S.12-106

SFU

OFFICE OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT. ACADEMIC AND PROVOST

University Drive, BuriKibv. BC

Canada V5A 1S6

TEL: 778.782.3925

FAX: 778.782.5876

vpacad@sfu.ca

www.sfu.ca/vpacademic

MEMORANDUM

attention

Senate

date

June 18,2012

from

Jon Driver, Vice-President, Academic and

pages

1/1

Provost, and Chair, SCUP

External Reviewof the School for the Contemporary Arts (SCUP 12-18)

RE:

At itsJune 6, 2012 meeting SCUP reviewed and approved the Action Plan for the pchool for the

Contemporary Arts that resulted from its External Review.

Motion:

That Senate approve the Action Plan for the School for the Contemporary Arts that resulted from its

External Review.

encl.

c: O. Underhill

C. Geisler

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

engaging the world

SFU

OFFICE OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT, ACADEMIC AND PROVOST

University Drive, Burnaby, BC

Canada V5A 1S6

TEL: 778.782.6702

FAX: 778.782.5876

MEMORANDUM

attention Jon Driver, Chair, SCUP

FROM

Bill Kranc, Associate Vice-President,

Academic and Associate Provost

RE:

External Review of the School for the Contemporary Arts

date

May 30,2012

pages

1/1

SCUP 12-18

gnicholl@sfu.ca

www.sfu.ca/vpacadcmi(

Attached are the External Review Report on the School for the Contemporary Arts and the Action

Plan endorsed by the School and the Dean.

Motion;

That SCUP approve and recommend to Senate the Action Plan for the School for the

Contemporary Arts that resulted from its External Review.

Following the site visit, the Report of the External Review Team* for the School for the

Contemporary Arts was submitted in March 2012.

After the Report was received, a meeting was held with the Dean, Faculty

of Communication, Art and

Technology, the Director of the School for the Contemporary Arts, and the Director of Academic

Planning and Budgeting (VPA) to consider the recommendations. The School then prepared an Action

Plan based on the Report and these discussions. The Action plan was then submitted to the Dean who

endorsed this Action Plan.

The Reviewers made 12 recommendations covering the agreed Terms of Reference.

SCUP recommends to Senate that the School for the Contemporary Arts be advised to pursue the

Action Plan.

Attachments:

1. External Review Report - March, 2012

School for the Contemporary Arts - Action Plan

External Review Team:

Dr. Barbara Sellers-Young

(Chair), York University

Dr.

Mark Corwin,

Concordia University

Dr. Lisa Naugle,

University of California. Irvine

Dr. Alison Beale

(Internal), Simon Eraser University

Cheryl Geisler, Dean, Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology

Owen Underbill, Director, School for the Contemporary Arts

SIMON PHASER UNIVERSITY

ENGAGING THE WORLD

March 22, 2012

Memo to: Bill Krane, Associate VP Academic, Chair

Glynn Nicholls, Director Academic Planning

Norbert Haunerland, Associate VP Research

Wade Parkhouse, Dean, Graduate Studies

Cheryl Geisler, Dean, FCAT

From: Review Committee:

Barbara Sellers-Young, York University, Chair

Lisa Naugle, University

of California, Irvine

Mark Corwin, Concordia University

Alison Beale, Simon Fraser University

Subject: Review of School for the Contemporary Arts, Simon Fraser University

The review committee was asked to focus on the following questions with related

attention to programs, faculty, administration, connection with community—locally,

nationally and internationally:

Assess the national and international distinctiveness of the School's progressive

approach to music, dance, theatre, film, visual art, and art and cultural studies.

b) Suggest new and emerging areas of teaching and research that could be pursued

by the School locally, nationally and globally.

c) Evaluate the management and deployment of resources within the School

considering the current financial constraints with respect to staffing levels (faculty

and administrators) TA and sessional lecturer positions, and other support

positions

d) Could efficiencies be achieved by combining some programs or by introducing a

common core program? Are there opportunities to offer courses appropriate for

students in Communication or SIAT? Are there other opportunities for cross-

disciplinary interaction?

e) Do the School's undergraduate and MFA curricula differentiate it from peer

programs regionally and nationally? What programmatic innovations and learning

experiences could be considered to enhance the student experience and

reputation of the School?

f) Evaluate the graduate program in terms of quality, achievements of tis graduates,

financial services to support students, and growth potential.

g) Evaluate

the School's planning processes and plans. Comment on the degree of

cohesiveness and the integration of these processes and plans.

The Review Team in answering these questions has divided this document into two

sections:

1) History, Context and General Observations

2) Specific responses to Questions

I. History, Context and General Observations

Founded in 1976 as a credit program, the School for the Contemporary Arts (SCA) has

as its Mission Statement:

We are an innovative program in a new state-of-the-art facility within a

comprehensive university. We specialize in creating a dynamic learning

environment for contemporary art. Our studio classes in dance, film, music,

theatre, and visual art are taught by practicing artists; our scholars engage

students with the historical, philosophical and political contexts of the arts. We

encourage collaboration with colleagues in adjacent disciplines and within our

many communities. Our goal is to equip students with the skills, the discipline,

the flexibility, the creativity, the understanding

and the acumen to excel in the

arts in Canada and around the world.

