PRESENTED BY: Lou Qualtiere, Chair, Planning Committee
DATE OF MEETING: May 22, 2003
SUBJECT: Information Items from Planning Committee
COUNCIL ACTION: For information only
1. Systematic Program Review
Attached is the Committee’s final report on the Systematic Program Reviews for 2001-02, and on issues which the Committee wished to have reported to Council regarding these reviews. Also attached for the information of Council is the Annual Report for Systematic Program Review from the SPR office.
2. College Plans Subcommittee
At its February, 2003 meeting, it was announced at Council that a College Plans Subcommittee had been formed to draft a proposal for how Council would review the College Plans.
The draft Subcommittee report is now posted on the Planning website and all members of Council and Council committees have been asked to review this draft and to provide comments or suggestions for revisions by the end of May.
A copy of the draft is attached.
3. Canada Research Chairs Strategic Research Plan
The Planning Committee has approved the revised Canada Research Chairs Strategic Research Plan.
This Plan was developed three years ago to address the needs of the Canada Research Chairs program, which requires that universities submit strategic research plans approved by the each university’s planning authority. The purpose of this Plan is to provide a guide to the way in which the university intends to use the Canada Research Chairs program. The program requires that Strategic Research Plans be reviewed every three years. This revision incorporates the four strategic directions identified in Renewing the Dream and updates recruiting areas for the chairs.
The Planning Committee also agreed that the ongoing review and updating of the Strategic Research Plan will be discussed and approved by the Committee on Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work.
4. Foundational documents update
Following is a progress update for many of the foundational documents. [The Committee listed in brackets is the lead Council committee for each document.]
Capital Master Plan – approval at the May Council meeting [Capital Planning Committee].
Aboriginal foundational document – presentation to the June Council meeting [Planning Committee].
Enrolment plan – presentation to the June or September Council meeting [Academic Programs Committee].
Complement plan - The Planning Committee will begin its review of this plan as soon as a text version is available [Planning Committee].
Internationalization foundational document - presentation to the June Council meeting [International Activities Committee].
Information and Communications Technology Plan – presentation to the June Council meeting [Information Technology Committee].
Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work foundational document – Workshop held May 14 to discuss and revise the draft document [Committee on Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work]
ATTACHMENTS:
Planning Committee Final Report on Systematic Program Reviews for 2001-02
SPR Annual Report
College Plans Subcommittee draft
Canada Research Chairs Strategic Research Plan, as revised
2001-2002 Systematic Program Review Recommendations
Final Report
May 22, 2003
In March, the Planning Committee presented its third report to Council regarding its evaluation of the Systematic Program Review results. At that time, the Committee had not completed its review of the recommendations for all of the programs reviewed in 2001-02, and had not finished its discussion of overall issues and concerns which it wanted to forward to Council and to the SPR Overview Committee.
Completion of 2001-2002 reviews
The Planning Committee receives the SPR review and a ranking report, which consists of the Reviewer’s Report, Department Head Response, Dean Response, and a summary of recommendations prepared by the SPR director. Following is the Committee’s consideration of the last four of the 2001-02 reviews..
The Committee agrees that the following assessments of the programs are consistent with SPR process, the reviewer recommendations, and the response of the department and college:
PROGRAM RANKING
Physics and Engineering Physics
B.Sc. in physics B
BE in engineering physics A
Graduate (MSc, PhD) B
Biomedical engineering
Graduate (MSc, PhD) B
SPR issues discussed by the Planning Committee
During its discussion of the Systematic Program Review procedures and results this year, the Planning Committee has complied a list of several issues on which it wished to report to Council:
• Greater congruence has been achieved between the written observations of the reviewers about the programs and the criteria/descriptors for grading the programs. In a few instances, although the External Reviewers did not follow some of the guidelines as specified, the SPR Executive and the Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies were able to preserve the integrity of the review process. There remains the need to ensure that External Reviewers clearly understand their task as reviewing the quality of the programs. assigning letter grades (without pluses and minuses) based on the specified criteria, and making recommendations for improving the quality of the programs.
• The Planning Committee again wishes to affirm the value and overall effectiveness of SPR as a quality assessment tool enabling departments, colleges, and the university to engage in greater accountability, improved planning, discussion about resource allocation, and to facilitate the University in achieving its goal of integrating planning.. For those programs which have undergone SPRs. these reviews and responses provide one of the central elements to be taken into consideration in the formulation of College plans as part of the Integrated Planning process.
