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Action undertaken by the Senate Graduate Studies Committee, at its 

Meeting on September 21, 1987, 

gives 

rise to the following motion: 

MOTION: 

"That Graduate Regulation 1.9.4 be modified as follows: 

?

1.9.4 PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION OF DOCTORAL THESIS 

Preparation for the examination of a Doctoral thesis shall not 

take place until the thesis is substantially complete and in the format 

laid down in Appendix A of the General Regulations - Graduate Studies. 

At least two months before the proposed date for the thesis 

examination, the candidate's Supervisory Committee shall make a recommend- 

ation concerning the composition of the Examining Committee (in conformity 

with 1.9.3) and the date of the thesis examination. This recommendation, 

which shall also include the thesis title, an abstract of the thesis, and 

a short biography of the proposed External Examiner, shall be sent to the 

Graduate Program Committee, then to the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee 

for approval, then to the Office of the Dean of Graduate.Studies for con- 

sideration by the Senate Graduate Studies Committee. The recommendation 

must reach the Dean of Graduate Studies at least five weeks before the exam- 

ination date. After the recommendation is approved, the Dean of Graduate 

Studies shall invite the External Examiner and provide information on the 

examination date and procedures. 

Unbound copies of the completed thesis shall be given to the 

Chairi- of the Examining Committee for distribution to that Committee. 

A copy of the thesis shall also be made generally available for inspection 

by interested faculty members and students. The completed thesis shall be 

thus distributed no later than one month before the examination date and 

in no case prior to the approval of the Examining Committee by the Senate 

Graduate Studies Committee. The Chair-of the Examining Committee shall 

inform the Dean of Graduate Studies in writing when the thesis has been 

distributed." 

?

Q. CQ-

B.P. Clayman 

Dean of Graduate Studies. 

turn! 

end. 

SIMON F R A S E R UNIVERSITY 

S

MEMORANDUM 

DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES 

TO: ? 

Senate Graduate 

?

FROM: B.P. Clayinan 

Studies Committee 

SUBJECT: EXAMINING COMMITTEE 

?

DATE: 27 July 1987 

APPROVAL 

Discussion at the meetings of the SGSC on 23 March 1987 

and 20 July 1987 leads to this suggestion of changes to the 

regulations governing the approval of the Examining 

Committees for Ph.D. candidates. Please refer to my 

memorandum to the SGSC (15 January 1987, attached) which 

describes the logical 

inconsistency

of the present 

regulations. 

If this suggestion is accepted, Graduate Regulation 

1.9.4 would be modified to read: 

11

1.9.4 PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION OF DOCTORAL THESIS 

Preparation for the examination of a Doctoral 

thesis shall not take place until the thesis is 

substantially complete and in the format laid down 

in Appendix A of the General Regulations - Graduate 

Studies.. 

At least two months before the proposed date for 

the thesis examination, the candidate's Supervisory 

Committee shall make a recommendation concerning the 

composition of the Examining Committee (in 

conformity with 1.9.3) and the date of the thesis 

examination. ?

This recommendation, which shall also 

include the thesis title, an abstract of the thesis, 

and a short biography of the proposed External 

Examiner, shall be sent to the Graduate Program 

Committee, then to the Faculty Graduate Studies 

Committee for approval, then to the Senate Graduate 

Studies Committee for final approval. The 

recommendation must reach the Dean of Graduate 

Studies Office at least five weeks before the 

examination date. The Dean of Graduate Studies 

shall invite the External Examiner and provide 

information on the examination date and procedures. 

...2 

S.

-2-

.

Unbound copies of the completed thesis shall be 

given to the Chairman of the Examining Committee for 

distribution to that Committee. A copy of the 

thesis shall also be made generally available for 

inspection by interested faculty members and 

students. The completed thesis shall be thus 

distributed no later than one month before the 

examination date and in no case prior to the 

approval of the Examining Committee by the Senate 

Graduate Studies Committee. The Chairman of the 

Examining Committee shall inform the Dean of 

Graduate Studies in writing when the thesis has been 

distributed." 

A copy of the present regulation is attached for your 

reference. You will note two significant changes: 

(1)

The Examining Committee recommendation would 

have to arrive in my office at least 5 weeks 

before the defence (instead of the present one 

month). 