This mission statement is fulfilled by 28.5 faculty who are committed to exploring the

role and function of the arts to bring to attention a consideration of social issues through

an integration of critical analysis with an aesthetic framework; and, therefore ongoing

research between the arts and the social/political/cultural life of the local, national and

international community. This is a conversation that is enhanced by being an arts faculty

within a comprehensive university. Their teaching and research takes place through a

collaborative environment within the SCA both in the undergraduate and graduate

program and further

extends to the East Hastings neighborhood, in the city of

Vancouver, Canada and global community. This approach to collaboration and

integration of arts practices succeeds through a complex interplay between faculty and

students that is central to the curriculum, both within the courses and in the events

associated with courses such as performances, exhibits, installations, etc. The phrase

used in the self-study is a "School in continuous production situated in the new cultural

hub of the city which works to generate excellence in artistic, intellectual, cultural and

community events and programming." This approach also becomes central to the

community engagement that has been part of the SCA since its inception, but has taken

on increased significance with the possibilities presented by the move from Burnaby to

its new location in downtown Vancouver in 2010. Thus, the history and the mission of

the SCA matches the goals of Simon Fraser in being a student-centered community

engaged in a definitive research agenda.

As noted in the 2003 Review, the "Faculty enjoy a healthy collegiality, and collaboration

among members frequently extends beyond the School into independent artistic and

research projects. The undergraduate students are enormously articulate and mature,

with powerful self-definition as independent artists working toward professional

excellence, but open to innovation." This environment continues 9 years later and there

is a very real sense of faculty and students (graduate and undergraduate) working

together to consider the ongoing transformations in the arts as well as issues related to

moving from the Burnaby campus to the Woodward's building.

Despite the success of the faculty, students and alumni of the SCA, its public profile

both nationally and internationally is primarily by word of mouth as there is very little

publicity

about the program. The primary reason seems to be that there is insufficient

support to coordinate and support the publicity of events, the development of

recruitment materials, consistent updating of the web, etc. Thus, the review team would

recommend that there be an organizational structure put in place to support the creation

and dissemination of information about the SCA.

Recommendation 1: Put in place either through coordination in the Dean's

office or through the administrative staff in the SCA the necessary support

for the creation and dissemination of information regarding the SCA.

II. Specific Responses to Questions

A. Assess the national and international distinctiveness of the School's

progressive approach to music, dance, theatre, film, visual art, and art and

cultural studies.

The depth of commitment to collaboration and interdisciplinary

experimentation of the SCA's curricular organization is unique to arts schools

both in North America and globally. The majority of schools have a strong

emphasis in a disciplinary area with a 'nod'towards collaboration but without

integrating it

throughout all years of the curriculum; in fact, many cross-

disciplinary collaborations take place primarily on an informal basis. SCA has

incorporated a pedagogical approach that is closer to the interactive nature of

today's arts practices both from the commercial standpoint as in playwrights,

actors, and directors working across stage, television and film or the

integration of the arts through new modes of interactivity such as gaming; or,

from a standpoint of galleries and museums in which performing arts become

part of exhibits; or in the development of community projects in which the

gallery or stage space becomes the space for social/cultural collaboration and

dialogue. Graduates from the undergraduate and graduate program are

therefore prepared from their training to provide a leadership for the direction

that the arts will take in the future. The latter creates a distinctive profile for

the SCA that, as noted previously, is unique.

One of the reasons for the success of this program is the professional profiles

of the faculty that include extensive publications, performances and exhibits

both in Canada and globally. In conversations with graduate students, they

noted the opportunity to work with faculty whose work they had read or seen

on the screen, stage or gallery was the reason for application to the school.

This included students from France, Iran and the United States. Within this,

there is a real commitment to maintaining a research agenda even with the

teaching and service demands of a small program. This research has

extensive arts council support approximately one million dollars per annum

and currently two NSERC/SSHRC grants of $208,506. By comparison, the

122 faculty of the Faculty of Fine Arts at York University receive one million

per annum in arts council grants (a similar amount to SCA) but approximately

two million a

year in SSHRC grants, which is the highest in Canada among

Fine Arts programs. Thus, the total amount of grants received by the SCA

with only 28 faculty indicates a high rate of success.

There is a proposal to extend SCA interdisciplinary research framework to a

campus-wide collaboration to create an Arts Research Centre (ARC), which

would encompass researchers from the arts, humanities, sciences, and new

technology. Thus far, the Arts Research Centre has found support in SFU-

based grants and has been part of CFI-based proposals. There are also

models for projects in the interdisciplinary research projects of Martin Gotfrit,

Arne Eigenfeldt, Henry Daniel, Laura Marks, and others. The outline of the

proposal indicates this is an opportunity to intersect the new technologies with

the research coming out of cultural and performance studies with the

knowledge in collaborative and interdisciplinary formats that are rooted in the

cultural life of the SCA. As such, ARC would provide an opportunity to

integrate SFU'sgoals to increase research intensity and community

engagement by providing opportunities for interdisciplinary research in the

social/political/cultural life of the community via an integration of the arts,

humanities and sciences.

Recommendation 2: As the arts provide the narrative and related

images that become the expressive context for a community, they are

distinct from other knowledge areas of a university that have specific

communities, as in biologists who speak primarily to other scientists or

engineers who speak primarily to other engineers. For this reason, the

arts interact more broadly with a social/political/cultural life of a

community. A centre such as the one proposed would therefore act as

a means to integrate knowledge developed across SFU with projects

that would relate directly to Vancouver and therefore expand the

community engagement of the campus. For this reason, the review team

recommends that the Simon Fraser move forward with the Arts

Research Centre and its potential for fulfilling the advanced research

and community engagement goals of the University.

