in wording to items I. and II. of the proposed guidelines but that item III., Program Approval Process, had undergone a significant change in wording. He pointed out that paragraph (1) of item III. now provides for Deans or Unit Heads of those Faculties or Departments involved in the planning process to be involved in the approval process. When the program originates with, and is delivered primarily by, people and staff from Continuing Studies, the Associate Vice-President of Continuing Studies will have final approval. However, in most cases academic units will still be involved and they will approve the involvement of departments in the delivery of programs. Other changes to the 1977 guidelines include a requirement that programs under development be reported to the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies. Dr. Vanderstoep said that he anticipates that an annual report will be submitted to Senate detailing all the programs in Continuing Studies. Such a report would include the certificate programs delivered by Continuing Studies and the various academic Vancouver Senate 11394 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE departments. Referring to the clause on Program Administration, Dr. Vanderstoep noted that academic units are encouraged to work with Continuing Studies. Dr. Vanderstoep then drew attention to item VI. which states that graduates of certificate programs are not conferred a certificate by the Senate or the Registrar but they will receive a certificate signed by appropriate officers of the University, which could be a Dean or Department Head, or both. Dr. Vanderstoep stated that the most significant change to the guidelines is that certificate programs will consist primarily of certificate-credit courses, although regular degree-credit courses could be used, whereas the previous guidelines provided for degree-credit type courses usually at first and second year level. In summarizing the report, Dr. Vanderstoep stated that the proposed changes will make the approval process faster and enable the development of programs that are responsive to the market demand to be delivered effectively and efficiently. Dr. MacDougall pointed out that under section 36(h) of the University Act, Senate has specific instructions about the approval of programs, namely that it has the power to grant degrees, including certificates of proficiency. Also, under section 39(d), Faculties can determine the courses of instruction, subject to the approval of Senate. This legislation was drafted on the basis that Senate would be the ultimate approving authority of courses of instruction, certificates, diplomas and degrees offered within the University. Dr. MacDougall suggested that the motion should be amended to ensure that the proposals are brought to Senate for approval. Vancouver Senate 11395 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE Dr. Will agreed with Dr. MacDougall's interpretation of the University Act stating that Senate is responsible for standards even if it is not involved in the awarding of certificates. Referring to the wording of item VI. Dr. Will asked if there were to be two types of diploma programs, one approved by the Senate and the other by Continuing Studies Dr.Vanderstoep responded that all diploma programs are approved by Senate and that it was not the intention that there would be two different programs. The wording was meant to convey that graduates of Certificate programs would not be given a credential by Senate. Dean Goldberg spoke in favour of the proposal stating that it was important that the approval process be decentralized to some extent to allow the University the flexibility it requires in order to respond more quickly to societies needs. Dr. Carter also spoke in favour of the proposal. He said that it was extremely important, given the present environment and pace of change, that UBC be capable of responding quickly to the broader public that it serves. In response to queries by Dean Grace, Dr. Vanderstoep stated that the use of the word "should" was intentional in that it provides the flexibility considered necessary by the committee. With regard to the meaning of one-half year of study, Dr. Vanderstoep confirmed that this meant one-half of an academic year, not a calendar year. Vancouver Senate 11396 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE Vice President Birch stated that there was no doubt that Senate approves all degree programs and all diploma programs. The point of the proposal before Senate was to differentiate between diploma and certificate programs in order to provide for a degree of flexibility which would be extremely helpful both to the institution and many of the clients that the various Faculties serve. Vice President Birch pointed out that any degree- credit course offered in a certificate program will have had Senate approval, so quality assurance measures are built into that. He also pointed out that the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies will be reporting to Senate on the certificate programs approved which will give Senate an opportunity to comment and revise the policy if necessary. Dr. Vanderstoep stated that requiring the Associate Vice President of Continuing Studies to bring proposals to Senate for approval would cause a great deal of delay and problems with flexibility. In response to a query by Mr. Lohachitranont, Dr. Vanderstoep stated that the use of degree-credit courses would have the potential of affecting the availability of those courses to regular students in degree programs and that would have to be taken into consideration in developing certificate programs. Dr. Kelsey spoke in support of the proposed guidelines stating that certificate programs are quite different from diploma programs as far as intent, scope and nature are concerned. He said that Senate was being asked to approve the concept Vancouver Senate 11397 Minutes of March 20,1996 Reports OF COMMITTEES OF SENATE of certificate programs rather than engage in detailed approval of each program. Dr. Kelsey pointed out that each program will be reviewed within five years and that presumably Senate will receive reports from the committee at regular intervals. In commenting on the proposal, Dr. Uegama stated that the process would be delayed by more than a month if programs had to be brought to Senate for approval. He stressed that the needs of the community were changing and therefore the practice of establishing curriculum that remains unchanged for several years is no longer viable. He realized, however, that judgements about what is appropriate for the University to be delivering were best made by the Faculties that teach those subjects rather than a bodythat is broader than that. He stated that the people interested in certificate programs were from professional groups, scientific groups, and technical organizations; therefore most of the programs will