economic, political, educational, social and cultural - we are now effectively operating in a society that is

areas -

knowledge-based. This has enormous consequence for the import of post-secondary educational

institutions.

They are the primary vehicles by which citizens from around the world can access the knowledge necessary for

them to effectively participate in contemporary society. As Tom Courchene has recently identified, the new

millennium requires a "new state of minds": an

orientation

to life long learning, innovation and discovery that

must permeate not only the individual psyches of modern citizens but also the public policy environment for

nations'.

and the Office of International Cooperation. The first two are currently being restructured into a single unit and a three year

planning exercise did not seem fruitful until the appointment of a Director for the new entity. The Harassment Resolution

Office currently provides annual reports on its activities which was deemed adequate. The Office of International

Cooperation was exempted because of the production of a recent document entitled "Internationalization for the New

Millennium" which outlines its strategic vision and identifies specific goals and objectives for the realization of that vision.

Paraphrase from University of York, "Strategic Planning for the New Millennium, 1999-2010," by Michael Stevenson,

Vice President (Academic Affairs) and Provost, APPC Planning Forum, May 4, 1999.

' Reference to the Installation Address, given by Dr. Michael Stevenson, President and Vice Chancellor of Simon Fraser

University, February 1, 2001.

p. 3

In carrying out our heightened responsibility for preparing students for the knowledge-based society it is critical

that we do so with the recognition that the boundary between universities and their communities are blurring.

This is especially true as universities become more heavily reliant upon private sector support for research and

other activities. Over the next decade we must find ways of maintaining the autonomy of universities and their

unique role in pursuing basic curiosity-driven research. We must also recognize that increasingly universities

need to partner with their external communities to achieve collective educational and research needs of the

knowledge-based society.

The demands of a knowledge-based society also require that the concept of instruction at universities undergoes a

transformation from an act of transmission of knowledge to an act of dialogue, discussion and reflection. This

transformation is imperative if modern citizens are to gain the critical, evaluative and reasoning skills that will

enable them to effectively adapt to sweeping changes in the way in which society operates and adapts to

increasing globalization, internationalization, and knowledge as the fundamental commodity of world

economies.

In his installation address, Simon Fraser University President, Dr. Michael Stevenson, noted that one of the core

competencies in the new millennium will be international and cross-cultural sophistication. With time and

distance contracted, world trade agreements and organizations proliferating, and national borders for economic,

cultural, environmental and educational activities blurring, he called upon Simon Fraser University to create "a

pervasive internationalization of curriculum, greater transnational opportunity for students who have no

international background, and an imaginative engagement with the cultural backgrounds of those who do."' The

British Columbia Centre for International Education (BCCIE) agrees. With the support of the Ministry of

Advanced Education, Training and Technology, a modest funding initiative was recently established to provide

British Columbia post-secondary institutions with funding to support the infusion of an international dimension

into the teaching / learning process of courses / programs'.

During the period 1998-2000, Simon Fraser University engaged in an extensive process to set out an

internationalization strategy for the new millennium. The document - "Internationalization for the New

Millennium" - is the result of that process. While the document lacks the force of Senate approval

, it sets out

"guidelines" for internationalization that have been developed by broad consensus.

In a society where information and knowledge drive global economies, lifelong learning has assumed new

significance. It has been argued that one of the most significant shifts that needs to occur in a knowledge-based

society is the transition from education as a relatively short-term concentrated activity to an ongoing process that

continues throughout life. There is new evidence that Canadians are reorienting themselves to this environment.

Adult participation in post-secondary education has increased as has the proportion of the population with

multiple credentials'. As a consequence, Simon Fraser University needs to ensure that it continues to pursue

initiatives both in the area of continuing professional education and in the area of basic education acquisition. A

component for particular focus may he in the expansion of existing certificate programs and the development of

new certificate programs to address targeted sectors of the economy.

The knowledge-society of the new millennium is in large part also a technological society. As the Advisory

Committee for Online Learning recently noted "information - its creation, acquisition, adaptation and

dissemination - has become the currency [emphasis added] of our time". This has been facilitated in large part by

stunning growth in the accessibility and usage of the Internet. At the end of 1999, it was estimated that the

Installation Address by Dr. Michael Stevenson, President and Vice Chancellor of Simon Fraser University, February 1,

2001.

'The BCCIE funding initiative is in the amount of $50,000. (Source: BCCIE Internationalizing the Curriculum/Learning

Initiative document.)

It was taken to the January 2000 meeting of Senate for discussion. The document also underwent extensive deliberation by

the Senate Committee on International Activities on three separate occasions.

This is true both in terms of the proportion of the population with consecutive degrees (i.e. graduate degrees), it is also true

of the proportion of the population who hold credentials from more than one type of post-secondary institution such as a

baccalaureate degree and a certificate or diploma.

"The e-learning e-volution in colleges and universities: a Pan-Canadian Challenge," The Advisory Committee for Online

Learning, 2001. (p.1).

number of Internet users worldwide was 196 million. Of a global population of nearly 6 billion, this figure seems

somewhat less grand, but the projection is that by the year 2004, Internet usage will rise threefold so that by 2004

an estimated 638 million people will be connected to the Internet.10

Within this environment of increasing access to technology, Canadian universities are particularly well-poised.

There are, however, serious challenges to our ability to maintain this privileged position. The challenges are

essentially threefold: inadequate human resources (faculty and technical expertise) and capital investment,

multiple legislative and political jurisdictions involved in the educational enterprise and increasing competition

from international and industrial competitors."

Recently, provincial and federal governments have recognized the importance of establishing an educational

environment supportive of the new technological demands of the modern citizenry and a knowledge-based

society. One noteworthy government sponsored initiative is CANARIE, Canada's advanced internet

development organization which links approximately 50% of urban institutions of higher learning with

CA*net

(acclaimed as the fastest Internet backbone in the world). Another is TeleEducation New Brunswick which

provides courses from provincially funded universities, colleges and secondary schools to more than 40

communities across New Brunswick.

Simon Fraser University, as host of Canada's TeleLearning Network of Centres of Excellence (TeleLearning

NCEs) brings together more than 70 faculty at 24 Canadian universities in partnerships extending to over 35,000

individuals across 43 countries. Formed as a non-profit organization in 1995, TeleLearning NCE has emerged as

an important actor in the sector and is considered a key repository for online learning solutions and strategies.

Another research focused collaborative initiative is the Consortium of Higher Education Research Universities

(COHERE), led by the universities of Waterloo, Alberta, Guelph, and York. This Consortium seeks to enhance

learning and teaching through technology developed on the strengths of their research excellence. Simon Fraser

University has recently signed a memorandum of agreement to become the latest partner in this Consortium

Although strategically poised, traditional Canadian universities are not the only competitors in the e-learning and

• online learning sector. Significant challenges are arising from international universities and also from the private

sector. The University of Phoenix - the largest accredited private university in the United States - now offers

online degrees at the bachelors master's and doctoral levels. There are other new players in this market as well.

One is a new initiative in Germany. The state of Baden-Wurttemberg has committed 8.8 million marks (about C$6

million) to establish the first virtual university in the country. Its mandate will be to provide individual distance

learning via email. A second European initiative, the newly formed International Multimedia University (IMU) in

Italy has an ambitious mandate: "to serve as a clearing house for the electronic delivery of courses taught by

experts from all over the world to learners all over the world."" A more local challenge for Simon Fraser

University will be the presence of a UBC campus in downtown Vancouver.

Demographic Changes:

The major environmental issues outlined above are magnified by an increasing population within Canada. In the

past five years, the Canadian population has grown by 3.6%. Forecasts for the year 2011 predict that the

Canadian population will increase by 8.5% to 33.6 million'

. Growth in British Columbia is the country's third

highest behind Alberta and Ontario with an increase in the past five years of 4.7%. Of particular importance to the

university sector is the actual and projected number of young adults in the 18-24 age cohort - one of the primary

participant groups in post-secondary education. Estimates suggest that the total number of Canadians in this age

category will increase by a full 16-18% over the next decade

' 4

The figure below patterns the expected increase.

Moe, Michael T. and Henry Blodget,

The Knowledge Web,

New York: Merrill Lynch, May 23, 2000.

4. Quoted in "The

e-learning e-volution in colleges and universities: a Pan Canadian Challenge."

"The e-learning e-volution in colleges and universities: A Pan-Canadian Challenge," p. 40.

"The e-learning e-volution in colleges and universities: A Pan-Canadian Challenge," p. 107.

Statistics Canada - Canada Statistics - Population estimates - projections for the year 2001. [source: Statistics Canada web

site: htp://www.statca.ca/englishlPgdblPeOplelPoPUlatloll/demo23b.htm.

"Beyond 2000: A Vision for the Future," 2001/02 University Joint Operating Budget Submission presented to: Ministry of

Advanced Education, Training and Technology by the University Presidents' Council of British Columbia, December 2000.

18-24 Age Cohort - Actual And Projected

p.5

450.)

400.000

350.000

300.000

250.000

200.000

The University Presidents' Council of British Columbia Annual Report for the year ending March 31, 1999 reports

that during the 1990's population in the 18-24 age group grew more rapidly in BC than in other parts of the

country'5.

- ?

Indices of Change

18-24

Age Cohort

(B.C.

vs Rest of Canada)

1.75.

British Columbia

0.75

___

Rest of Canada]

0.5

025

0.-"-,

The province of British Columbia has, however, a comparatively low participation rate in university programs.

The reasons for this are many and varied, but can be partly attributed to the funding environment for BC's

universities and the prevalence of other non-university post-secondary education opportunities within the

province. The establishment in recent years of three new universities within the province (UNBC, TechBC and

Royal Roads) combined with the development of five degree granting colleges has substantially increased the

University Presidents' Council of British Columbia Annual Report for the year endin

March 31, 1999,

provinces degree granting capacity. Nevertheless, in 1998/99, British Columbia remained about 20% short of the

national average for the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded per 1000 persons in the 18-24 age cohort16.

