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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
MEMORANDUM
TO: Senate
SUBJECT:
Changes to Graduate Student
Financial Support Program
FROM: Senate Policy Committee on
Scholarships, Awards &
Bursaries
DATE: September 25, 1986
Action taken by the Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships, Awards & Bursaries gives
rise to the following motion:
MOTION:
"That Senate ratify the following changes to the graduate
student financial support program:
a) to eliminate the Presidents Research Stipend for Masters
students
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b) to retain the Presidents Research Stipend for Ph.D students
c) to eliminate the Open Graduate Scholarship
d) to eliminate the Graduate Research Fellowships
e) to allocate each year a specific number of 1-semester awards
to each department. ?
Consideration of graduate student
enrollment in departments will be a determining factor in the
allocations. Each department will be ensured at least three I -
semester awards per annum
f) to allow departments to utilize their allocation of 1-semester
awards, and to recommend 1, 2, or 3-semester awards for
individual students. ?
The Graduate Adjudication Awards
Committee will make final decisions of individual awards
based on departmental recommendations
g) to retain the Special Entrance Scholarships
ii) to retain approximately 10% of the graduate awards
budget
for discretionary allocation by the Policy Committee in
allocation of funds for Special Arrangement Students, Special
Entrance Scholarships and program development
i) to retain the Bursary, Loan and Work-Study programs
j) to eliminate the President's Research Stipend for Masters
students effective 1987-1
k) to phase in the other changes by ?
1987-3"
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Senate
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FROM: Senate Policy Committee on
Scholarships, Awards &
Bursaries
SUBJECT: Overview of Changes to Graduate ?
DATE: September 25, 1986
Student Financial Support Program
The Annual Report from the Chairman of the Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships,
AWii&Bursaries (S86{5) provides a summary of the program that has been
developed over the past number of years, and includes in Part IV the attached overview
of the changes that are proposed for the Graduate Program commencing with the 87-1
Semester.
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Overview of Changes in the Graduate Program beginning 1987-1
During the past 20 years there has evolved in this University a program
of scholarships, awards and bursaries which has retained its flexibility
to respond to the changing needs of students. Simon Fraser University
has been particularly supportive of scholarships, awards and bursaries
and now allocates a greater proportion of its operating budget to
student support than does any other university in Canada.
The scholarships program as it has developed over the last 20 years
has been well received with the university and I believe has functioned
well. ?
There have been relatively few complaints. SCSAB has introduced
a constellation of mechanisms for responding immediately to unique-needs,
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especially in respect to the recruitment of both undergraduate and graduate
students. The committee has introduced the Graduate Research Fellowship,
made Open Graduate Scholarships tenable for one year and established
several different entrance scholarships some of which carry two and three
year commitments.
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Many other innovations intended to maximize the
ability of the rogram to deal with the diverse needs of the University
community have also been developed.
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There have been some problems
which emerged due to restraint in the context of increasing demands,
but these have not been serious or ongoing.
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The explicit policy of
SCSAB was to increasingly move toward awards which made longer term
commitments and to emphasise entrance scholarships in an attempt to
attract students to this university. In addition the committee has
implemented a more equal allocation of funds to graduate students and
the split is now about 50% between undergraduate and graduate support.
EA
ir
IV. continued
The committee has also encouraged the development of Work-Study programs
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at the graduate levels and increased allocations to graduate bursary
programs (non-repayable grants based on need), both of which add to total
graduate student support.
However, recently there have been increasing pressures to change the
graduate student support system to one which is simpler and allows for
longer term planning on the part of both departments and students. During
the past many years there has also been much discussion of the role of
the President's Research Stipend (known as The Stipend) in respect to
whether it serves its original function and whether the funds it utilises
could be better used in other graduate scholarship programs. The Dean
of Graduate Studies initiated a series of discussions focused on the
changes in the program which would deal with these concerns.
The proposed changes were circulated to all Chairmen, Deans, V.P.s and
the President for comment.
After considering the responses received the Policy Committee approved
the following and agreed that the changes outlined below be ratified by
Senate.
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IV. continued
A)
To eliminate the President's Research Stipend for Masters students.
B)
To retain the President's Research Stipend for Ph.D. students.
C)
To eliminate the Open Graduate Scholarship.
D)
To eliminate the Graduate Research Fellowships.
E)
To allocate each year a specific number of 1-semester awards to each
department. Consideration of graduate student enrollment in
departments will be a determining factor in the allocations. Each
department will be ensured at least three 1-semester awards per annum.
F)
To allow departments to utilize their allocation of 1-semester awards,
and to recommend 1, 2, or 3-semester awards for individual students.
The Graduate AdJi icat I
A
dCöiixiiitTtee will kfliaTl Tcisions
of individual awards based on departmental recommendations.
G)
To retain the Special Entrance Scholarships.
H)
To retain approximately 10% of the graduate awards budget for
discretionary allocation by the Policy Committee
t
in allocation of
,funds for Special Arrangement Students, Special Entrance Scholarships
and program development.
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I) To retain the Bursary, Loan and Work-Study programs.
J)
To eliminate the President's Research Stipend for Masters students
effective 1987-1.
K)
To phase in the other changes by 1987-3.
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