B. Suggest new and emerging areas of teaching and research that could be

pursued by the School locally, nationally and globally.

The 2003 Review suggested that SCA in terms of teaching consider the

differences amongst: "(1) requiring a student to learn intellectually about

another discipline; (2) requiring a student to learn, usually at an introductory

level, how to begin doing work in another discipline; (3) providing formal

opportunities for collaborations amongst people from different disciplines; (4)

providing informal opportunities for collaboration amongst people from

different disciplines; (5) working in hybrid art forms (installation, performance

or new media, for example) which incorporate aspects of at least two

disciplines." From conversations with faculty, undergraduate and graduate

students, it

appears that the faculty has addressed these concerns. In fact,

the academic profiles of the SCA faculty and the curricular strategies of the

degree programs engage the primary theoretical frameworks that have

influenced research in the arts, humanities and the social sciences. Two

areas which were not mentioned, or which the review panel did not discover,

were the methodological considerations of 'performance'and/or 'practice as

research' and any reference to sustainability, in particular when it comes to

issues of design for performance. It is possible that the collaborative and

interdisciplinary nature of the program has embedded 'performance'and/or

'practice as research'within the ethos of the SCA and therefore not

considered an emerging area. Ifthis is the case, the SCA within its outreach

to the academic arts community has an opportunity through conferences and

other venues to share how they incorporate this mode of research into the

project orientation of their curriculum.

In terms of sustainability, the current design curriculum and/or the creation of

productions do not seem to be taking into consideration new areas of design

that incorporate LED lighting and sustainable methods of set and costume

design. As set and costume design are not limited to dance, theatre, and film,

but methods engaged by all areas, and with the increased incorporation of

issues of sustainability in the city of Vancouver and elsewhere, an attention to

sustainability

and the arts in general but with specific reference to design is

important.

Recommendation 3: Share with external groups the specific curricular

organizations which can further develop the current methodology

regarding 'performance'and/or 'practice as research'.

Recommendation 4: Develop curricular offerings in the areas of

sustainability either as separate courses or integrated into current

courses specifically in the areas of design.

C. Evaluate the management and deployment of resources within the School

considering the current financial constraints with respect to staffing levels

(faculty and administrators) TA and sessional lecturer positions, and other

support positions.

The opening of any new building requires new infrastructure strategies and

adjustment to those strategies as the programs reveal themselves. This is

particularly the case in the issues regarding the use of space. The issues

which exist regarding the use of the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts building

seem to be related to the current organization of the infrastructure and

competing programs that are the result of the history of the project. These

programs are the School for the Contemporary Arts, the Woodward's Cultural

Unit (WCU), the Simon Fraser Community Presentation Society (SFCPS) and

Meeting, Events and Conference Services (MECS). Currently, the planning is

for each of these programs to operate as distinct entities which through

conversation arrange for the use of the building. (The complexity of the

schedule is demonstrated in its daily calendar, which includes 100 events for

the SCA.) Beyond issues related to use of space, there do not seem to be

clear

processes in place that make a distinction between the responsibilities

of the staff in the SCA and those in the Cultural Unit/Program. (As we only

had meetings on this topic with the SCA staff, we do not know what the

concerns would be from the standpoint of the Woodward's Cultural Unit.)

Some of the issues raised by the SCA staff were: financial management

(being asked to oversee bills created by Cultural Unit), technology oversight

and the role of the Cultural Unit/Program staff in supporting SCA

performances, publicity (under the organization of Cultural Unit/Program with

potential but no direct support for SCA which has 100 plus performances a

year). Consequently, there is a staff that desires to remain positive and is very

committed, but feeling overwhelmed and not necessarily working at their most

efficient. From an external viewpoint, there does not seem to be a clear joint

mission/vision regarding

the relationship between the increasing community

engagement initiatives of the SCA and the Cultural Unit/Program. Thus, an

opportunity is being lost for SCA and SFU to become a model of the

possibility of community engagement via the cultural life of Vancouver.

Right now, much of the coordination of the building's use and interpersonal

problems are resolved due to the fact that Owen Underhill is both the Director

the SCA and of the WCU. His long experience with Simon Fraser

University, including serving as interim Dean of FCAT, means he has the

necessary knowledge to resolve the majority of the day-to-day issues that

arise with this current organizational structure. However, he is planning to

return to his teaching and research at the end of this term as Director and it

will be necessary by that time to have a succession plan and related

organizational structure in place.

Recommendation 5: Initiate a process of consultation which brings

representatives from all four groups together to create a vision/mission

that intersects the goals of each. The new vision/mission statement

would be the basis for a review of current staff descriptions to

determine whether or not it would be better to create a joint staff or two

separate staff but with clearly delineated job descriptions and lines of

responsibility and reporting. The latter includes whether it is better to

continue current practice of one person heading both areas or if it is

better to have two separate people responsible. Beyond this, consider

focusing events associated with MECS on those organizations

specifically related to the arts in order to enhance the positioning of the

Woodward's building as a centre for community arts engagement.

