TO: Senate
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
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S.08-1
Senate Committee on University Priorities
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Memorandum
FROM:
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John Waterho
Chair, SCUP
Vice Presiden Academic
RE:
Centre for Education Research
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DATE: ?
December 11, 2007
and Policy (SCUP 07-67)
At its November 21, 2007 meeting SCUP reviewed and approved the proposal for the
creation of the Centre for Education Research and Policy (CERP). This Centre will be a
Schedule B Centre.
Motion
That Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors the creation of
the Centre for Education Research and Policy (CERP) as a Schedule B Centre.
end.
c: J. Friesen
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Proposal for the establishment of a Centre for Education
Research and Policy
Simon Fraser University
The Centre for Education Research and Policy (CERP) will coordinate the research,
teaching and community outreach/knowledge translation activities of a multi-disciplinary
group of researchers interested in issues related to the organization and funding of
education systems and the role of education systems in the context of diverse
communities. The activities of the Centre will initially focus on achieving the objectives
with respect to research, training and knowledge translation of the SFU Community Trust
Endowment Fund (CTEF) project on "Education organization and outcomes in diverse
communities". Researchers affiliated with the Centre will:
a)
engage in highly-visible, internationally-recognized research on education and education
policy using a wide range of methods and approaches drawn from a variety of
disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives;
b)
develop and implement an innovative strategy for integrating community and stakeholder
groups in the design, conduct, interpretation, application and evaluation of research, and
ensuring uptake of research results within relevant communities;
c)
engage students and train new researchers in disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research
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focused on education and education policy; and
d)
establish links with education and education policy research groups both domestically
and abroad, in order to raise SFU' s research profile, establish collaborations with other
scholars, and develop exchange opportunities for graduate students.
The creation of this Centre will have no new budgetary or resource implications for the
university. The research group that will form the nucleus of the Centre is already housed
in an institute space located within the Department of Economics, and substantial
research funding has been committed through a CTEF grant over the next four years.
Longer term funding will be secured through external research grants and contracts.
Proposed Constitution for ?
The Centre for Education Research and Policy (CERP)?
Simon Fraser University
1. Purpose
1.1. The Centre for Education Research and Policy (CERP) will coordinate the
research, teaching and community outreach/knowledge translation activities of
a multi-disciplinary group of researchers interested in issues related to the
organization and funding of education systems and the role of education
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systems in the context of diverse communities. The goal is to generate and
disseminate high quality evidence that is useful and used by policy-makers,
practitioners and the community;
1.2. The Centre is affiliated with Simon Fraser University and conducts its activities
in such a way as to enhance the reputation and the programs of the University.
1.3. The Centre is committed to developing long-term collaborative relationships
with the education system in British Columbia and elsewhere, and with other
research institutes and institutions of higher education, across Canada and
internationally.
2.
Governance
2.1. The Centre is constituted as a Schedule B Centre at Simon Fraser University
under the terms of SFU Policy R 40.01, comes under the direct authority of the
Vice-President, Research and conducts its affairs in accordance with all other
University policies. An annual report on the Centre's activities and financial
status from April 1 to March 31, including the current membership of the
Steering Committee and the Advisory Board, will be submitted to the Vice-
President, Research, by the Director before June
30th
of each year.
2.2. The Centre is governed by a Steering committee and headed by a Director. In
addition, membership of the Centre includes Affiliated Scholars.
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2.3. The Director of the Centre is an SFU faculty member appointed by the Vice
President, Research, upon nomination by the Steering Committee. The Director
serves a renewable three-year term. The Centre's first director will be a faculty
member directly appointed by the Vice-President, Research from the initial
membership of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee elects an
Associate Director from its' members, who fulfills the Director's
responsibilities in his/her absence.
2.3.1. The Director's tasks include the following responsibilities, which he or
she may delegate but not abrogate.
• Chairing the Steering Committee;
• Overseeing the Centre's finances;
• Recruiting Affiliated Scholars;
• Hiring Centre personnel, including support staff and research assistants;
• Preparing the annual report to the Vice President, Research.
2.4. The Steering Committee of the Centre consists of
5-6
faculty members
including the Director, who will serve as Chair. All members of the Steering
Committee must hold full-time tenured or tenure-track positions within SFU.
Members of the Committee serve one-year renewable terms. The composition
of the Committee will represent as much as possible the range of disciplinary
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perspectives of the faculty members affiliated with the Centre. The task of the
Steering Committee is to determine the overall direction of the Centre and to
oversee the management of its operations. While it normally operates by
consensus, when necessary it can make decisions by majority vote, including
the appointment of new members of the Steering Committee, as well as
nominating the Director and the Associate Director of the Centre.
2.4.1. Initial Steering Committee members are:
Jasmina Arifovic, Ph.D., Department of Economics
Jane Friesen, Ph.D., Department of Economics (Centre Director)
Simon Woodcock, Ph.D., Department of Economics
Nancy Olewiler, Ph.D., Department of Economics and Graduate Public
Policy Program
Steven Wright, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
Dan Laitsch, Ph.D., Faculty of Education
The work of the Centre is supported by Affiliated Scholars, individuals from the
university or the external communities, and may include faculty, staff, or students.
Status as Affiliated Scholar is approved by the Steering Committee based on the
recommendation of the Director.
2.4.2. In addition to those on the initial Steering Committee, initial Affiliated
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? Scholars are all faculty members who are listed as Collaborators on the
Community Trust Endowment Fund Project "Education organization and
outcomes in diverse communities." These are:
Peter Grimmet, Ph.D., Faculty of Education
Olena Hankivsky, Ph.D., Graduate Public Policy
Christoph Luelfesmann, Ph.D., Department of Economics
Brian Krauth, Ph.D., Department of Economics
Krishna Pendakur, Ph.D., Department of Economics
John Richards, Ph.D., Graduate Public Policy Program
John Nesbit, Ph.D., Faculty of Education
Phil Winne, Ph.D., Faculty of Education
Mark Winston, Ph.D., Department of Biological Sciences
2.5.
Initial funding for the activities of the Centre will be provided by SFU's- -
Community Trust Endowment Fund project "Education organization and
outcomes in diverse communities." Additional and ongoing funding will be
secured from sources external to the university.
4.
