The Senate met in person on April 25, 2025. Here are the highlights:
Senate Approves Revised Sprott Faculty Board Constitution
Following a Senate motion on June 2, 2023, and the restructuring of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (FGPA), all Faculties were instructed to revise their Faculty Board Constitutions and processes to take over authority for graduate curriculum.
Using a standardized template, the Sprott Faculty Board Constitution was revised, reviewed by the Senate Academic Governance Committee (SAGC), and approved by the Sprott School of Business Faculty Board, before final approval by the Senate.
Financial Update
Provost Paulin Rankin delivered an update to the Senate regarding the university’s current financial status. Despite implementing significant cost-containment measures, the university faces a projected base operating budget deficit of $32 million.
Key contributing factors to this deficit include a reduction in international student enrollment and the financial impact of retroactive salary increases following the repeal of Bill 124. Furthermore, the Voluntary Retirement Incentive Program (VRIP) will necessitate a one-time payout of $21 million, which is accounted for in the 2024/25 budget. Although this may appear unfavorable, it will result in an $18 million reduction in salary expenditures for the 2025/26 fiscal year.
The budget challenge has been partially offset by increases in government grants, potential investment income, and tuition fee increases for out-of-province domestic students and international students.
A follow up budget webinar is scheduled for the Carleton community in May. Additionally, a comprehensive update on the 2025-26 Operating Budget will be presented at the June 6 Senate meeting.
Updates on the operating budget will be made available on the Provost’s website.
Framework for Suspending Admissions
David Hornsby, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic), presented a Framework for Suspending Admissions to Senate for information. This framework details the procedure for suspending admissions to a program.
To initiate the suspension of admissions, the Dean or Associate Dean must submit a written request to the Vice-Provost (Academic). Admissions to a program can be suspended for a maximum of two cycles. After this period, the program must be either reinstated, redesigned, or closed.
Discussion and revision of the Framework remain ongoing.
Read the full Framework for Suspending Admissions (pg. 30).
Dr. Kim Hellemans reappointed as Senate COU Academic Colleague
The Senate has approved Dr. Kim Hellemans for another three-year term as Council of Ontario Academic Colleague, starting July 1, 2025.
Dr. Hellemans is an Assistant Professor and Associate Dean of Science (Student Recruitment, Wellness, and Success) at Carleton University. She has received several awards for her dedication to teaching and co-hosts the podcast Minding the Brain.
Senator Spotlight: Lynn Marshall
Dr. Lynn Marshall is an Assistant Professor in the Teaching Stream at Carleton University’s Department of Systems and Computer Engineering, specializing in Computer Systems Engineering and Software Engineering. She earned her B.Math (Honours Cooperative Computer Science) from the University of Waterloo in 1983 and her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Manchester in 1986.
In addition to Dr. Marshall’s distinguished career in Software Engineering and teaching, she has consistently ranked in the Top 10 Masters swimming rankings every year since 1986. Since 2001, Dr. Marshall has been a coach of the Carleton Ravens Swim Team and the Carleton Masters Swim Team. She is currently the Manager and an Assistant Coach of the Carleton Ravens Swim Team, and the Head Coach of the Carleton Masters Swim Team. In addition, she works with Carleton Advancement as the President of the Carleton Ravens Swim Team Alumni Chapter. These roles support Carleton’s student-athletes and keep her actively involved in the sport.