Report Number 226 Of The Committee Of Academic Policy & Programs
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2024
To the Academic Board,
University of Toronto,
Your Committee reports that it held a meeting on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 3:10 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Simcoe Hall with the following members present:
PRESENT: Catherine Amara (Chair), Walid Houry (Vice-Chair), Susan McCahan (Vice-Provost, Academic Programs and Innovations in Undergraduate Education)*, Joshua Barker (Vice-Provost, Graduate Research & Education and Dean, School of Graduate Studies), Sheila Batacharya*, Susan Bondy, Daniel Bowyer, Ehab James, Shone Joos, Marcus Law, Anuradha Prakki, Rosa Saverino, Suzanne Wood
REGRETS: Robert Austin, Laurent Bozec, Pier Bryden, Robert Cooper, Kathy Haddadkar-Ghavi, Tarun Dewan, Annabelle Dravid, Jason Harlow, Akina Lalla, Yee Fun Lo, Amy Mann, Karen Reid, Kevin Temple
NON-VOTING ASSESSORS: Leah Cowen (Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives), Angelique Saweczko, University Registrar
SECRETARIAT: Joanne Chou, Timothy Harlick
IN ATTENDANCE:
Emma del Junco, Academic Reviews & Planning Specialist, Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs
Alexandra Varela, Coordinator, Academic Programs, Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs
Robyn Stremler, Dean and Professor, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
Christopher Yip, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Shan Mohammed, Master of Nursing and PMNP Program Director, Associate Professor, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
Kimberley Widger, Associate Dean, Academic, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
Nick Rule, Vice-Principal (Academic) & Dean, University of Toronto Mississauga
Kristen Reichold, Director, Office of the Dean, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
Arsalan Kahnemuyipour, Chair, Department of Language Studies
Jacob Gallagher-Ross, Chair, Department of English and Drama
Brian Price, Chair, Department of Visual Studies
Antoinette Handley, Acting Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science
Gillian Hamilton, Vice-Dean, Academic Planning
Leonid Livak, Chair, Department of Slavic & East European Languages & Cultures
Kevin Lewis O'Neill, Dean of Arts, Trinity College
John Duncan, Trinity College
Nicholas Provart, Department Chair, Department of Cell & Systems Biology
Reid Locklin, St. Michael's College
Karin Ruhlandt, Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean, UTSC*
Katie Larson, Vice-Dean, Teaching, Learning & Undergraduate Programs, UTSC*
Michelle Silver, Chair, Department of Health and Society, UTSC
Walter Tavares, faculty program supervisor for the Paramedicine program, Department of Health & Society, UTSC*
Martha Harris, Director, Academic Operations, UTM
Ferzeen Sammy, Manager, Academic Programs, Reviews & Quality Assurance, UTM
Andrea Benoit, Academic Planning & Review Officer, Faculty of Arts & Science
Amanda Pullan, Academic Planning & Review Officer, Faculty of Arts & Science
Gianna Leggio, Academic Planning & Review Officer, Faculty of Arts & Science
Stephanie Machado Fernandes, Administrator, Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs
(*attended remotely)
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members and guests to the meeting. - Reports of the Administrative Assessors
The Chair invited the Professor Joshua Barker, Vice-Provost, Graduate Research & Education and Dean, School of Graduate Studies to make his report to the Committee. He addressed the following:
The outcomes from a Humanities Working Group that the School of Graduate Studies ran last year included a number of recommendations relevant to this committee and to the quality assurance process more generally. Professor Barker noted that the full report would be released soon. He then went on to highlight the recommendations:- Graduate units and individual supervisors should facilitate interdisciplinary connections for students, including during the course work phase. There was a desire among students for interdisciplinary opportunities.
- The promotion of the delineation of learning outcomes, which were focused on the development of collaborative research skills, and the provision of collaborative research opportunities in program and major modification reviews.
- There were opportunities for collaborative research which included lab environments, field research environments and so on in many SGS programs but not all. These were important skills for students to acquire, and SGS was exploring ways in how programs could support them in the development of collaborative skills.
- SGS graduate units and departments to provide relevant professional development opportunities and information about potential career pathways for graduate students, in preparation for their career roles and responsibilities. This might include professional development opportunities that would be integrated within the curriculum, or short segments within course instruction.
