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COUNCIL CHAMBER, ROOM 3130, W. G. DAVIS BUILDING
Report Number 58 Of The UTM Academic Affairs Committee
Thursday, May 8, 2025
To the UTM Campus Council,
University of Toronto Mississauga,
Your UTM Academic Affairs Committee reports that it held a meeting in the Council Chamber, Room 3130, W. G. Davis building on May 8, 2025 with the following members present:
PRESENT: Laura Taylor (in the Chair), Rosa Hong (Vice-Chair), Alexandra Gillespie (Vice-President & Principal), France Gagnon, (Vice-Principal Research and Innovation), Ajay Rao (Vice-Dean Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs), Shauna Brail, Margarida Duarte (Vice-Dean, Undergraduate), Areej Al-Dailami, Shakhriyor Bakhtiyorov, Barend Beekhuizen, Brett Beston, Ilia Binder, Elizabeth Blake, Laura Brown, Craig Chambers, Boris Chrubasik, Jacob Gallagher-Ross, Tanjim Hossain, Ehab James, Arsalan Kahnemuyipour, Renu Kanga Fonseca, Andrew Miles, Katie Ngo, Andreas Park, Andrew Petersen, Gary Lee Pelletier, Gurpreet Rattan, Christoph Richter, Dany Savard, Jumi Shin, Afsaneh Tafazzoli, Jaimal Thind, Anil Wasif, Jonathan Weisberg, Ron Wener, Ronald Wolthoff
REGRETS: William Gough, Andreas Bendlin, Steven Bernstein, Randy Besco, Liza Blake, Laura Brown, Michael DeBraga, Pierre Desrochers, Jan Durkiewicz, Claudiu Gradinaru, Josée Johnston, Ayman Kashif, Asif Mohammed, Michael Nixon, Alanna Olteanu, Brian Price, Todd Sanders, Adriano Senatore, Sarah Sharma, Meghan Sutherland, Ewan Wilton, Ava Zdrava.
NON-VOTING ASSESSORS: Mark Overton (Dean of Student Affairs), Martha Harris (Director of Academic Operations, Office of the VPA&D), Bryan Stewart (Vice-Dean, Academic Programs)
SECRETARIAT: Cindy Ferencz-Hammond
IN ATTENDANCE: Rachel Gorjup (Academic Appeals and Integrity Coordinator), Ferzeen Sammy (Manager, Academic Programs, Reviews & Quality Assurance)
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members to the last meeting of the Committee for the academic year. - Name Change of Academic Unit – Change in the name of the Department of Psychology to the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, UTM
The Chair invited Professor Bryan Stewart, Vice-Dean, Academic Programs, to present the item.
Professor Stewart presented a proposal from the Department of Psychology to change its name to the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, effective July 1, 2025. He explained that the purpose of this name change was to better reflect the breadth and interdisciplinary nature of the department’s research and teaching activities. The new name aimed to address misconceptions associated with the term "psychology," which was often narrowly interpreted as referring solely to clinical therapy or counseling, whereas UTM’s department had significant strengths in behavioral and brain sciences.
The department, established in 2003, had grown to include 26 faculty members and over 1,800 undergraduate students. It offered a range of interdisciplinary programs and was part of a tri-campus structure with units at the St. George and Scarborough campuses. Nearly half of the department’s faculty were involved in brain-based research, employing advanced tools such as MRI and brain electrophysiology. Research clusters within the department included behavioral neuroscience; developmental psychology; health, adaptation and well-being; and perception, cognition, and language.
The proposed name "Psychological and Brain Sciences" had been adopted by peer institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Indiana University, and UC Santa Barbara. The use of the plural "sciences" was intentional to emphasize the department’s interdisciplinary focus. Alternative names, including "Psychology and Neuroscience," were considered, but ultimately rejected to avoid confusion with other university units. The selected name was seen as the most accurate representation of the department’s identity and future direction.
Extensive consultation was conducted with internal and external stakeholders. More than 93% of students either supported or were neutral about the change, and the UTM psychology faculty unanimously approved the proposal. Colleagues from the St. George and Scarborough campuses also supported the name change. The change would only affect the department’s name and admissions categories; there would be no changes to program structures, course codes, or faculty appointments. Resource implications were minimal, with updates to signage and marketing materials to be handled through regular budget cycles.