The growth in the 18-24 age group population in an environment of an increasing need for post-secondary

participation represents a significant challenge to universities in British Columbia. Simon Fraser University has

been responding to the increased demand from this cohort of learners by adjusting its annual admission intake

strategy to admit more Grade XII graduates. Grade XII graduates now represent 45% of new admissions; a

significant departure from the proportion admitted 10 years ago (30%). This enrolment policy has significant

implications for the university. Grade XII graduates are more likely to pursue baccalaureate programs in the

sciences and applied professional programs. If we are to reaffirm our commitment to the arts and sciences, the

university will have to be much more proactive in demonstrating that study in the arts and sciences provides

students with the essential foundations for successful participation in the knowledge based society17.

A final demographic of considerable importance to this plan is the population of First Nations people of Canada

and their participation in post-secondary education. According to the 1996 Census, 2.8% of the Canadian

population were First Nations people. The proportion was significantly higher for British Columbia, with 3.8% of

the residents of British Columbia belonging to the First Nations population. Current estimates of participation by

First Nations students in undergraduate programs at SFU is only

1.7%18.

As one of the fastest growing segments

of Canada's youth population (according to the 1996 Census)'

, approximately 53% of the aboriginal Vopulation of

Canada is under the age of 24 compared to approximately 33% of the overall Canadian population'. Given that

the 18-24 age cohort is one of the principal community of learners at post-secondary education institutions, we

need to ensure that we are responsive to the growing proportion of the First Nations population in this category.

While post-secondary participation rates are significantly lower among the aboriginal population than other

Canadians this rate increased sharply between the 1986 and 1996 census and we need to ensure that there are

opportunities at our universities for those First Nations students who are interested in attending.

Financial Challenges:

• Adding to the challenges arising from demographic issues, are the financial realities facing British Columbia

universities. As the costs of post-secondary education continue to rise, the provincial operating grant in support

of BC's universities has assumed a significantly diminishing proportion of total operating costs. In 1992/93 the

provincial grant accounted for 77.1% of the operating funds for BC Universities. By 1997/98, this figure had

dropped to 70.1%. The result is that Universities in British Columbia have come to rely increasingly on private

sector partnerships, contracts and endowment income. In the six year period between 1992/93 to 1997/98, other

income as a percentage of university general purpose operating funds within the province of BC had more than

tripled - rising from 1.7% in 92/93 to 5.6% in 97/98. Overlapping this period is the continuing provincial

government mandated tuition freeze. The combination of a tuition freeze and a decrease in real dollar terms to

operating grants has meant that universities have been required to forego investment in faculty and support staff,

and the infrastructure and facilities necessary for them to engage in the academic mission of the university. BC

universities now stand at the precipice between quality and quality reduction.

The provincial financial context has been important also in terms of the current challenges being faced in

academic and support staff salaries. The Public Sector Employers' Council (PSEC) has strictly managed the

compensation environment for public employees within British Columbia since 1994/95. It is expected that PSEC

"Beyond 2000: A Vision for the Future," 2001/02 University Joint Operating Budget Submission presented to: Ministry of

Advanced Education, Training and Technology by the University Presidents' Council of British Columbia, December 2000,

p.4)

' The Dean of Arts web site (hup://www.sfu.ca/arts/artsed.htm)

has a number of important reports and discussion papers on

this issue.

This participation rate is estimated. First Nations Status for any student is determined if the student satisfied one of the

following: (1 )registered in any course(s) in the Shuswap program, (2) self-reported as First nations on Application for

Admission Form, (3) requested information on First nations services at SFU. These estimates are based on self-reported First

nations status in the K-12 system.

• ?

'It is important to note that the 1996 Census data may be affected by both a change to the definition of Aboriginal status in

1996 used in the Census and the non-response rate to the census on many aboriginal reserves.

"Profile of Canadian Youth in the Labour Market: Second Annual Report to the Forum of Labour Market Ministers," 2000.

p. 7

will continue restrictions on salary compensation for university faculty and staff for at least the next few years.

These externally imposed salary restrictions have made it increasingly difficult to hire and retain excellent

scholars at Simon Fraser University. Fortunately, the impact of these restrictions have not been as dramatic as

they may have been as salaries at SFU were extremely competitive to other universities in the early 1990's and

average salaries for the professoriate were ranked among the top three highest of comparable universities. In

extremely competitive disciplines such as Business Administration and Computing Science, the units simply have

not been able to fill their vacant positions despite efforts by the University to double market differential

components of salary. As at March 2001, the Faculty of Business Administration had nearly one-quarter of its

continuing base faculty positions vacant. Obviously this has dramatic repercussions on the workloads of existing

faculty and on the proportion of non-continuing faculty required to instruct the previously committed enrolments

in this field.

In the 2000/01 budget year, the provincial government took significant action to redress a number of the critical

funding pressures confronting BC universities. This included a five percent lift to total operating grants ($26.9

million) to recognize cost pressures such as inflation and the effect of the tuition freeze on institutional revenue.

This increase provided for enrolment growth of 1,000 full-time equivalent student spaces. Additional funding

was also provided as part of a three year program to expand student co-op work placements in high technology

workplaces and to develop regional co-op infrastructure.

As part of the 2000/01 budget, the provincial government committed an additional $117 million to the BC

Knowledge Development Fund to more than double the size of the program over the course of its remaining

three years of the research infrastructure initiative. The progress made in the 2000/01 provincial budget was

applauded by universities and forms the basis of the BC universities budget submission for 2001/02. The

University Presidents' Council of BC also submitted a position paper to the provincial government as part of their

budget submission calling for important new investment in the research infrastructure of BC's universities.

In recent years, the Federal Government has directed significant new resources to funding the research and

scholarship excellence at Canadian Universities. The two programs of particular import are the development of

the Canada Research Chairs program and the establishment of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

(CIHR). Simon Fraser University will significantly benefit from both of these initiatives. On the basis of past

accomplishment at Canada's three research granting councils (NSERC, SSHRC, and MRC), Simon Fraser

University was awarded an estimated 38 Canada Research chairs. These chairs will be used to strengthen existing

areas of research expertise and to build new areas of excellence at the university. SFU's new Institute of Health

Research and Education will position the university to effectively compete for the significant new funding

announced under the CIHR which aims to fund health related research under a broadly defined umbrella of

social and scientific research in health. Equally important, one of the CIHR Institutes - the Institute for Nutrition,

Metabolism and Diabetes - has been located at Simon Fraser University under the Direction of Dr. Finegood. This

will create exciting opportunities for partnership between the CIHR and SFU's own Institute for Health Research.

While the funding from these initiatives is commendable and recognized as a significant stride in providing new

sources of revenue for Canadian universities, there is some concern about the way in which new revenues both

from provincial and federal sources is becoming increasingly targeted towards government specified research

and programming directions. These pose some challenge to the autonomy of universities in determining their

own research and programming agendas. They also pose a challenge in that targeted funding has not generally

included consideration of the full impact and costs of these new programs on the universities in terms of

personnel, infrastructure, equipment and/or capital space.

Local Realities:

The external environment outlined above poses both serious challenges and opportunities for Simon Fraser

University over the course of the next decade in the areas of faculty and staff recruitment and retention and

capital space and infrastructure.

Within the next eight years more than one-third of the existing faculty complement will retire. An equal

proportion of faculty are expected to leave the university due to attrition. To compound the internal magnitude of

this change in personnel, the pattern of retirements is the same for almost all universities across the country and

across North America. Moreover, the province of Ontario has recently eliminated Grade XIII which has resulted

in predictions that the Ontario University system needs to increase its faculty complement by between 11,000 and

p. 8

13,000 faculty positions in order to compensate for the additional enrolment demands arising from this

. programmatic change in secondary education, retirements and resignations of existing faculty complement and to

improve the ratio of students to faculty to the Canadian average,1.

The recruitment and retention issue is of such a grand scale that SFU had been actively studying the area and

searching for solutions. In 1999, in a collaborative project involving BC Universities and CUFA-BC, The Laurier

Institution was contracted to examine issues relating to the renewal and retention of senior administrators and

tenured and tenure track faculty. Internally, three taskforces have been created over the past two years to study

more locally the issues of recruitment and retention for each of the major groups at SF0 being affected: tenure-

track faculty; lecturers, lab instructors and librarians; professional and administrative support staff and trades

workers. A number of the recommendations from the first two task forces have already been implemented.

The competitive environment for faculty members requires that SFU reach out to out colleagues working

overseas and become an attractive option for their academic careers. The province of Quebec has instituted a

taxation waiver policy to entice Canadian academics living outside of Canada to return to appointments at

Quebec universities. These appointees enjoy five years of salary earnings tax free.

Another area of vital importance is SFU's capital development plans. The combination of increasing enrolments,

diminishing provincial operating grants, and increasing renovation and infrastructure requirements have

significantly reduced the ability of Simon Fraser University to provide quality research and instructional

environments for its faculty and students. The Canada Research Chairs program, although supplemented by

funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, has compounded the problem as funding is inadequate to

cover the infrastructure requirements of these world class researchers. The situation is so acute that current

estimates suggest that SF0 now possesses "less than 80 percent of the space it needs relative to current space

planning standards".

In 1999/00 the provincial government entered into an agreement with BC universities limiting the provision of

major capital for new buildings. The university is now looking forward to priorities once the capital freeze expires

• (expected in 2001/02). As outlined in the University's Five Year Capital Plan there are five principal capital

priorities spanning two areas that require urgent attention. In the area of replacement there is a pressing need to

find a new home for the School for the Contemporary Arts as current facilities are dilapidated to the point of non-

repair. There is also a need to address the overcrowding and inadequate facilities of the Recreation and Athletics

Complex through a renovation and upgrading program. In the area of expansion, the first priority is the

development of a new Technology and Environment Centre (TEC). The second area for expansion is the

development of a new classroom / technical services / archaeology building (CTA) to provide the necessary

instructional needs of an ever increasing student population at SF0. The final two areas of priority include a

library robotic storage facility and a new recreation and athletics complex. This latter item is in addition to the

renovations planned under the previous area of capital development.