- The establishment of an ad hoc working group, to explore the potential impact of changing the 10 year program time limit down to 7 years, addressing the time to completion.
- SGS and graduate units to explore strategies for enhancing academic progress and reducing time to completion through more responsive feedback loops between supervisors and students during critical phases of the graduate life cycle; reviewing milestones and setting expectations.
Declined Applicant Survey
SGS ran a confidential survey this past summer that was sent to over 2000 graduate applicants that had applied to U of T, and then had declined the offer when offered a spot.
2 key highlights that came out of the survey:
- Overall, 81% of applicants who declined were planning to attend another institution. This percentage is higher for doctoral (88%) and research master’s (92%) declined applicants, compared to professional masters (76%).
- Reasons applicants chose to pursue graduate studies elsewhere vary across degree types, but the key reason reported by master’s and doctoral-level students was a more appealing funding package at another institution.
Graduate Funding
Effective fall 2025, U of T would be increasing the base funding commitment for all PhD and SJD (Doctor of Juridical Science) students in the funded cohort, and that the base would be set at $40,000, including tuition. This was going to be announced more broadly in November. An increased funding package would help to reduce some of the financial stress that students were experiencing, and that it will allow them to increase the amount of time dedicated to their research by reducing their reliance on additional employment. It would also increase equity and access to the PhD and SJD programs, and improve the University’s competitiveness in recruiting the best and the brightest students, whom were the key drivers of U of T’s research enterprise. It was a costly initiative, in the range of $22M+ per year. The funding was expected to come from central and the divisions, and that there was acknowledgement of the forthcoming funding challenges that some divisions would face.
Final Oral Exam Working Group at the School of Graduate Studies
The Final Oral Exam (FOE) Working Group was underway at SGS. The FOE is one of the key milestones in the PhD, SJD and all of the doctoral programs. The goals of the working group was to increase the celebratory aspect of the FOE, to ensure that the FOE guidelines allowed for innovation, disciplinary and programmatic flexibility, to ensure symbiosis between the FOE and other SGS regulations and to warrant a smooth operating process. The focus group surveys had received a high level of response, indicating a great level of interest from the University community. The work was already underway and the results would be reported back to the Committee later on.
In response to a member’s question about the reasons that prospective students had indicated when they declined U of T’s offer, Professor Barker responded that the 3 most common factors were the funding package, location and the cost of living. He added that many of those students chose institutions that were within 500 kilometers of U of T, but were based in the US. The graduate funding model would enable U of T to recruit more students, and that prospective students really wanted to go to U of T due to its reputation, and the recognition that the University was a research powerhouse.
In response to a member’s questions if the granular reports would be shared with divisions, noting the differing issues between professional master students and professional doctorates which were excluded from the funding, Professor Barker responded that this year was the first time SGS ran the survey, which had a positive response rate. He added that they were planning to send out the survey again in January 2025 when the offers begin to go out and any subsequent declines. He concluded by noting that SGS would produce a dashboard that allowed people review year over year comparisons, producing the ability to see on the doctoral side the impact of the funding increase.
A member commended and thanked Professor Barker on the great and important initiative, remarking that this was the kind of information that the divisions needed.
The Chair invited Professor Leah Cowen, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives to offer her report.
University of Toronto Entrepreneurship (UTE) Annual Report
The publication of the UTE annual report was released, reflecting the terrific and innovative work of the University’s entrepreneurship community, and highlighted the fantastic accomplishments across the tri-campus community and the University ecosystem. The annual report was available on the UTE website, and she encouraged members to view the annual report.
Research Security
A new federal policy came into effect this fall, impacting the current round of tri-agency grant applications. The research security team was providing support to researchers who had questions, and they continued to develop resources to support those who were required to complete forms and attestations for both federal and provincial processes. Faculty researchers were encouraged to contact the research security team if they required any support.