• An issue critical to the fundamental goal of SPR is how the university and colleges identify those areas of excellence they intend to support as areas of pre-eminence and how they ensure the development and sustainability of such programs for the future. Some programs identified as central to the university should be given resources to move toward excellence.
• Specific issues to be addressed at the college level concern equity issues (both student and faculty), allocation of resources to support excellence in programming, and allocation of resources in terms of research intensiveness within each college or department
• The Planning Committee intends to address its own committee processes related to the length of time involved in the overall SPR process from site visit to final reporting to Council.
• The Planning Committee again wishes to affirm the value and overall effectiveness of SPRs in moving departments, colleges, and the university toward greater accountability, improved planning, discussion about resource allocation, and in moving the University toward its goal of integrating planning..
• The Planning Committee wishes to acknowledge the time, effort and seriousness with which departments and colleges are engaging in the SPR process and to express its appreciation.
The Committee has forwarded several issues to the SPR Overview Committee (see following report.) The Committee will also be continuing its discussion of several other issues raised by SPR including the length of time between reviewer reports and reporting to Council, the equity issues raised by SPR reviews, the circumstances and problems facing interdisciplinary and environmental programs, and clarification of the relationship between SPR outcomes and resources. The Committee will report on these discussions to Council.
1. Introduction
Systematic Program Review at the University of Saskatchewan is approaching the end of its fourth year of what was originally to be a six-year cycle but, because of reviews delays for several programs, is now expected to take seven years. By the end of this academic year, 97 undergraduate and graduate programs will have been reviewed, along with self-studies, by review teams of highly qualified external reviewers and internal reviewers. Recommendations for program improvement, along with a grade assessment of A, B, C or D, are made by each review team in a report submitted within a month of the site visit.
When reports are submitted, they are first checked by the SPR Executive to ensure that the reports fulfill the requirements for the review, including grades for designated programs. Then, in turn, the department responds to the report and its recommendations, followed by a response by the college. The SPR Executive reads the responses and makes a grade recommendation to the Academic Planning Committee. UniversityFaculty Council is the final voice on SPR program reports and grades.
Beginning July 1, 2003, a new Academic Director of SPR was appointed for a term of five years. Trevor Gambell, Professor of Curriculum Studies, was appointed Associate Dean, College of Graduate Studies and Research, and Academic Director, Systematic Program Review, in a 0.5 FTE position.
2. Follow-up on Reviews Undertaken in 2001/2002
The SPR Office receives review team reports, responses from units and from the College. The SPR Office summarizes reports and responses and sends all documentation and the summary package to the Planning Committee. This has been done for the following programs:
PROGRAM RANKING
Chemistry
BSc C
GRAD MSc, PhD B
Computer Science
BSc A
B.Comm. (Development of Information Systems) C
GRAD MSc PhD B
Engineering:
Agricultural and Bioresource
BE B
GRAD PGD, MEng, MSc, PhD B
Biomedical Engineering
M.Sc., Ph.D. B
Chemical
BE B
GRAD MEng, MSc, PhD B
Civil and Geological
BE (Civil) B
BE (Geological) B
GRAD MEng, MSc, PhD B
Electrical
BE A
GRAD MEng, MSc, PhD B
Environmental
GRAD PGD, MEng, MSc, PhD C
Physics and Engineering Physics
B.Sc. in Physics B
BE in Engineering Physics A
M.Sc, PhD B
Mechanical
BE A
GRAD PGD, MEng, MSc, PhD B
See Appendix A for a list of review teams for the above programs.
3. Update on Reviews Undertaken in 2002/2003
During the first term of this academic year, the reviews for the Commerce programs were carried out, these programs having been carried over from the 2001/02 yearThe following programs were reviewed in 2002-2003.
Term One:
Commerce: Accounting (B.Comm., M.Sc. M.PAcc)
General Business (B.Comm.)
Human Resource Management (B.Comm.)
Marketing (B.Comm., M.Sc.)
(Note that the MBA program was reviewed in 1999/2000.)
Education: Undergraduate (B.Ed.)
Geological Sciences:Undergraduate and Graduate Geological Sciences (B.Sc., Graduate*)
Geophysics (B.Sc)
Environmental Earth Sciences (B.Sc.)
Paleobiology (B.Sc)
*Note: Graduate covers Master’s and Ph.D. programs
Term Two:
Commerce: Finance (B.Comm.),
Business Economics (B.Comm.), and
Production/Operations Management (B.Comm.)
Social Sciences: Archaeology (B.A.)
Archaeology (B.Sc.)
Archaeology (Graduate)
Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology (B.A.)
International Studies (B.A.)
