Following each meeting of the Dalhousie University Senate, Dal News highlights some of the presentations and decisions made.
Senate is the university’s senior academic governing body, with membership consisting of elected representatives from Dal’s Faculties and the University Libraries, elected student representatives, a representative from the University of King’s College and Dal’s 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 Senate website.
New PhD program in Agricultural Sciences approved
As recommended by the Senate Academic Programs and Research Committee, as well as the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Senate approved the creation of a new PhD in Agricultural Sciences at Dalhousie, based out of the Faculty of Agriculture in Truro.
The program will be the first doctoral degree in Agricultural Sciences offered in Atlantic Canada. Dean David Gray and Associate Dean Research Chris Cutler explained to Senate how the program is a crucial step for enhancing research and teaching in the Faculty, building upon the successful MSc Agriculture program.
“We feel we are now at a critical step, in the essence of what we do, with this program,” said Dr. Cutler.
With the program, Dal joins other faculties of agriculture across Canada in offering a PhD program. The program will increase the number of PhD candidates within the Faculty and the university, and aligns with Nova Scotia’s need for highly-qualified professions in the field, given the province’s goals to double agricultural production for consumption as well as agricultural exports over the next decade.
Diversity and Inclusiveness — Strategic Priority 5.2
The two co-leads of Dalhousie’s Strategic Priority on Diversity and Inclusiveness presented an overview of Dalhousie’s Diversity & Inclusiveness Strategy, launched earlier this year.
Jasmine Walsh (assistant vice-president Human Resources) and Michelle Williams (professor in the Schulich School of Law and director of the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative) outlined the four pillars of the strategy (Climate and Intergroup Relations, Student Access and Success, Education and Research, and Institutional Viability and Vitality), noted the development of a distinct yet interdependent Indigenous Strategy and expressed the need for the strategy to have longevity past the 2018 endpoint of Dal’s current Strategic Direction. (Much of the work of implementing and tracking the strategy is set to fall under the guidance of the new Assistant Vice-President Diversity & Inclusion position.)
Prof. Williams drew a connection between diversity and inclusion work and the way in which technology is now an accepted part of everyone’s role at the university. “We want to centre diversity and inclusiveness in the same way.”
Faculty of Dentistry Update on Task Force Recommendations
Ben Davis, acting dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, gave an oral presentation to accompany the Faculty’s written report on its updates towards the recommendations of the Task Force on Misogyny, Sexism and Homophobia in the Faculty of Dentistry. The Faculty has been reporting to Senate on the recommendations on a regular basis since the report’s release in June 2015.
“I’m committed, as is the whole Faculty, to continuing the projects Dean Boran started,” said Dr. Davis, who following the meeting, in late December, was announced as the Faculty's new dean for a five-year term. who has served as acting dean of the Faculty since July 2017. His presentation highlighted efforts in increasing diversity in the Faculty’s admissions/recruitment plan, improving internal communications and transparency within the Faculty, and extensive work in clinic and curriculum renewal.
Steps to make Diversity and Inclusion a Reality
This meeting’s presentation on diversity and inclusion topics was from Audrey Steenbeek, professor in the School of Nursing and the Department of Community Health & Epidemiology. It explored the challenges in creating inclusive learning environments and highlighted results from the School of Nursing’s internal diversity survey, conducted to identify general demographics of the school’s student population and access level of cultural/diversity awareness among its students.
Additional notes
- Chair Kevin Hewitt, on behalf of Senate, offered condolences on the passing of Mi’kmaq Grand Chief Ben Sylliboy on November 30.
- Provost Carolyn Waters noted the successful Open House events from October (with nearly 2,800 students and families in Halifax and Truro) and strong pickup on the Start On Track program for first-year students.
- DSU President Amina Abawajy highlighted recommendations, on behalf of the six current student senators, for consultation and collaboration with students.
Learn more about the Dalhousie Senate at its website. Minutes for past Senate meetings are available on DalSpace. Minutes for these meetings will be posted once approved by Senate.