Advocacy and Government Relations
Professor Cowen noted that they had been working closely with colleagues at the U15, and that they were actively involved in planning and advocacy on many fronts, particularly with the fall economic statement, the next federal budget, and continued support for research funding through the tri-agencies, a capstone funding organization, and research security. The Prime Minister announced a number of changes to the senior leadership of the public service, including a new Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) named Philip Jennings, who currently served as the Executive Director of Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean International Monetary Fund. In terms of the Capstone funding organization, Professor Cowen remarked that there were consultations over the summer, and the summary of the feedback from the consultations were released in a document last week by the Tri-Agencies. The summary reflected responses that were contributed from U of T, the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN), U15 and many others. Professor Cowen commented that one narrative that was emerging was related to research funding for small and medium institutions, and that there was a sense of inequity in the federal system that favored larger research intensive institutions. She concluded by noting that they were monitoring this matter closely.
Professor Cowen then mentioned that the Tri-Agency policy on Indigenous citizenship and membership affirmation had been released. This was a new policy, and it established a process for affirming Indigenous citizenship and membership with an Indigenous collective, where funding opportunities may be dedicated to Indigenous peoples, or when the claim of Indigenous citizenship may be a consideration in granting an award or position. She explained that they were reviewing the policy and bringing a number of questions to the tri-agencies. The policy took effect October 1st, with a phased implementation, and further details would be shared by the tri-agencies with each program moving forward.
Connaught Mid-Career Fund
There was an establishment of a new fund, called the Connaught Mid-Career Fund. The Connaught committee developed a new prestigious funding program for mid-career researchers that were often overlooked. The mid-career researcher award was designed to address the goals and challenges faced by investigators at the mid-career stage. The award would support various initiatives such as expanding the size of their research team by supervising larger cohorts of trainees, or additional support staff to help secure larger and more competitive external grants. The new fund program was open to tenured stream faculty members in any discipline that held the rank of Associate Professor, and were between 5 and 15 years of their first academic appointment. The eligibility window could be extended if there were significant interruptions in their academic career. There were two streams, and additional details would be announced very shortly.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force
Professors Tim Chan and Gary Bader, Research Co-Chairs, were leading the research working group of the U of T AI Task Force. They were charged with the development of a vision and strategic plan, within the context of research. Their goals were to identify opportunities and impacts of generative AI on all aspects of the research life cycle for the research community, as well as to make recommendations to support researchers and the institution. There would be opportunities for the University community to provide feedback to this working group, and more details would be forthcoming.
Workshops
U of T's Research Oversight and Compliance Office (ROCO) was jointly hosting a workshop on Image Integrity and Scientific Research, with UHN’s Research Quality Integration Office. This was going to be held on November 8th, and featured Dr. Elisabeth Bik, a world renowned expert in scientific image manipulation and misconduct. This seminar was open to anyone from the University community.
There was a Healthy Research Teams Symposium which featured U of T faculty discussing research practices from their own areas of the university that aligned with the different themes important to building a healthy research culture at U of T.
Members had no questions.
The Chair thanked Professors Barker and Cowen for their reports.
- Reviews of Academic Programs and Units
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Follow-up Reports from Previous Reviews
The Chair noted to the Committee that there was one follow-up report:
The University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) Specialist in Paramedicine (offered jointly with Centennial College) Follow-up Report from the Previous Review
The Chair invited Professor McCahan to offer her comments.
Professor McCahan reported that under the University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP) this committee may request a one year follow up report when concerns are raised in an external report that require a longer period of response. The committee requested a follow-up report for this review at the Cycle two meeting in October 2023, to look into the program’s adjustment to its new administrative home in the UTSC Department of Health and Society.
She summarized the follow-up report from UTSC’s Vice-Principal, Academic and Dean Karin Ruhlandt, detailing the actions that the UTSC Dean’s Office had undertaken since their review was brought forward to this committee.
The Follow-up report on the Review of the UTSC Specialist in Paramedicine (Offered jointly with Centennial College)-
In December 2023, UTSC ratified a new Memorandum of Understanding for Joint Programs with Centennial College.
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Higher engagement with the Joint Programs Steering Committee and its program-specific sub-groups which delivered a smoother and more effective collaboration and integration between the two institutions in administering the Paramedicine Specialist program.
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The Department of Health and Society collaborated with Centennial College to propose a set of program modifications aimed at addressing issues pertaining to ease of transition from UTSC to Centennial College, student readiness and workload, and communications of requirements and expectations.