The space issue is more immediate than the five year capital plan can address. Within the institution there are

critical shortages of office, instructional and research facilities for faculty, students, and staff. In the context of

anticipated mandated enrolment growth from the provincial government in the 2001/02 budget, the university

must devise immediate solutions for the general space shortage across the university.

"Ontario's Students, Ontario's Future, A report of the Council of Ontario Universities, March 1999,

19.

SFU Five Year Capital Plan 2001/02 - 2005/06, Aug 25, 2000,

Academic Direction

Thirty five years into our history, the time has come for Simon Fraser University to reaffirm its reputation for

distinctiveness, for responsiveness, for educational and research excellence, and for institutional innovation. To

succeed, we must ensure that the conditions are right for enabling academic units to carry out their goals. The

overarching framework for the Vice President, Academic's three year plan comprises the following elements:

review, reform, support and innovate.

It is a bold plan that embodies the principles of responsiveness and flexibility. The university needs to respond to

the interests and demands of our various communities of learners. We need to respond effectively to the

recruitment and retention challenges for excellent students, faculty and staff. We need to respond to the

contextual forces shaping our society and impacting our institution.

Equally importance, we must be flexible. We must create an environment that enables our diverse disciplines to

excel in their research strengths. We must encourage and support innovative discipline specific approaches to

instruction and learning. We must find ways of supporting the individual needs of our scholars and students.

Singular solutions will not lead the university to its goal of maintaining and enhancing our position as the leading

comprehensive

research

university in Canada. We must recognize the uniqueness of localized issues and

opportunities and develop structures that will enable these areas to be successful.

Of equal important is the need to reaffirm our institutional excellence and innovation in programming and

instruction. We need to reinforce this excellence through ongoing development of unique interdisciplinary

programming, through enhancement of our programming strengths and through the creation of new programs to

reach new communities of learners locally, nationally and internationally.

To enable us to become the SFU of the future we envision, our primary long-term goals will be:

Reaffirm our commitment to the arts and sciences while enabling development of the applied and

professional programs;

Enhance our research excellence and profile;

Improve our ability to attract, retain, and support outstanding faculty;

Enhance our learning environments and instructional pedagogy so that they demonstrate our excellence,

innovation, and our ability to engage our students;

Attract, retain and support outstanding students and identify ways to enrich the learning experience of

all students;

Extend the university more fully into its communities, reach out more effectively to our diverse

community of learners, and generate opportunities for lifelong learning; and,

Develop an institutional context and infrastructure that will enable us to succeed in our other objectives.

In order to achieve these goals Simon Fraser University will have to be skillfully balance the natural tensions that

lie in pursuing development in multiple directions. There are two potential tensions that, in particular, will need

to be managed.

First, within the larger society there is an increasing demand for applied and professional programs. By

responding to this demand some are concerned that the integrity and support for the arts and sciences will be

compromised. Comprehensive universities have always sought to secure balance among potentially competing

areas. We are committed to preserving the fundamental foundation of the arts and sciences while simultaneously

building on our excellence and strength in applied and professional programming. We view our programming

breadth as an opportunity for partnership to draw together interdisciplinary programming, greater breadth in the

educational experience for our students, and enrichment for the community in which the university operates.

The second potential tension lies between traditional personalized pedagogical approaches to instruction and

technology enhanced learning. Simon Fraser University has built its strong reputation upon the backbone of its

excellence in educational delivery and programming. We will continue to ensure that our various communities of

learners have a learning experience that is personalized and of the highest quality. There is opportunity,

however, to use technology to enhance the personalized instructional delivery in some program areas, or to reach

P. 10

communities of learners who otherwise would not have access to our research and programming excellence.

. There is opportunity also to use technology for the transmission of information and to use classroom instruction

more effectively for the purposes of dialogue, discussion and reflection. We have built our strength on

personalized learning and we maintain our firm commitment to this core value of Simon Fraser University.

Ensuring we are successful in maintaining balance among these potential tensions at Simon Fraser University will

rest upon our ability to effectively work together in the university community. We will need to be imaginative in

our responsiveness to the diverse needs of various constituents of our community. Such responsiveness will

require flexibility. Over the pages that follow, the themes of flexibility and responsiveness will reoccur.

Goul

1: Reaffirm our coiI'Iii tment to the arts and sciences vrhile enabling

development of the applied and professional programs

A Commitment to the Arts and Sciences:

Simon Fraser University has a long-standing tradition for excellence in the arts and sciences. As a university we

have long championed the need for undergraduates to have a broad, multi-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary

education that exposes students to the discoveries of science and the new ideas and knowledge generated in the

arts and humanities.

In the face of heightened pressure from governments for universities to prepare students in the applied and

professional programs, SFU must ensure that its curricula provide students with the knowledge and skills they

need to engage successfully as citizens in the global, knowledge-driven future. We believe that students should

leave our institution having acquired the ability to think creatively, imaginatively, and constructively. They

should possess the ability to engage in dialogue and discussion, reflect on the ideas of others and communicate

their thoughts effectively using good judgment and sound argument. Students graduating from SFU should also

• have acquired technological sophistication - both in their ability to use and adapt to emerging technologies and in

their ability to evaluate the impact of these technologies on their lives and the world. Our curriculum and

internationalization strategy should provide our graduates with an understanding of other cultures and with an

appreciation of interacting in a globalized environment. Students should also have acquired the ability to identify

and evaluate information resources. Lastly, the university experience should nurture in our graduates the

qualities and virtues imperative to the success of a democratic society: qualities such as compassion, empathy,

ethical and moral value, and tolerance.

The knowledge and skills described are those developed in all programs at Simon Fraser University. The arts and

sciences, do however, have a significant role to play in educating students not only in acquiring the abilities

outlined above, but also in serving a more fundamental responsibility to educate broadly as a "social good" for

modern society. SFU has been built on this foundation and the value of a arts and sciences education in a

knowledge-based society cannot be overestimated. Over the course of the 2001-2004 academic planning cycle we

need, as a university, to reaffirm our commitment to the arts and sciences.

Operationally, we will pursue this commitment by the following activities:

• review and develop undergraduate curricula

• encourage the development of initiatives that aim to provide or enhance a arts and sciences education

• develop new arts and science programming

• encourage the development of cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs

An ad hoc Senate Committee to Review and Develop Undergraduate Curricula was established in December

2000. Its mandate is to review existing curricula at SFU, examine curricula at other institutions, and propose

models for curricula innovation. The final report of the Committee is due in the Summer 2002. The Vice President,

Academic will be responsible for implementing the recommendations of the Committee.

p. 11

Faculty plans include a number of important initiatives aimed at providing or enhancing a arts and sciences

education. Within the past few years the Faculty of Arts has adopted an increased presence in stressing the critical

role that arts education and research has for society, particularly in a knowledge-based society. The increased

visibility of arts programming and research within the community and among prospective students needs to be

encouraged and supported. Recruitment initiatives, discussed elsewhere in this document, need to ensure that

the research and programming occurring within Arts Departments are profiled more vigorously to prospective

students.

Three initiatives (two internal and one external) that will help raise the visibility of arts in universities and society

in general are

noteworthy.

The Arts web site now houses a number of important documents that feature the

benefits of an arts education and the importance of a arts education in society. Over the past few years the Faculty

of Arts has also been engaged in an Employability Skills Initiative which has sought to identify the critical skills

being transferred to students during their Arts education and to develop strategies to more effectively

communicate the skills being acquired to current and prospective students. The Association of Universities and

Colleges of Canada has also recently engaged in a more proactive advocacy role for the Arts and Sciences which

should have considerable import in the way in which society values these areas.

One of the underlying principles for this Three Year Plan is the development of an environment that will enable

Departments, Schools and Faculties to be successful in enhancing existing programming and developing

innovative new programming. At the present time we cannot identify all those programs that will emerge over

the next three years. We can, however, indicate the current commitment to arts and science programming

through several illustrations. Examples of innovative programs in the Arts currently under development include:

Cultural Resource Management; Computational Linguistics and

'a Graduate Diploma in Urban Studies. Joint

programs between SF0 and UBC are currently being explored for a Master of Intercultural Studies and a co-

operative Ph.D. in Women's Studies. New programming initiatives can also be found in the Faculty of Science

including the areas of genomics, materials science, and environmental science.

One of the core principles of Simon Fraser University is its commitment to providing students with innovative

and inter, cross or multi disciplinary experiences. There are numerous examples across the university where

faculty research and instructional expertise have been brought together to achieve rich and expansive learning

experiences for our students. Noteworthy new interdisciplinary programming currently being envisioned

include: the Cognitive Science Program (between the Departments of Linguistics, Psychology and Philosophy in

the Department of Arts and the School for Computing Science in the Faculty of Applied Science), a Biotechnology

program (proposed as a joint initiative of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and the Faculty

of Business Administration); a Bioinformatics program (proposed as a joint program between the School of

Computing Science and Mathematics, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Statistics); a Bachelor of

Informatics, the first area of which would be Socio-Technical Information (proposed to be a joint program

between the Schools of Computing Science and Communication); Management of Technology MBA (between the

Faculty of Business Administration and the School of Computing Science); Biomedical Engineering (between the

School of Kinesiology and the School of Engineering Science); and (Forensic Anthropology (between

Criminology, Archaeology and Biological Sciences).

Development of Applied and Professional Programs:

Within the context of life-long learning and a knowledge-based society there is increasing demand for applied

and professional programs. At the present time this demand is concentrated in four areas: high technology fields,

business administration, health and health professions, and teacher education. New programming should

represent an extension of existing research and programming

strength

or take the university into new areas that

are complementary to other research areas. At this particular juncture in our history, SF0 is well positioned to

respond to the demand in the four areas noted above.

p. 12

Operationally, we will pursue the development of applied and professional programs through the following

activities:

• develop new applied and professional programming

• develop a strategy for meeting the demand for business undergraduate, graduate and professional

programs

• identify a unique professional programming niche for health

• pursue new professional graduate programming collaborations between the Faculties and Continuing

Studies

As indicated above the focus for this Three Year Plan is the development of an environment that will enable

Departments, Schools and Faculties to be successful in enhancing existing programming and developing

innovative new programming. At the present time we cannot identify all those programs that will emerge over

the next three years. We can, however, highlight several examples of program areas that are under active

development or proposal consideration.

