Senate Passes Procedures for Temporary Suspension of Admissions (28 May 2013)

By Mark Jones; posted 31 May 2013.  For more history on this issue, see also QUFA Responds to SCAD re Suspensions of Admissions (27 August 2012).

At its May 28 meeting, Queen’s Senate passed SCAD’s “Recommended Procedures Concerning the Temporary Suspension of Admissions to Academic Programs” with all but the first of ten amendments moved by Senator Jordan Morelli.  See the appendix to this post for an unofficial reconstruction of the procedures document as passed.   

Two Motions concerning the new “Time to Completion” policy in the School of Graduate Studies (16 April 2013)

As sent to the Senate Agenda Committee 15 April 2013.  Update, 30 April:  the first of these, urging the GSEC to suspend its new policy and find practical ways of facilitating timely completions, passed.  The second was stalled by technical objections and deferred for consideration at the Senate of 28 May 2013.

1. Moved by Senator Bridges, seconded by Senator Scribner:

That Senate urge the Graduate Studies Executive Council (GSEC) to strike a broadly based Task Force to seek practical ways to facilitate timely completion that are (a) sensitive to disciplinary differences, (b) consistent with academic quality, (c) consistent with equity, (d) cognizant of all factors that affect graduate student completion times, and (e) based on real consultation with all affected parties, in particular graduate students and graduate supervisors; that it request the Task Force to report back to Senate by November 2013; and that it urge the GSEC to rescind or suspend its decision to shorten Time-to-Completion limits until such time as this Task Force can complete these objectives and report back.

Mark Jones, Comments on the SAPTF Draft Report of March 2013 (8 April 2013)

Comments on the APTF-Draft-Report-March-2013, as sent to Senator Chris Moyes, Chair, Senate Academic Planning Task Force (SAPTF), on 8 April 2013; slightly revised.  

Through no fault of the task force, this Draft Report appeared at a bad time of year for communal assessment.  The Draft is dense and 86 pages long, plus appendices; two and a half weeks after its appearance only one comment has been posted on the SAPTF website; the town-hall was attended by about 20 people, if that; and with the best of intentions and efforts I have been able to get only to p. 68 of the Report by April 8, when comments are due to the SAPTF (I therefore submit this response in unfinished form).  Given all this and the number of issues yet needing to be addressed (as explained below), I therefore feel that the Draft needs a longer review period than has been suggested, and that it should not be considered for approval by Senate before September 2013.

Mark Jones, Comments on the Strategic Enrolment Management Group Report (22 March 2013)

As emailed to Provost Alan Harrison and copied to QUFA Executive and PACC, 22 March 2013.  The Provost has not responded.

Dear Dr. Harrison:

I write in response to your invitation for comments on the SEMG Report on Enrolment Targets and Projections.

1.  As I mentioned in Senate, and as Senator Bridges reiterated, it is a serious matter for concern that this Report purports to address “Factors Affecting Enrolment Planning” (p. 2) without discussing the key factor of faculty renewal and while barely referring to academic staff at all.  Faculty numbers at Queen’s have suffered serious attrition since 2007 (as you acknowledged in the same meeting of Senate) while student numbers have risen.  

Proposed Amendments for SCAD’s Draft Procedures for Suspension of Admissions (18 March 2013)

As sent to SCAD and copied to all Senators by Senators T. Bridges, M. Jones, and J. Morelli, 18 March 2013. SCAD’s Report and Draft appear in the Senate Agenda package for 19 March 2013.

Motions to Amend SCAD’s Proposed 
“Recommended Procedures Concerning the Temporary Suspension
of Admissions to Academic Programs”
(Senate Agenda, Mar. 2013, pp. 36-37) (with Comments)

1.  Moved, that the word “recommended” be removed throughout, especially from the title, the sub-headings, and line 4 of the preamble.

Question for the Provost re New Administrative Positions (4 March 2013)

As submitted by Mark Jones (faculty Senator for Arts and Science) to the Senate Agenda Committee, 4 March 2013:

Senate was recently informed of the creation of a new position in the upper Administration, the Vice-provost for Teaching and Learning. 

Mark Jones, The Meaning of Justice Iacobucci’s Advice to Senate (16 November 2012)

Link sent to Senators and other campus lists, 16 November 2012.

Dear Queen’s Senators and Colleagues:

Queen’s Secretariat has released Justice Frank Iacobucci’s legal opinion (dated Nov. 12) “Re: The Senate’s role in Queen’s University Governance.”