> SFU plans new environment faculty
SFU plans new environment faculty
April 8, 2008
The creation of a new Faculty of the Environment at Simon Fraser University is one step closer, after receiving support from SFU's Senate, the university's academic governing body, on April 7.
The new faculty would bring together SFU's School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM) and the Department of Geography, along with the university's Environmental Science program, the Centre for Sustainable Community Development and the graduate certificate program in Development Studies.
The Senate voted to ask the SFU Board of Governors to approve its creation, effective April 2009.
“The field of environment is clearly a high priority for the University and one of our key strengths,” says SFU President Michael Stevenson. “The new faculty will enable the collaborative engagement of faculty members in research and programs and will contribute to the community by active participation in policy debates, forums and other forms of community outreach.”
In a report to the 60-member senate, John Waterhouse, SFU's academic vice-president, said SFU is uniquely positioned to provide a significant contribution to the global environmental challenge by creating the new faculty.
“The creation of this faculty will clearly establish SFU as a leader in this crucial area and better position the university as a centre of research and teaching excellence in environmental issues,” he says.
A separate report to the senate from a task force on academic structure noted that 23 departments at SFU offer at least one environmental course, more than 70 faculty members have identifiable environmental interests, and there are 11 SFU centres or institutes dedicated to an area of the environment.
Full details of the new faculty’s programs will be addressed by a special academic committee, and the new programming will return to senate for final approval.
At the same time, the Senate is also recommending the creation of a new faculty that would bring together Communication, Contemporary Arts and the School of Interactive Arts and Technology - a “compelling combination” of academic disciplines.
According to the task force: “Applications of new technology and media permeate every facet of contemporary life and have enabled forms of communication, art, and design that are significantly restructuring our forms of life and understanding.”
The task force suggests that the move of SFU Contemporary Arts to the Woodward's redevelopment in 2009 “can help realize President Stevenson's vision for Simon Fraser University as an international destination for arts and culture.”
A report from Waterhouse added: “The schools and programs involved in the proposed faculty are enthusiastic about the potential of the new structure to develop new programming areas and foster strategic outreach to the external community.”
The Senate also recommended:
If approved by the Board of Governors, the moves would come into effect in April 2009.
The new faculty would bring together SFU's School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM) and the Department of Geography, along with the university's Environmental Science program, the Centre for Sustainable Community Development and the graduate certificate program in Development Studies.
The Senate voted to ask the SFU Board of Governors to approve its creation, effective April 2009.
“The field of environment is clearly a high priority for the University and one of our key strengths,” says SFU President Michael Stevenson. “The new faculty will enable the collaborative engagement of faculty members in research and programs and will contribute to the community by active participation in policy debates, forums and other forms of community outreach.”
In a report to the 60-member senate, John Waterhouse, SFU's academic vice-president, said SFU is uniquely positioned to provide a significant contribution to the global environmental challenge by creating the new faculty.
“The creation of this faculty will clearly establish SFU as a leader in this crucial area and better position the university as a centre of research and teaching excellence in environmental issues,” he says.
A separate report to the senate from a task force on academic structure noted that 23 departments at SFU offer at least one environmental course, more than 70 faculty members have identifiable environmental interests, and there are 11 SFU centres or institutes dedicated to an area of the environment.
Full details of the new faculty’s programs will be addressed by a special academic committee, and the new programming will return to senate for final approval.
At the same time, the Senate is also recommending the creation of a new faculty that would bring together Communication, Contemporary Arts and the School of Interactive Arts and Technology - a “compelling combination” of academic disciplines.
According to the task force: “Applications of new technology and media permeate every facet of contemporary life and have enabled forms of communication, art, and design that are significantly restructuring our forms of life and understanding.”
The task force suggests that the move of SFU Contemporary Arts to the Woodward's redevelopment in 2009 “can help realize President Stevenson's vision for Simon Fraser University as an international destination for arts and culture.”
A report from Waterhouse added: “The schools and programs involved in the proposed faculty are enthusiastic about the potential of the new structure to develop new programming areas and foster strategic outreach to the external community.”
The Senate also recommended:
- A revamped structure for the Faculty of Applied Sciences, focusing on engineering and computing science and being the home for “elite high-technology and computational” teaching and research;
- Relocation of the School of Kinesiology from the Faculty of Applied Science to the Faculty of Science.
If approved by the Board of Governors, the moves would come into effect in April 2009.