REPORT NUMBER 71 OF THE
UTSC ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024
To the UTSC Campus Council, University of Toronto,
Your Committee reports that it held a meeting on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 1:10 p.m. (virtually) with the following members present:
PRESENT: Elaine Khoo (Chair), Gillian Mason (Vice-Chair), Linda Johnston (Acting Vice-President & Principal), William A. Gough (Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean), Suzanne Sicchia (Acting Vice-Dean Teaching, Learning & Undergraduate Programs), Corinne Beauquis, Elyse Caron-Beaudoin, Christopher Cochrane, Sotos Damouras, Suzanne Erb, Angela Hamilton, John Hannigan, Irmi Hutfless, Mariana Jardim, Alice Maurice, Alison Mountz, Sonja Nikkila, Elizabeth O'Brien, Hadiya Roderique, Thy Phu, Jasmin Patel, Mahinda Samarakoon, Michelle Silver, Judith Teichman, Mauricio Terebiznik, Lianne Tripp, Shennel Simpson, Shelby Verboven, Marco Zimmer-De Iuliis, David Zweig
REGRETS: Irena Creed (Vice-Principal, Research & Innovation), Rene Harrison (Vice-Dean Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies), Syed Ahmed, Georgios Arhonditsis, Muntaha Almahjub, Sandra Bamford, Joshua Barker, James Bremer, Shelley Brunt, Susannah Bunce, Dhra Chourey, Sébastien Drouin, Joseph Hermer, Suzanne Erb, Randy Lundy, Julia Nefsky, Kamini Persaud, Bavan Pushpalingam, Anthony Ruocco, Karyn Sethi, Jessica Wilson, Sharlene Mollett, Karen McCrindle, William Nelson, Natalie Oswin, Sofia Suleman, Phil Triadafilopoulos, Liana Williams, Niyonta Zulfiquar
NON-VOTING ASSESSORS: Michael Souza, Naureen Nizam, Kevin Mak, Varsha Patel
SECRETARIAT: Emma Thacker (Secretary), Megann Davidson
GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE: Jack Parkinson, Lisa Lamanna (Manager, Awards and Scholarships)
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair, Professor Elaine Khoo, welcomed members and guests to the meeting. - Presentation – University of Toronto Scarborough Library
The Chair invited Angela Hamilton (Chief Librarian, UTSC) to address the Committee. Highlights of the presentation included the following:
- The UTSC Library fell under the Dean’s portfolio, and was part of the larger University of Toronto libraires system (it was 1 of 40, with 18 librarians, 4 teams).
- Library offered many spaces such as: silent study space, study rooms, Makerspace, podcast studio, mindfulness space, seed library, reuse depot, archives and special collections, and in the future would offer a data and digital scholarship lab; also included the BRIDGE and embedded library offices.
- Upcoming in 2024-25 will be more group study rooms & soft seating on level two, and improvements to the Archives & Special Collections Reading Room.
- Many partnerships were offered such as: teaching and classroom support, experiential learning, library ambassadors, paid opportunities, storytelling initiatives, tools, and platforms (e.g., NVivo).
A member thanked Angela for offering the Makerspace and commented on future partnerships with high school students. Another member asked for clarification about community access to the library, and how evolving digital literacy needs were supported by the library. Angela responded that community members had various levels of access. She noted that digital literacy was always changing and so the library focused on fundamental principles and skills, such as authorship, however with AI the landscape was shifting.
- Major Modification: New Freestanding Minor in Aging and Society (Undergraduate), Department of Health and Society, UTSC
The Chair invited Professor Suzanne Sicchia (Acting Vice-Dean Teaching, Learning & Undergraduate Programs), to present the proposal. Highlights of the proposal included the following:
- The Department of Health and Society was proposing a new Freestanding Minor in Aging and Society to complement existing programs and provide a richer contextual focus on aging individuals and societal changes.
- The interdisciplinary nature of the Department of Health and Society made it well-suited to offer this minor, which aimed to attract students interested in understanding and serving the aging population across a variety of settings.
- The proposed Minor encouraged exploration of ethical, cultural, and social contexts of health and aging, to prepare students to engage with the challenges and opportunities of a dynamic aging population.
- The design of the proposed Minor aligned with the department's goals for student skill development, UTSC's Strategic Plan for student success, and the commitment to inclusive excellence.
- The Minor would not have any admissions or eligibility requirements. It would be open to all UTSC students as an unlimited enrollment program.
Members had no questions.
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RESOLVED,
THAT the new freestanding Minor in Aging and Society (Arts) offered by the Department of Health and Society, as described in the proposal dated April 29, 2024, be approved, effective September 1, 2024.
- Minor Modifications: Undergraduate Curriculum, Department of Management, UTSC
The Chair invited Professor Suzanne Sicchia to present the item. Highlights of the proposal included the following:
- 7 new courses (MGAC80H3, MGFC85H3, MGHD60H3, MGMC40H3, MGOC50H3, MGSC91H3, MGSD55H3).
- 2 course modifications (MGFD15H3, MGSC01H3), and 3 program modifications.
A member commented on the ‘curricular breakdown’ in the proposal and asked if there were general guidelines for this approach. Professor Sicchia and Gough responded to say it was dependant on the discipline but that conversation on how to meet overall learning outcomes were welcome.
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED,
THAT the proposed Department of Management undergraduate curriculum changes for the 2024-25 academic year, as detailed in the respective documentation, be approved, effective September 1, 2024.
- Minor Modifications: Undergraduate Curriculum Changes (including Program and Admission Requirements), Department of Health and Society, UTSC
The Chair invited Professor Suzanne Sicchia to present the item. Highlights of the proposal included the following:
- 7 new courses (HLTB24H3, HLTB27H3, HLTB33H3, HLTC30H3, HLTC53H3, HLTD82H3, HLTD96Y3).
- 5 course modifications (HLTA02H3, HLTA03H3, HLTC25H3, HLTC47H3, HLTD06H3).
- Several program modifications including admission requirement change (now recommending grade 12 math required); program enrolment requirement change, course and course credit restructuring.
A member asked about exclusions and new courses. Professors Sicchia and Silver (Chair, Department of Health and Society) provided clarification.
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED,
THAT the proposed Department of Health and Society, undergraduate curriculum changes for the 2024-25 academic year, as detailed in the respective curriculum reports, be approved, effective September 1, 2024.
- Annual Report: Undergraduate Student Awards, UTSC (2022-23)
The Chair invited Shelby Verboven (Registrar & Assistant Dean Strategic Enrolment Management) to present the item. She reported that in 2022-2023, UTSC established 9 new awards and amended 2 awards. She noted that many other awards existed. These awards specified criteria closely aligned with priorities to enhance opportunities for underrepresented groups and/or for students with financial need. Lisa Lamanna (Manager, Awards and Scholarships) was also in attendance.
A member asked for clarification on why an award may be withdrawn. Shelby provided several examples of why this may occur (e.g., expendable donation). - Report of the Presidential Assessors
There were no reports.
CONSENT AGENDA
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 9, as detailed in the agenda, be approved.
- Minor Modification: Undergraduate Curriculum Changes – Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, UTSC (for information)
- Report of the Previous Meeting: Report Number 70 – March 27, 2024
- Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
- Date of Next Meeting – May 27, 2024, 3:10 p.m.
- Other Business
No other business was raised by members.
The meeting adjourned at 2:12 p.m.
May 14, 2024