Senate Agenda - EXHIBIT III - March 24, 2000
FOR APPROVAL
Recommended: That the Guidelines for the Structure of the Academic Year be revised to read as follows:
and,
That the revised sessional dates for academic years 2000-2001 through 2004-2005, attached as Appendix 1, be approved.
[Note: These Guidelines apply only to those faculties, schools and colleges which operate on a 24 week teaching term, i.e., they do not apply to the Faculties of Education, Graduate Studies, Law, Medicine & Dentistry or the Ivey School of Business.]
Background:
In January 2000, second term commenced on Monday, January 10th, one week later than originally scheduled. A number of units on campus remarked on the benefits of having the additional time at the beginning of this year to prepare properly for the return of students and faculty to classes, i.e., to process marks, get class lists, prepare handouts, start up labs, etc. SCAPA reviewed a number of options for restructuring the academic year and recommends a policy wherein there would be 60 days (5 teaching days x 12 weeks) of classes. The revised structure would allow additional time to prepare at the beginning of the term, yet provide a consistent number of class times for each course. The current schedule is attached for information as Appendix 2.
Recommended: That the minimum admission requirements for high school students who enter university after completing the revised secondary school curriculum be:
and,
That during the transition from the current to the new OSS program and curriculum, the University consider applicants and their academic programs from either system, equally. Students who present OAC course results in combination with "U" and/or "U/C" courses will be considered equally provided that they meet all the course prerequisites specified by the Universities,
and,
That the University review the admission requirements after three years to determine if there are any differences between the performance of students who have entered with mostly "U" or "U/C" courses.
Background:
SCAPA reported to Senate on November 19, 1999, that an ad hoc subcommittee, chaired by Professor Brian Timney had been struck to solicit recommendations from the deans and consult with others in the Western community with regard to the admission requirements for graduates of Ontario's revised secondary school curriculum.
The subcommittee met to discuss recommendations for Western's general admission requirements for high school students who plan to enter university after completing the revised secondary school curriculum. In the new curriculum, OAC credits will be replaced with a series of credits that are designated as: University ("U"); University/College ("U/C"); College ("C"); Workplace ("W"); and Open ("O"). At issue is the question of whether the University should accept University/College credits as fulfilling university admission criteria.
Although it would be simple to recommend that only "U" courses be accepted, there are three factors that need to be taken into account:
It is noted, however, that individual programs may have more stringent requirements, so, for example, while a "U/C" course in History may satisfy the general admission requirement, the Department of History may wish to require that students entering a History program have completed a "U" course at high school. Such requirements should be discussed at the departmental level. In many areas, including the Sciences, this should not be an issue because all of the requisite courses are "U" designated.
A final issue to be considered is that of the acceptability of Grade 11 courses. Currently, students may complete an OAC course in grade 12 or 13 and may use this course as part of their admissions package. It appears that the new curriculum is more hierarchical, with grade 11 "U" courses serving as prerequisites for the grade 12 equivalents.
Recommended: That effective May 1, 2000, the minimum average required to apply for admission to all programs leading to a BESc/BA (Honors Business Administration) be set at 78% and that the requirement of achieving a minimum grade of 70% in Business 257 in second year be added.
REVISED CALENDAR COPY
Admission
In order to be eligible for entrance to the concurrent BESc/HBA degree program, students must have completed the first two years of the * Engineering program at Western (or equivalent) and meet the eligibility requirements for the Ivey School of Business. In addition to applying for the concurrent degree program through the Office of the Associate Dean - Academic, students must also make a separate application to the Ivey School of Business for admission into the HBA program.
Admission Criteria
1. A high school student may qualify for the HBA program through the Academic Excellence Program offered by the Ivey School of Business. Please consult the Ivey School of Business for further details.
2. A student may qualify for the HBA program on the basis of his/her performance in the first two years of a university academic program as outlined in The University of Western Ontario Academic Calendar.
3. To be eligible for the concurrent degree program, students must have completed all the requirements of the first year curriculum in the Faculty of Engineering Science, and the second year program, including Business 257, ** with a minimum year weighted average (YWA) of 78% in each year. Students must complete Business 257 with a minimum grade of 70%. Students must also have demonstrated participation in extracurricular and/or community activities, leadership and work experience.