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UTSC was reviewing the proposed modifications, taking into consideration the holistic student experience and offering feedback as appropriate.
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The Program-level changes to the Paramedicine program and enhanced advisory and program supports in the Department of Health and Society were being developed and assessed in close relation to campus-wide curricular planning for the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH).
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Professor Ruhlandt thanked UTSC Professors Michelle Silver, Chair, Department of Health and Society, and Walter Tavares, faculty program supervisor for the Paramedicine program, Department of Health & Society, and colleagues at Centennial College for the continued discussions and collaborations to make the Paramedicine program even better.
Members had no questions.
- Semi-Annual Report on the Reviews of Academic Units and Programs
The Chair noted that the Committee had received 9 reviews of units and/or programs, two of which were Provostial reviews and seven of which were Decanal. All were brought forward for information and discussion. The submissions included the signed administrative responses from each Dean, which highlighted action plans in response to reviewer recommendations.
The Chair reported that members had been broken into four reading groups and that each group had been assigned up to three reviews to consider. To guide their work, members of these groups were asked to consider four questions:- Does the summary accurately tell the story of the full review?
- Does the administrative response address all issues identified?
- Are there any questions, comments or substantive issues that the Committee should consider?
- Is there a need to ask that the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs bring forward a follow-up report?
The Chair also noted that, as part of their review, each of the Reading groups had submitted comments to the appropriate Deans’ Offices for their consideration in advance of the meeting.
The Chair invited Professor McCahan to make general remarks about the reviews.
Professor McCahan noted that the Committee played a critical role in the reviews of all academic programs and units at the University. The goals of these reviews were to:
- obtain expert advice of leaders in the field concerning academic and administrative issues;
- to measure performance against leading international programs; and
- to obtain guidance and input from peers on key strategic decisions.
She confirmed that 9 reviews were being brought forward for the Committee’s consideration; two commissioned by the Provost and seven reviews commissioned by Deans. She noted that both recurring and new themes were identified in the reviews: the talent and high calibre of students and the impressive body of scholarship produced by faculty, as well as the academic units’ strong and productive connections with surrounding communities, and the many initiatives undertaken by the academic units to enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Professor McCahan noted that as always, the reviews noted areas for development. The reviews identified opportunities for units to strengthen coordination and leverage interdisciplinary strengths, and suggested ways to augment supports and mentorship for both students and faculty. The reviews also highlighted the ongoing need to ensure that diversity was reflected in faculty complement and in curriculum.
Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
The spokesperson for the reading group reported that the review summary accurately described the full review and that overall, they had found the review highlighted the many strengths of the program, as well as areas for improvement. The reading group was impressed with Faculty’s leadership on the responses. The reading group reported that the Dean’s administrative response had adequately addressed issues identified by the review, but requested more clarity regarding the Faculty’s declined decision to not substitute up to 50% of clinical experiences with simulation learning (SIM) despite the reviewers’ recommendation, citing the results of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing National Simulation Study.
Professor Robyn Stremler, Dean, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing responded that they disagreed with the reviewers’ recommendation based on concerns related to several aspects of the validity and generalizability of the study cited by the reviewers in support of their recommendation. She explained that they were not aware of any replications of that study or stronger evidence in that area since that study’s publication. The study in question was conducted in 2011, and was a non-inferiority randomized control trial (RCT). It was also published in the official journal of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, which was run by the same group who conducted the study, thus introduced bias. She further explained the RCT details, specifically noting that approximately 600 students were randomized to three conditions, with no simulation learning, and replaced 25% of clinical hours with some learning, and replaced 50%. She noted that at the end of the program, students who were aware of their own group assignment gave self-evaluations of their competency, as did their clinical instructors, who were also aware of their group assignment competency ratings; the overall nursing knowledge test results did not differ across those three groups, nor did RN licensing exam results. Subsequently, there was no difference between the groups and the authors had concluded that it was fine to replace up to 50% of the clinical hours with simulation. The reviewers had noted that student program withdrawal and study drop-out in the 50% sim group was significantly higher, and those that did not follow-up were more likely to be mature students, male students and racialized students, reflective of biases within SIM. Dean Stremler concluded by remarking that given their concerns related to bias and lack of generalizability, they felt that the study was not strong enough evidence to substitute half of their clinical hours. The nursing students completed about 5% of their 420 clinical hours in their first year and that this would have been a radical shift for the faculty to significantly increase their simulation learning, and the current simulation lab spaces were already maxed out.