The new building in downtown Vancouver and its laboratory spaces for music,

dance, theatre and film has provided a framework for a unique cultural and

community engagement that builds on the collaborative environment the SCA

had previously developed on the Burnaby Campus. The new space is

complemented by the Alexander Centre downtown, which houses the Visual

Art program and provides specific lab space for undergraduate and graduate

students in Visual Art. Each space contains sophisticated technical equipment

which allows for disciplinary training in new technologies related to the arts

and opportunities for projects that intersect between disciplines.

The challenge of technology is the speed at which it changes and thus the

necessity for ongoing renewal of technology and the related support and

training. (These issues were also noted in the 2003 review.) Currently, there

is one person in the Woodward's building who has the sufficient skill to

provide classroom and project support. The latter creates issues both for

courses and projects as the current individual is often asked to be in two

places at the same time. The assumption appears to be that IT based in

Harbourfront Building will provide

the additional support. However, this has

not been successful as IT's location seems to preclude them being readily

available or reliably responsive. There is also a need for integration between

technical support for performances in SCA and the SFU Woodward's Cultural

program.

Recommendation 6: One solution would be to relocate members of the

IT team to Woodward's building. Another solution would be to hire a

half-time person to supplement support for Woodward's. Another

solution would be to hire a technical director who over sees all the

technical needs for the facility and directs the support necessary for all

areas. Yet another recommendation would be to hold summer intensive

and train graduate students (and interested faculty and staff) in how to

use the equipment needed for classroom and related projects.

The secondary challenge of technology is the necessity to develop a budget

and/or other

means of staying abreast with the changes in technology. Other

institutions have combined university-based funding, with those from external

grants, industrial relationships/partnerships, and endowments. This might be a

potential opportunity to jointly leverage the strength of their individual profiles

for some shared initiatives with the School of Interactive Arts and Technology

(SIAT) on the Surrey Campus that would provide support that would not

necessarily come to individual schools.

Recommendation 7: Create a formal Faculty-wide approach between

SIAT and SCA to develop and maintain technology of their individual

laboratories; and the potential collaboration on specific research

projects and/or industry partnerships.

The current faculty complement of 28.5 with 475 undergraduate majors and

22 MFA students. Total 497. (This does not include minors.) This is then a

ratio of 17.4 students per faculty. This is does not include the students

incorporated into service classes. This student/faculty ratio is comparable to

institutions

that average 17 student/faculty ratios. The goal for the SCA is

some combination of undergraduate and graduate majors that would mean a

total of 545 students. With this number the student/faculty ratio would be 19.1,

a figure that is slightly higher than other institutions. The 28.5 faculty include a

joint appointment on reduced contract who only teaches one course every two

years for SCA, two laboratory instructors who do not have full responsibility for

courses, and some additional administrative releases which reduce the full

teaching loads of that faculty (e.g. Patricia Gruben for Praxis). With the latter

taken into consideration, the faculty/student ratio is bordering on 20.

A secondary issue for the SCA is to develop an enrolment plan for the next

five years that increases students at a time when one-half of the faculty will be

arriving at retirement age. This is further complicated by the fact that there is

no mandatory retirement and thus no specific time frame in which faculty will

actually retire. Another complication is limited funds for new hires until the

enrolment is increased. This is an intractable problem that has no easy

answer.

Recommendation 8: The SCA creates a graduated enrolment plan for the

next five years that would incorporate additional students and combine

it with an outline of which programs are likely to have retirements. These

plans would be tied to the strategic directions of the SCA. With the

successful development of this planning, the request to the Dean would

be for a full replacement of funds at an assistant professor level be

made available to the SCA instead of the 2/3rds normally returned to the

school.

D. Could efficiencies be achieved by combining some programs or by

introducing a common core program? Are there opportunities to offer courses

appropriate for students in Communication or SIAT? Are there other

opportunities for cross-disciplinary interaction?

This set of questions considers the internal dynamics of the current

curriculum in specific relationship to the School of Interactive Arts and

Technology and potentially other units within Simon Fraser. After an

extensive consultation process, the SCA has devised a new undergraduate

curriculum that has streamlined the schedule of classes, created new

foundational core classes for the BFA/BA, developed two BA programs-

Visual and Performance Studies (a revision of previous degree in Art and

Cultural Studies) and Cinema Studies as well as creating new internships in

community engagement. Each of these revisions suggests changes in the

program that in some cases create efficiencies through opening up time for

faculty to teach in expanded graduate program and provide more

opportunities for interaction with SIAT and other SFU units in courses offered

through

the expanded BA programs. The latter also implies an ability to add

additional students to the SCA in BA programs. Explicitly, the development of

the two BA courses that consider the primary theoretical frameworks used

throughout the arts and humanities—visual culture, cultural and performance

studies—provide an opportunity for students from SIAT. The other primary

opportunity is

the development of the Arts Research Centre discussed in

section A.

The only major concern expressed by students was the ability to get classes

as needed and in some case the impact on this of faculty sabbaticals. This

was also an issue in the 2003 review. This seems to have been addressed in

the current revision but in order to make certain students can complete their

degree in four years; the review committee is recommending the following.

Recommendation 9: Review each of the courses within the SCA to

determine the appropriate number of students for the course's content.

For example, a technique class in dance can accommodate 20 to 25

students, but a dance composition class can only accommodate 12. In

the enrolment planning exercise consider the intake of students in

relationship to individual class size and schedule classes accordingly.

