Inside Senate: November 27

Published on November 30, 2020

In compliance with Ontario’s Essential Services Order, Senate met remotely on November 27, 2020. Here are the highlights:

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Institutional Action Plan

Michael Charles, Assistant Vice-President and University Advisor, Equity and Inclusive Communities, presented Senators with �Ӱ�ԭ�� University’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan. Following an extensive consultation process involving the entire �Ӱ�ԭ�� community, the Equity and Inclusive Communities (EIC) Advisory Group has completed the final version of the plan. Senate officially received the report, and thanked Michael Charles and the EIC Advisory Group for their important work.

International Strategic Plan

Dr. Karen Schwartz, Associate Vice-President (Research and International) and International Liaison Officer, provided Senate with a presentation on �Ӱ�ԭ��’s International Strategic Plan. The plan is designed to strengthen the university’s international prominence and impact, and to better support the international engagement of �Ӱ�ԭ��’s faculty and students. The International Strategic Plan will operationalize the ‘Serve the World’ direction of the newly launched Strategic Integrated Plan (SIP).

Winter 2021 Grading

In keeping with �Ӱ�ԭ��’s commitment to compassionate grading practices during the pandemic, Senate passed an additional flexible grading motion for the Winter 2021 term. In combination with the compassionate grading motion passed at the October meeting, students will now have the ability to convert one 0.5 credit to a satisfactory grade (SAT) in each of the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 semesters, or a singular full year 1.0 credit course in the Winter 2021 term.

Chair’s Remarks

President Bacon congratulated the �Ӱ�ԭ�� community for the university’s newly launched ‘Strive for Sustainability’ Plan. The five-year plan is ambitious, and will further cement �Ӱ�ԭ��’s reputation as one of the most sustainable universities in Canada. He also recognized Dana Brown, Dean of the Sprott School of Business, and her entire team for the development of their faculty’s new strategic plan: .

Additionally, President Bacon reminded Senators of the university’s upcoming participation in and the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Enrolment Update

Senators received a presentation from Suzanne Blanchard, Vice-President (Students and Enrolment) regarding �Ӱ�ԭ��’s registration numbers for the Fall 2020 term. Overall, �Ӱ�ԭ�� grew by 1.9% to 32,112 students, in part due to a significant rise in the two-year retention rate, which increased 2.7% from last year to 83.4%. It is notable that �Ӱ�ԭ�� saw an uptick in both Master’s (3.3%) and PhD (5.9%) student registration.

Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement

Dr. Karen Schwartz, Associate Vice-President (Research and International) and Dr. Lorraine Dyke, Deputy Provost (Academic Operations and Planning), provided Senators with a presentation on the Carnegie Classification System. Carnegie is the leading framework in the United States for institutional assessment of Community Engagement. The Carnegie classification is not yet offered in Canada, but �Ӱ�ԭ�� is working with 16 post-secondary institutions from across the country to tailor the Carnegie criteria to a Canadian context. �Ӱ�ԭ�� will apply to be a founding member of the Canadian Carnegie Classification when it is completed in the 2022/’23 academic year. The Carnegie method will enhance �Ӱ�ԭ��’s deep roots in community engagement, and will operationalize the ‘Serve Ottawa, Serve the World’ direction of the Strategic Integrated Plan (SIP.)

Senate Member Ratifications

Senate ratified the faculty Senate appointment of Marlene Lundy, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Major Modifications

Senate approved the introduction of the collaborative specialization in Latin American and Caribbean Studies to the Master’s programs of both Sociology and Anthropology, starting in Fall 2021.

Cyclical Reviews

Senate approve the Final Assessment Report and Executive Summary arising from the Cyclical Reviews of the following programs:

Undergraduate program in Interactive Multimedia and Design
Undergraduate programs in Childhood and Youth Studies
Graduate programs in Human Computer Interaction

Senator Spotlight: Ruth McKay

Senate is composed of over 80 members representing the �Ӱ�ԭ�� community like Ruth McKay, Assistant Professor in the Sprott School of Business. .

Next Meeting: January 29, 2021

The next Senate meeting is January 29, 2021 at 2:00pm. Click here to view the full schedule and meeting materials. Meeting minutes are posted once they are approved at the subsequent meeting.