Following each meeting of the Dalhousie University Senate, Dal News highlights some of the presentations and decisions made.
Senate is the university’s senior academic governing body, with membership consisting of elected and appointed faculty and student representatives and senior academic administrators who serve ex officio. Senate is responsible for approving new programs; granting degrees/diplomas; managing the reviews of Faculties, centres and institutes; and setting academic regulations and the academic calendar.
Senate meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month, from September through June. Learn more about Senate and its business at the Senate website.
Election of Chair of Senate
Kevin Hewitt, current chair of Senate and professor in the Department of Physics & Atmospheric Science, was elected to a new three-year term as chair.
Dr. Hewitt, who has served as chair of Senate since July 2015, received the most support in a ranked-ballot vote of Senators. Also running were Jeff Hoyle (Faculty of Agriculture) and Louise Spiteri (Faculty of Management). Dr. Hewitt will begin his new term on July 1 and serve until June 30, 2022.
“I don’t think it will be a surprise to many that my focus as Chair of Senate is to address our equity, diversity and inclusion goals,” said Dr. Hewitt, who cited global engagement and curriculum innovation/diversification as priority issues for Senate in the next few years.
“It is an honour and a privilege to serve as chair,” said Dr. Hewitt following the result. “Thank you for the confidence you’ve shown in me”.
Revised Certificates Framework
Senate voted to approve revisions to the university’s Certificates Framework, originally approved by Senate in June 2015.
The changes remove reference to diplomas in the framework (as, procedurally and academically, they resemble academic programs more than certificates), streamline the approval process for certificate programs in several ways, and remove annual reporting requirements for Faculties (moving this into the program review for affiliated programs).
The changes were recommended by a cross-Faculty working group chaired by Suzanne LeMay-Sheffield (Centre for Learning and Teaching) that was charged with completing a review of the document, designed to provide structure to the university’s wide variety of certificate programs. Dalhousie currently has 54 credit-bearing certificates at the undergraduate level along with 14 graduate-level credit-bearing certificates and many non-credit-bearing certificates in the College of Continuing Education.
DSU Report on Annual Survey Results
Aaron Prosper, senator and current president of the Dalhousie Student Union, presented on the results of the DSU’s first annual survey of students.
The survey, which had 4,645 respondents, covered a wide variety of topics related to the union, its services, and its advocacy. “It provides a benchmark on how we’re doing, and inform us on ways we can ensure our planning and actions accurately reflect the needs of students,” said Prosper.
In addition to questions about overall satisfaction, the survey asked students about communications, use of particular DSU services and priorities for advocacy. Particular issues cited include food security and support for survivors of sexualized violence.
Reports
- Chair Kevin Hewitt noted that the next Senate meeting will consider the outcome of Senate’s engagement with the Board regarding fossil fuel divestment.
- Interim President MacKinnon’s report highlighted Earth Science professor Anne-Marie Ryan’s recent receipt of a prestigious 3M Teaching Fellowship, the announcement of the new James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies in Dal’s Faculty of Medicine, and the forthcoming call for nominations for the President’s Award for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
Learn more about the Dalhousie Senate at its website. Minutes for past Senate meetings are available on DalSpace. Minutes for this meeting will be posted once approved by Senate.
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