Senate

1. Approval of Agenda

Moved (D. Steven/H. Saliba) that the agenda be approved as circulated. Carried.

2. Minutes of Senate Meeting #2005-5

Moved (H. Saliba/S. Hamilton) that the minutes of Senate Meeting #2005-5, held on May 12 and 13, 2005, be approved with the following corrections:

(a) Correct item 18 to note that Ken Brown was elected to serve as a Senate Representative on the Board of Governors from September 1, 2005 to September 1, 2007.

(b) In the introductory paragraph before item 7, change the first sentence to read: "The Meeting resumed at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 13."

(c) In the President's Report in item 16, about halfway down the first paragraph, delete "A new program of student assistance" and replace with "A revised OSOTF program for student assistance."

(d) Note that Dr. J. Farrell should be included in the attendance list among those who sent their regrets.

Carried.

3. Business Arising from the Minutes

There was no business arising from the Minutes.

ITEMS FOR DECISION

4. Proposed 2005/2006 Calendar Changes for Referral to Committee:

4.1 Moved (K. Fedderson/T. Dufresne) that the proposals by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities for Calendar changes in Philosophy be referred to Senate Committees. Carried. The proposals would be referred to the Senate Budget and Undergraduate Studies Committees.

5. Report of the Senate Budget Committee

D. Steven noted that this would be her last appearance as Chair of the Senate Budget Committee. She reported that the Committee had met on May 17^th and reviewed Calendar changes at the undergraduate level concerning Women's Studies, Business, and Languages, and at the graduate level concerning English, the Graduate Diploma, the MPH program, and Education.

Discussion then focussed on the proposed operating budget for 2005-2006 and, in particular, on the University's utilities expenses, allocations to the Print Shop, and the impact of the provincial budget. On the last topic President Gilbert noted that the University might be eligible for up to $2,500,000 of new resources from the Government, but cautioned that the full impact of the Government's budget would not be known until late summer or early fall.In any event, the expectation was that the University would be able to eliminate its accumulated debt in the next year.

Moved (D. Steven/W. Parker) that the proposed 2005-2006 Lakehead University Operating Budget be approved as circulated for submission to the Board of Governors. Carried.

6. Report of the Joint Senate Committee for NOSM

Moved (J. Farrell/D. Steven) that the proposed start and end dates and study periods and closures for Year 1 of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, as presented in the Joint Senate Committee's report, be approved. Carried.

7. Report of the Senate Academic Committee

Moved (M. Richardson/D. Steven) that the draft articulation agreement with Confederation College for offering the English for Academic Purposes program be approved. Carried.

Moved (M. Richardson/M. Shaw) that the changes proposed to University Regulation I(a) and (c), as indicated in the Committee's report, be approved. Carried.

8. Adjunct Professor

Moved (W. Parker/M. Shaw) that the appointment of Dr. William G. Cole as Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Forestry and the Forest Environment be approved. Carried.

ITEMS FOR INFORMATION

9. President's Report

The President thanked all who had attended Convocation and said that it had gone well. He spoke about the Ontario Government's upcoming budget as it would affect universities, and noted some of its ambiguities. He reported that the Government had not yet presented a bill concerning the abolition of mandatory retirement as the issue was turning out to be more complex than initially imagined. He also talked about the threat that the Private Member's Bill 123, which would require all deliberative and decision-making meetings of universities' legislative bodies, including boards of governors, senates, and their committees, to be open to the public, posed to their effective operation; if the Bill passed it would inevitably either drive underground or stop completely much business normally handled by these bodies. He said that the planning phase for a new research building had started; a consulting firm had been engaged, but no development would take place unless adequate finances were in place. Consultation on the new building with the University community would soon begin.

10. Report of the Vice-President (Academic) and Provost

L. Hayes reported that the Committee on Teaching and Learning, on the basis of nominations submitted by students, had recommended that 3 awards for faculty contributions to teaching be given to Dr. A. Tayebi, Dr. S. Islam, and Dr. R. Farrell. She spoke about the Senate Academic Committee's ongoing deliberations with respect to the academic plan, undergraduate program review guidelines, and the appeal process through the Senate Academic Appeal Committee.The Academic Council of the Northern Ontario Medical School had had its first official meeting. She summarized the topics covered at the meeting of the Vice-Presidents (Academic) of Ontario at the University of Western Ontario. She then called upon the Vice-Provost (Student Affairs), Dr. Jane Birkholz, to provide an enrolment update. Dr. Birkholz noted that, while the total number of applications was down this year, it was on a par with the number of enrolments during the pre-double cohort era.

11. Report of the Dean of NOSM

No NOSM representative was present to give a report.

12. COU Colleague's Report

B. Muirhead summarized the topics covered at the last COU meeting - including especially the apparent decline in mathematical skills among students entering university. There was some discussion among Senators about this issue.

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Moved (G. Boire/J. Farrell) that the Meeting be adjourned. Carried. The meeting was adjourned at 3:37 p.m.