(2)

The thesis could not be distributed until the 

Examining Committee was approved. 

?

These minor changes will remove the logical 

inconsistency in the present regulations while presenting 

no new difficulties for students or supervisors. 

This matter will be on the agenda of the next meeting 

of the SGSC. 

B.P. Clayman 

BPC/rb 

m-sgsc9 

Enclosures 

SIMON F R A S E R UNIVERSITY 

MEMORANDUM 

DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES 

TO: ? 

Senate Graduate 

?

FROM: B.P. Clayman 

Studies Committee 

SUBJECT: Ph.D. DEFENCES 

?

DATE: 15 January1987 

There is a logical inconsistency in the Preparation for 

the Examination of a Doctoral Thesis (regulation 1.9.4). You 

will note that the proposal for the composition of the 

Examining Committee is to reach my office at least one month 

before the date of the examination. If I approve of the 

proposal, I am to invite the External Examiner. 

Meanwhile, in the next paragraph under 1.9.4, the 

completed thesis is to be distributed to the Examining 

Committee, also at least one month before the examination 

date. 

It seems illogical to send a thesis to a proposed but not 

necessarily approved, External Examiner. 

In the majority of cases, this creates no serious 

problems in that I am able to approve the composition of the 

Examining Committee and my letter of invitation reaches the 

Examiner at roughly the same time as the thesis. However, 

over the last year, there were a number of cases in which I 

was initially unable to approve the proposed committee 

because insufficient evidence of the Examiner's 

qualifications accompanied the reconunendation In a smaller 

number of cases, I could not approve the recommendation 

because the proposed Examiner was not appropriately 

qualified. In both these circumstances, the potential for 

extreme embarrassment to the Department and the University 

was present. In one case, regrettably, that potential was 

realized. In the others, it probably just provided some 

amusement to the External Examiners who received the thesis 

weeks before the formal invitation and information on the 

date of defence. 

I therefore seek the advice of this committee in 

eliminating this logical inconsistency which carries the 

potential for negative consequences. I suggest that the 

Dean's approval of the Examining Committee must precede 

distribution of the thesis. 

...2

-2-

One means of accomplishing this would be to move the 

whole approval process back two weeks so that it begins 10 

weeks prior to the proposed date of defence. Another would 

be to eliminate approval of the Examining Committee by the 

Faculty Graduate Studies Committee. Both of these would have 

the recommendation of the committee reach my office abat; 

:six' 

weeks before the defence and about two weeks before 1ëS1é 

distribution. ? 

,.

-

A third approach would keep the present schedule and ir 

addition, require approval of the Examining Coinmitte t& 

occur prior to thesis distribution (which would stil'4 have to 

occur at least a month prior to the actual defence date). I 

prefer this approach. 

This matter will be on the agenda of the next meeting of 

the SGSC. 

B.P. Clayman 

BPC/rb 

phd-def 

cc: M. McGinn 

1.9.4. PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION OF DOCTORAL THESIS

Preparation for the examination of a Doctoral thesis shall not take

place until the thesis is substantially complete and in the format laid

down in Appendix A of the General Regulations - Graduate Studies.

At least two months before the proposed date for the thesis exami-

nation the candidate's Supervisory Committee shall make a recommen-

dation concerning the date of the thesis examination and the composi-

tion of the Examining Committee in conformity with 1.9.3. This

recommendation, which shall include the thesis title, an abstract of the

thesis, and a short biography of the proposed External Examiner, shall

be sent to the Graduate Program Committee and the Faculty Graduate

Studies Committee for approval, and to the Senate Graduate Studies

Committee for final approval. The Examining Committee proposal must

reach the Dean of Graduate Studies Office at least one month before the

examination date. The Dean of Graduate Studies shall formally invite

the External Examiner and provide information on the examination pro-

cedures and date.

Unbound copies of the completed thesis shall be given to the Chair-

man of the Examining Committee for distribution to that Committee. A

copy of the thesis shall be made generally available for inspection by

interested members of faculty and students. The completed thesis shall

be distributed no later than one month before the examination date,

and the Chairman of the Examining Committee shall inform the Dean of

Graduate Studies in writing that this has been done.