The first area is Computing Science. The Senate Committee on University Priorities (SCUP) and Senate have

given them approval for the School of Computing Science to develop an enrolment growth plan for the next five

years. While growth is encouraged, plan for growth will need to outline a strategy for obtaining the resource

requirements necessary to support it. This strategy will require a multi-faceted resource strategy designed with

the School, the Faculty and the Vice President, Academics and Advancements offices.

In the Applied Sciences, growth is also expected to occur within the next three years in the School of Engineering

Science.

A second area is the Master of Public Policy and Management. This proposed program carries on SFUs tradition

. for interdisciplinary programming and provides critical links to faculty research. In conjunction with this new

program, the Faculty of Arts also plans to create a Centre for Public Policy to focus, strengthen and stimulate

research in the area.

The Senate Committee on University Priorities and Senate have also advised the Faculty of Business

Administration to review the unmet demand for Business undergraduate programs and consider expanding

admission to the Bachelor of Business Administration to meet the demand. Current levels of demand for all

Business programs are unlikely to be met given the current fiscal challenges of hiring excellent faculty. A

decision must be made over the course of the next three years regarding a sustainable mix and focus for

undergraduate, graduate and professional business programming. It is unlikely the Faculty of Business will be

able to support major program expansion and/or enrolment growth at both graduate and undergraduate levels

unless external resources are identified. The Vice President, Academic will support the Dean of Business

Administration to explore resource opportunities. it is recognized that flexible funding mechanisms will need to

be examined and entertained in order to enable the Faculty to pursue important opportunities for SFU. A more

detailed discussion of these issues can be found later in this document.

It is anticipated that over the next decade there will be a significant teacher shortage within the province of British

Columbia. Professional programming within the Faculty of Education at SFU is recognized as one of the premier

providers of teacher education. The Faculty of Education will build on this reputation and its history of working

creatively and collaboratively with school districts, university and community colleges. New professional

program initiatives under development in the Faculty of Education currently include: the Fraser Valley College

and Mission Project, the NewCanTEP (New Canadian Teacher Education Program), and the Professional Access

Teacher Education Program. Funding proposals for each of these programs have been developed and are ready

for ministerial support.

The creation of the Institute for Health Research and Education this past year affords new opportunities for the

development of continuing professional education programming. Continuing Studies, in conjunction with

faculties, schools, departments and IHRE, will seek to identify a unique professional programming niche for

health care professionals. The goal for the next three years will be to have identified, and perhaps, piloted one

such program.

p. 13

Other professional graduate programming that should be encouraged are the continuation and further

development of collaboration between the Faculties and Continuing Studies. Examples of this type of

collaborative program development are currently occurring between the Faculty of Arts and Continuing Studies

in the development of a Master's degree that would integrate the Post-graduate Certificate Program in Theoretical

and Applied Geographic Information Systems (originating in the Department of Geography). A second

collaboration is under development between the Faculty of Education and Continuing Studies to develop a

graduate degree specializing in continuing education.

It is important to note that growth in one discipline of the university has reverberations for other disciplines. Our

programs provide for a breadth of experience which extends outside the discipline in which the growth is

focused. Our commitment to a broad and multi-disciplinary educational experience for students produces not

only focused growth but also indirect growth in other areas. It is imperative, therefore, that a holistic

understanding be applied to growth in

programs and that resource identification take into consideration

resource implications outside the discipline of immediate focus.

Goal 2: Enhance our research excellence and profile

The fundamental distinguishing feature of a university is its research mission. At SFU the primary responsibility

for this area rests in the portfolio of the Vice President, Research. However, The Vice President, Academic's

portfolio houses the academic units and Faculties where research originates. As a consequence, it is critical that

the Vice Presidents Academic and Research work closely together to enhance the research environment for

faculty members, to articulate the university's core research strengths, and to identify means by which to support

these strengths and build upon them in new directions.

There is a dangerous trend of late in our external communities to equate research universities with universities

housing medical and related professional schools. As a comprehensive university premised on a core research

mission we need to disassociate this equation in the minds of our external communities and not, unimportantly,

in the minds of governments. We need to disseminate the new knowledge and fundamental discoveries being

made at our institution and commit to applying and transferring that knowledge to the benefit of society.

Operationally, we will enhance our research excellence and profile through the following activities:

• establish a Research Advisory Council

• employ SFU's estimated 38 Canada Research Chairs to advance the strategic research agenda of the

university

• aggressively seek funding for the direct and indirect costs of research

• improve support of new and existing scholars in their research activities

• support the development of new Centres and Institutes to focus and profile research and enhance the

ability to attract external funding

• expand research-based graduate programming

The current Strategic Research Plan was developed in response to requirements of the Canada Research Chairs

program. This Plan has served the University well in outlining major clusters of research and in facilitating

applications to the CRC program. More focused strategic research directions are evident in the Plans of each

Faculty.

To ensure that research at Simon Fraser University continues to be effectively supported, the Vice Presidents

Academic and Research will establish a Research Advisory Council. This Council will provide advice to the Vice

Presidents Research and Academic on research matters and policy and discuss research strategies.

SPU researchers have been very successful in attracting funding from Canada's federal research granting

agencies. This success has led to the award of an estimated 38 distinguished Canada Research Chairs. Producing

an environment that will enable these leading scholars to pursue their research agendas is one of the top priorities

of the Vice President, Academic. Developing this environment requires a three-pronged strategy: (1) identify a

strategic focus for the allocation of three centrally held CRC Chairs; (2) address the capital space and

. infrastructure requirements needed to accommodate the research programs of the Chairs and the burgeoning

research areas for other scholars contributing to these research programs; and (3) explore ways to effectively

execute the administrative and reporting requirements of the CRC program.

Over the next three years, the Vice President, Academic will work with the Deans and the Vice President,

Research to identify mechanisms by which we can more effectively support new and existing faculty members in

their research activities. For new faculty members this requires the identification of adequate start up funding for

their research. It requires equipping research laboratories and offices with leading-edge equipment and

technologies. It requires that we provide faculty with the resources necessary for them to successfully compete in

research funding opportunities and that we develop infrastructures to easily connect them with potential research

partners at other universities and in the private sector. It requires that we encourage and facilitate the

dissemination of the knowledge and discovery arising from the research process to our external communities,

and to our colleagues. Opportunities must be developed for faculty members to travel to important conferences in

their disciplines and to bring leading researchers to our university to work with faculty on collaborative research

projects. AU of these activities require the university and faculties to work together to identify the required

resources to support the research mission of the university.

The Vice Presidents Academic and Research are working together with the Deans to find the necessary resources.

To accomplish this we will be become more aggressive in seeking CFI funding for space and infrastructure. At

present there is particular potential for acquiring additional capital space through two Canadian Foundation for

Innovation applications. The first is in the area of Materials Science; the second is in the area of Mathematics in a

joint submission to benefit the Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences (PIMS), the Centre for Experimental and

Constructive Mathematics (CECM), and Mathematics and Information Technology and Complex Systems

(M1TACS) and other related units.

Another source for infrastructure funding to complement CH funding is the BC Knowledge Development Fund

(BCKDF). This fund has recently seen renewed investment in the amount of $117 million over the next three

• years.

While the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the BCKDF comprise two of the largest supporters of

infrastructure and capital development, there are other funding vehicles that the University should pursue. The

recent announcement by the provincial government to renew investment in health research infrastructure

through the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research is one example of an opportunity that the new

Institute for Health Research and Education could actively pursue. In total an additional $110 million

will

invested into health related research within the province over the next five years. The university will be actively

pursuing opportunities in both areas for faculty members, departments and the Institute for Health Research and

Education.

Supporting the research activities of new and existing faculty members is not only an issue of infrastructure and

space. In addition to existing programs of Faculty Research Uaison Officers (FRLO's), mentors and grants forums,

we need to provide a better program of workshops and information sessions to provide SFU researchers - both

faculty and graduate students - with the tools necessary to be successful researchers. This may include

workshops on items such as how to successfully write grant applications and how to produce successful

manuscripts for publication. It may also include the development of programs to assist faculty in traveling to

important conferences for disseminating their research and for bringing esteemed research scholars to the

university to collaborate in innovative projects. All of these activities are currently underway. We need, however,

to find ways of expanding these initiatives. The Vice Presidents Academic and Research will work together over

the next three years to secure new resources to improve the support of faculty members in their research

activities.

SFUs Centres and Institutes are critical to the success of its research. They bring faculty members together around

common and cognate research programs, stimulate new research directions, provide visibility to curiosity-driven

and basic research being conducted at the university, and act as a vehicle for sharing research discoveries and

knowledge with the broader community. The university will continue to develop these loci for research. One

large-scale cross-faculty Institute of note is the newly established (May 2000) Institute for Health Research and

Education. While the leadership for this Institute is still being identified, there are already 110 faculty members

who have joined the Institute. Smaller scale in terms of faculty participants, several new Centres in the Faculty of

p. 15

Arts are in the final approval stages. These include: The Centre for Restorative Justice, the Centre for Coastal

Studies, the Centre d'etudes francophones Quebec-Pacifique. The Centre for Scientific Computing as well as the

Management of Technology Research Centre in the Faculty of Business Administration are two other examples of

new research Centres and Institutes under development.

A successful research environment depends upon successful research based-graduate programming. Graduate

student and faculty member research collaborations create a stimulated culture for discovery and new knowledge

generation. We need therefore to begin strategic expansion of research-based graduate programming consistent

with growth in faculty members to support these new programs and the ensuing enrolment growth.

