In compliance with Ontario’s Essential Services Order, Senate met remotely on June 19, 2020. Here are the highlights:
Almost 4,000 Graduates Approved
Senate approved the graduation of 3,267 undergraduate and 623 graduate students, bringing the total for the academic year to over 6,000 graduates. Convocation has been postponed due to COVID-19, but Carleton has created a virtual Graduation Page to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating class from June 22-26, 2020.
46 New Student Awards
Over the course of the 2019/’20 year, the Senate Committee on Student Awards reviewed the terms of reference for 46 newly created student awards. Of these new recognition’s, 24 are scholarships and the remaining 22 are bursaries.
August Senate and Extension of Contract Instructor Term
Typically, Senate does not meet throughout the summer months. However, an optional August 2020 meeting was tentatively added to the schedule to address academic issues that could arise from the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Senate approved the extension of the 2019/’20 Senate terms for all contract instructors until September 30, 2020 to ensure contract instructor representation at all Senate meetings.
Fall 2020
Senate confirmed that for reasons of public safety, all scheduled Fall 2020 courses at Carleton will be offered online or through other methods of distance learning.
Chair’s Remarks
President Bacon began the meeting by acknowledging the significance of Juneteenth (June 19th), a holiday celebrating the liberation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. The President spoke to the killing of George Floyd and other recent tragedies. He reaffirmed the University’s commitment to make further progress in anti-racism, equity and Indigenous initiatives. He highlighted the recent appointment of three members of the university community into new leadership roles and the establishment of the new Equity and Inclusive Communities (EIC) Advisory Group.
As June is a month typically marked by convocation ceremonies, President Bacon congratulated Carleton’s Class of 2020, and highlighted the virtual Graduation Celebration page. Finally, as part of CU Appreciation Week, President Bacon took a moment to say thank-you to all of Carleton’s faculty and staff for everything the community achieved together this year, and especially through the pandemic.
Senate Committee Ratifications
Senate ratified new graduate student members to the following committees:
- Senate Executive Committee
- Senate Quality Assurance and Planning Committee
- Senate Committee on Curriculum Admissions and Studies Policy
- Senate Academic Governance Committee
- Senate Academic Integrity Appeals Committee
Cyclical Reviews
Senate approved the Final Assessment Report and Executive Summary arising from the Cyclical Review of the undergraduate programs in Linguistics.
Annual Reports
Senators received the following reports for information:
- Senate Library Committee Annual Report 2019/2020
- Senate Undergraduate Studies Committee – 2019 Report to Senate
- Senate Student Academic Integrity Appeal Committee Report for 2019/2020
- Senate Committee on Student Awards 2019/2020
- Report of the Council of Ontario Universities Academic Colleague Kim Hellemans
Senator Spotlight: Jie Liu
Senate is composed of over 80 members representing the Carleton community like Prof. Jie Liu. Professor Liu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Learn more about Jie.
Next Meeting: September 25, 2020
The next Senate meetings are August 21, 2020 – if needed – and September 25, 2020. Click here to learn more about the Board Award. Meeting minutes are posted once they are approved at the subsequent meeting.