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To ........ 

SENATE

.......................................... 

.

PRESIDENT 

PROPOSALS FOR SEARCH COMMITTEES 

Subject.. . .). .

.P.M 1 .

.0F . ? 

.............. 

b) DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES 

1

AUGUST 29, 978 

Date

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MOTION 1: "That the membership of a Dean's Search Committee (Faculty 

Dean) be as follows: 

Academic Vice-President, Chairman; 

all Deans, except the incumbent Dean of the Faculty and any 

Dean who himself is a candidate for the position; 

four faculty members holding regular full-time appointments, 

at least two of whom must be at the rank of Associate 

Professor or above, elected by and from the Faculty involved; 

two student members (from the Faculty involved) selected by 

the Student Society." 

MOTION 2: "That the membership of a Dean's. Search Committee (Graduate 

Studies) he as follows: 

Academic Vice-President, Chairman; 

all Deans, except the incumbent Dean of Graduate Studies and 

any Dean who himself is a candidate for the position; 

four faculty members holding regular full-time appointments, 

at least two of whom must be at the rank of Associate 

Professor or above, elected by faculty members jointly, with 

one from each Faculty; 

two graduate student members selected by the Student Society." 

(Note: The Terms of Reference for the Search Committee are unchanged? 

from those shown in section 5 of the attached pages.) 

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SiMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

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MEMORANDUM

SENATE ? 

From

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40o

.......................................................... 

PRESIDENT 

Subject... PROPOSALS FOR 

•

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COMMITTEES   

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Date. . . 

9•

29, 1978 

a

*

) DEAN OF FACULTY 

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Some Background Information 

1.

In 1970 the Senate Committee on Method of Appointment, Tenure, and 

Functions of Deans and Heads of Departments (ad hoc) submitted report 

to Senate covering the method of appointment, tenure, and functions 

of Deans of Faculties. This was considered as Paper S.358 and was 

revised and approved by Senate at its meeting of May 11, 1970. 

The revised approved paper was transmitted to the Board of Governors 

but decision on some aspects was held pending legal opinion. In order 

to expedite the establishment of the appropriate Deans Search Committees 

the Board approved, with some change, Section III.A - Selection of a 

Dean's Search Committee. Senate was apprised of these changes under 

Paper S.380 at its meeting of July 6, 1970. (I'he report and policy con- 

cerned itself with Deans of Faculties only; it did not deal with the 

Dean of Graduate Studies or other potential deanship positions not 

S

related to specific Faculties of the University.) 

2.

At its meeting of January 18, 1971, under Paper S.71-1, change was 

approved by Senate (and later accepted by the Board), "That Section 

III.A, 2. b) of Paper S.380 be amended by adding the words 'and the 

Dean of Graduate Studies." This change merely added to the approved 

existing policy the inclusion of the Dean of Graduate Studies to the 

Faculty Deans on the Search Committee. 

3.

The Universities Act was amended in 1974. Section 28 (e) is pertinent - 

Powers of the Board. 

•".... The board has power 

(e) with the approval of the senate, to establish 

procedures for the recommendation and selection 

of candidates for president, deans, librarians, 

registrar, and other senior academic adminis- 

trators as the board may designate;" 

At its meeting of January 21, 1975, the Board of Governors approved 

procedures relating to:- President; Vice-President, Academic; Associate 

or Assistant Vice-President, Academic; Deans; Associate Deans; Librarian; 

Registrar. This material was transmitted by B. Wilson, Acting President, 

to Senate in Paper S.75-31, and was considered by Senate at its meeting 

of February 3, 1975. Following discussion, a motion to refer was ap- 

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proved, "That the document be referred back to the Board of Governors for 

wider consultation." 

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4. Although it was intended that recommendations on procedures for the 

various positions would come forward for approval by the Board and by 

Senate, time pressures necessitated consideration of the procedures 

for Deans. In this instance a paper was presented firstly to Senate 

and then to the Board. Paper S.75-112, "Search Committee for a Dean," 

was revised, amended and approved by Senate on July 7, 1975 and by the 

Board of Governors on July 15, 1975. The paper made reference to this 

".... as interim operating procedures for recommendation and selection 

of Deans pending approval of new procedures for the recommendation and 

selection of candidates for senior academic administrative appointments 

within the University, by the Board of Governors and Senate." The paper 

as originally presented to Senate was modified by that body to make 

clear some of the processes pertaining to search for the Dean of 

Graduate Studies. It is clear from the earlier papers-and explanatory 

notes that in the case of a Faculty Dean the five faculty members are 

to be elected by and from the Faculty involved. The change made by 

Senate referring to. the Dean of Graduate Studies made it clear that the 

five faculty members are to be elected by and from Faculties Jointly 

but with at least one from each Faculty. 

The intent was that as an interim procedure the conditions of Paper 

S.380 - which is S.358 as modified by the Board in .1970 - shall pertain 

but with the inclusion of all Deans, where the Dean himself is not a 

candidate for the position. As in S.380, of the five faculty members 

at least two shall be at the rank of Associate Professor or above. 