The recent establishment of the Institute for Health Research and Education in May 2000 provides one current

opportunity to develop innovative new multi-disciplinary research-based graduate programming. By the end of

2004, it is the goal of the Vice President, Academic and the Institute for Health Research and Education to have

piloted at least one Cohort Program by Special Arrangements in a health related area. As the provincial

government seeks to expand health educational opportunities within the province, it is imperative that the

Institute begin such programming in order to position SFU as a viable provider in the health education field. It is

anticipated that targeted and funded enrolment growth may occur as early as the 2001/02 budget process.

New programming at the Ph.D. level is also being considered by the Faculty of Business Administration as part of

an integrated strategy to increase research productivity. The SFU/UBC Ph.D. in Women's Studies and the

UBCISFU Master of Intercultural Studies are other important examples of new graduate research-based

programming under development at SFU.

Goal 3: Improve our ability to attract, retain, and support outstanding faculty

Recruitment and Retention:

As noted in the environmental context section of this document, Canadian universities are confronting a faculty

recruitment and retention problem of enormous proportions. A report prepared two years ago for the University

Presidents' Council of British Columbia predicted more than 2,200 faculty positions turning over in the next

decade due to retirements and attrition.

At SFU, there are currently 58.6 FTE vacant faculty positions: 8% of the faculty complement. In some areas such as

Business Administration, nearly one-quarter of its faculty complement is unfilled. These vacancies are testimony

to what is the beginning of a hiring crisis for universities locally, nationally, and across North America.

Without exception,

Faculty three year plans speak to the inadequacy of faculty resources. Several of the

Faculties - Business Administration, Applied Science, and some areas of Arts, are also experiencing extreme

difficulty in meeting the escalating compensation demands of prospective hires. Market differentials in these

areas have doubled in the past three years.

The University has been searching for solutions. One of the more successful initiatives was the institution of a

$600,000 Bridging Program that brought new scholars to the university in advance of upcoming retirements.

There are now, however, sufficient numbers of vacant positions that the Bridging Program no longer provides the

strategic advantage it did a few years ago, and so will expire when the last of current bridges move into the

continuing faculty complement in the year

200224.

Another area of significance was the negotiated remapping of

the salary scale. The revised salary scale provides for higher starting salaries, increased earnings for junior

faculty, and increased salaries for senior faculty. The higher salary starting salaries, combined with increasing

23 Instituted in 1999/2000 this program set up a 50%/50% salary cost sharing arrangement between the university

and the Faculty. This program was in large part a response to the loss of significant numbers of vacant positions

during the 1996/97 and 1997/98 budget cuts. It has served the university well.

24 One bridge developed under special circumstances will not move into the continuing

faculty

complement until the year

2005.

p. 16

market differentials, have created their own internal challenges, however, as inversions occur. This is a problem

being faced by universities across the country.

The reputation of disciplines in terms of the quality of its faculty and research as well as the collegiality among

faculty in the department are two areas of highest consideration in the hiring process for prospective candidates.

SFU has generally been very successful in hiring to date due to the excellence of our academic units. Many of the

initiatives outlined in this plan are aimed at enhancing the academic environment so that academic units can

continue to be successful in their recruitment and retention activities.

There are other critical factors in determining our success in faculty recruitment and retention and these require

urgent

attention.

The two most fundamental areas are: economic compensation, and support structures that

enable faculty members to effectively pursue their research and teaching roles while still being able to lead a

fulfilling life outside the university. Finding solutions that will enable us to maintain our competitive position in

the future will require ingenuity and flexibility.

Operationally, we will become more competitive in our recruitment and retention efforts through the following

activities:

• develop more competitive hiring packages for prospective faculty

• expand SFU's visibility and attractiveness to Canadian academics working outside of Canada

• enhance the New Faculty orientation program

• enhance the active program of professional development for Academic Chairs

• create an environment that makes SFU attractive to faculty from equity designated groups

As a university we need to identify the unique strengths of SRI and build upon them to develop attractive hiring

packages for prospective faculty members. We need to resolve the inadequate resources currently available to

match the financial packages being offered by some other universities. Over the next three years the Vice

• President, Academic, Associate Vice President, Academic, the Deans and the Faculty Association will seek

solutions so as to be able to offer more competitive hiring packages. A component to this solution is to gain a

better understanding of the full-costs of attrition and replacement hiring. As noted elsewhere in this Plan, a

primary focus is the recognition of the significance of creating a stimulating and successful research and

instructional

environment for our faculty. With increasing levels of attrition the university needs to develop a

more comprehensive understanding of the factors and costs that are involved in the recruiting and retention

equation. If we can create an

environment

that encourages faculty members to remain at the university, then we

may be able to redirect savings from the replacement recruitment costs into better support for our existing

faculty.

The Associate Vice President, Academic has been actively engaged in advocacy work with Immigration Canada

to introduce exceptions to the current 2-Tier hiring process. Some success has been achieved in this regard.

Continued advocacy with Immigration Canada and elsewhere needs to occur to seek other opportunities for

expanding the market for hiring scholars from outside Canada.

Recruiting faculty is one challenge. Retaining them is another challenge. Retaining faculty requires an expanded

conception of

orientation

and support for new faculty members. Over the past two years, the Associate Vice

President, Academic has instituted a day-long Orientation program for new faculty members. This program

continues to be developed to maximize its effectiveness as a broad overview of the university, its teaching and

research facilities, and its policy environment. It is time to significantly expand the program of orientation for

faculty members. One day is simply insufficient to equip our new colleagues for their research, teaching and

service roles as faculty members at SFU. Further in this section and in the previous research section, a more

comprehensive program of orientation and professional development is laid out for faculty research and

instruction. These initiatives will significantly enhance the one-day overview program of the New Faculty

Orientation day.

The Vice President, Academic's office also needs to commence a series of initiatives to move toward developing a

more personalized relationship with faculty members. Current staff resources are over-stretched and it will be

necessary to find new resources to enable the office to develop this relationship with faculty. We believe,

however, that one of the critical components to faculty retention is to develop an environment of support and

community for faculty that extends beyond departmental borders. We wish to be part of this community and not

simply "the administration."

Simon Fraser University seeks to be a diverse and inclusive university. In fulfilling this goal we believe that the

faculty complement should be representative of the population. SFU has made steady but slow progress toward

increasing the proportion of faculty from underrepresented groups. In some areas of the university, increased

attention needs to be paid to equity issues during the hiring process. In other disciplines, there is under-

representation of women and other equity designated groups in the pool of eligible candidates. Simon Fraser

University needs to be especially proactive in these latter areas. Moreover, we must work to make these

disciplines attractive to graduate students from these groups so as to expand the pool of eligible candidates for

the future.

The university can become more attractive to potential and existing faculty by improving the environment for

members of equity designated groups. To this end, the Associate Vice President, Academic will lead a review of

opportunities for the development of enabling structures such as flexible appointments, spousal appointments,

and the accommodation of family and childcare responsibilities. This review will include an examination of

initiatives at other universities and cost implications for instituting similar initiatives at SFU. A discussion paper

on the issue will be developed.

Academic Administrative Leadership:

Deans and Academic Chairs and Directors form the backbone of academic leadership at Simon Fraser University.

One of the ongoing goals of the Vice President, Academics office is to ensure that the university preserves its

outstanding academic administrative team. The current retirement profile will see many of our most senior and

experienced academic leaders retire. It is imperative therefore that the university encourage and facilitate the

succession of younger faculty into academic leadership roles.

Currently women and other designated equity groups are not well represented in academic administrative

positions. The University must improve this representation. One of the key goals in the next three years is to

develop strategies for increasing the representation of women and other designated equity groups into academic

leadership positions.

Operationally, we will achieve this through the following activities:

• enhance the program of professional development for Academic Chairs

• develop strategies that will encourage women and members of other designated groups to participate in

the academic administration of the University

The Associate Vice President, Academic currently offers an extensive monthly professional development program

for Academic Chairs. This ongoing program provides both a forum for discussion of current policy issues as well

as professional development. These programs have been viewed as highly effective and will be continued. Other

opportunities for supporting Academic Chairs will be undertaken as they arise.

Employment equity considerations are fairly well embedded into the academic appointment process. They are

not, however, as clearly articulated in the appointment processes for academic administrative appointments. All

future academic administrative search committees will be required to document efforts to encourage applications

from, and the short-listing of, women and members of other equity-designated groups.

Further, the Vice President, Academic and Associate Vice President, Academic will develop strategies in

consultation with the Senior Advisor to the President on Equity Issues to encourage women and members of

other equity designated groups to participate in the academic administration of the university.

Supporting Faculty:

The university needs to recognize the impact on our faculty of increasing technological sophistication of our

students and a move toward a more innovative learner-centered instructional environment. The establishment of

an expanded Instructional Development Centre this year with a significantly increased operating budget signals

the university's commitment to teaching and should be considered an important starting point for producing a

P. 18

more supportive environment for the instructional activities of faculty at SFU. Hiring 50-60 new faculty each year

. over the course of the next decade will significantly change the profile of our faculty. Many of our new hires will

be interested in expanding their instructional and course development techniques. It is important that the

university provide new junior faculty members with the support and development opportunities necessary for

them to successfully assume their instructional activities.

Operationally, we will better support faculty members in their teaching activities through the following

initiatives:

• develop "flexibility" mechanisms to provide faculty members with an opportunity to engage in

instructional delivery innovation

• affirm faculty contributions to the instructional mission of the university as important factors in the

renewal, tenure and promotion processes

• develop an instructional development program customized to the instructional skill needs of new faculty

members

To ensure that faculty members are provided with the opportunities to successfully pursue their research,

teaching and service activities we need to employ flexible arrangements that will enable interested faculty

members to participate effectively in these initiatives.

