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OFFICE OF THE l\SSOCL\TE VICE-PRESIDENT, :\C\DEl\ITC AND l\SSOCL\TE PROVOST

MEMORANDUM

8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC

Canada V5'\. IS6

ATIENTION

Jon Driver, Chair, SCUP

FROM

Bill Krane, Associate Vice-President, Academic

and

Aswciate Provost

TEL: 778.782.4636

FAX: 778.782.5876

DATE

February 28, 2011

PAGES

1/1

RE:

External Review Update - Environmental Science Program

avpcio@sfu.ca

www.sfu.ca/vpacademic

The External Review of the Environmental Science Program was undertaken in March 2006. According

to the procedures established by SCUP, the Program is required to submit an update describing its progress

in implementing Senate's recommendations, which were derived from the External Review report, in the

fourth year following the start of the External Review process. Please find attached this update, together

with a copy of the recommendations approved by Senate for action.

Based on this midterm report, my assessment is that the Environmental Science Program has made

substantial progress toward implementing Senate's recommendations.

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

THINKING OF THE WORLD

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TEL 778.782.8797

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FAX 778.782.8788

Canada

V5A IS6

MEMORANDUM

ATTENTION

Glynn Nicholls, Director,

Academic Planning

&

Budgeting

FROM

Leah Bendell, Director

Environmental Science Program

www.sfu.ca/EVSC

DATE

February 18, 2011

RE:

Final Progress Report - 2006 External Review of the Environmental Science

Program

As requested, please find a short progress report on the actions that the Environmental Science

program has taken

in response to the recommendations approved by Senate on March 5 2007.

In order as presented in your memo of January 21 20 II:

1) Review of the Faculty and Department Structure

Since the inception of the Faculty of Environment (FEnv), the EVSC Program, Geography,

REM, Centre for Sustainable Community Development and the Development and Sustainability

Program have been members

of the Deans Advisory Council and the FEnv curriculum

committee. Hence the units comprising the Faculty

of Environment have participated fully in

discussions reviewing and modifying,

if necessary, the structure of the Faculty. This is an

ongoing process

as the faculty continues to develop and grow.

2) Program Curriculum

In May 2010, the Dean of FEnv created a special committee to undertake the redevelopment of

the Environmental Science Program. This Curriculum Redevelopment Committee was chaired

by Dr. Alton Harestad, past Director

of the Environmental Science Program. Over the course of

8 months, the committee, based on the original program, recommendations of the Environmental

Science redevelopment committee chaired by John Pierce, summer

2009, and recommendations

of the external review of 2006, created an exciting and forward looking redesign of the

Environmental Science Program.

• Within this new program, there is an identifiable core of four dedicated

Environmental Science courses

(EVSCIOO, EVSC205, EVSC399 and EVSC499),

which all environmental science students are required to take. This grouping

of

courses is structured to create a student "cohort" which begins in first year and

3

---

progresses through the series of courses over the four-year degree. This

Environmental Science student cohort will provide opportunity for building linkages

among EVSC students and will contribute to a strong, united student body that will

enhance learning, academic and social interactions, and create an identity for

Environmental

Science

students.

• The redeveloped program

has

greatly increased flexibility, and course requirements

are no longer "over-prescribed". The number of courses that are student choices is in

line with most other Majors within the Faculties of Environment and Science.

• We are now in the process of developing Terms of Reference for the EVSC steering

committee which

has

as one of its guiding principles that all participants are there to

support and nurture the interdisciplinary program in Environmental Science.

• The Curriculum Redevelopment Committee included an upper division EVSC

student.

This

student

representation

provided

an

extremely

important

contribution

throughout the development

of the new Environmental Science curriculum. Indeed, in

some deliberations, it was the voice of the student representative that kept faculty

members on track i.e., ensuring that the program was being developed with student

interests

and needs in mind. We will continue to have student representation on

important committees such as the Environmental Science Steering Committee now

under development.

3) Marketing and Visibility

With the creation of the Faculty of Environment, the Environmental Science Program now has

the excellent administrative support of several individuals as compared to previously where it

relied on one-part time position

to meet its administrative needs. We now are supported by a

Recruitment

and Community Liaison Manager, an Academic Programs Coordinator, and a

Curriculum

and Academic Planning Manager, all of whom assist in marketing and raising the

visibility of the interdisciplinary program in Environmental Science offered by the Faculty of

Environment.