Economics (B.A., Graduate )
Business Economics (B.A.) (*Note: Bus Econ (B.Comm.) was reviewed with Commerce Programs)
Geography (B.A., B.Sc., Graduate)
Political Studies (B.A., Graduate)
Public Administration (B.A.)
Sociology (B.A., Graduate)
Note: Social Sciences programs in Native Studies and Psychology will be reviewed in the first term of 2003/04, while Anthropology will be included in the Religious Studies review in 2003/04, in line with departmental restructuring.
Music: Undergraduate B.A., B.Mus., B.Ed/B.Mus.(Music Ed)
This year was a demanding one for the SPR office because of the very busy scheduling in both terms. This situation occurs when programs are delayed and reviews must then be squeezed in to already-committed schedules in later years. We hope that next year, with the catch-up in delayed reviews for Native Studies, Psychology, and Mathematics and Statistics, that we will be back on schedule and less frenetic.
See Appendix B for a list of review teams for the above programs.
4. Planning for 2003-2004 Reviews
This year sees programs in the Humanities and Fine Arts as well as Kinesiology being reviewed. This will include the following:
Fine Arts: Art and Art History (Term 1)
Drama (Term 2)
Humanities: English (Term 1)
Languages and Linguistics (Term 2)
Religious Studies and Anthropology (Term 1?)
History (Term TBA)
Philosophy (Term 2?)
Kinesiology (Term 2)
Delayed ReviewsPrograms: Psychology (Term 1)
Native Studies (Term 1)
Mathematics and Statistics (Term 2)
The arrays of some of these programs requires some especially careful planning, with challenges in selection of external reviewers who can comment on several areas within a program. This is especially the case in Languages and Linguistics with French, Spanish, German, Slavic, Russian, and Linguistics areas. In the case of Philosophy, we will need an external examiner who can focus on the STM Philosophy program, an unique situation among shared program units.
The review of the Women’s and Gender Studies program is delayed to 2004/05 because the current head is on leave and an acting head in place. This makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to mount a self-study document in time, and to identify nominees for reviewers.
4. Policy and Procedural Changes in 2003-2004
Several changes took place during the year to address either redundancies in procedures, or to overcome difficulties in the SPR process. At times these changes necessitated coordination with other units on campus to expedite procedures. However, the SPR office resolved several important issues that, we believe, lead to a smoother and more efficient operation of the process.
4.1 Identification of Internal Reviewers: Associate Professors and Recent Professor Emeriti
With SPR now in its fourth year, units are finding it increasing difficult to identify possible internal reviewers. In one instance the Academic Director had to approach eight internal nominees before an appointment could be made. This problem occurs because so many units are undergoing review, and thus prominent faculty have no time to commit to another review in the same term; the pool of potential reviewers is being depleted (we do not ask reviewers to act more than once in a single review cycle); sabbatical and administrative leaves restrict the pool; and experienced faculty retire and are replaced by junior faculty. Thus, SPR took to the Planning Committee a request to extend the internal nominee pool to include Associate Professors with experience and expertise, and recent Professors Emeriti, recent being defined as no longer than five years retired. This request was approved and is now in effect, though to date we have not had to apply it.
4.2 Templates for Review Team Reports: Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
The SPR office is commonly asked by review team for exemplary reports they can use as models. This is a difficult request to meet, because different programs and disciplines tend to use unique structures and discourse styles. To address this need, the SPR office developed a report template based on the review team guides sent reviewers before they arrive for the site visit. Additional features are clear recommendation fields, and a comments and reflection section on the site visit and review process itself. We piloted this template with the first review teams in the SpringFall of 2003 with great success. This feature is now part of the review process. An electronic copy of the template is given to the review team on the first day on site, along with an explanatory memo. As a result, we have found consistency in reports, and clear identification of recommendations we can track, and to which departments and colleges can readily respond. (See Appendix C.)
4.2 Incremental Grades for Programs
We have found a tendency of some review teams to use incremental modifiers when assigning grades. For example, + and – signs are used, as in A- or C+, or adjectival modifiers are employed, as in “a strong B” or “a weak A”. At the initial meeting with the review team on site, the Academic Director now makes clear the need to be unambiguous with grades, using A, B, C or D only.
4.3 Frequently Asked Questions for Review Teams
In June of 2002, the SPR office, under the then Academic Director, Dr. Caroline Davis, develop a Frequently-Asked-Questions document for review teams, to address many of the questions that external reviewers had, and which were taking up considerable office time in addressing, often in repetitive manner. This document, now sent to review teams ahead of the site visit, has been useful for review teams. This document is available on the SPR website.