During the discussion, a question was raised about whether the change would impact the names of individual academic programs. It was confirmed that only the department name would change; program names would remain the same.
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED,
THAT the name of the Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, be changed to the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, effective July 1, 2025. - Program Closures Environmental Geosciences, UTM
- Specialist in Environmental Geosciences (Specialist)
Professor Stewart explained that the Environmental Geosciences Specialist program had been launched in 2014 as a joint initiative between the Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences (CPS) and the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment. The program was originally designed to prepare students for certification as professional geoscientists in Ontario, aligned with both provincial and national standards. However, since its inception, the program had experienced persistent challenges. Enrollment remained extremely low, with only two students graduating from the program since its launch and no new enrollments in the past five years.
Additional difficulties included challenges in offering required courses and changes in course content, which negatively affected the program’s alignment with professional certification requirements. Furthermore, many prospective students lacked the necessary high school prerequisites to enroll in foundational science courses, which limited accessibility to the program.
In response to these issues, CPS restructured its Earth Sciences curriculum in 2019–2020. The revised Earth Science Specialist program introduced two distinct pathways: Resources, Hazards and Techniques, and Earth, Climate and Life. Both pathways met the requirements for professional geoscientist certification. With these pathways now well-established and functioning effectively, the Environmental Geosciences Specialist program had become redundant.
Closing the program would not impact course availability, faculty workloads, or student options. Since there were no current students enrolled, no transition plan was needed. Students interested in pursuing professional geoscience certification could still do so through the updated Earth Sciences Specialist pathways with appropriate departmental advising. Faculty, staff, and students from both involved departments had been consulted, and no objections were raised. The closure was expected to allow the departments to redirect resources toward more robust and sustainable academic offerings.
Members had no questions.
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED,
THAT the closure of the Specialist in Environmental Geosciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, as detailed in the proposal dated March 31, 2025, to which admissions were administratively suspended on October 25, 2024, be approved with an anticipated program closure date of August 31, 2025.
- Specialist in Environmental Geosciences, Co-op Internship Program (CIP) stream
Following the closure of the *Environmental Geosciences Specialist* program, the committee considered a related proposal to close the associated UTM CIP (co-op internship) stream. This co-op stream had been approved in January 2024 as part of a broader package of program modifications and was directly linked to the Environmental Geosciences Specialist program. However, the parent program had already begun to be phased out by the time the co-op stream was approved.
Since a co-op stream cannot function independently of its parent program, the closure of the Environmental Geosciences Specialist program necessitated the closure of the associated CIP stream. As previously presented by Professor Stewart, persistent low student enrollment in the specialist program, combined with the existence of more viable alternatives within the Earth Sciences curriculum, supported this decision.
It was noted that no students had ever enrolled in the CIP stream for Environmental Geosciences. As such, there were no implications for student transitions, faculty workloads, or course offerings. There were also no resource implications for the department or division.
Professor Stewart concluded by noting that the closure of the CIP stream was therefore deemed a clean and logical administrative step, completing the process of phasing out a program that had seen no student uptake.
Members had no questions.
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RESOLVED,
THAT the closure of the Specialist in Environmental Geosciences, Co-op Internship Program (CIP) stream, UTM, as detailed in the proposal dated March 7, 2025, to which admissions were administratively suspended on October 25, 2024, be approved, effective August 31, 2025.
- Specialist in Environmental Geosciences (Specialist)
- Major Modification: New Freestanding Minor in Logic, UTM*
Professor Stewart presented a proposal from the Department of Philosophy at UTM for the creation of a new freestanding minor in Logic, set to launch in September 2025. The proposal was introduced in response to growing student interest in logical reasoning skills across various disciplines—not only within philosophy, but also in mathematics, computer science, physics, and other STEM fields. The program’s goal was to equip students with the ability to think critically and symbolically, while exploring the connections between logic, philosophy, mathematics, and computer science.
The minor was designed to be interdisciplinary and flexible, allowing students to tailor the program to their academic interests and career goals. It was noted that the existing philosophy faculty were already teaching the required courses and that the minor would not impose additional workload. Enrollment in logic courses had been consistently strong, with most students coming from outside the philosophy department, especially from STEM areas.
