SENATE AND AC:\DE:..nC SERVICES
Student
Enrollment, Student Services
3
t
04 Maggie Benston Centre
TEL 778.782.5350
FA-X 778.782.45732
S.10-49
FOR INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM
ATIENTION
FROM
RE:
Senate
Stephen Easton, Chair,
Senate Policy Committee on Scholarships,
Awards and Bursaries
President's and Dean's Honour Rolls
DATE
February 8, 2010
At its meeting of February 8 2010 SPCSAB apprmred harmonizing the University'S system of semester honour rolls.
President's Honour Roll
a) the renaming of the University Honour Roll to the President's Honour Roll,
b) the addition of the criteria that srudents enrolled in EDUC 401,402,403, 4M, 405, or 406 not be eligible for
admission to the
President's Honour Roll for that semester,
c) and the removal of the criteria that srudents obtain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.60 in that semester,
The criteria for the President's Honour Roll would be:
- Completion of a minimum of 30 units at SFU
- Completion of a minimum of 12 units in the semester being evaluated
- Minimum semester grade point average of 4.00
-
Not enrolled in any of EDUC 401,402,403,404, 405 or 406
This is to be effective for the Spring 2010 semester.
Rationale
The professional programs in the Faculty of Education consist largely of courses taken on a pass/withdraw basis. As
this makes selection via GPA impossible, srudents enrolled in their professional program semesters
will
not be eligible
for the honour roll. In all other semesters, srudents enrolled in Faculty of Education programs will be eligible.
Renaming the University Honour Roll to the President's Honour Roll presents a clear delineation from the Dean's
Honour Roll proposal below.
If
we left the name as is, it would be unclear which honour is considered higher.
The removal of the cumulative GPA criteria would ensures the honour roll is an
a~'ard
that recognizes success in a
gi\'en
semester, regardless of how srudents fared in previous semester. Overall academic success would
be
recognized
by students being granted degree standing.
Dean's Honour Roll
a) creation of a Dean's Honour Roll for each faculty, "'1th identical criteria to the President's Honour Roll except that
students are required to have a semester
GPA at or above 3.50 but below 4.00, to be similarly shown on the student's
permanent record, effective for the Spring
2010 semester.
The criteria for the Dean's Honour Rolls would be:
- Completion of a minimum of 30 units at SFU
-
Completion of a minimum of 12 units in the semester being evaluated
- Semester grade point average of 3.50 to 4.00
-
Not enrolled in any ofEDUC 401,402,403,404,405 or 406
Rationale
There are currendy a number of Dean's honour rolls
within
faculties that are maintained completely external to the
University's Student Information Management System. These Dean's honour rolls have varying standards, and there
is little consistent practice between them, and no consistency between them and the University Honour Roll --
students could easily be on both, one, or neither.
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
THINKING OF THE WORLD
This system is far from ideal. Should a potential employer or graduate school contact Student Services we would have
no
way to verify that a student was on a Dean's honour roll. As well. the differences in practice between the different
honour rolls and the lack
of a Dean's honour roll in some faculties means many exceptional students receive no
recognition at
all. Finally, as the Dean's honour rolls are external to SIMS, they are not currendy recorded on
transcripts, official
or otherwise.
The honour rolls should be viewed as part
of the University's retention strategy. The acknowledgement of
outstanding student success is one factor which can make students feel like valued members of the academic
community, and make them more likely to complete their program. The current differences in business rules and lack
of acknowledgement means the honour rolls are much less effective as a retention strategy than they could be.
This proposal will tie the President's and Dean's Honour Rolls together into a coherent, two-tiered system, properly
recorded, and automated. Students may receive standing on a single honour roll each semester, and the University
will
be able to celebrate their exceptional students.
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
THINKING OF THE WORLD