4.4 Statistics Reports for Self-study Documents
Units were reporting difficulties obtaining statistical reports of program data from the office of Institutional Analysis (formerly University Studies Group), which are needed for interpretation and incorporation into self-study documents being worked on at least six months ahead of scheduled site visits. Institutional Analysis was up to two years behind in generating reports, because of restructuring and loss of personnel. Thanks to cooperation between the IA office and SPR, especially the efforts of Rob Schultz, the new director of IA, the IA office has made a priority to have available reports of units undergoing SPR in the following year. Also, Rob Schultz will meet with the units about to enter SPR at the organizational meeting held by the SPR office. This will expedite access to data required, and address any issues of types of data required and their intended and most effective use.
5. Feedback on SPR
Finally, we are pleased to provide some comments on the SPR process and the operation of the SPR office and personnel.
Positive Comments from Review Teams: As a matter of routine, wWe ask reviewers to comment on the process and procedures, including arrangements and information provided reviewers before the site visit and on site. These comments enable us to make changes and add features, as we did with the report template. Much of the negative feedback we’ve received relates to procedural aspects of the process, which the SPR Office will address in the next round of reviews. Below is a summary of these suggestions from review teams:
-change the amount of time for site visits (a number of review teams indicated that the site visit was too short)
-during the site visit: build in more for review teams to meet together just as a review team at the start and end of the site visit
-allow for the review team to meet with faculty members in smaller groups or individually
The following comments have come from review team reports and from within the University community during the current academic year.
“The externals were VERY impressed by how well-organized the SPR office was. They have never seen anything quite like it at another institution. The offer to send them follow-up on what will happen as a result of their visit particularly impressed them. Everyone was very helpful, prompt in answering requests for information, and forthright in offering opinions.”
~ Brett Fairbairn, Internal Review team Member for International Studies Review
“I thought that the process was handled at a very high, and professional level. There is a great deal of uncertainty for department heads and faculty members in entering the SPR process – there is no question that this process is stressful. There is no way around this. This being stated, I felt that the SPR office did everything possible to support the process. The information provided was timely and of a high level. Communications with the SPR office allowed us to greatly improve our self study document, and to structure the site visit to ensure that the externals gained a balanced impression.
“I believe that SPR was both affirming and positive for our department and accomplished the following. First I believe that our department gained a better sense of itself through the SPR process. In an academic environment, it is rare that we reflect collectively on what we are, and what we aspire to be. From our department’s perspective, this was perhaps the most valuable outcome of the process. Second, the process allowed us to objectively evaluate where our programs stand relative to other programs across Canada – this allowed us to identify and understand both our strengths and weaknesses. Third, the process of putting together the Self Study Document was, in itself, a worthwhile exercise. It allowed for personal examination – each faculty member better understands their performance relative to others across various dimensions. It allows us to identify trends which reflected both excellence and weakness.”
~ Glenn Feltham, Department Head, Accounting, Letter to Ken Coates and Tom Wishart, Feb 2003
“The Systematic Program Review of Earth Sciences was carried out by three highly acclaimed external reviewers with extensive experience in earth science program development and delivery. Their report is thorough, and provides a long list of recommendations that will guide us in program renewal.” ~ Jim Basinger, Head’s Response, Feb 28, 2003
Areas for Improvement: The SPR Office tracks comments from the general organizational meetings (held with each program head about x monthsone year prior to the review) as well as general comments from the Overview Committee. A document prepared by the Planning Committee was referred to the Overview Committee this spring highlighting a number of changes to procedural aspects of the process, which the SPR Office, in collaboration with Council, will address in the next round of reviews.
Below is a summary of procedural suggestions from various review teams and from the Overview and Planning Committees:
• change the amount of time for site visits (a number of review teams indicated that the site visit was too short)
• during the site visit: build in more for review teams to meet together just as a review team at the start and end of the site visit
• allow for the review team to meet with faculty members in smaller groups or individually
• the role of and the instructions to the Internal Reviewer need to be clarified and spelled out more explicitly to ensure that the External Reviewers understand what we are asking them to do, and what we are asking them not to do.
• reviewers need to understand that only letter grades without pluses or minuses are to be assigned to programs.
• the matter of resources and support for departments and colleges, Institutional Analysis, and the College of Graduate Studies in conducting SPRs should be reviewed. The role and importance of input from students (present, alumni) needs to be addressed.
• the length of time involved in getting the SPR reports from Reviewers to the Planning Committee should be reviewed to see if the process can be shortened.