The program was supported by departmental faculty, students, and administrators. It was also endorsed by the Chair of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, as well as other tri-campus colleagues. The initiative stemmed from an earlier UTQAP review that identified logic as a promising area for program development. It followed the success of other interdisciplinary minors in the department, such as Ethics, Law and Society, and Philosophy of Science.
During discussion, members of the committee inquired about the flexibility of electives and whether language studies courses could be counted. The response confirmed that such courses could be considered with departmental approval. Another member suggested that introductory logic courses might be made more accessible by altering their course codes or titles, noting how perceptions about course difficulty can influence enrollment. It was also clarified that the department anticipated the minor would mostly attract students from mathematics and computer science into philosophy.
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RESOLVED,
THAT the new Freestanding Minor in Logic, in the Department of Philosophy, UTM, as detailed in the proposal dated April 17, 2025, be approved, effective September 1, 2025. - Amendment to an Existing Academic Regulation: Taking Courses at Other Universities with a Letters of Permission (LOP), UTM
At the invitation of the Chair, Ms Renu Kanga Fonseca, Registrar and Assistant Dean, Enrolment Management, informed members that the proposal was developed in response to recent changes in the University of Toronto’s university-wide policy on transfer credits. These changes established that courses administered by third-party organizations would no longer be eligible for transfer credit, even when offered in partnership with recognized institutions.
To align with this, UTM—along with the Faculty of Arts & Science and the University of Toronto Scarborough—proposed eliminating the option for students to apply for transfer credit after completing a course. Instead, students will now be required to obtain prior approval through a Letter of Permission (LOP) if they wished to take courses at another institution for credit toward their UTM degree. With this change, students needed to request and receive approval before enrolling in an external course if they want the credit to count toward their degree.
The proposed change aimed to help students make more informed academic decisions and avoid financial and academic risks. Previously, students could complete a course elsewhere and then request transfer credit, only to discover afterward that the course was not eligible. Under the new regulation, students would know in advance whether a course qualified and how it fit into their degree requirements. This process also supported academic planning, so that delays in progress toward graduation caused by unmet prerequisites or unapproved credit could be avoided.
The revised policy also emphasized that students were expected to complete their courses at the University of Toronto with UTM, UTSC, or St. George campus offerings. Exceptions would be considered only in specific cases, such as when a necessary course was not available in a given term, when students faced extenuating personal circumstances, or when there was a compelling academic opportunity at another institution (for example, a course taught by a renowned faculty member).
The updated process would retain the existing Letter of Permission deadlines and timelines, and the Office of the Registrar would continue to show flexibility in urgent cases—particularly for students nearing graduation. Implementation of the new regulation would include updates to the Academic Calendar, Registrar’s website, internal systems, and communication channels across campus. Consultations were carried out with academic leaders, the Office of the Dean, the UTM Student Union, and relevant faculties at UTSC and St. George to ensure alignment and collaboration.
During discussion, several members raised questions. One member inquired about the timeline for obtaining a Letter of Permission. It was clarified that the current deadlines and processing timelines would remain unchanged, and that the university would continue to be flexible, particularly for students close to graduation or those with extenuating circumstances. Another question focused on the rationale behind the policy—specifically, whether the goal was to protect institutional revenue or support student success. In response, Ms Kanga Fonseca emphasized that the primary motivation was to protect students from academic and financial setbacks. There had been cases, including a notable incident, where hundreds of students enrolled in online courses offered through a Western Canadian institution in partnership with an unrecognized third-party provider. None of these courses ended up qualifying for transfer credit, leaving students at a disadvantage.
A question was also raised about whether the policy change removed any useful flexibility for students. The response clarified that while the post-course transfer credit request option would no longer be available, the pre-approval process through the LOP retained all academic benefits while providing students with greater clarity and protection in advance.
Finally, one member asked whether the emphasis on taking courses at U of T was a new policy or simply a shift in messaging. It was confirmed that this expectation was not new but was now being made more explicit in student-facing communication.
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED,
THAT the proposed changes to UTM academic regulations concerning Taking Courses at Other Universities with a Letter of Permission (LOP), as detailed in the accompanying proposal dated April 15, 2025, be approved, effective September 1, 2025. - Amendment to an Existing Academic Regulation: Deferred Exams
Ms Renu Kanga Fonseca presented a proposed amendment to UTM’s academic regulations concerning deferred final exams. She noted that the goal of the proposal was to address the growing number of student petitions to defer exams, with some students accumulating up to seven exam attempts for a single course over a period of up to two years. She explained that currently, there was no limit at UTM on how many times a student could defer an exam for the same course. This proposed change aimed to align UTM with UTSC and the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS), who were all moving toward a shared cap of two exam deferrals, resulting in a total of three exam opportunities, the original plus two deferrals.