A significant proportion of a faculty member's time is devoted to the instructional mission of the university. It is

contingent upon us, therefore, to assure faculty members that this aspect of SFIJ is of vital importance to their

success in our institution. The university therefore wants to reaffirm its commitment to excellence in research

and

teaching. Contributions to the latter need to be more clearly supported and recognized in review processes and

elsewhere. The university and the SFU Faculty Association are working together to ensure that policies reflect the

full range of faculty members activities across teaching, research and service areas. Work is also being done to

clarify standards and expectations in the tenure and renewal process and introduce streamlined procedures. It is

anticipated that a revised policy will be implemented by the summer of 2001.

One component of faculty support is the development of an environment that enables faculty members to

develop their instructional skills and provide them with the opportunity to explore new pedagogical approaches

and/or enhance their instruction through the use of technology. The needsof new faculty members in these

areas are particularly important. The Instructional Development Centre will develop an ongoing professional

development program particularly targeted to the instructional professional development needs of new faculty.

The program offerings already in place with the Centre for University Teaching will be continued and enhanced

where appropriate.

Goal 4: Enhance our learning environments and instructional pedagogy so that

they

demonstrate our excellence, innovation, and our ability to engage our students

At the beginning of this document we noted that a transformation needs to occur in how instruction is conceived.

The concept of instruction as information transmission is no longer sufficient to the demands of a knowledge-

based society. Increasingly graduates must be able to excel in critical, analytical and evaluative reasoning and use

argumentation and sound judgment so they can adapt to the sweeping societal changes arising from

globalization, internationalization, and knowledge as the fundamental commodity of world economies. Our

methods of instruction must therefore embody the acts of dialogue, discussion and reflection. They must also

adapt to an increasingly technologically sophisticated community of learners.

Within this context there is opportunity for SFU to reaffirm its reputation for being a uniquely innovative

university in our pedagogical approaches and learning environments and move toward a more personalized,

learner-centered experience. The creative application of technology to learning may enhance this personalized

delivery.

P. 19

Operationally, we will enhance our learning environments and instructional pedagogy through the following

activities:

• evaluate our approach to instructional delivery

• develop a vision document and implementation strategy for technology-enhanced learning at SFU

• explore the feasibility of, and desirability for, the development of a residential college as part of

university expansion

• increase the involvement of tenure-track faculty in the instruction of undergraduates

• expand cooperative education opportunities for undergraduate students toward an overall participation

goal of 25% of the undergraduate student population

• develop a program to enhance the instructional skills of graduate students

• encourage the infusion of research into the curricula

• improve course availability for undergraduate students

• develop a plan to increase student opportunities to study or work abroad with a goal of achieving a

participation rate of 10% of undergraduate students acquiring some form of international experience

We have noted the transformation in instruction from knowledge dissemination to knowledge exploration,

dialogue, and reflection. We have also noted the need to provide more personalized learner-centered experiences

for our students. Over the next three years the Vice President, Academic and Deans will explore with the

university community whether our current approaches to instructional delivery and the learning environments in

which they are offered still meet the needs of our communities of learners and our educational programming

goals.

The two recently formed Senate Committees on undergraduate curricula and lifelong learning are both charged

with an exploration of the opportunities for technology-enhanced learning associated with their areas of focus.

Their observations and ideas will be important for helping the university identify opportunities for enhancing

learning with technology. As the environmental context section of this document discussed, however, SF11 needs

to identify a clear and bold strategy for launching itself on an exciting course in the area of online learning, e-

learning and other forms of technology-enhanced learning. As a community we need to explore the potential of

technology to creatively enhance, supplement and invigorate classroom-based instruction. While exploring the

potential for technology enhanced learning it is imperative that we retain the personalized instruction currently

provided to students across the university. It is anticipated that some units will have greater opportunity to

complement current instructional practices using technology than will be true in other are as. This evokes the

emphasis on flexibility stressed earlier in this document.

Over the course of the next three years SF11 will develop a vision document and implementation strategy for

technology enhanced learning. This strategy will recognize the unique ways in which disciplines currently use or

could potentially incorporate technology to further their instructional goals and methods. It will also promote

flexible structures and solutions to assist those units that seek to introduce technological innovation.

Consistently, SFU graduates indicate high levels of satisfaction with the personalized instruction and mentoring

they receive over the course of their educational programs. In meeting its goal to develop an enhanced learner-

centered environment for students, SFU must continue to explore ways for facilitating interaction between

scholars and students. While there are many potential vehicles for achieving this, the Vice President, Academic

will work over the next three years to explore the feasibility of, and desirability for, the development of a

residential college as part of university expansion. Residential Colleges, such as Green College at UBC and

elsewhere, provide students with a focus for intellectual life. They also are an opportunity for exposing students

to distinguished visiting scholars and engagement with students from other disciplines and other cultures.

We believe that undergraduate students should be exposed to our leading scholars and their research activities.

Innovative models of instructional delivery might provide opportunities that will enable us to be successful in

this areas.

The two committees are: the ad hoc Committee to Review and Develop the Undergraduate Curricula

and

the Committee to

Review Develop Lifelong Learning Opportunities at SFU.

p. 20

SF0 strives to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to participate effectively in society. To

. assist them in being successful in their employment, we believe that it is very important to provide students with

work experience related to their fields of study. This is accomplished through a variety of work experience

opportunities such as field placements, co-operative education placements, research project involvement, to name

a few. Several years ago SF0 was considered a leader in providing cooperative education opportunities for its

students. We are losing our competitive edge. In 1995/96 SPU recorded 1,640 undergraduate co-op placements

(10.3% of the undergraduate headcount). By 1999/00, undergraduate co-op placements had increased to 2,102

(12.9%). Over the next three years improving cooperative education opportunities for our students will be one of

our priorities. So too will the development of other non-co-op work experience opportunities.

The tutorial system has long served an important role in providing graduate students with instructional

development opportunities. Funding issues aside, this facet of SFU's instructional delivery approach has

provided graduate students with vital preparation for future careers in academia. Given the importance of

instructional skills for future academics, the university should seek to provide graduate students with additional

opportunities for developing their instructional abilities. The Dean of Graduate Studies will work with the

Instructional Development Centre to design a program for those graduate students interested in acquiring

advanced instructional skills and exploring opportunities for enhancing instruction with technology.

It is critical that we share the knowledge gained from the research process with our communities in general, and

our students in particular. Over the course of the 2001-2004 planning cycle, the Vice President, Academic seeks to

stimulate the development of new models for exposing undergraduate and graduate students to the research

process. The Instructional Development Centre will be encouraged to profile models of innovation and work with

faculty members and departments in developing research-enhanced instructional models tailored to the research

areas, methodological and pedagogical approaches of unique disciplines.

Since 1992, Simon Fraser University has tracked course availability for undergraduate students through an

annual survey. In the early 1990's the surveys revealed that while students were able to register in approximately

80% of the overall number of courses they wanted each semester, only about two-fifths (42%) were able to register

• in the specific courses they wanted. Significant changes were introduced in the course registration system in 1994

and marked improvements in course availability resulted. The university remains concerned, however, that only

60% of undergraduate students are reporting they are getting the specific courses they want, and only 85% of

students are getting the number of courses they want each semester. Over the course of the next three years, the

Vice President Academic would like to see significant improvement in these availability rates with an ultimate

goal of seeing more than 90% of students able to register in the number of courses they would like and 75% of

students being able to get the specific courses they want. It will be a significant challenge to achieve these

increases. In part it is expected that initiatives described later in this document to better manage course-demand

information and institute a new course scheduling framework will enable the university to move effectively

forward toward these targets.

Earlier in the document SF0 President, Dr. Stevenson was cited for calling upon SF0 to create "a pervasive

internationalization of curriculum, greater transnational opportunity for students who have no international

background, and an imaginative engagement with the cultural backgrounds of those who do." The need for these

experiences has clear resonance among working graduates from SF0. In the recent 2000 Survey of 1998 B.C.

Baccalaureate graduates, more than two-thirds of SFU graduates indicated that it was somewhat or very

important in their current employment for them to be knowledgeable about the traditions of other countries and

cultures (74%), to understand the interconnection between local and global issues (70%), and to be knowledgeable

about global issues (69%). These same graduates reported that generally SF0 is doing a commendable job in

helping to prepare students in these areas. The majority of this knowledge acquisition is arising from indirect

exposure to international experience - primarily curriculum and interaction with a diverse student body. A full

94% of the graduates surveyed had not participated in either a study or work abroad opportunity. It will be

imperative for the university in the future, therefore, to create more opportunities for student participation in

international work and study abroad programs and find imaginative ways to support them in these experiences.

p.21

In anticipation of a federal initiative to increase student mobility to gain international experience, it is critical that

we develop a clear and cohesive plan at the present time so that SFU is well positioned to effectively compete for

financial support from the federal initiative when and if announced. As part of this plan it will be equally

important for the university to articulate what it means by international experience" and the goals of that

experience for students. The target year for achieving a participation rate of 10% of undergraduate students

acquiring some form of international experience is 2006.

Goal 5: Attract, retain and suppoit outstan'ding students and identify ways to enrich the

learning eicpel

'ence of all students

SFU has an exceptional complement of students. In the Macleans comparison group for comprehensive•

universities, SFU students have the second highest average entering grade, and we score second in terms of the

percentage of first-year students arriving from high school with averages of 75% or higher. Over the past five

years the academic excellence of our undergraduate student population has been increasing. In 1996 the average

entering grade of high school students was 82.8%. It is now 84.7%. Similar increases are noted for the proportion

of undergraduate students with high school averages of 75% or higher: 95.3% in 1996,98.4% in 2000.

The quality of our students by these measures is outstanding. We are aware, however, that we are not the most

competitive university for attracting the brightest students. Proportionately the University of British Columbia

attracts more of BC's top scholars. Over the course of the next five years, SF0 aims to compete more effectively

with the University of British Columbia.

Simon Fraser University is the first choice for many students. We need to become more proactive, however, in

raising awareness throughout our external communities of the, excellence and innovation both in our research

activities and of our instructional environments. Increased awareness among our external constituencies will

stimulate our recruitment efforts to attract prospective scholars to our institution.

