.
?
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Senate Committee on University Priorities
?
Memorandum
TO: Senate
?
FROM: ?
John Waterh
S.04-55
.
Chair, SCUP
Vice Presidei
?
demic
RE: Dissolution of the Centre
?
DATE:
?
July 19, 200
for Systems Science (CSS)
At its July 7, 2004 meeting SCUP reviewed and approved the recommendation from the
Vice President, Research for the dissolution of the Centre for Systems Science (CSS)
and recommended the following motion:
Motion
That Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors the dissolution of the
Centre for Systems Science (CSS) effective immediately.
end.
C: B. Clayman
B. Havens
B. Lewis
G. Nicholls
0
SCUP 04-022
SIMON FRASER UNIVEE
MEMORANDUM
OFFICE OF VICE-PRESIDENT, RESEARCH
TO: Glynn Nicholls, Secretary ?
FROM: Bruce P. Clayman
Senate Committee on University
?
Vice-President, Research
Planning (SCUP)
RE: Centre for System Sciences (CSS) ?
DATE: May 26, 2004
Schedule A
Attached is a letter dated April 28, 2004 from Dr. Bill Havens, Acting Director, CSS and
a memo dated May 12, 2004 by Dr. Brian Lewis, Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences
recommending that the Centre for the System Sciences (CSS) be dissolved.
Accordingly, the Governing Committee for Centres and Institutes recommends that the
Centre be granted approval to dissolve. If approved by SCUP, the recommendation
would be forwarded to Senate, followed by submission to the Board of Governors.
Dr. Bruce P. Claymai
Vice-President, Research
,4fri
cohn H. Waterhouse
ice-President, Academic and Provost
Attachment
c: ?
Dr. Bill Havens, Acting Director, CSS
Dr. Brian Lewis, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science
II
.
/
MEMORANDUM
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
?
FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
DATE: May 12, 2004
TO: ?
Bruce Clayman, Vice-President Research
and
John Waterhouse. Vice-President Academic
University's Governing Committee for Centres
FROM:
Brian Lewis, Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences
RE: ?
Discontinuance of the Centre for System Sciences (CSS)
Attached you will find a recommendation from the Acting Director of the Centre for Systems Sciences
requesting the discontinuance of the Centre. You will note that the Director came to this decision on
the advice of the CSS Steering Committee.
I support this recommendation and ask that you act upon it. If you require any further information,
please contact me.
Brian Lewis
Dean
Faculty of Applied Sciences
BMc
Enclosure
cc: B. Havens, Acting Director, Centre for Systems Sciences
f
.
.
0
L
Centre for Systems Science
Simon Fraser University
ASB 9801, 8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia
Canada VSA 1S6
Telephone: (604) 291-4973
Fax: (604) 291-4424
e-mail: havens@cssfii.ca
www: css.sfu.ca
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
April 28, 2004
Dr. Brian Lewis, Dean
Faculty of Applied Science
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby,
BC
V5A 1S6
Dear Brian:
With great reluctance, I must report to you that the CSS Steering Committee has voted
overwhelmingly by email ballot to disband the Centre For Systems Science. After 16 years the
CSS has come to an end. By this letter, we are requesting that you forward this recommendation
to Senate for their action.
While the work of the centre has now finished, the CSS has had many successes at SFU. Initially,
the CSS brought together researchers from across multiple faculties and disciplines under the
rubrik of research in Systems Science. The CSS pioneered the use of research computer networks
with Sun Canada. The new CSSNet comprised about 90 computer workstations distributed
among the CSS membership. The CSS approach to computing eventually became the model for
ACS, and now the entire campus is using a similar system of distributed workstations.
In 1987, the CSS introduced the innovative CSS Update Newsletter. Since then, dozens of
newsletters stories, as well as the occasional radio and TV appearance have brought fame,
people, and resources to SFU. CSS communications have inspired similar newsletters at the VP
Research and other BC universities.
Subsequently, a Distinguished Speaker Series was introduced that brought experts from around
the World to speak at SFU about science and technology. The speaker series has been a huge
success and a major advertisement for research at SFU. Other centres and departments at SF0
have now emulated our model.
The CSS also pioneered the use of Grants Facilitators to encourage and assist CSS members in
- -
Systems Science research and the success rate for submitted proposals. Again, an original CSS
idea was copied first by the VP Research office at SF0, and now every campus faculty has their
own grants facilitator.
3.
All the while, the CSS continued to fulfill its mandate to work with the BC Advanced Systems
Institute to promote collaborative research among SFU faculty and BC high-technology industry.
The
CSS
has been instrumental in establishing countless collaborations over the years. As well,
the CSS has worked tirelessly with the ASI in their Research Fellowship, Graduate Scholarship
and ASI Exchange programs.
So with these accomplishments behind us, we move forward. Please accept this recommendation
from the Steering Committee. We believe that this is the right decision.
Dr. Bill
Ovens4^
Acting CSS Director
BHJtI
cc:
CSS
Steering Committee
Victor Jones, BC Advanced Systems Institute
Tracy Lee, Vera Robinson, Barry Shell, Sara Swenson, Research Resource Group - Applied Science
.
.
nj