Dean Stremler added that Bloomberg nursing had access to diverse clinical instructors and preceptors administered by faculty members, all of whom worked within a world class health network. Thus, they were able to offer real world learning opportunities to students. The faculty would further supplement the environment through the use of SIM through leveraged relationships with the same opportunities offered in the TASM and partner sites, alleviate pressures related to the SIM capability and placement sites, and also to expand learning to the graduate programs.
No follow-up report was requested.
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (FASE)
The spokesperson for the reading group reported that the review summary had accurately reflected the full review, noting that the programs offered by this Faculty were of high quality, particularly with the leadership of teaching stream faculty members in the undergraduate programs. The Dean’s administrative response adequately addressed the issues identified for the most part, however, asked the Faculty to further comment on a number of matters which included an “overreliance on contract staff for teaching”, the planning and execution of strategic priorities, the lengthy time to completion of PhD programs, EDI-related issues and the future of Institutional Strategic Initiatives.
Chris Yip, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering responded that there was an ongoing concern related to the contract staff for teaching, and to that effect, the Faculty had revamped all of their workload policies which reassessed workload on faculty. Some departments had also reduced their demand on sessional instructors for certain courses. He added that depending on the nature of the course, there was a tendency to be reliant on external adjuncts.
Regarding the strategic plan, Dean Yip noted that the delay was due to timing as it was being developed concurrently with the facilities master plan; the facilities master plan informed the strategic plan. They were now rolling it out, adding that the Vice-Dean Strategic had outlined the academic strategic plan, and was to be presented to the Chairs and Directors. He noted that another variable that contributed to the delay was due to an additional intro planning session that had not gone well.
Regarding the time to completion, Dean Yip acknowledged the concern, noting that the Faculty had the data since April 2024 to track students more rigorously. The change in the funding formula would accelerate some of the time to completion for the longer standing graduate students.
Regarding the EDI matters, Dean Yip remarked that the Faculty had not yet hired for the 2 staff positions in the EDI Office. The Faculty had a central EDI office which was responsible for leading the Faculty’s EDI efforts with the student cohorts and the individual departments. He underscored the ongoing efforts to coordinate the EDI activities within the Faculty, and with the broader University to ensure institutional alignment.
Regarding the Institutional Strategic Initiatives (ISI), Dean Yip highlighted the Faculty’s concerns related to the limited funding and sustainability, and that FASE carried a significant number of the initial round of ISIs. The Faculty was collaborating with their next cohort; thus the sustainability ISI became part of the original plan. He explained that the initial ISIs did not build that into their actual funding structures, thus there were concerns with how they would be sustained. He concluded that they were putting forward plans to gradually end those ISIs, noting that they could not rely on the Faculties and divisions to continue, and that some of the ISIs were funded by the Dean’s Strategic Fund.
No follow-up report was requested.
University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) The Department of Language Studies
The spokesperson for the reading group reported that the review summary had accurately reflected the full review, and that the Dean’s administrative response fully addressed the issues identified, noting they presented a forward-looking strategy, outlining immediate, ongoing, and long-term plans to implement the recommendations of the external reviewers. The administrative response also indicated that many concerns raised by the reviewers would be addressed more concretely during an upcoming faculty and staff retreat in 2024-2025. They asked, however, that the department further comment if there was established date for the faculty/staff retreat to address the concerns raised by the external reviewers, and how they planned to address the for additional faculty or to secure replacements for departing faculty.
Nick Rule, Vice-Principal (Academic) & Dean, University of Toronto Mississauga, responded that the date of the retreat would be confirmed shortly in the Spring 2025. Dean Rule acknowledged that course complement planning was a difficult exercise due to the fact that the number of requests exceeded the amount of resources available. He noted that the external reviewers’ report would be a factor in their decisions, as they planned for new and continuing faculty lines. In the interim, they would ensure that teaching needs were met using sessional instructors.
