MEMO

S.10-4

Ol'l'

CE 01'

TilE

ASSOC

ATE VICE I'ltUilDENT

ACADI

r.'

AND

ASSOCIATE rnOVOST

TTENTI

Bill

Krane,

Chair

Senate Committee on Under

raduate

Studies

Abor

ginal Bridge Program {SCUS 09-5&1

OAT

December 7

2009

Action

nde

ake

the Senate Comm

ttee

derg

ate Stud

ts mee

ng of

Dece

ber 3

2009, gives rise to t

e following

eco

mendation

otion:

hat Senate

approve the

naL

dge Program

l>lIl

j.I

Vr:

lHINKING

THE

ORLO

MEMO

Registrar & Enrollment Services

M.\ILI:-IC ADDRESS

3200 MAGGIE BENSTON CENTRE

8888 UNIVERSITY DRIVE

Burnaby, BC V

rS6

CANADA

TEL: 778-782-3180

FlCK: 778-782-5732

SCUS 09-54

ATTENTION : Jo Hinchliffe

I FRO M :

Kate

Ross

RE : Aboriginal Bridge Program

I DATE

November

25, 2009

I TIME 5:12:37 PM

DearJo,

Please place the attached proposal for the Aboriginal Bridge Program on the

SCUS agenda.

Thank you.

SIMON FItAsr:n UNIVr:RSITY

THINKING

O' THE WORLD

University Curriculum and institutional Liaison

Office

of the Vice President, Academic

MEMORANDUM

Strand Hall 3100

8888 Vniversity Drive, Burnaby, BC

Canada VSA 1S6

ATTENTION

Kate Ross

FROM

Sarah Deneh

RE:

Proposal for an SFU Aboriginal Bridge Program

TEL "'78.782.6854

FAX 778.782.5876

DATE

November 25, 2009

PAGES

Sarah_dench@sfu.ca

W'.vv.r.sfu.ca/"'P3cademic

Please fmd attached a proposal for the establishment of an Aboriginal Bridge program for

admission to SFU. This proposed program would provide a formal pathway SFU credit studies

for students enrolled

Continuing Studies Aboriginal University Preparation and Aboriginal

Pre-health

programs. These programs are currently non-credit, despite the fact that students do

take some credit courses. The proposal is modeled after the conditional admissions process

utilized for the English Bridge Program.

The individuals involved in the development of this proposal were:

Natalie

Woods-Wiens,

Continuing

Studies

Michal

edeles,

Continuing

Studies

Ken

Wong,

Admissions

Jennie

Blankinship,

Student

Recruitment

Jenny Fiorini, Records and Registration

Susan Rhodes, Office of the VP Academic

Sarah Dench, Office of the VP Academic

We would appreciate it if you could forward this proposal to the Senate Committee on

Undergraduate

Studies

for

consideration.

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

THINKING OF THe WORLD

Proposal for the establishment of an Aboriginal Bridge Program for admission

toSFU

Preamble

The SFU First Nations Strategic PIa;'} articulated a new vision for SFU of meaningful

community engagement with First Nations people

and the establishment of an office

for First Nations

at SFU. A key element ofthe related action plan was to continue to

recruit and retain aboriginal students at SFU:

Enhanced strategies for attracting First Nations students and developing

supported pathways into the University will be developed

and implemented to

support our recruitment and retention goals.

In the time since the approval at Senate of the First Nations Strategic Plan

(February, 2007), the Aboriginal University Preparation Program has been offered

as part of the Continuing Studies Community Education programming. A one year

Memorandum of Understanding with Kwantlen University College (now Kwantlen

Polytechnic University) was signed in 2007, with the work of the program done

primarily by

SFU at the Surrey campus. The MOU has since expired, but the

program has continued consisting of three credit-bearing SFU courses, and one

Kwantlen preparatory course (non-credit at the university level). The AUPP

program has been offered since Spring 2007, and provides basic elements of a

supported pathway as envisioned in the FN Strategic Plan.

Continuing Health Education has recently partnered with Community Education and

the Faculty of Health Sciences in developing a two-semester Aboriginal Pre-Health

Program, offered for the first time in Fall 2009. This program consists of four credit-

bearing SFU courses (HSCI130, FNST 101, MATH 198, BISC 100) and four

preparatory courses (non-credit at the university level). The Aboriginal Pre-Health

program was developed with support from Health Canada through the Aboriginal

Health Human Resources Initiative. This cohort-based program, offered through

SFU Surrey, has attracted qualified students from all around ofBC, with the interest

significantly exceeding the program's capacity.

As specified in the FN Strategic Plan, partnering with Continuing Studies and First

Nations peoples

and communities to develop university preparation programs for

First Nations students is a useful step in providing greater access to post-secondary

opportunities at SFU. Following the successful establishment of the programming in

Continuing Studies, it is a logical next step to now recognize the programs formally

"Bridging Programs" so as to provide improved access and encouragement in SFU

Admissions policy and procedures. Doing so will ensure that aboriginal students

now benefitting from the programs will have every incentive and opportunity to

continue their studies with SFU, and will enhance the appeal of these programs to

other prospective aboriginal students.