The provinces platform of accessibility and affordability has meant that tuition fees have been frozen at 1995/96

levels. This past year the provincial government further scaled back tuition fees so that 2001/02 tuition is

equivalent to 95% of 1995/96 levels. British Columbia now boasts the second lowest tuition fees in Canada.

Given relatively low costs of undergraduate education and high demand for student placements, there has not

been strong pressure on the university to devote more of its resources to support students. Comparatively, SF0

directs significantly fewer resources to student service operating budgets than almost all other universities in the

Macleans comprehensive category. At only 3.91%, SF0 ranks 10' out of 11 universities. While the provincial

funding environment has had considerable impact on our ability to invest in student services, it is noteworthy

that the University of British Columbia invests 5.57% of its total operating expenditures on student services.

SF0 fares considerably better, however, in terms of providing financial support to students through scholarships

and bursaries. Ranked 5

among comprehensive universities, SF0 directs 5.92% of its total operating budgets to

this support.

Over the course of the next three years, the university must make significant improvements in a number of areas

including enhancing recruitment strategies, promoting our programs and research excellence more effectively,

improving our scholarship and student financial support, and developing a student-oriented community that is

attractive to prospective students. Our ultimate goal is to develop a healthy community for our students. This is

an ambitious agenda, and one that requires urgent attention.

The 10% figure will require clarification over the next three years. In particular, we need to identify the population of

students upon which this figure rests (i.e. 10% of undergraduate admissions to degree programs, 10% of the graduating class,

etc.) The manner in which this figure becomes clarified will to some extent determine our ability to meet the 10% goal within

three years.

p.22

Operationally, we will improve our student recruitment and retention strategies and develop better support

infrastructures for students through the following activities:

• execute new strategies for improving student recruitment

• expand programming and advising to students in underrepresented groups

• develop a fully articulated strategy for enhancing international recruitment with a goal of reaching the

Senate approved limit of 7% within three years

• develop a recruitment strategy to expand First Nations student participation at SFU by 50% of current

enrolment

• develop a proposal for a Centre for New Students

• institute expanded web-based access to registration services for students

The Dean of Students Services in conjunction with the Vice President, Academic and other Deans will work to

develop a university-wide strategy for recruitment. The effectiveness of recent decentralization of recruitment

activities in some areas needs to be evaluated and a decision made as to the potential added-value of having an

effective university-wide approach to student recruitment. Student residence considerations including the

eligibility policy, the complementarity of housing assignment with university-wide goals, the quality and

quantity, will be examined in the context of developing a university-wide recruitment strategy for SFU.

Enhanced recruitment strategies should also be developed to increase participation at SFU of under-represented

groups. Two recruitment areas for particular focus include recruitment of First Nations students and recruitment

of international students. Our first goal is to increase participation of SFU by First Nations students by 50% over

their current enrolment. The time horizon for achieving this goal is 2006. Our second goals is achieve the Senate

limit of international student enrolment equivalent to 7% of the student population admitted into undergraduate

programs. The Dean of Students Services together with the Director of International Exchange and Student

Services and the International Recruitment Committee will develop an international recruitment strategy to

move the university forward to realizing this goal.

Attracting top students to our university is dearly an important item for attention. So too is ensuring that

students arriving at our campus have rewarding educational programs and experiences. Success in student

retention is a difficult area to evaluate. There are a number of contributing factors for student attrition, not all of

expectations.There is room, however, for the university to improve its programs and support structures to

ensure that

students can make the most of their experience at SFU.

The transition to university can be challenging to many new students. Focusing support in a single centre may

provide new students with a structure to address the variety of services that they require during their first year at

the university. The Dean of Student Services will develop a proposal for a Centre for New Students for the Vice

President, Academic.

SFU has several centres devoted to supporting the diverse needs of students in underrepresented groups

including First Nations students, students with disabilities, and international students. Over the course of the

next three years, new programming should be developed to ensure that these students can successfully pursue

their educational goals at SFU.

Our commitment to inclusiveness requires that we constantly assess whether we are providing the services and

programs necessary to enable all members of society to have the opportunity to participate in our university. We

take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to students with disabilities and encourage the continued

development and enhancement of programs through the Centre for Students with Disabilities.

In a period of expansion in student educational opportunities, students are demanding new and better services.

We have become too complacent in assuming that student services are adequate because of the commuter nature

of our campus and the relatively high levels of part-time participation. Changes in enrolment policy to focus more

on direct entry admissions from Grade XII will place increasing expectations on the university to provide an

educational experience that is more than merely classroom instruction. Our graduate students also seek increased

opportunities for engagement with the university outside of their research and classroom experiences. The

p.23

university needs to be responsive to our students and develop a better program of student services and non-

academic activities. The Dean of Student Services will be undertaking a variety of initiatives to achieve this goal.

The increasing technological sophistication of students is creating demands for better technological interfaces for

the way in which they interact with the university. While this is concentrated on many registration services such

as application and course registration, it also includes access to other services such as career opportunities and

news distributions. Although not under the portfolio of the Vice President, Academic, interactions with the

library online to search for resources and read online documents are also a component of the new environment in

which students have increasingly high expectations.

In the Fall 200 survey of undergraduate students, 76% of undergraduate students surveyed indicated that it was

very important for them to have unlimited access to course registration and add/drop course activity 24 hours

per day, 7 days per week. A sizable majority of students (over 70%) also indicated that it was somewhat or very

important for them to have unlimited access to other registration services including obtaining their class

schedule, inquiring about their registration status and requesting transcripts.

These preferences reflect the realities of a society that is becoming increasingly accustomed to web-based

provision of services across a diverse array of sectors. The University needs to respond to the changing

environment and facilitate the diverse access to information needs associated with an increasingly complex

student population.

Goal 6: Extend the university more fullyinto its communities and reach out more

effectively, to our diverse community of learners

SPU has long been regarded as an exemplar for community collaboration and partnership. In the future we plan

to reaffirm this reputation and increase our attractiveness as a partner for research and programming locally,

nationally, and internationally. Partnerships are increasingly important given current provincial funding of

universities on the one hand, but also because of the opportunities they afford for cross-fertilization of research

ideas and innovative programming that could not be offered by SFU alone.

Operationally, we will extend the university into the community through the following activities:

• expand participation in the Consortium of Higher Education Research Universities

• continue to develop innovative new collaborations with other universities in BC

• enhance our partnerships with First Nations communities

• offer new programming for First Nations students

• commence an Integrated Studies Program in Community Services

• pilot a "Weekend University" program through Continuing Studies

• establish an "Academy of Independent Scholars" offered through the Centre for Dialogue and Harbour

Centre

Simon Fraser University has recently become a member of the research focused collaborative initiative known as

the Consortium of Higher Education Research Universities (COHERE) led by the universities of Waterloo,

Alberta, Guelph, and York. This Consortium seeks to enhance learning and teaching through technology

developed on the strengths of their research excellence. SFU will add strength to this initiative and we should

explore opportunities to become an active participant in this Consortium.

Building upon existing collaborations such as the Living Lab, NewMIC (New Media Innovation Centre), and a

joint Philosophy Ph.D., there are several areas that hold particular promise for new collaborations with other BC

universities. These include partnerships in the area of health research, a joint SFU/UBC Master of Intercultural

Studies and a SFU/UBC cooperative in Women's Studies.

p.24

. One area where we have not been as effective as we would have liked is in the development of programming and

collaborative partnerships with First Nations communities. We can of course cite important examples of

collaboration and extension to First Nations communities. These include:

the Community Economic Development Centre collaboration with the Nicola Valley Institute of

Technology to bring community economic development programming to First Nations students in the

Merritt area.

an academic partnerships with the Shuswap Nation, based in Kamloops, which has now offered degree

programs in the interior for 12 years.

a minor in First Nations Studies where students study the traditional and contemporary issues involving

the aboriginal peoples of North American and Canada in particular

SFU wants to develop more courses, programs and partnerships with First Nations communities in the future. To

achieve the partnership aspect of this goal, SFU has within the past few months created an Aboriginal Advisory

Council. The Council will be important for developing ties to First Nations communities and developing a policy

environment supportive to First Nations students and programming. Programs under development or under

consideration include:

• new programming in aboriginal resource management at North Island College and Bamfield

• development of new professional programming through the Faculty of Education in three areas: the

Squamish-Burrard First Nations Program, the Yukon Teacher Education Program, and First Nations

Program which incorporate the new Developmental Standards Teaching Certificate Program (DSTC)

• development of the Cultural Resource Management program in the Department of Archaeology

SFU extends itself into the community through a number of innovative vehicles. One program area of

considerable potential is the Integrated Studies Program (ISP) which provide opportunities for mid-career

learners to earn a Bachelor of General Studies degree form the Faculty of Arts. At present, the Centre for

Integrated and Credit Studies offers two such programs: one in Liberal and Business Studies, and the other in

•

Justice and Public Safety Leadership. Over the next three years, the Faculty of Arts and the Centre for Integrated

and Credit Studies are encouraged to develop additional Integrated Studies Programs.

Another area of notable success is the Executive MBA. This program has been in operation for 33 years and

embodies the principles of superb graduate professional education. It is also an indication of the potential and

success for programming partnership with the external community.

In an effort to further develop opportunities for non-traditional degree students, Continuing Studies has

proposed the creation of a "weekend university" program. Current programming under consideration include

Community Economic Development, Community Services, Communication and Business, Gerontology,

Intercultural / Interracial Certificate, Public Administration, Women's Studies and World Languages and

Cultures. One of these initiatives will be more fully developed and a pilot program offered within the next three

years.

