Senate Committee on University Priorities

Memorandum

TO:

Senate

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FROM: ?

John Waterh

Chair, SCUP L. -

Vice Presidei

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emic

RE:

School for International Studies ?

DATE: ?

June 29,

(SCUP 05-047)

Attached is the proposal for the establishment of the School for International Studies

submitted for consideration by Dr. John Pierce, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social

Sciences. The School will be a fully independent and autonomous administrative unit

within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

The Senate Committee on University Priorities reviewed the proposal at its June 29,

2005 meeting, and it was unanimously approved. Once approved by Senate, the

proposal will be submitted to the Board of Governors.

Motion:

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"That Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors the establishment

of the School for International Studies within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

effective September 1, 2005."

Attach.

c. J. Pierce

G. Nicholls

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SCUP 05-047

Office of the Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

MEMORANDUM

To:

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John Waterhouse ?

From:

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John T. Pierce

Chair of SCUP ?

Dean, FASS

Subject:

School for International Studies

Date: ?

June 16, 2005

John, attached is a proposal for the establishment of a School for International

Studies (SIS), which was recently ratified (by a very large majority) within FASS.

The next step in the approval process is for the proposed SIS to be reviewed by

SCUP. I would ask that you place this as an agenda item at the next SCUP

meeting. For the benefit of SCUP members, I have also included the covering

memo that went out with the proposal for ratification. This provides additional

information on the design, structure and anticipated next steps in staffing and

creating the new School. I would be happy to speak to SCUP members about the

proposal.

• 77.

JTP/rt

Attachments

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I.

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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

MEMORANDUM

To: ?

All Faculty Members

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From:

John T. Pierce

Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences ?

Dean, FASS

Subject Referendum Letter:

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Date: ?

May 26, 2005

School for International Studies

Dear Colleagues,

Attached is a condensed version of a previously distributed proposal for the

creation of a

School for International Studies.

This entity will house the

undergraduate major/ minor program ratified by the faculty of FASS in an earlier

referendum and approved by Senate; and an MA in International Leadership (a

Special Arrangement Cohort program).

The budget for the School has been created from Burnaby Mountain Endowment

funds available to support new and innovative programs in FASS and the Faculty

of Science. The development of the School has been made possible by the

allocation to it of additional, recurrent resources.

The School will be a fully independent and autonomous administrative unit within

FASS. An external search for a Director is planned for the Fall of 2005. Chairs

from cognate disciplines will be asked to serve on a specially created Search

Committee chaired by me as Dean. Existing steering/ advisory committees will

assist in the transitional planning and start up of the new entity.

Academic appointments will be a mixture of external hires and cross

appointments from cognate fields; appointments in the latter category will be

subject to negotiation with the individuals and departments concerned.

Compensation required for the loss of teaching and research services to these

cognate disciplines will be identified as part of the negotiations with departments.

The approval of additional graduate programs will be subject to the constraint of

their being developed on a full cost recovery basis. Curriculum overlap between

new and existing programs will be avoided through the application of the

established procedural safeguards in the form of the scrutiny by FASSCC, SCUS,

SCUP and Senate to which any new programming is subject. If the outcome of

the referendum is favourable, the proposal to establish the School for

International Studies will be subject to consideration by SCUP, Senate and the

Board of Governors.

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In conclusion, the research and programmatic mission of the School is

interdisciplinary in focus with a dear emphasis upon international studies defined

to include five broadly defined themes as outlined in the attached proposal.

I ask for your support of this important initiative so the Faculty can move forward

towards the completion of the main elements of its Three Year Plan.

7-1--

John T. Pierce

Dean, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences

JTP/rt

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Proposal to Establish a School for International Studies

1

Introduction

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences identified the formation of a School for

International Studies as a goal in the current planning cycle. The Faculty's

objective is to diversify the educational opportunities it offers and raise the

profile of the Faculty and University in the international sphere. The

establishment of the School will help to advance the University's strategic

objective of offering more educational opportunities that address international

issues

In developing this School, the Faculty wants to ensure that students receive a

unique education that draws on but does not duplicate the programs of other

departments. With this and the strategic purpose of the School in mind, the

proposed School for International Studies should deal with broad, inclusive

themes that will allow it to effectively a) expose students to a diversity of

perspectives on international issues, b) impart skills for students to build careers

in the international arena, and c) attract the interest of top quality students and

members of the community. In the light of

increasing

globalization, in which

Canada increasingly depends on international economic, political, and cultural

ties with the rest of the world, a new educational approach is called for that

transcends traditional disciplinary or area studies models.

In addition to a broad thematic orientation, students should be given training

and experiences that allow them to function effectively abroad in whatever

sector they may choose to pursue a career. They should be encouraged to opt

for a regional interest in which they receive language and cultural training, and

subsequently embark on an international experience of at least a semester in

length. In addition, they should acquire the background in methodology that

would be appropriate to their particular interests in this field. Having said this,

the School will not be structured around area studies or a specific methodological

orientation

Orientation

Five broadly understood themes will guide the School's academic direction.

These are intended to form a framework for both research and curricular

development of the School, and by extension for determining in general terms

the interests of faculty and students to be attracted to the School.

'This paper is a summary of the original proposal, available at

http://www.sfu.ca/arts/12o]icies.htm

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• Peace and Security Studies

• The International Economy, Development, and the Environment

• Governance and Civil Society

• Human Rights and International Law

• Culture, Language and Ethnicity

These themes are to be seen to broadly define the orientation of the School

rather than limit the scope of the School and its programs. Faculty and students

in the School will be encouraged to create a community

with

a plurality of

interests, so as to create a diverse and vibrant academic exchange within the

School.

Research

The research mandate of the School will be like that of any department of the

Faculty. While many of the programs will be seen to have applied components,

it would be expected that faculty members in the School will have research

profiles similar to researchers in similar fields elsewhere. It can be expected,

however, that the international scope of the student experience will emphasize

research carried out in the field and through internships or other attachments

outside the country. Faculty will be expected to have a similarly international

orientation within their own research programs. In the same vein,, it can be

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expected that the School will become a sponsor for a variety of international

symposia and conferences.

Administrative structure

The programs to be included in the scope of the School will include the

undergraduate program in International Studies (to be inaugurated in fall, 2005),

the Master's in International Leadership (to be prototyped as a Special

Arrangements Cohort program in fall, 2005), and future applied and research-

based graduate programs to be proposed by the faculty of the School after their

appointment.

New funding adequate for the School will be phased in over two years in a

targeted envelope provided by the senior administration for this purpose. A

director will be appointed in the 2005-6 academic year and decisions on other

faculty appointments and initial staff appointments will be made at that time.

Additional appointments to complete the basic faculty complement will come in

the second fiscal year.

School in addition to the internal funding will be undertaken immediately.

SMay 26, 2005