Proposed:

That the Aboriginal University Preparation Program and the Aboriginal Pre-Health

Program

now established in Continuing Studies be recognized as the SFU Aboriginal

Bridge

Program(s), and that students entering these programs be granted

conditional admission to

SFU. Any related and subsequent programs developed in

Continuing Studies for aboriginal students based on the AUPP core and delivery

model will be similarly recognized as

part of the SFU Aboriginal Bridge Program.

Students undertaking these programs will be assigned student numbers and offered

conditional admission to

SFU. Successful completion of these programs will be

given careful consideration as evidence of readiness for university level studies, as

part of the admissions process. Admissions will determine the appropriate final

basis of admission, for example, mature

student entry. Wherever possible, students

will be granted admission to an undergraduate program and all credits earned

through

the bridging programs will be fully recognized on the student record.

Those

students who have previously completed the AUPP or the credit-bearing

courses

that form part of this program will be offered the opportunity to be

admitted to

SFU and/or awarded appropriate credit for courses completed.

Background

Aboriginal University Preparation Program

This is a one-semester program that provides students with a solid foundation of

academic

and personal success skills in preparation for transition to university. The

Aboriginal University

Prep program includes foundation courses in university-level

reading and writing, mathematics, and indigenous knowledge in the modern world.

The courses in the program are:

Credit:

Foundations of Academic Literacy (FAL X99, SFU)

Foundations of Analytic and Quantitative Reasoning [FAN X99, SFU}

Culture, Languages and Origins of Canada's First Peoples (First Nations

Studies

101, SFU)

Non-credit:

Introduction to Higher Education for

the Aboriginal Student (LeOM 1102,

Kwantlen)

The program also covers study skills, managing stress, motivation, well ness, careers

in a global environment, and the use of computers in university study.

Participants

also become familiarized with the university and its support services.

The program

is for all Aboriginal persons (First Nation, Metis, Inuit) who want to

pursue a post-secondary education. The first intake of this program was Spring

2007,

and the program has run five times. The next intake is January, 2010. So far,

35 students have completed this program. Some students who have completed this

program have gone on to register at Kwantlen, which offers credit for the LCOM

1102 course taken in the AUPP.

Aboriginal Pre-Health Program

The Aboriginal Pre-Health Program is a two-semester program that provides an

opportunity to explore various health career options while building the necessary

academic pre-requisites for a health science

program such as nursing, midwifery, or

dental hygienist. The first intake for this program was Fall 2009, with a class of24

students admitted (39 applicants).

The courses in this

program are:

Credit:

Health Sciences

130 (SFU)

First Nations Studies 101 (SFU)

Introduction to Quantitative Reasoning (MATH 198, SFU)

Foundations of Literacy (equivalent to FAL X99, SFU)

Non-credit:

Selected Topics in Indigenous People's Health

2 foundational courses equivalent to (or higher than)

Chemistry 11 and

Biology 12

Health Seminar

As the structure of the above programs develops further, an option would be to

provide the current AUPP as the first semester "core". Health Sciences and other

health-related courses would continue to form the Pre-health option, and additional

disciplinary options would be developed. Development of pathways to

other

Faculties will also be possible, based on this model. The Aboriginal Bridge Program

would continue to operate at the Surrey campus.

Nearing completion

of the Program, students would be assisted to apply to SFU

utiliZing a diverse qualifications-like process, such as the admissions process in

place for the Integrated Studies Program. Students who successfully complete the

courses listed and meet the university's stated minimum admissions standard

would be admitted to SFU.

Other post-secondary institutions in BC offer various admissions processes or

programs designed to facilitate the recruitment of aboriginal students. Examples

include the following:

UBC: Aboriginal Admission Policy

Diverse qualifications-like assessment for applicants who meet UBC's published

minimum standard

UBC Okanagan: Aboriginal Access Studies

Aboriginal students access a specific set of courses without going through the

standard admission process

or registering in a degree program. Completion of up to

24 credits of university-level courses is available, which may then be later applied to

other programs of study.

UVIC:

Special

Access

Category

admissions

Diverse qualifications option for aboriginal applicants without high school

completion

UNBC: Northern Advancement Program

Transition and support program, applicants meet standard admission requirements

and then can access two academic preparation courses incorporating culturally

relevant learning approaches.

Vancouver

Island

University:

Aboriginal

University

Bridging

Program

Certificate

Adult education bridging program including personal development and academic

preparation courses, and various learner supports. Subsequent semesters include

discipline specific courses and programs.

North Island College: Aboriginal Education

Transition program similar to AUPP described above.

Camosun College: Certificate in First Nations College Prep

Eight-month preparatory program including credit and non-credit courses.

roo