The other suggestion is to create an integrated curricular/sabbatical

plan in which the courses are organized so that courses can be rotated

or taught by a sessional. A related suggestion is that they incorporate in

grant planning a method for covering their courses.

E. Do the School's undergraduate and MFA curricula differentiate it from peer

programs regionally and nationally? What programmatic innovations and

learning experiences could be considered to enhance the student experience and

reputation of the School?

The MFA degree in the SCA differentiates itself from other arts graduate

programs in North America and elsewhere by bringing students from

various disciplinary areas together in a two year process that is dominated

by an interactive, collaborative curriculum in which students are encouraged

to expand their understanding of the arts via seminars and projects.

Consequently, students with a strong disciplinary focus in one art form have

by graduation from the program developed an intellectual/expressive

framework

that is informed by sharing the theory and practice of distinct

disciplines. The major change within the program has been the increase in

number of students which the students and faculty believe has enhanced the

program as there is now a critical mass that impacts discussion and

exploration.

The 2003 review committee noted "the graduates are quickly integrated into

the local vital arts community as well as into collateral fields in which their

background and training is welcome. It is not farfetched to suggest, given

this

range of accomplishment, that graduates of the School are amongst the

best and most thoughtfully trained students in North America." The continued

success of the MFA program is in the recent SCA alumni who have gone on

to doctoral

programs, to teach in universities throughout North America, win

such international awards as the SOCAN for young composers or a Genie

for film, act as curator for such institutions as the Smithsonian American Art

Museum, exhibit in galleries and museums in North America and Europe,

work as technicians for companies such as Cirque du Soleil.

F. Evaluate the graduate program in terms of quality, achievements of its

graduates, financial services to support students, and growth potential.

The MFA program is currently planning to take between 12 to 14 students

each year. This would mean a total of 24 to 28 students in total. In terms of

funding, space and faculty supervision we believe this is as many students

the program can accommodate. The support for these students outside of

TAs, potential SSHRC grants is limited to $44,000 dollars a year. Thus,

packages to students are relatively small and this combines with other

issues, noted above, limits number of MFA students.

The area of potential growth within the graduate program is the proposed

MA in Comparative Media Arts. This program is conceived as appealing to

students interested in a transitional degree between BAand PhD programs

and bridge for students from MFAto PhD programs. In the current draft the

degree is five terms and includes content from visual culture, cinema

studies, new media studies, performance and documentary studies within

the SCA; and course work outside of the SCA in Communication Studies

English, and the Humanities. In its inclusion of courses both within and

without the SCA, it continues the dialogue suggested in the Arts Research

Centre proposal and in the interdisciplinary perspective of the SCA. There

are however two issues related to the proposal: 1) the financial support for

graduate students, 2) the number of MFA students who having finished a

two

year MFA would be interested in a two year MA prior to a four to five

year PhD.

Recommendation 10: The SCA Graduate Committee engages in

dialogues with the Graduate Dean and Dean of the FCAT to determine

the funding for additional graduate students.

Recommendation 11: The SCA Graduate Committee review other

similar programs across Canada to determine if they are duplicating

similar programs and consider revising the direction of the program to

either limit it to one year or revise to incorporate professional

component to focus students towards areas of professional arts

practice such as producing, curatorial practice, community arts

practice and arts education.

G. Evaluate the School's planning processes and plans. Comment on the

degree of cohesiveness and the integration of these processes and plans.

A comparison of the 2003 Review with the state of the SCA nine years later

demonstrates a clear commitment to the creation of action items that are

ultimately accomplished. Examples from previous review include the new

building to house the SCA, the reorganization of undergraduate curriculum

and attention to the expansion of the graduate program. The organization of

the three day site visit of the review team is also an example. The visit was

framed from the general to the specific, from the research of the faculty to its

incorporation of this

research into the undergraduate and graduate

curriculum. The areas of increased planning suggested by the review

committee related to the new spaces and associated programs are a natural

extension of discovery and problem solving that is part of inhabiting any new

space.

Recommendations

Recommendation

1: Put in place either through coordination in the Dean's office or

through the administrative staff in the SCA the necessary support for the creation and

dissemination of information regarding the SCA.

Recommendation

2: As the arts provide the narrative and related images that become

the expressive context for a community, they are distinct from other knowledge areas of

a university

that have specific communities, as in biologists who speak primarily to other

scientists or engineers who speak primarily to other engineers. For this reason, the arts

interact more broadly with a social/political/cultural life of a community. A centre such

as the one proposed would therefore act as a means to integrate knowledge developed

across SFU with projects that would relate directly to Vancouver and therefore expand

the community engagement of the campus. For this reason, the review team

recommends that the Simon Fraser move forward with the Arts Research Centre and its

potential for fulfilling the advanced research and community engagement goals of the

University.

Recommendation 3:

Share with external groups the specific curricular organizations

which can further develop the current methodology regarding 'performance'and/or

'practice as research'.

Recommendation 4:

Develop curricular offerings in the areas of sustainability either as

separate courses or integrated into current courses specifically in the areas of design.

Recommendation 5:

Initiate a process of consultation which brings representatives

from all four groups together to create a vision/mission that intersects the goals of each.

The new vision/mission statement would be the basis for a review of current staff

descriptions to determine whether or not itwould be better to create a joint staff or two

separate staff but with clearly delineated job descriptions and lines of responsibility and

reporting. The latter includes whether it is better to continue current practice of

one

person heading both areas or ifit is better to have two separate people responsible.