The rationale behind the amendment included helping students resolve exam deferrals in a timely way, improving academic outcomes—since deferred exams were correlated with lower performance—and reducing the burden of carrying exams from previous terms while enrolled in new courses. It also provided students with clearer academic standing and supported institutional consistency.
During the discussion, a member noted that the deferred exam fee of $70 had not increased in over 20 years and suggested that higher fees, or escalating fees for repeated deferrals, might act as a deterrent and help recover administrative costs. Ms Kanga Fonseca responded that while this feedback was valid, increasing fees could create inequities by placing a greater burden on students with financial challenges. Instead, the proposed policy focused on academic limits rather than financial penalties, with the hope that clear limits would discourage repeated deferrals more effectively and equitably.
In response to a member’s question, Ms Kanga Fonseca explained that UTSC currently allowed three deferrals (for a total of four exam sittings), but like UTM, they were moving to a stricter cap of two deferrals. While UTSC still had a high rate of students missing deferred exams, they had not seen the long-term deferral issue UTM had, where exams were delayed by multiple years.
Additional questions touched on how deferrals worked for international students and what constituted acceptable reasons for missing a deferred exam. It was stated that all students, regardless of their residency status, were expected to be available during the exam period. Only legitimate extenuating circumstances, supported by credible documentation, would justify a deferral. Exceptions, for example, those involving serious medical issues or accessibility considerations, would continue to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with Accessibility Services.
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED,
THAT the proposed changes to UTM academic regulations concerning Deferred Examinations, as detailed in the accompanying proposal dated April 15, 2025, be approved, effective September 1, 2025. - Reviews of Academic Programs and Units
At the invitation of the Chair, Professor Stewart provided a presentation on reviews of academic programs and units. He began by thanking staff members from the Programs and Curriculum Unit and acknowledged its staff members, highlighting that all were new to the portfolio this year and had managed steep learning curves. He then provided an overview of the academic review process, noting that these reviews occurred every seven to eight years and aimed to ensure the academic quality and integrity of programs. Each review was commissioned by the Dean and conducted by external reviewers, typically one from Canada and one from an international institution.
The process began with a departmental self-study, usually launched 12 to 18 months in advance of the scheduled site visit. During the site visit, external reviewers met with faculty, staff, and students, and toured relevant facilities. Following the visit, reviewers submitted a report to the Dean’s Office, which conducted a fact check. The department and Dean’s Office then jointly responded to the reviewers’ recommendations. These responses formed part of a Final Assessment Report and Implementation Plan (FARIP), which was submitted to the Ontario Quality Council and made publicly available through the university’s governance.
Professor Stewart noted that due to backlogs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the current academic year had seen an unusually high number of reviews—11 in total—at various stages of completion. Three reviews were completed in the previous year, with final reports presented to the Committee on Academic Planning and Policy in October. These were for the Department of English and Drama, Department of Visual Studies and the Department of Language Studies.
For the 2024–2025 academic year, four departments were undergoing reviews: Department of Management, Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Department of Historical Studies and the Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences. The site visit for the Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences had recently been completed, and the reviewers’ report had just been received. The Institute for Management and Innovation was scheduled for review on June 12–13, 2025, and the Center for South Asian Critical Humanities would follow in November 2025. He also addressed the review of extra-departmental units (EDUs), which followed a UTM-specific quality assurance process separate from UTQAP. These reviews focused on the units’ sustainability, performance, and alignment with their original mandates.
In closing, Professor Stewart thanked department chairs, faculty, and staff for their significant contributions to the review process, particularly during site visits and self-study preparations. He emphasized the collaborative effort involved and acknowledged the vital role played by departmental and divisional teams. - Annual Report: Office of the Vice-Principal Research & Innovation, 2023-24
At the invitation of the Chair, Vice-Principal Research and Innovation, Professor France Gagnon, presented the annual report of the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation (OVPRI).