• there is no provision in the SPR for the amalgamation of programs as a possible outcome. This seems to fall through the cracks with the program level focus of SPR.*
• College-wide initiatives that address needs of several programs/departments are typically not addressed in SPRs. This seems to fall through the cracks with the program level focus of SPR.*
• the matter of comparisons of SPRs (reports and grades) across departments and within colleges needs to be addressed as part of preventing invidious comparisons and fostering departmental and college morale.
• the summaries of SPR reports, of the responses of Department Heads, Deans, and the University provided to members of the Planning Committee were well done and proved helpful to the members of the Planning Committee in carrying out their presentations and discussions. These should be continued. Those responsible for preparing such summaries should be thanked for their efforts.
* The Planning Committee recognizes that these items can be dealt with appropriately at the Departmental/College level, and hence simply wishes to note their having been mentioned in Planning Committee discussions.
Respectfully submitted,
Trevor Gambell, Academic Director, Systematic Program Review
Ken Coates, Acting VP and Provost
Tom Wishart, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research
April May 2003
Engineering
Mechanical Engineering undergraduate & graduate programs (BE, MSc, MEng, PhD)
Internal:
Patrick Browne, Department of Mathematics & Statistics
Externals:
Alex Kalamkarov, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie University
Jim Mills, Professor, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
Chemical Engineering undergraduate & graduate programs (BEng, MSc, MEng, PhD)
Internal:
Ron Verrall, Dept. of Chemistry
External:
Ron Neufeld, Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University
Sieghard Wanke, Professor, Dept. of Chemical & Materials Engineering, University of Alberta
Electrical Engineering undergraduate & graduate programs (BE, MSc, MEng, PhD)
Internal:
Carl McCrosky, Department of Computer Science
Externals:
Peter McLaren, Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Florida State University
Rajendra Singh, Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Clemson University
Peter Smith, Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, McMaster University
Agricultural & Bioresource Engineering undergraduate & graduate programs in Agricultural & Bioresource Engineering (BE, PGD, MEng, MSc, PhD) and graduate interdisciplinary programs in Environmental Engineering (PGD, MEng, MSc, PhD)
Internal:
Bob Tyler, Dept. of Applied Microbiology & Food Science
Externals:
Lambert Otten, Director, School of Engineering, University of Guelph
Vijaya Raghavan, Professor, Dept. of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering, McGill University
Ron Yoder, Head, Dept. of Biosystems Engineering & Environmental Science, University of Tennessee
Civil & Geological Engineering undergraduate & graduate programs in Civil Engineering (BE, PGD, MSc, MEng, PhD) and undergraduate program in Geological Engineering (BE)
Internal:
Jim Germida, Department of Soil Science
Externals:
William Bawden, Professor, Lassonde Mineral Engineering Program, University of Toronto
Robert Drysdale, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University
Frank Wilson, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of New Brunswick
BioMedical Engineering graduate interdisciplinary programs in Biomedical Engineering (MSc, MEng, PhD)
Internal:
Peter Flood, Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences
Externals:
Philip Parker, Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of New Brunswick
Janet Ronsky, Professor, Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary
Natural Sciences
Chemisty undergraduate & graduate programs in Chemistry (BSc, MSc, PhD)
Internal:
Nicholas Low, Dept. of Applied Microbiology & Food Science
Externals:
Thomas Fyles, Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Victoria
William Leigh, Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, McMaster University
Computer Science undergradate & graduate programs in Computer Science (BSc, MSc, PhD) & BComm (Development of Information Systems)
Internal:
Lawrence Martz, Dept. of Geography
Externals:
Janice Glasgow, Head, Dept. of Computing & Information Science, Queen’s University
Lewis Johnson, Professor, Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California
Physics & Engineering Physics undergraduate & graduate programs in Physics (BSc, MSc, PhD), Undergraduate & graduate programs in Engineering Physics (BE, MSc, PhD)
Internal:
Chris Soteros, Mathematical Sciences Group, Dept. of Computer Science
Externals:
Gordon Drake, Chair, Dept. of Physics, University of Windsor
Tom Tiedje, Professor, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia
Bachelor of Education Programs undergraduate programs (Elementary/Middle (post-ac), Secondary (post-ac), TEP (ITEP, NWTEP, NORTEP, SUNTEP, Practical & Applied Arts)
Internal:
Ron Marken, Director, Gwenna Moss Teaching & Learning Centre
Externals:
John Anderson, Chair, Dept. of Educational Psychology & Leadership Studies, University of Victoria
Raymond Barnhardt, Director, Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Andrew Hughes, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of New Brunswick
Ruth Rees, Professor, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University
Gordon Thomas, Associate Executive Secretary, The Alberta Teachers’ Association