Beyond this, consider focusing events associated with MECS on

those organizations

specifically related to the arts in order to

enhance the positioning of the Woodward's

building as a centre for community arts engagement.

Recommendation

6: One solution would be to relocate members of the IT team to

Woodward's building. Another solution would be to hire a half-time person to

supplement support for Woodward's.Another solution would be to hire a technical

director who over sees all the technical needs for the facility and directs the support

necessary for all areas. Yet another recommendation would be to hold summer

intensive and train graduate students (and interested faculty and staff) in how to use the

equipment needed for classroom and related projects.

Recommendation 7:

Create a formal Faculty-wide approach between SIAT and SCA

to develop and maintain technology of their individual laboratories; and the potential

collaboration on specific research projects and/or industry partnerships.

Recommendation 8:

The SCA creates a graduated enrolment plan for the next five

years that would incorporate additional students and combine it with an outline of which

programs

are likelyto have retirements. These plans would be tied to the strategic

directions of the SCA. With the successful development of this planning, the request to

the Dean would be for a full replacement of funds at an assistant professor level be

made available to the SCA instead of the 2/3rds normally returned to the school.

Recommendation 9:

Review each of the courses within the SCA to determine the

appropriate number of students for the course's content. For example, a technique class

in dance can accommodate 20 to 25 students, but a dance composition class can only

accommodate 12. In the enrolment planning exercise consider the intake of students in

relationship to individual class size and schedule classes accordingly. The other

suggestion is to create an integrated curricular/sabbatical plan in which the courses are

organized so that courses can be rotated or taught by a sessional. A related suggestion

is that they incorporate in grant planning a method for covering their courses.

Recommendation 10:

The SCA Graduate Committee engages in dialogues with the

Graduate Dean and Dean of the FCAT to determine the funding for additional graduate

students.

Recommendation 11:

The SCA Graduate Committee review other similar programs

across Canada to determine if they are duplicating similar programs and consider

revising the direction of the program to either limit it to one year or revise to incorporate

professional component to focus students towards areas of professional arts practice

such as producing, curatorial practice, community arts practice and arts education.

EXTERNAL REVIEW - ACTION PLAN

Section 1 - To be completed by the Responsible Unit Person e.g. Chair or Director

Unit under review

School for the Contemporary Arts

(SCA)

Date of Review Site visit

March 7,8 & 9,2012

Responsible Unit person,

Owen Underhill, Director SCA

Faculty Dean

Cheryl Geisler

Note:

Itis

not

expected that everyrecommendation made by the Review Team be covered by thisAction Plan. The

major thrusts of the Report shouldbe identified and some consolidation of the recommendations may be possible while

other recommendations of lesser importance may be excluded.

Should an additional responsefrom be warranted it shouldbe attached as a separate document.

1, PROGRAMMING

1.1 Action/s (description what is going to be done):

1.1.1 Undergraduate:

* Comprehensive Review and New and Emerging Areas

The School is currently in the midst of a comprehensive review of its undergraduate curriculum with the aim of streamlining and

integrating the

BFA/BA structure, growing graduate programming, and positioningour curriculum distinctively for the future. Two

significant changes are the introduction of a new BA in Cinema Studies which will beginSeptember 2012, and a fundamental shift of our

current BA inArt and Culture Studies to

more broadly based BA in Visual and Performance Studies. Thesechanges are coordinatedand

supportive of the new MA in Comparative Media Arts being introduced (see below).

The terms of reference of the review included consideration of new and emerging areas of teaching and research that could be pursued

bythe School. With reference to the recommendations, the School is developingnew models for communityengagement through

partnerships focused on interdisciplinary collaboration, practice based research and contemporary performance and aesthetics. Am

Johal, inthe Community Engagement Office, has been developing community-based workshops, lectures and seminars that include

projects involving our students and faculty. Withthe help of a career advisor, we will buildon our unique location in the inner city,

creating a new modelfor community engagement for the artists, scholarsand students in the SCA. Anew internship at the fourth year

has already been introduced to support this initiative. We are also investigating a communityengagement course that would be

distinctive to the School for the Contemporary Arts and our Vancouver Inner City location.

Graduated Enrolment Plan

The School supports the recommendation that a five-year graduated enrolment plan be developed with the helpof the Dean. Initial

steps towardsthis plan are already underway. With suchan enrolment planin place, and withthe continued development of our new

SCA Academic Renewal Plan linked to curricular reform at the undergraduate and graduate level, it is expected that the School can have

reasonable assurances of support for new hires coinciding with retirements. It should also be noted that, in addition to the new BA,

changesto our recruitment process, admittance policy and academic continuancepolicy

are

being introducedwhich will increase

our

enrolment and rate of acceptances into major programs. This will help towards meeting the graduated enrolment plan

1.1.2 Graduate:

* Current MFA degree

We were encouraged by the committee'sstrong confirmation of the uniqueness of our interdisciplinary MFA and the strength of our

students. We willcontinue to fortify

the reputation of the program by greater promotional efforts. The committee encouraged us to

keep the total of students in the two years to 28 maximum. It is our plan to continue with those numbers as they do represent a very

significant increase from a few years ago.