The program now has a dedicated website that is maintained and continually

updated by the Academic Programs Coordinator and the Director of the Environmental Science

Program.

4) Space

Since moving into the Faculty of Environment the Recruitment and Community Liaison

Manager has been able to secure space for the Environmental Science Student Union. We will

continue to seek appropriate space for the program as its needs require.

Our Future

We are about to embark on what we believe

to

be an exciting and innovative redesigned program

in Environmental Science. For example, the program includes a new area of concentration

(W

ater Science), for which students have already expressed a keen interest. The program will

continue

to ensure students receive a solid science core on which their area of concentration is

based, but they will now have exposure to a greater breadth of perspectives on the Environment,

in line with the inter-disciplinary mandate of the new Faculty of Environment (e.g. newly

developed courses in ecological economics, ethics and law related to the environment). As the

program matures

we expect that other areas of concentration could be developed, such as

Environmental Health Science and possibly First Nations and the Environment. It is an exciting

---

and innovative time within the Faculty of Environment and as Director, I look forward to the

implementation

of the redeveloped program.

I trust these actions have addressed the recommendations

of Senate.

Regards

Leah Bendell

---

...

SFU

MEMORANDUM

OFFICE OF THE ,\SSOCLHE VICE-PRESIDE:--.JT, .\C\DE0.IIC

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,\SSOCL\ TE PROH)ST

8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC

Canada V5,\ IS6

TEL: 778.782.6702

F,\X:

778.782.5876

gnicholl@sfu.ca

www.sfu.ca/vpacademic

ATTENTION

Leah Bendall, Program Director

Environmental Science

Program

DATE

January 21,2011

FROM

Glynn Nicholls, Director, Academic Planning

and Budgeting

PAGES

1/2

RE:

External Review Update for the Environmental Science Program

CC

J. Pierce, D. Knowler

In 2004 the Senate Committee on University Priorities endorsed procedures for reviewing a department's

progress

in implementing the recommendations approved by Senate as a consequence of the previous

external review (which takes place normally once every seven years).

The last review of your Department

occurred

in March, 2006. This is to advise you that the External Review Update for the Environmental

Science

Program is due in the

2010/2011

academic year.

On March 5, 2007 Senate approved the following recommendations:

1.

Faculty & Department Structure

• The Program, the Department of Geography and the School of Resource and

Environmental Management should participate fully in the process initiated by the

Vice

President

Academic for reviewing the effectiveness of the Faculty structure at SFU.

2. Program Curriculum

• Review the entire Program to ensure that it recognizes national initiatives in terms of

curriculum goals and prepares its students to become effective environmental problem-

solvers and employable professionals.

• Consider the possibility of the curriculum containing an identifiable core which includes

at least one

or two courses per year with an Environmental Science label, beginning in the

first year.

• Review the high number of prescribed courses, which create scheduling problems for

students, with a view to increasing the options for both independent study and field

experience for students.

• Ensure that faculty appointed to the Steering Committee playa positive role as

departmental representatives and as participants in the interdisciplinary Program.

•

Involve students in the formation of a curriculum committee.

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

THINKING OF THE WORLD

---

3. Marketing & Visibility

•

Consider ways of marketing the Program more aggressively as an alternative for Science

students and exposing the innovative and interdisciplinary graduate Programs in the

environmental field, both domestically and internationally.

• Redesign the Program web site to indicate that it is a major offering at SFU.

•

Bring to the attention of the students the increasing requirements by the profession for

certification as environmental practitioners.

4. Space

• Review the Program space requirements as space inventory becomes available and ensure

faculty and students are kept abreast

of progress being made in this regard.

Please provide

a one to two page progress report by Friday, February 18, 2011 on the actions that your

Department

has taken in response to the recommendations approved by Senate on March 5, 2007.

Please contact Glynn Nicholls at 26702, gnicholl@sfu.ca or Bal Basi at 27676, bbasi@sfu.ca if you have

any questions

or concerns regarding the external review update process.

Thank you.

i7