4. Students who apply and are admitted to the Ivey School of Business while they are registered in the Faculty of Engineering Science will not be eligible for the concurrent degree program unless they meet all the criteria as specified above.
5. Entrance into the concurrent degree program is competitive and limited.
Notes: Under each individual program heading the references vary:
* "Chemical", or "Civil", or "Electrical", or "Mechanical".
** "Option C, in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering"; or "in the
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering"; or "Option B, in the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering"; or "in the Department of Mechanical and Materials
Engineering" respectively.
Background:
The following concurrent degrees have been approved by Senate and are listed by the Faculty of Engineering Science on pages 65-71 of the Western Academic Calendar 2000:
The Electrical Engineering and Management Option was approved by Senate last Spring with the requirement for a minimum year weighted average (YWA) of 78% in the first two years. However, the four other Engineering options or programs were approved by Senate with a requirement of 80% for eligibility. After consultation with the Ivey School of Business, the Faculty recommends that the requirement be a 78% YWA in order to provide consistency within their own programs and that the requirement of a 70% in Business 257 be added.
FOR INFORMATION
SCAPA has approved on behalf of the Senate the following Terms of Reference for new undergraduate Scholarships and Awards for recommendation to the Board of Governors through the Vice-Chancellor:
Doug Needham Memorial Award in Commercial Aviation (Faculty of Social Science)
Awarded to a student in any year of the Administrative and Commercial Studies program who
demonstrates financial need, academic excellence and who completes an essay on "Why Study
Aviation". Applications are available from the Office of Special Programs, Faculty of Social
Science. Recipients will be chosen by an awards committee of the Faculty of Social Science. This
award was made possible by a generous donation from Lloyd Needham in memory of his son,
Doug Needham (HBA '83 - History).
Value: $1250
Effective: May 1999
Dr. Catherine Mary Copeland Medical Mentor Accessibility Award (Faculty of Medicine &
Dentistry, Medicine)
Awarded on a one-time basis to a full-time undergraduate student in year 2 of the Medical
program who demonstrates financial need and academic achievement. The recipient will continue
to receive the award at the beginning of year 3 and year 4 and upon exiting year 4. If the recipient
fails to qualify for the award, a new student will be selected in the appropriate year. Final
selection will be made using the Weighted Honors Score Stratification by the Scholarship
Committee at the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. Applications are available from the Office of
the Registrar and must be completed and returned by October 31, 2000. This award was made
possible by a generous donation from Dr. Catherine Mary Copeland, (MD' 76).
Value: $2500
Effective: May 2000
Jack Lambert HBA Scholarship (Richard Ivey School of Business)
Awarded to a second year HBA student with demonstrated financial need, who has a career
interest in the retailing industry, is enrolled in Retail Marketing 411, and exhibits academic
excellence (minimum A average). Applications are available at the Ivey Business School HBA
Program Services Office and the deadline for applying is June 1. This scholarship is made possible
through funding provided by Douglas M. Lambert HBA'69, MBA'71 and is endowed at
Foundation Western.
Value: $2500
Effective: May 2000
The start date for the Faculty of Law in January 2001 has been revised from Tuesday, January 2 to Wednesday, January 3, in order to be consistent with the rest of the University.
The sessional dates for the Faculty of Law are a separate section within the general sessional dates approved by Senate each year. The discrepancy between the start dates for Law and the rest of the University were only recently discovered. The University traditionally provides at least one day between New Years Day and the start of classes as a "travel" day for faculty and students prior to the first teaching day of the new year.
An example of the current wording of the diploma for an Honors degree is:
Bachelor of Arts
Honors Philosophy
or
Bachelor of Science
Honors Geophysics
For a three-year "general" degree it is:
Bachelor of Arts
Philosophy
or
Bachelor of Science
Geophysics
The Four Year program in Computer Science has graduated 41 students to date. The wording of the diploma has been:
Bachelor of Science Four Year Program
Computer Science
The first four-year Bachelor of Arts degrees will be awarded in the Fall of 2000. In order to provide consistency for the printing of future four-year degree diplomas, SCAPA has approved that the following format be used:
Bachelor of Arts
Four Year Program
Philosophy