Report Number 55 Of The UTM Academic Affairs Committee
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2024
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 September 10, 2024 with the following members present:
PRESENT: Laura Taylor (in the Chair), Alexandra Gillespie (Vice-President & Principal), Nick Rule (Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean), Shakhriyor Bakhtiyorov, Barend Beekhuizen, Steven Bernstein, Randy Besco, Brett Beston, Ilia Binder, Elizabeth Blake, Laura Brown, Craig Chambers, Boris Chrubasik, Michael DeBraga, Pierre Desrochers, Margarida Duarte, Jacob Gallagher-Ross, Tanjim Hossain, Ehab James, Renu Kanga Fonseca, Ayman Kashif, Robert McMillan, Asif Mohammed, Andreas Park, Andrew Petersen, Brian Price, Christoph Richter, Dany Savard, Adriano Senatore, Sarah Sharma, Jumi Shin, Afsaneh Tafazzoli, Jaimal Thind, Anil Wasif, Jonathan Weisberg, Ron Wener, Ronald Wolthoff, Otto Yung, Ava Zdrava.
REGRETS: Areej Al-Dailami, Shauna Brail, Jan Durkiewicz, Claudiu Gradinaru, Sarah Hillewaert, Rosa Hong, Josée Johnston, Arsalan Kahnemuyipour, Kent Moore, Andrew Miles, Katie Ngo, Michael Nixon, Alanna Olteanu, Gary Lee Pelletier, Gurpreet Rattan, Todd Sanders, Meghan Sutherland, Ewen Wilton
NON-VOTING ASSESSORS: Ajay Rao (Vice-Dean Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs), Margarida Duarte (Vice-Dean Undergraduate), Bryan Stewart (Vice-Dean, Academic Programs), Martha Harris (Director of Academic Operations, Office of the VPA&D), Mark Overton (Dean of Student Affairs).
SECRETARIAT: Cindy Ferencz-Hammond
IN ATTENDANCE: Vivienne Luk (Associate Dean, Academic Experience, OVPAD), Daniella Mallinick (Assistant Dean, OVPAD), Peter Mumford (Recreation, Athletics & Wellness), Nikki Robichaud (Peter Mumford (Recreation, Athletics & Wellness), Ferzeen Sammy (Manager, Academic Programs, OVPAD)
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members, introduced voting and non-voting assessors and provided a brief orientation to the committee’s mandate and expected items of business. She provided an overview of the difference between the role of governance and administration and talked about the roles and responsibilities of members. The Chair also referred members to the FAQ for members document and orientation video on the role of the Committee produced by the Secretariat, which was available in the resource section of the governance portal. She encouraged members to review both resources in preparing to carry out their roles effectively. - Portfolio Overview and Priorities of Presidential Assessors for 2024-25
At the invitation of the Chair, Professor Nicholas Rule, Vice-Principal Academic & Dean (VPA&D), presented the organizational structures and priorities for the year. Professor Rule began by welcoming everyone back to the academic year and expressing gratitude for the opportunity to update the Committee on the OVPAD.
Professor Rule reported on recent changes in the OVPAD. Two new assistant deans, Daniella Mallinick and Renu Kanga Fonseca, had been added during the previous year. Their roles had strengthened the office's operations, with Dr. Mallinick overseeing OVPAD staff portfolios and Ms Kanga Fonseca, as the Registrar and Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management, leading strategic enrollment efforts. Professor Rule then spoke to the four Vice Dean and two Associate Dean roles, which had been restructured to make their portfolios more logical and manageable. Brian Stewart (Vice Dean Academic Programs) had assumed responsibility for overseeing the development, review, and management of high-quality academic programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Margarida Duarte (Vice Dean Undergraduate), formerly the chair of the Department of Economics, had been tasked with enhancing the undergraduate academic experience by working closely with academic units to improve existing programs and develop new ones. Vivienne Luk (Associate Dean Academic Experience), from Forensic Science, had been focused on enriching the student experience through experiential learning opportunities, such as internships and co-ops, and overseeing academic integrity processes. Sanja Hinic Frlog, (Associate Dean Teaching and Learning), from Biology, had supported the implementation of innovative teaching methods and worked on recognizing outstanding instructors and students through various awards.
Moving to discussing academic initiatives, Professor Rule reported that the new academic plan had progressed, with a draft scheduled for presentation to governance later in the academic year. He added that Ms Kanga Fonseca was launching a task force to set specific metrics and goals for a strategic enrollment plan. In addition, efforts had been made to consolidate resources for graduate students to ease their transition and support during their academic journey. With respect to program development, he noted that several new academic programs were in progress. For example, the Department of Management had been developing a proposal to allow students to specialize in accounting and finance. Additionally, the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology (ICCIT) had been working on a new doctoral program in media, communication, and technology, which had been sent to the Provost’s office for review. Other major initiatives included a proposed new minor in Logic within the Department of Philosophy and a specialist program in Computational Physics for the Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences. A proposal to establish a new unit for supporting UTM’s Forensic Science faculty and academic programs was also underway.