Geological Sciences undergraduate & graduate programs (BSc in Geology, BSc in Geophysics, BSc in Environmental Earth Sciences, BSc in Paleobiology, Graduate programs in Geological Sciences)
Internal:
Ron Verrall, Dept. of Chemistry, College of Arts & Science
Externals:
Christopher Barnes, Director, School of Earth & Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria
John Clague, Professor, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University
Larry Lines, Head, Dept. of Geology & Geophysics, University of Calgary
Music undergraduate programs (BMus, BA (Music), BEd/BMus (MusEd))
Internal:
Bob Gander, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
Externals:
Eugene Cramer, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Music, University of Calgary
Peter Webster, John Beattie Professor of Music Education/Technology, School of Music, Northwestern University
COMMERCE
Human Resources undergraduate program (BComm in Human Resource Management)
Internal:
Larry Sackney, Professor, Dept. of Educational Administration, College of Education
Externals:
Mark Thompson, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Commerce & Business Administration, University of British Columbia
Terry Wagar, Professor, Dept. of Management, St. Mary’s University
Marketing undergraduate & graduate programs (BComm in Marketing, BComm in General Business, MSc in Marketing)
Internal:
Murray Scharf, Professor, Dept. of Educational Administration, College of Education
Externals:
James Barnes, Professor, Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Hugh Munro, Professor, School of Business & Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University
Accounting undergraduate & graduate programs (BComm in Accounting, MSc in Accounting, MPAcc in Professional Accounting)
Internal:
Joe Garcea, Professor, Department of Political Studies, College of Arts & Science
Externals:
Michel Magnan, Lawrence Bloomberg Chair in Accountancy, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University
Howard Teall, Professor, School of Business & Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University
Finance/Business Economics/Production & Operations Management undergraduate programs (BComm in Finance, BComm in Business Economics, BComm in Production & Operation Management)
Internal:
Hartley Furtan, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture
External:
Ben Amoako-Adu, Professor, School of Business & Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University
Trevor Chamberlain, Professor, M.G. DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University
William Wedley, Professor, Faculty of Business Administration, Simon Fraser University
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Political Studies undergraduate & graduate programs (BA in Political Studies, BA in Public Administration, MA in Political Studies)
Internal:
Jack Stabler, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture
External:
Leslie Pal, Director, School of Public Policy & Administration, Carleton University
Grace Skogstad, Professor, Dept. of Political Science, University of Toronto
Denis Stairs, McCulloch Professor, Dept. of Political Science, Dalhousie University
Sociology undergraduate & graduate programs (BA in Sociology, MA, PhD in Sociology)
Internal:
Asit Sarkar, Professor, Department of Management & Marketing, College of Commerce
External:
James Frideres, Associate VP Academic, Dept. of Sociology, University of Calgary
Julia Kwong, Professor, Dept. of Sociology, University of Manitoba
Archaeology undergraduate & graduate programs (BA, BSc in Archaeology, BA in Classical & Near Eastern Archaeology, MA in Anthropology (recently renamed Archaeology))
Internal:
Graham Scoles, Professor of Plant Sciences & Assoc.Dean (Research), College of Agriculture
External:
Jonathan Driver, Dean of Graduate Studies & Professor of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University
Guy Gibbon, Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Minnesota
John Peter Oleson, Professor, Dept. of Greek & Roman Studies, University of Victoria
Geography undergraduate & graduate programs (BA in Geography (Human), BSc in Geography (Physical), MA, MSc, PhD in Geography)
Internal:
Jamie Campbell, Professor, Dept. of Psychology, College of Arts & Science
Charles Maulé, Head, Dept. of Agricultural & Bioresource Engineering, College of Engineering
External:
Dianne Draper, Head, Dept. of Geography, University of Calgary
André Roy, Professor, Dept. of Geography, University of Montreal
International Studies undergraduate program (BA in International Studies)
Internal:
Brett Fairbairn, Professor of History & Director, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives
External:
Reeta Chowdhari Tremblay, Chair, Dept. of Political Science, Concordia University
Tim Shaw, Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Economics undergraduate & graduate programs (BA in Economics, BA in Business Economics, PGD, MA in Economics)
Internal:
Ron Cuming, Professor, College of Law
External:
Beverly George (Bev) Dahlby, Professor, Dept. of Economics, University of Alberta
Curtis Eaton, Professor, Dept. of Economics, University of Calgary
Nancy Olewiler, Professor, Dept. of Economics, Simon Fraser University
TEMPLATE FOR SPR REVIEW TEAMS TO PREPARE
UNDERGRADUATE and GRADUATE PROGRAM REVIEW REPORTS
Title/Cover Page
Program Name(s): specify Undergraduate or Graduate
Composition of Review Team, and affiliation of members:
Dates of Review:
Date report submitted:
Body of Report
I. Introduction or Graduate Program Mission/Objectives
General comments about the site visit and the review process.
