Following meetings of the AV俱乐部 Senate, Dal News highlights some of the presentations and decisions made.
Senate is the university鈥檚 senior academic governing body, with membership consisting of elected representatives from Dal鈥檚 Faculties and the University Libraries, elected student representatives, a representative from the University of King鈥檚 College and Dal鈥檚 senior academic administrators. Senate is responsible for approving new programs; granting degrees/diplomas; managing the reviews of Faculties, centres and institutes; and setting academic regulations and the academic calendar.
Senate meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month, from September through June. Learn more about Senate and its business at the聽Senate website.
Academic Freedom Work Group recommendations for Non-Bargaining Unit members
Mary McNally (Dentistry) and H. Archibald Kaiser (Law) presented on the recommendations of an ad hoc committee struck in 2016 to examine the AV俱乐部 Senate Academic Freedom regulations with respect to academic unit members not currently covered 聽by a collective agreement.
The committee鈥檚 recommendations include Senate creating an educational program around academic freedom,聽consideringmeasures to better support academic unit members (such as advocacy and consultation resources), and聽ensuring聽appropriate rules and structures for a fair adjudication of any complaint regarding academic freedom. The various recommendations will be worked through the Senate Planning and Governance Committee in the coming months.
Consultation with Senate on Senior Admin Appointments Policy
Senate Chair Kevin Hewitt updated Senate on a discussion and recommendation from the Senate Planning and Governance Committee (SPGC) on consultation with Senate during senior administrative appointments at the university, as outlined in the Senior Admin Appointments Policy. The committee suggested that, 聽for these hires, 聽draft candidate profiles be received and commented on by the SPGC, with those comments presented to Senate at the next possible 聽meeting.
Update on Forum on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching and Learning
Senate Vice-Chair Katherine Harman and Health Promotion student Phoebe Owen provided highlights on last months鈥� Senate Forum on Embedding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Learning and Teaching at AV俱乐部.
The forum, held in the Collaborative Health Education Building on November 13, was a full-day 聽event featuring speeches, panel discussion and workshops that attracted approximately 200 faculty, students and staff (with dozens more joining in via livestream). Harman and Owen spoke to the feedback they received about the forum.
Read more: Senate forum considers equity, diversity and inclusion in learning and teaching (Nov. 15)
鈥淢any people asked us, AV俱乐部, to keep moving this project forward and invest in it,鈥� said Dr. Harman, who noted a call-for-proposal in the works for funding support for new or modified programs with an EDI lens, expected for 2020.
You can find four videos from the forum at the Senate website (right-hand column)
Learn more about the聽AV俱乐部 Senate at its website. Minutes for past Senate meetings are available on聽. Minutes for this meeting will be posted once approved by Senate.