Alex Kvaskov, Assistant News Editor
Featured image courtesy of Say Yes to York
Faculty members in the Department of Humanities are alleging York bypassed Senate in planning for the Markham campus and continues to plan without collegial input.
Rhonda Lenton, vice-president academic and provost, says it is surprising to hear this remark from a faculty member given the “broad and on-going consultation with colleagues across the university and at Senate.”
“The entire planning around Markham has been done in the context of advancing the Senate-approved University Academic Plan (initially the 2010 to 2015 Plan and now the 2015 to 2020 plan),” she adds.
“In the initial preparation for the bid, each dean was asked to discuss with their colleagues what programs their faculty might want to deliver at the new Markham campus,” says Lenton.
“Meetings were held with academic units that had an interest in bringing forward a program (or potentially a second cohort of an existing program). These conversations informed the tentative programs to be offered that were included in the original bid,” she adds.
Regular updates to Senate and their Academic Policy, Planning and Research Committee have been provided from the very beginning of this process.
After the bid was received, an organizational structure was developed with input from Senate Executive and APPRC.
“Each faculty has developed its own approach working with the[ir] respective dean for developing new programs to be offered at Markham and/or to discuss how existing programs might be engaged at the new campus,” says Lenton.
She says normal collegial governance policies and procedures will be followed through Councils and Senate.
“A general Academic Committee has been created with representatives from every faculty participating in the first phase of Markham to afford an opportunity to discuss academic matters relevant to all the programs, including identifying the processes for discussing electives and general education courses,” says Lenton.
Responding to concerns of the Markham campus will cannibalize enrolments from Keele, Janice Walls of York media says Markham is geared toward unmet demand in York Region and the idea is to provide increased options and opportunities for future York students.
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