be offered by Faculty units rather than Continuing Studies. Any of the programs that the Continuing Studies unit offers will most likely be done in concert with Faculties. Dr. Will asked if students taking certificate programs that include degree-credit courses will require university admission. The Registrar responded that every student registered in a credit course is entitled to receive a transcript if they complete the course. However, in the case of a student in a certificate program that transcript would make it clear that the student had been admitted only to the certificate program. He assumed that this was an item that must be resolved when the Vancouver Senate 11398 Minutes of March 20,1996 CA Professorship in Accounting certificate program is being put together. If the program anticipates using credit courses, then the admission standards referred to in the report would be judged to be appropriate to ensure that the students in the program could take the course and would have the appropriate preparation to do so. Dr. Will said he was talking about academic standards, not the processing of paper. He stated that the academic standard of whether a student can participate in a credit course is determined by the Senate through the Admissions Office, rather than someone not subject to Senate. IN AMENDMENT: Dr. MacDougall Dr. Cook That the proposal be amended to provide for review of the certificate programs by Senate. Lost. The original motion was put and carried. TRIBUTES COMMITTEE Congregation Ceremonies A list of Congregation Ceremonies and Honorary Degree Presentations had been circulated for information. CA Professorship in Accounting It was stated in the material circulated that The Chartered Accountants' Professorship in Accounting is to be funded by the Chartered Accountants' Education Foundation of British Vancouver Senate 11399 Minutes of March 20,1996 Centre for Advanced Wood Processing Columbia. The professorship will enable the Faculty to attract and/or retain a senior accounting scholar, one of whose major functions will be to provide a strong continuing bridge to the accounting profession, particularly to the oldest body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia. Dean Goldberg l That the establishment of The CA Dr. Boardman J Professorship in Accounting be approved. Carried. Centre for Advanced Wood Processing Dean Binkley explained that the proposal to establish a Centre for Advanced Wood Processing arose out of a review of the Department of Wood Science and through an initiative called the National Education Initiative on the Canadian Wood Processing Industry. This review also resulted in the establishment of the Wood Processing B.Sc. program recently approved by Senate. Dean Binkley explained that the centre will be responsible for supporting the undergraduate degree program through its maintenance of facilities for teaching and research, and through its support of the co-operative education program. The centre will have a research and development initiative and a continuing studies initiative. Funding for the centre will be provided through grants from the federal government, Forest Renewal BC, and the Ministry of Skills, Training and Labour for the construction cost components of the activity. Dean Binkley l That the establishment of the Centre for Dean Goldberg i Advanced Wood Processing be approved. Carried. Vancouver Senate 11400 Minutes of March 20,1996 Other BUSINESS Other business ADMISSIONS Dr. Cook, referred to a news report about the failure of UBC's admissions officers to respond to a CBC request for information about the denial of admission to a student from an alternative school. Dr. Cook thought that this would have been an excellent opportunity for UBC to explain to the public the standards that exist, and in doing so inform the alternative school of the necessity for them to have their students write provincial examinations so they are not limited to enter UBC or other universities in the province. The Registrar responded that when CBC made their enquiry, the Associate Registrar for Admissions was not on campus. However, a message to call another admissions officer was left for the reporter but the reporter did not call back. He said that there was no reluctance on the part of the Admissions Office to talk to the reporter. The Registrar stated that he might not have given the reporter the advice Dr. Cook suggested because there is a clause in the Calendar that reads "Excellent students who do not meet all of the published admission requirements may be considered for admission in exceptional cases by the Dean of the Faculty or the Dean's designate." This particular case had been referred to the Faculty of Arts in 1995, and the Faculty had chosen not to use this particular provision. Whether the decision was made on the basis of its inappropriateness, or the excellence of the student, the Registrar was not in a position to say. Dr. Will commented that anyone going to an alternative school should be aware of the requirements for admission to UBC and should not be disappointed if they choose not to get the credential for admission. He stated that many students are doing home Vancouver Senate 11401 Minutes of March 20,1996 Other BUSINESS studies but that does not preclude them from writing the provincial examination. Dr. Will stated that concern for how students are likely to succeed is one of the reasons for having a credential. Also, because of limited enrolment, it is important that there is a fair system in place which ensures that students are assessed more or less on the same basis, and a credential does that. POLITICAL SCIENCE In response to a query by Ms. Dzerowicz, Dean Grace stated that Dr. Elkins, Acting Head of the Department of Political Science, had prepared a report and a summary of the work that had taken place in the Department of Political Science over the past few months. He explained that there were reports from three working groups that had been looking at various aspects of the department's offerings in the graduate area, the most relevant being a report on the whole question of equity. The report is now before the department and they will be voting on the various recommendations. A report dealing with curriculum matters and a report dealing with management and social areas have been dealt with already by the department. In response to a further query, Dean Grace stated that Political Science graduate students had formed a society which is participating in the activities of the various groups, and that the working groups had input from undergraduate and graduate students during the preparation of the reports, although some students chose not to participate in the process. Vancouver Senate 11402 Minutes of March 20,1996 Adjournment Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m. Next meeting The next regular meeting of Senate will be held on Wednesday, April 17, 1996.