Comments about the organization of the report, especially with reference to variations from or additions to this template and to the information provided to the review team in the Guide for the Review Team and/or Graduate Program Review, External Reviewer Guide provided.
II. Quality
A. Curriculum
At a minimum, this section should provide an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum and the extent to which the program:
has been designed to meet its objectives;
is 'up-to-date' and reflective of responsiveness to the need for change; and
includes opportunities for synthesis, application and integration of knowledge.
In particular, is the program designed to meet its objectives and are the objectives appropriate in the academic context of the discipline and/or expectations of the profession.
B. Faculty
This section should provide an assessment of whether the number and type of faculty available to deliver and support the program are adequate.
It should also include an assessment of faculty commitment to teaching, as well as the quality and quantity of research and scholarly work, professional practice, extension and public service (particularly as they relate to the program under review).
In particular, is there a sufficient number/array of faculty to support all of the specializations offered within the program? Is there evidence that the faculty are committed to teaching and to evaluating and improving the quality of instruction? How and to what extent do faculty research, professional practice, extension and public service activities contribute to the program?
C. Learning Environment
This section should provide an assessment of whether the program is delivered within a learning environment that is supportive and intellectually stimulating, that promotes the integration of scholarship and teaching, that is reflective of education equity goals and that provides an international perspective, where appropriate.
D. Infrastructure
This section should assess the adequacy of the facilities, physical spaces, support staff and other resources necessary for the successful delivery of the program.
In particular, do the facilities and physical spaces provide the essential resources to support the faculty/students adequately in their research, teaching and study?
E. Student Outcomes
This section should provide an assessment of whether the program has met its educational objectives, whether students are satisfied with their program and are successful both in completing the program and in their academic or personal endeavours after graduation.
III. Demand
An assessment should be provided of the level of demand for the program both by students, and where appropriate, by employers of graduates. There should be commentary on the utilization of courses in the discipline by students in other programs in the College or other Colleges.
IV. Efficiency or Resource Usage
This section should provide an assessment of whether the program uses resources efficiently in comparison to other similar programs at this University or other similar universities.
V. Unique Features and Relevance to the Province
This section should provide commentary on the unique aspects, if any, of the program and any particular relevance of the program and/or discipline to the Province.
VI. Summary: Assessment Questions Addressed
This section should provide an assessment of quality (curriculum, faculty, learning environment, student outcomes, infrastructure), demand and efficiency of program delivery.
In particular the following questions should be addressed:
•Is the program meeting its objectives? If so, how? If not, why not?
•What are the strengths and weaknesses of the program(s) within the unit?
To what extent can the weaknesses be remedied by non-budgetary means? By budgetary/resource re-allocation?
•How would you describe the level and quality of research and scholarly/artistic work associated with units that have a major responsibility for delivery of the program?
•Where more than one program (e.g. undergraduate and graduate, more than one undergraduate major or specialization) exists within a unit, how would you characterize the interaction of programs within the unit? i.e., do they enhance or detract from one another?
•How could the quality of the program(s) be improved?
•How could the efficiency/effectiveness of program delivery and administration be increased?
•Would demand for the program and discipline-related courses be characterized as low, moderate or high? Could demand for the program be increased? How?
•Could/should the unit accommodate greater numbers of students? How?
•Should the unit decrease the number of students admitted? Why?
VII. Grade Assessed
Based on the Review Team's overall assessment of the program, which of the grade categories best describes the program? Why?
Assessment Categories Description
[Extracts from the SPR Policy and Procedures, Section XIII]
Category A
The program is supported by evidence of academic vitality in teaching and scholarly/artistic work and extension/public service sustained over a significant period of time. It has achieved at least a national reputation, and might be expected to develop as a centre of excellence. Few, if any, changes are required.
Such programs are typically characterized by most of the following:
• distinguished faculty with a national/international reputation for scholarly work;
• an up-to-date curriculum;
• sound teaching practices;
• strong student demand;
• evidence of high student satisfaction with their educational experience;
• routine use of evaluation procedures for all aspects of the program’s objectives; and,
• justifiable program costs.