• ? 

Ailmembers of the committee are voting members. 

5. The various approvals provide terms of reference for a Dean's Search 

Committee (Faculty Dean) as follows: 

TERMS OF REFERENCE 

1. Responsibilities of the Dean's Search Committee (Faculty Dean) shall 

include: 

a.

deciding whether to include in its search area persons outside 

the Faculty involved; 

b.

engaging in a search for potential candidates and examining 

their credentials; 

c.

consulting during the search procedure with all available depart- 

ment chairmen in the Faculty involved; 

d.

receiving expressions, as early as possible in the search process, 

of opinions and preferences of faculty and students in the Faculty 

involved; 

e.

consulting with the department(s) most nearly concerned with the 

academic discipline of any deanship candidate about the standing 

of the candidate in his discipline; 

f.

requesting, before a candidate is recommended to the President, 

that the department concerned report on its expectations of being 

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able to assimilate him into its teaching and research program upon 

termination of his period In office; 

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g.

apprising the President of the name of any candidate for appoint- 

ment so that in advance of making any final recommendation agree- 

ment may be reached between the President and the said candidate 

regarding the terms 

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under which he might be appointed; 

h.

obtaining, in the case of a candidate from within the Faculty, 

ratification by vote of the Faculty involved, of the candidate to 

be recommended to the President; 

i.

bringing to the President of the University within a reasonable 

period one or more recommendations for appointment to the position. 

2. If the President does not find it possible to recommend to the Board of 

Governors the appointment of a candidate recommended by the committee 

she shall so inform the committee, and shall supply an explanation of 

her decision. In such an event the Dean's Search Committee shall under- 

take once more the responsibilities outlined above. 

The terms of reference for a Dean's Search Committee (Graduate Studies) are 

identical with the exception that Item h. does not apply. 

There is also stipulation that "No later than 12 months before the expiration 

of a Dean's term of office the Academic Vice-President shall initiate 

formation of a Dean's Search Committee. (In the event of a Dean relinquish- 

ing his position, for whatever reason, prior to the expiration of his regular 

term of office a Search Committee shall be constituted as soon as possible.)" 

6. The most recent approvals provide membership and conditions of membership 

for a Dean's Search Committee (Faculty Dean) as follows 

Academic Vice-President, Chairman; all Deans (including the incumbent Dean) 

except when any Dean himself is a candidate for the position - (Dean of Arts, 

Dean of Education, Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies, Dean of Science, Dean 

of Graduate Studies, Dean of Continuing Studies - 6); five faculty members 

holding regular full-time appointments, at least two of whom must be at the 

rank of Associate Professor or above, elected by and from the Faculty in- 

volved; two student members (from the Faculty involved) selected by the 

Student Society. All these members shall be voting members. 

For a Dean's Search Committee (Graduate Studies) membership is as follows: 

Academic Vice-President, Chairman; all Deans (including the incumbent Dean) 

except when any Dean himself is a candidate for the position - (Dean of Arts, 

Dean of Education, Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies, Dean of Science, Dean 

of Graduate Studies, Dean of Continuing Studies - 6); five faculty members 

holding regular full-time appointments, at least two of whom must be at the 

rank of Associate Professor or above, elected by faculty members jointly, 

with at least one from each Faculty; two graduate student members selected 

by the Student Society. All these members shall be voting members. 

Actions Proposed 

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Following a number of considerations and discussions it is not proposed to 

change the terms of reference which are shown in (5) above, but to propose 

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.ME

some change in the memberships of the committees to reduce the size and 

establish more balance for more effective working. Any decisions by 

Senate will be reported to the Board as recommendations for its considera- 

tion. 

The intent is to reduce the number of Deans from six to five by not 

including the incumbent Dean as a member of the committee, and to reduce 

the number of faculty members from five to four and thereby provide for 

one member from each Faculty on the Graduate Studies Search Committee. 

MOTION 1: "That the membership of a Dean's Search Committee (Faculty 

Dean) be as follows: 

Academic Vice-President, Chairman; 

all Deans, except the incumbent Dean of the Faculty and any 

Dean who himself is a candidate for the position; 

four faculty members holding regular full-time appointments, 

at least two of whom must be at the rank of Associate 

Professor or above, elected by and from the Faculty involved; 

two student members (from the Faculty involved) selected by 

the Student Society." 

MOTION 2: "That the membership of a Dean's Search Committee (Graduate 

Studies) be as follows: 

Academic Vice-President, Chairman; 

all Deans, except the incumbent Dean of Graduate Studies and 

any Dean who himself is a candidate for the position; 

four faculty members holding regular full-time appointments, 

at least two of whom must be at the rank of Associate 

Professor or above, elected by faculty members jointly, with 

one from each Faculty; 

two graduate student members selected by the Student Society." 

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