New MA degree

The SCA graduate chair and representatives from the MA working group and FCAT will meet with the Dean of Graduate Studies in

relation to the proposed MA. The review committee recommended that our MAin progress, a MAin Comparative Media Arts be

shortened, and we have accepted that recommendation and shortened the degree from taking place over a five semester period, to

taking place over a four semester period. We have also, as suggested, deemphasized students already holding MFA'sas central to

recruitment. The degree is better aimed at students holding BA'sand BFA's in a range of appropriate topics. Research is underway to

insure that the program is distinctive in the national context.

Funding for graduate students

On the table for discussion will be funding possibilities for our current MFAas well as the new MA students. Discussion with the FCAT

Advancement Officer has targeted graduate scholarships as one of the School's priorities. The School is also positioning itself to offer

more teaching assistantships and graduate assistantships.

1.2 Resource implications

((if

any):

The Academic Renewal Plan will be financed from the salaries of departing SCA faculty members.

1.3 Expected completion date/s:

The first phase of a comprehensive review of the undergraduate curriculum will be finished by the School by the end of calendar year

2012.

It is recommended that a three to five year coordinated enrolment plan and academic renewal plan be completed and supported by

the Dean in principle by the end of June 2013.

The MA in Comparative Media Arts will be introduced as a Cohort Special Arrangement with the first intake of students planned for

the Fall of 2013. The introduction of the MA is therefore in step with the changes happening in undergraduate curriculum, including

those which free up faculty resources for teaching in the MAprogram.

2. RESEARCH

2.1 Action/s (what is goingto be done):

* Research Centre

The External Review Committee supportedthe initiative to develop an Arts Research Centre. The School hasset up a committeeto

further develop the Research Centre proposal initiated byDr. Henry Daniel. The latest research centre proposal hasa working title of

PERFORMANCE RESEARCH CENTRE. It is proposed that the Research Centrespecialize in arts and practice-basedresearch, and

research/creation,facilitating knowledge exchange and transfer between the humanities, health sciences, applied sciences, and

technology,

via the medium of performanceas applied across a rangeof fine arts disciplines. This Centre is also under discussion in FCAT

withdiscussions to date with Dean Geisler and Professor Thecia Schiphorst in the School of Interactive Artand Technology. Development

of the proposal so that it can be used for

fund raising is underway with FCAT Advancement Officer Nancy Cardozo.

•

Research Profile ofthe SCA

Theproposed performance research centre represents onlya portionof the research profile of the faculty of the School for the

ContemporaryArts. The committee was very supportive of the professional profilesof the faculty and the "high rate of success" of its

faculty with respectto arts council grants. Otheractions that would support the research agenda of the School include improving

technical support for faculty research projects (the proposed SCA Technical Directorwould go a long way to improving this situation).

2.2 Resource implications ((if any):

The Performance Research Centre would require additionalspace and other support. Abudget is being prepared. It is understood that

additional funding will have to be raised to support the Research Centre. Once established, it is believed the Performance Research

Centre will be able to leverage new resources through grants and donations.

2.3 Expected completion date/s:

Preparatory work at the School and FCAT level is underway in developingthe Performance ResearchCentre. The academic process of

support for the research centre will begin in the fall of 2013.

(<*

3. ADMINISTRATION

3.1 Action/s(what is going to be done):

•

Public Profile and Recruitment

The reviewers recommend that the necessary support for the creation and dissemination of information regarding the SCA be put in place.

In making thisrecommendation, the external reviewers commented onthe deeply collaborative and interdisciplinary pedagogical

approach to the arts that they thoughtto be unique. By focusing on publicity and recruitment the School forthe Contemporary Arts will be

positioned to recruit locally, nationally, and internationally. Given the distinctness of our program it is strategic that this be coordinated

within the School. Conventional publicity generated for the University at large and for FCAT does not serve us well. Our market is specific

and the publicity must be targeted for students interested in the arts.

Afirst phase of this work is already underway. In January 2011 we received a full-time Recruitment and Retention position followed in

December 2011 with a .5 Web Clerk. Since June 2011 we have been working with

PUBLIC Architecture + Communication

on a major

redesign of the School website which will be launched this May.

The second phase (i.e. actions that now need to be undertaken) includes development of a publicity strategy campaign. The School

believes this can be most effectively accomplished by building on the relationship we have established with

PUBLIC Architecture +

Communication.

They understand our unique collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to the arts and are well suited to produce a

template that can be usedto generate material for publicity.

3.2

Resource implications(if any):

Competition for fine arts students is increasing through new programs at colleges, new universities and in private institutions. Other

schools that targetthe same student pool draw upon larger resources than we currently have based on review of their materials and

publicity campaigns. We recommend surveying material from other institutions and costing out what is needed to successfully raise the

profile of the School within potential students in the local, national and international jurisdictions. There will need to be a proper costing

out of what would be required to maintain public exposure and successful recruiting on an annual basis.

3.3

Expected completion date/s:

We expect to complete Phase Two by January 2013. We would then plan to roll out the designed recruitment/public profile program for

the School in the recruitment campaign in early 2013, and in successive years.

4. TECHNICAL SUPPORT DEFICIENCIES

4.1 Action/s(what is going to be done):

Proposal to improve Technical Support

The review committeeidentified technological support in the new building as a situation that needs urgentattention. With respectto

their recommendation, the

School strongly feelsthat the best approach to improving technical supportfor SCA faculty and students isto

institute an SCA Technical Director position and a half-time CUPE assistant that would report to the .7 Computer/Media SupportAPSA

position. It is quite clear to all within the School that the complexityof the building and the special purpose needs of our more than 100

productions, exhibitions and showings require internal SCA staff to be effective. In order to address this problem as soon as possible, it is

proposed that these two positions be initiated as temporary one-year positions beginning September 1,2012. The

Dean and VPA Jon

Driver are working to help make this proposal operational.