Professor Rule then provided a breakdown of enrollment data and noted that final numbers were still pending, with the numbers in the presentation dated September 3, 2024. He stated that overall undergraduate enrollment was at 16,187. The number of new students had slightly decreased, with 4,239 new students compared to 4,412 in the prior year. New international students totaled 1030, compared to 1207 at this time in the previous year. Graduate numbers specific to professional master’s programs showed an overall increase compared to last year, because the tuition payment deadline was later in September, and the current figures included both registered and invited students. As of the meeting, there were 243 newly admitted graduate students, down from 253 the previous year. This decrease was attributed to approximately 20 more domestic students and approximately 30 fewer international students. Professor Rule noted that geopolitical factors were believed to have contributed to this dip. Despite this, the total number of graduate students had increased to 474, up from 433 in the prior year.
Discussion on the presentation, included the following points:
- A member expressed concerns about the growth of academic administration and potential redundancy in roles like Vice Deans and Associate Deans. In response, Professor Rule explained that there had been no net increase in the number of positions and that U of T’s Policy on Appointment of Academic Administrators had a built-in process to assess the effectiveness of positions over time. He also noted that UTM’s administrative staffing levels were lower compared to similar institutions, including other major first-entry divisions at U of T. On this topic, the Vice-President & Principal acknowledged the member’s concerns, especially during this period of sector-wide budget constraints. She also echoed Professor Rule, noting that UTM would continue to make data-informed decisions to keep its academic administration effective going forward. She added that UTM would find efficiencies in other ways, including through a new, first-at-U of T program in continuous improvement to streamline administrative processes.
- Referring to enrolment numbers, a member asked how international student numbers compared to targets, to assess potential budget impacts. Professor Rule responded that while UTM had projected reaching only 80% of its international enrollment target, domestic enrollments were expected to exceed targets. He attributed the shortfall in international enrollments to geopolitical factors, particularly issues affecting student applications from India.
- A member asked whether the institution planned to increase enrollment with a focus on international students and inquired about the impact of Quebec’s admission policies. In response, it was noted that UTM was stable in its overall enrollment and that a task force would be formed to develop a strategic enrollment management plan. This plan would consider the entire student lifecycle, from admission to alumni engagement.
- The Vice-President & Principal then highlighted the external constraints on UTM’s enrollment decisions, noting that both domestic and international enrollment were tightly regulated by Provincial and Federal governments. The Federal government's recent decision to limit international student visas further restricted UTM’s ability to manage student numbers flexibly.
- Revisions to the UTM Academic Affairs Committee Terms of Reference
At the invitation of the Chair, Cindy Ferencz-Hammond, Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council presented the proposed updates to the Academic Affairs Committee’s (AAC) terms of reference. She explained that two changes had been made to reflect the organizational restructuring within the OVPAD. The Vice Dean positions for Teaching and Learning, and Academic Experience, had been eliminated. In their place, the proposal included adding the Vice-Dean Undergraduate and Vice-Dean Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs as ex-officio members of the AAC. These positions, held by Professors Margarida Duarte and Ajay Rao respectively, would sponsor governance items for the committee, pending approval from the Governing Council. She noted that there was no change to the total number of members with this change.
Members had no questions. - Minor Modifications: Undergraduate Curriculum Changes
Professor Margarida Duarte, Vice-Dean Undergraduate, reported that proposed undergraduate curriculum changes represented the proposed changes from the May 13, 2024 meeting of the Decanal Divisional Undergraduate Curriculum Committees for Humanities, Social Sciences, and Sciences. The Humanities units proposed changes to six programs and 32 courses, the Sciences units proposed changes to five programs and eight courses, and the Social Sciences units proposed changes to four programs and four courses. These changes were considered minor within the University of Toronto's Quality Assurance program but were intended to maintain the quality, currency, and rigor of the courses and programs. Notably, the Department of Historical Studies proposed four new courses, including one on Revolution and Counterrevolution in Central America and another on South Asian studies. The Department of Biology proposed two new courses to expand their research opportunity program offerings. The resource implications for all these changes were reviewed and approved by the Resource Implications Committee within OVPAD.
Members had no questions.
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RESOLVED,
THAT the proposed Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences undergraduate curriculum changes at UTM, as detailed in the respective curriculum reports, be approved, effective September 1, 2025. - Calendar of Business
The Chair reminded members that the Committee’s Calendar of Business represented the expected items of business for governance consideration for the year and noted that it would be updated regularly on the Committee’s website.
CONSENT AGENDA
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 6, the Report of the Previous Meeting, be approved.
- Report of the Previous Meeting: Report Number 54 – May 6, 2024
- Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
- Date of the Next Meeting – Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at 1:10 p.m.
- Other Business
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 3:48 p.m.
September 17, 2024