No follow-up report was requested.
University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) The Department of English & Drama
The spokesperson for the reading group reported that the review summary accurately described the full review and that overall, they had found the review to be positive, noting the solid leadership, increased enrollment, innovative curricula and the importance of UTM’s collaboration with Sheridan College. The reading group reported that the Dean’s administrative response had adequately addressed issues identified by the review. They asked, however, that the Department further comment if they had considered more immediate actions to address the “significant gaps in research and teaching expertise” identified by the external reviewers in areas such as postcolonial literatures, gaming, and creative writing, and the consideration of implementing a more proactive strategy to address the concerns regarding faculty feeling “disincentivized” to pursue external research funding.
Nick Rule, Vice-Principal (Academic) & Dean, University of Toronto Mississauga, responded that they would take the external reviewers report into careful consideration as they reviewed all plans and requests for positions recognizing the urgent need to address these concerns, adding that it was an exciting area for the campus. He noted that the benefit for some of these programs was that there were practitioners that were non-traditional academics that could help fulfill the gaps, especially around creative writing, game studies and in other cognate units as well. Dean Rule then responded that they were pleased to hear that faculty felt well supported with the internal funding sources and were actively looking to address this as a broader concern throughout the humanities, but specifically within English and Drama. He noted that there was a new Associate Chair of Research that along with the Chair, provided bespoke counseling to faculty that was part of a wider UTM initiative, to encourage faculty in the humanities to submit more grants. Dean Rule concluded by remarking that UTM experienced success in attaining grants for the last several years, such as The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and had engaged efforts to match that through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) funding.
No follow-up report was requested.
University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) Department of Visual Studies
The spokesperson for the reading group reported that the review summary had accurately reflected the full review, and that the Dean’s administrative response fully addressed the issues identified. While the administrative response covered most of the pertinent issues, the group requested further explanation of the issues regarding what additional support mechanisms the department plans to implement for a more comprehensive approach to English Language Learner (ELL) student success.
Nick Rule, Vice-Principal (Academic) & Dean, University of Toronto Mississauga, responded that they had seen tremendous growth over the past several years, particularly with English Language Learners (ELL) and that the GPAs of these students had remained stable, suggesting that students were not struggling very much, and that this may have been a minor misperception with the external reviewers. The introduction of ISP 100, a first year foundational course on writing, was expected to help students and to enhance their foundational writing skills. He explained that some of the programs were not likely not as well solicited as they had hoped, so it made sense to phase those programs out and direct students towards some of the broader campus-wide resources that had been successful in other academic units. This included the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre which offered specific programming, such as On-Demand workshops, and drop-in appointments. Dean Rule hoped that these resources would benefit the students in Visual Studies that were experiencing a harder time with English, and that the administration would help connect those students with those resources.
No follow-up report was requested.
Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) Department of Slavic & East European Languages & Cultures
The spokesperson for the reading group reported that the review summary accurately described the full review and that overall, they had found the review to be positive. The reading group reported that the administrative response had adequately addressed issues identified by the review and included a comprehensive, forward-looking plan. The reading group reiterated the response and concerns about the challenges with hiring faculty on a more permanent and long-term basis, which would help stabilize the program. The group also asked for confirmation regarding the impact of the recommendations and actions, including hiring faculty and collaboration and cooperation with other areas within the university, to be reported in the Interim Monitoring Report, which would take place in two years’ time.
Antoinette Handley, Acting Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science responded that in the Faculty of Arts & Science, there was a well institutionalized process called the Faculty Appointment Committee that met on an annual basis to consider all unit requests. She noted that reviews were a critical and important part of that process, and was considered alongside a range of other indicators in the Faculty and units to consider how best to distribute scarce resources across the units and departments. Similar to UTM, the number of requests exceeded the amount of resources available, but all requests were carefully reviewed and where reviews were a critical part of that process. She noted that this would also be tightly integrated into a unit's forward looking planning. Acting Dean Handley concluded by confirming that the impact of the recommendations and actions, including hiring faculty and collaboration and cooperation with other areas within the university, would be reported in the Interim Monitoring Report,
No follow-up report was requested.
Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) The Ethics, Society and Law Program
The spokesperson for the reading group reported that the review summary had accurately reflected the full review, and that the administrative response fully addressed the issues identified and included a comprehensive, forward-looking plan. The group had no additional questions or comments.
No follow-up report was requested.
Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) The Department of Cell & Systems Biology (CSB)
The spokesperson for the reading group reported that the review was positive overall, and that the review summary accurately reflected the full review. While the administrative response covered most of the pertinent issues, the group requested further explanation of the issues regarding space limitations, lack of transparency and communications about infrastructure & renovation and TA assignments, the insufficient number of graduate students available to serve as TAs at UTM and UTSC, and graduate student funding and the potential impacts on recruitment and retention.
Antoinette Handley, Acting Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science responded that the Vice-Dean, Research & Infrastructure was going to engage in discussions with the Chief Operating Officer of Property Services and Sustainability to develop improved and direct lines of communication. She explained that in relation to space integration, the Office of Infrastructure Planning was actively engaged with CSB and the Dean’s office on the planning of a new building that would be shared with cognate researchers in another division. She noted that this initiative came from the recognition of the review, that a new building would allow for better, longer term planning. She noted that with the development of the new building, it would allow the Department to test an enhanced modular design for the research labs, with the intention that it would decrease the need for lengthy renovations when new faculty start their labs, and alleviate challenges that CSB had experienced with an aging building infrastructure and ongoing renovations.
Nicholas Provart, Department Chair, Department of Cell & Systems Biology responded that the TAs came from the graduate student pool. He explained that through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that had been signed with both UTM and UTSC campuses, they could provide input into what kind of hires could be made. Thus, if there was a need, they could explore the possibility that they hire faculty in the particular area that TAs were needed in, and those TAs could support the courses. He added that there was little operational room and that there were complexities in requesting St. George graduate students to go to UTM or UTSC. In relation to transparency and communications regarding TA Assignments, Prof. Provart remarked that graduate students were able to choose their preferences, and that they would include additional messaging that the selected preferences may not always be guaranteed. He acknowledged they needed operational flexibility, and that there were related challenges around matching TAs with their preferred courses.
No follow-up report was requested.
Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) The Christianity and Culture Program
The reading group found the summary to accurately reflect the full review. The group reported that the Dean’s administrative response adequately addressed issues identified by the review, however, asked that the Department further comment on the need for greater faculty and curriculum diversity, experiential learning opportunities, and a need for a clearer program identity and visibility beyond St. Michael's College.
Antoinette Handley, Acting Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science responded that the program's identity and its visibility beyond St. Michael’s College was often an issue for college programs, and that they were going to work with the Registrar’s office to ensure that potential students were informed about the programs and initiatives in as many ways as possible.
Professor Reid Locklin of St. Michael's College responded that he agreed with the reading group that the internship was “low hanging fruit,” noting that the program was interested in exploring additional forms of community engaged learning. He highlighted a course that was left over from the Concurrent Teacher Education Programme (CTEP) in Religious Education, which was going to be repurposed into a non-traditional internship that would include social justice initiatives, and would be offered for the first time this summer. The program had also recently concluded a 3-year pilot of a course called Christianity, Truth and Reconciliation, an offering that involved thinking about Christian residential schools, and involved an experiential learning component at the Shingwauk Indian Residential School located in Sault Ste Marie. Additional experiential learning opportunities were being explored which included building partnerships with the Catholic School Boards and the Ricci Institute at Boston College. Prof. Locklin concluded by noting that the program was working on enhancing EDI engagement through curriculum, and through thinking creatively about how to leverage visiting appointments, guests and partners in their courses.
No follow-up report was requested.
CONSENT AGENDA
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 4, the Report of the Previous Meeting, be approved.
- Report of the Previous Meeting
The report of the previous meeting was approved. - Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
There was no business arising from the report of the previous meeting.
- Date of the Next Meeting: Thursday, January 9, 2025
The Chair confirmed that the next meeting of the Committee would be held on Thursday, January 9, 2025 in the Council Chamber. - Other Business
There were no items of other business.
The meeting adjourned at 4:37 p.m.
November 5, 2024