She began by expressing gratitude for the team’s support during a leadership transition that included new associate vice-principals, a new interim director, and a new executive assistant since her arrival. She highlighted the move to the new science building, as well as the Research Tenant Partnership (RTP) initiative, which leased unused lab spaces at commercial rates to generate revenue and foster sponsored research. The first RTP, launched in October 2024 with BICK, brought in $16,000 monthly and supported workshops and entrepreneurial discussions. Professor Gagnon emphasized research performance metrics, noting a significant increase in external research funding at UTM, driven by a large CFI grant in 2023–2024, with a peak in funding that year, though she cautioned that such spikes were not annual. UTM’s funding trajectory showed improvement, ranking fourth among U of T’s multi-department divisions in 2023–2024, behind Medicine, Arts and Science, and Engineering. She detailed funding sources, with tri-council grants (NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR) forming the majority, followed by government and private sectors, and identified opportunities to increase nonprofit and private sector funding through partnerships. Professor Gagnon stressed the importance of tri-council funding, as it directly influenced Canada Research Chair (CRC) allocations, CFI dollars, and graduate student funding. She presented data showing UTM’s tri-council success rates surpassing U of T and national averages for SSHRC and NSERC grants, though CIHR applications were fewer. UTM’s overall external funding was on an upward trend, but a decline in U of T’s tri-council market share threatened future CRC slots, prompting her office to prioritize grant support.
Professor Gagnon announced a new quarterly two-pager report format, replacing the annual report, to provide timely updates on research performance, entrepreneurship, publications, and outreach.
During the question-and-answer period, the Vice-President & Principal questioned indirect research costs, which Professor Gagnon clarified returned 17–20% to UTM for reinvestment. Another member inquired about market share erosion, suggesting smaller universities’ hiring of high-powered researchers might be a factor, which Professor Gagnon confirmed and noted strategic responses would be required. Another member asked about incentivizing grant applications, and Professor Gagnon outlined plans to reduce barriers for humanities and social sciences and support large grant submissions, as UTM principal investigators were often collaborators rather than leads, missing out on funding benefits. The Vice-President & Principal emphasized that CRC funding freed up budget lines for other faculty hires, underscoring research funding’s role beyond enrollment revenue. Another member asked about leveraging global academic interest in Canada via SSHRC, and both Professors Gagnon and Gillespie noted ongoing lobbying by U of T and other universities, with governments keen to attract faculty in strategic economic areas amid international academic mobility.
CONSENT AGENDA
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Items 9 (Minor Modification: Graduate Curriculum Changes), 10 (Minor Modification: Undergraduate Curriculum Changes) and 11 (the Report of the Previous Meeting), be approved.
- Minor Modification: Graduate Curriculum Changes, UTM* (for approval)
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
THAT the proposed graduate curriculum changes in the Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI), as detailed in the proposal dated February 5, 2025, be approved effective September 1, 2025. - Minor Modification: Undergraduate Curriculum Changes, UTM* (for approval)
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
THAT the proposed undergraduate curriculum changes at UTM, as detailed in the curriculum report, dated March 24, 2025, be approved, effective September 1, 2025. - Report of the Previous Meeting: Report Number 57 – March 24, 2025
- Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
- Date of the Next Meeting – September 9, 2025, at 3:10 p.m.
- Other Business
The chair expressed gratitude to all members for their active participation and engagement throughout the year. Special thanks were extended to both voting and non-voting presidential assessors, for their regular contributions. The vice-chair, Professor Rosa Hong, was acknowledged for her dedicated service to both the AAC and the Campus Council. The chair also recognized outgoing committee members.
The Chair then yielded the floor to the Secretary. Ms Ferencz-Hammond then announced that the meeting marked Dr. Laura Taylor’s final session as AAC chair, as she was concluding her term. She highlighted Dr. Taylor’s outstanding leadership and significant time commitment to chairing meetings, agenda planning, and serving on the nominating committee. As per tradition, the Office of the Governing Council planned to present Dr. Taylor with a physical chair, on which the plaque inscription would recognize Dr. Taylor’s exemplary service as AAC vice-chair (2017–2020) and chair (2020–2025). The Vice-President & Principal added remarks, expressing deep gratitude for Dr. Taylor’s principled, engaged, and community-focused leadership.
The meeting adjourned at 2:59 p.m.
May 15, 2025