Technical Director position

Job Description: TheTechnical Director (TD) School for the ContemporaryArts (SCA) coordinates and facilitatestechnical support for SCA

productions (public performances in a variety of disciplines, exhibitions, and film showings) produced bythe undergraduate and graduate

degree programs. Theywill work closely with faculty members in the SCA who teach production and design students, and as required

with the faculty of the SCA requiring technicalsupport for teaching and research. They will coordinate support for individual graduate

students of the MFA program preparing productions. Theywill provide additional mentorship and training to undergraduate and

graduate students working on productions or

using production equipment, insuring students understand and follow safe operating

procedure and are properly prepared to utilize a variety of technical equipment.

.5 Computer/Media Assistant

The Computer/New Media Support Administrator Stefan Smulovitz is a .7 APSA position. Since moving into the building, he has been

overrun with work, and it has become clear that this position on its own is insufficient to deal with the computer/media support

workload in SCA. After careful consideration, we have concluded that the proposed CUPE .5 assistant will be the most effective solution.

4.2

Resource implications!if

any):

Both the Technical Director and .5 Computer/Media Assistant are new positions. As mentioned, in order to address the technical support

deficiency as soon as possible, we would like to proceed withtemporary one-year positions beginning September 1, 2012. The need for

increased technicalsupport inSCA must be seen as a new need related to the move into a complex new multi-usebuilding with multiple

artistic venues and advanced technical equipment, and the increased numbers of students especially graduate students. As a result, the

positions proposed should be funded as a partnership involvingVPA and FCAT.

4.3

Expected completion date/s:

We are workingin combination with the Dean and VPA to secure funding for the temporary positions so that they can begin September

(S-

5.1 Action/s:

•

Mixed Use Interaction in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts

As the external reviewwas focused on the academic unit, the self-studyand site visitdid not permit a full briefing on the vision/mission

of the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts with attention to the processes in place related to the multi-use functions of the building. That being

said, the School agrees with the reviewers that the timing is rightto review especially the links between the SCA and the Woodward'sCultural

Unit(WCU). It is proposed that a joint working group (of SCA and WCU) be established chaired by Owen Underhill that can review the operation as it

has started up since the opening of the building in September 2010, and look at improvements and clarificationsin operation as well as confirm the

mandate and

vision of the building as a whole and the two units in particular. Please note that other groups are in place (e.g. GCA PlanningGroup)

that address the integration of SCA, WCU, MECS and SFU Vancouver Operations. In addition, the Simon Fraser Community Presentation Society

(SFCPS) has not yet presented any events. The timing and booking of these events when they begin to take place will be coordinated through the

Cultural Unit as the Director of Cultural Programs Michael Boucher is also the Artistic Director of SFCPS.

We se as an outcome of such a review strengthening links between the SCA pedagogy and Cultural Unitartistic production. The mandate of the WCU

artistic program is in fact already compatible with the focus of the School for the Contemporary Arts and it is felt that we can further develop and

improve the aesthetic and operational linkages. The Audain Gallery and its Visiting Artists program is a good model for bringing international visiting

artists into direct contact with SCA students.

An additional outcome will be to insure that the best possible succession plan is developed for September 2013 when Owen Underhill willcomplete

hisjoint term as Director of the Cultural Unitand Directorof the Schoolfor the Contemporary Arts.

5.2

Resource

implicationsfif any):

It is not expected that there are resource implications with respect to the School for the Contemporary Arts.

5.3 Expected completion date/s:

It is proposed that Recommendations from this working group could be reported to Dean Geisler and VP External Relations Philip

Steenkamp (to whom the Cultural Unit reports) by November/December 2012.

fr-

The above action plan has been considered by the Unit under review and has been discussed and agreed to by the Dean.

Unit Leader (signed)

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Section 2 - Dean's comments and endorsement of the Action Plan :

1endorse the action plan put forward by the School of Contemporary Arts and provide my more specific comments below:

1.1.1 Istrongly

support the school'sefforts to integrate community outreach into its mission and programs.

I have

supported and encouraged the school'sefforts to increase enrolment and look forward to discussing their plans for faculty

renewal.

1.1.2 A new MA will be of intellectual benefit to the school and I will work with them to insure that it offers a distinctive program and is

viable in the context of no increases in overall graduate funding to the faculty. Starting with a Cohort Special Arrangement will give

us the time to make any necessary adjustments.

Ihave encouraged the development of the Performance Research Centre under the assumption that it will be funded with outside

resources.

As the action plan notes, considerable resources have already been allocated to publicity and recruitment for the school, which are

just starting to bear fruit. We next anticipate developing and acting on a targeted recruitment plan in fine and performing arts high

schools.

I have been in discussion with the VPA about jointly funding a Technical Director for 1 year. I have asked SCA to consider ways to

fund the .5 CUPE assistant internally.

I will work with the VPA and the VP External to consider the Mission/Vision for the Goldcorp Centre and to work with the school to put in place

an effective transition plan for the SCA directorship

Faculty Dean

Cheryl Geisler

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Date

May 10, 2012