Formalized opportunities for learning and dialogue are the essence of universities. There is an increasing desire

for less formalized and more participatory forums for engaging with others interested in common issues. The

enormous success of the Philosopher's Café is a testament to the public interest for these opportunities. For many

individuals, however, an evening of general discussion in a café setting only whets their appetite for fuller

exploration of issues, although they still seek a fairly informal venue for continuing their discussions. The

philosophy of the new Morris J

Wosk Centre for Dialogue is perfectly suited to the desire for combining

opportunities for learning and dialogue over the course of an evening or weekend. We believe there is an

opportunity for combining the university's goal for excelling in lifelong learning with the physical presence and

philosophy of the Morris J

Wosk Centre for Dialogue. During the course of this planning cycle we will

investigate the desirability of, and demand for, the creation of an "Academy of Independent Scholars" through the

Centre for Dialogue. We also believe that it is important to begin an active agenda of academic programming at

the Centre for Dialogue in an effort to ensure that it moves beyond its use as a conference facility.

p.25

Goal

Develop

an institutional context and infrastructure that

enable us to succeed

in our other objectives

At the beginning of the Academic Direction section of this report we noted that the primary components of this

Three Year Plan were review, reform, support and innovate. The six goals and strategies identified above have

focused on the latter two components - support and innovate. This seventh goal will focus on the former two

components - review and reform. We have set out an agenda to achieve research and instructional excellence

and to develop a supportive and dynamic environment that will enable SFU to attract and retain outstanding

faculty and students. We need now to focus the initiatives we must undertake to create the conditions for our

success. In a climate of modest budget increases and capital freezes the challenges are significant. We believe,

however, that if we approach these challenges with innovation, flexibility, and creativity, we will be able to create

the conditions that will enable us to achieve our other goals.

Evaluate our Capacity to Support the Elements of a Knowledge-based society

Three of the most important elements connected with the knowledge-based society discussed in the

environmental context section of this document were the forces of internationalization, technology, and lifelong

learning and the way in which they will impact universities. We must ensure that we are effectively positioned to

meet these challenges from an institutional point of view.

Operationally, we will evaluate our capacity to support the elements of a knowledge-based society through the

following activities:

• undertake a review of international activities at SFU

• establish appropriate administrative and internal fee-sharing arrangements for international FTEs

• restructure the way in which technology related services and issues are organized

• undertake a review of the Continuing Studies portfolio

• review and enhance lifelong learning opportunities at SFU

In order to proceed with the goals and objectives outlined in the "Internationalization' document it is critical that

we take account of where we currently are as an institution with regard to our international activities. We need to

ensure that the structures, policies and resources are in place to enable us to implement the "Internationalization"

document. An internal review of the University's international activities has been initiated. Its purpose is to assess

whether internationalization at SFU is being successfully advanced by current practice and by existing

organizational relationships. The review report and recommendations will be completed by the end of April 2001.

The Vice President, Academic will identify priority action items arising from the reviewers recommendations

and will work with those involved in international activity at SFU to execute these priority action items over the

course of the 2001-2004 planning cycle.

Increased participation at the university by international students brings to the forefront the ongoing need to

develop a policy regarding the distribution of international student fees. We need to establish the administrative

structure and fee arrangements that willenable us to achieve the 7% participation goal of international students.

The Vice President, Academic will work with the Deans, offices involved in international activities, and the Vice

President, Finance and Administration to develop a policy and/or procedure outlining appropriate arrangements

for this area.

A second area of critical importance to the university is the way in which technology infrastructure, services and

issues are organized in the university. A search for a Chief Information Office is currently underway to lead this

initiative.

An equally important area for a knowledge-based society is the capacity of the institution to offer continuing

education, online and distance delivery of programming, and lifelong learning opportunities for our various

communities of students locally and internationally. To ensure that we are strategically positioned two studies

are been undertaken as part of the three year planning process. The first is an external review of the Continuing

p.26

• Studies portfolio at SFU. The second is establishment of an ad hoc Senate Committee to Review and Develop

Lifelong Learning Opportunities at SF0. Its mandate is twofold. First the Committee will review the lifelong

learning activities including programming and instruction, and the policies that facilitate access to and

development of programs across the University. Second, the Committee will propose strategies for developing,

enhancing and extending learning opportunities that are lifelong. The final report of the Committee is due to the

Senate Committee on University Priorities by the end of spring 2002. The Vice President, Academic will be

responsible to act upon the recommendations of the Committee.

Develop Mechanisms to Achieve Programming Success

At various points in this Plan we have identified the urgent need to develop an environment that will support

the research and educational objectives of Departments, Schools, Faculties and the University as a whole. One

area that has yet to be touched upon in developing this environment is the mechanisms and arrangements that

need to be put in place to provide academic units with the incentive to be imaginative and innovative and to

continue developing the unique programming and stellar research that has made SFU one of the best

comprehensive universities in the country. These issues are always highly politicized and will require careful

and thoughtful consideration in their implementation. Nonetheless, it is imperative that we develop an

environment that will introduce incentives to our academic units and we must recognize the possibility of

multiple solutions to resource challenges and opportunities. Within this environment of enhanced flexibility and

responsiveness we will ensure that the fundamental arts and science core is not only preserved, but enhanced and

enabled to flourish. We will also ensure that student accessibility is preserved and that expanded means of

supporting students created.

Operationally, we will undertake the following:

• identify procedures for identification of graduate and professional program tuition levels and fee-sharing

arrangements between the university and the faculty where the program is being offered

• explore and identify mechanisms that will enable flexible approaches to address the resource

requirements of specialized graduate and professional programs

Over the course of the next three years, the Vice President, Academic will work with the other Vice Presidents,

Deans and President, to develop flexible mechanisms and incentives (financial and otherwise) to ensure the

successful development of SFU's educational and research activities.

Create new Infrastructures to Achieve our Goals:

It is critically important that we put in place the management and operational systems that will enable us to

increase our responsiveness to students and address immediate shortages of instructional, research and office

space.

Operationally, we will create the following new infrastructures:

• implement a new Student Information Management System

• develop a course placements management information system

• institute a new course scheduling framework and policy

The current student information system at SF0, 'SIMON" was completed in 1986. At that time the system was

designed to address the needs of the Registrar's Office and Campus Community Services for student information

and processing. The increasing technological literacy of students has greatly changed the needs of the student

information system at SF0. This calls for increased access to student information and business interactions

between students and the university. An equally important need is management level information to help the

university better meet student demand for courses and to enable the university to effectively schedule courses in

response to increasing instructional and laboratory space shortages.

In 1999 the university undertook a comprehensive evaluation of the SIMON system. It was concluded that

changes were significant enough to warrant the development of a new student information system for the

p.27

university. At the time several options for replacement were investigated. By June 2000, it was clear, however,

that an existing product was not readily available to meet the requirements of the university. It was also apparent

that no dear consensus had emerged from university stakeholders on how to proceed.

The university has recommenced a process for identifying a solution to student information system needs. The

LGS group has been contracted to develop a proposal for meeting the information and management needs of SFU

stakeholders. The proposal, including a business plan for implementation, is expected to be completed by

December 2001.

In addition to the development of a technical infrastructure for student information, the Vice President, Academic

will also seek over the next three years to create new management tools for effectively responding to demand and

supply for course placements across the university and for improving space utilization of instructional space.

Efficiencies gained from improved course scheduling may enable conversion of some instructional space into

research laboratories and office space and thusmoderate the critical space shortages being experienced across the

university. Improved course scheduling will also enable the university to reduce course scheduling conflicts,

thus improving the availability of courses for students.

Current enrolment management occurs primarily at the admission point for students, with new Faculty-based

enrolment management established in 1996. Systematized enrolment management also occurs through the

provision of course supply-demand statistics generated by the Office of Analytical Studies. This system does not

currently provide all of the tools academic and administrative units require to conduct more comprehensive

predictive models for future enrolment demands. Instituting this more comprehensive enrolment management

system will be an area for action over the next three years.

The manner in which the University schedules courses has significant implications for two critically important

areas: (1) course availability for students, and (2) effective utilization of instructional space and research. As has

been noted earlier in this document, the university is committed to significantly reducing the structural barriers to

student access to courses and to timely completion of their degrees at our institution. We have also noted that

capital space is one of the most fundamental problems facing the university in its desire to effectively support

both the research and teaching missions of the university. A new course scheduling and timetabling approach

can enable the university to make important improvement in both course availability for students and in

optimizing space utilization so as to free-up much needed research space.

In 1995, an ad hoc Senate Committee on Course Scheduling and Timetabling was established to review the

policies, procedures and practices involved in scheduling undergraduate courses. The Committee's final report

of recommendations was completed in 1996. This report will be re-examined for its relevance to current concerns

three years.

Develop the Funding Environment: Externally and Internally:

Earlier in the document we spoke of the need to aggressively pursue external funding from CFI, CIHR, BCHRF,

BCKDF 27

and others to support our research programs, particularly in regard to infrastructure, equipment and

capital requirements. We have also noted that we will need to identify increased financial resources to support

competitive faculty and professional staff salaries, and that we must pursue opportunities for innovative

partnerships with the private sector to address escalating compensation packages.

It is also important for the University to identify new resources to support instructional and curricula innovation,

to incorporate technology-enhanced learning methods into the curriculum where appropriate and desired, to

develop new research and programming areas such as the recent health initiative. We cannot afford to allow the

provincial grant funding environment to restrain us and/or prevent us from moving forward toward our goals.

At all levels in the university, we must aggressively pursue a multifaceted strategy for acquiring the resources we

Acronyms represent the following organizations: Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Canadian Institutes for

Health Research (CIHR), British Columbia Health Research Foundation (BCHRF), and British Columbia Knowledge

Development Fund (BCKDF).

p.28

need to be successful. Advancement activities will clearly form a significant component to this strategy; as will

research and programming partnerships with other universities.

Internally, we need to ensure that resources are effectively being prioritized and directed to those areas where we

wish to be successful.

Operationally, we will develop the internal funding environment through the following activities:

• redefine the mandate of the strategic initiatives fund and expand over time its value to 1% of the total

university operating budget

• undertake an examination of the budget resources committed for the purposes of student services

• review the current graduate student funding strategy

• pursue increased provincial funding for graduate students

• institute a rationalized and prioritized budget process for space and infrastructure planning