Category B
The program is supported by evidence of academic vitality in teaching and scholarly/artistic work and extension/public service sustained over a period of time but has some weaknesses. Some changes should be made. Modifications may include program changes (e.g. curriculum revisions), internal redirection of faculty resources, additional resource allocations, (both faculty and non-faculty), and, measures to improve student satisfaction/quality of experience in the program.
Such programs are typically characterized by most of the following:
• many faculty actively engaged in scholarly work;
• a generally up-to-date curriculum;
• generally sound teaching practices;
• high to moderate student demand;
• evidence that students are generally satisfied with the program and the quality of their experience in it;
• evaluation procedures which may not be as effective as they could be; and,
• high to moderate program quality to cost ratio.
Category C
The program is supported by some evidence of academic vitality in teaching and scholarly/artistic work and extension/public service but has identifiable deficiencies which should be rectified in a given timeframe. It is characterized by sufficient demand, and/or may be essential to the service requirements of other units. Several fundamental changes must be made to achieve adequacy and provide a credible program. Deficiencies may be identified as program (e.g., curricular), faculty/scholarly activity (e.g. quality and quantity of scholarship or breadth of expertise of faculty), and non-faculty resources.
Such programs are typically characterized by most of the following:
• some distinguished faculty, but more who are not actively engaged in scholarly work;
• a curriculum in need of revision;
• a need for attention to be directed to some aspects of the teaching enterprise;
• moderate student demand;
• some dissatisfaction of students with their educational experience;
• lack, or minimal use, of evaluation procedures; and,
• moderate to low program quality to cost ratio.
Category D
The program, over a period of years, has shown little evidence of academic vitality in teaching or scholarly/artistic work or extension/public service. Such a program may suffer from additional liabilities including low quality to cost ratio, low student demand, and lack of provision of an important service component to other programs. The academic quality of the program area is unlikely to improve without significant additional resources. Many fundamental changes are required.
Such programs are typically characterized by most of the following:
• few faculty who are actively engaged in scholarly work;
• several significant weaknesses in the curriculum;
• uneven and often poor teaching practices and results;
• low student demand;
• significant dissatisfaction expressed by students with their educational experience; and,
• lack of or ineffective evaluation procedures.
VIII. Recommendations
In this final part, please pull together all recommendations from the preceding sections in numerical order.
Recommendation 1:
Recommendation 2:
Etc.
IX. Reflections on the Site Visit and Review Process
Here you may want to raise items and issues that arise from the site visit that do not fit under the above sections, or to comment on the review process itself.
This Strategic Research Plan has been developed to address the requirements of the Canada Research Chairs Program. It reflects the University of Saskatchewan’s commitment to the research enterprise as articulated in A Framework for Planning at the University of Saskatchewan (1998) and University of Saskatchewan Strategic Directions 2002: Renewing the Dream. The Plan has been endorsed by the Planning Committee of Council (the senior academic planning committee of the University), by the Deans of Colleges, and by the senior administration. While it reflects many of our research accomplishments and aspirations, it cannot hope to capture the wide range of research currently pursued at the University of Saskatchewan.
The purpose of this Plan is to provide a guide to the way in which we intend to use the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP). In general, we will use the CRCP to increase research intensiveness in selected areas of research strength and to raise the profile of the research enterprise. We also intend to increase our capacity to support the efforts of our researchers and to communicate the results of their work. The CRCP will, appropriately enough, challenge us to increase our research productivity and enhance our profile as a research-intensive university.
Within the context of the Research Chairs Program we have identified six major thrusts for research and research training:
• Biotechnology, specifically, agricultural biotechnology, structural biology, biofuels and biomaterials, bioinformatics and bioethics. The University created, in 1999, a Virtual College of Biotechnology, which coordinates our teaching and research efforts in this area. New appointments have been made in several departments including both the biological and social sciences. This research thrust benefits from extensive contacts with federal and provincial research establishments on campus, particularly those related to agriculture, including the National Research Council Plant Biotechnology Institute (PBI) and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada. The CFI-funded expansions of research space in the College of Agriculture and Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), a new expansion of PBI, and significant industry support for bio-process engineering all underscore the importance of this area to the University and to the regional economy.
• Environmental Sciences, specifically, water quality, conservation and climate change, ecotoxicology. The University has recently identified the Northern Ecosystems Toxicology initiative as a priority area. Faculty are presently being added in Veterinary Pathology, Soil Science (Agriculture), Biology, and Geological Sciences to form an integrated research network with the Toxicology Research Centre. This research thrust will benefit from strong connections to other institutions in Saskatoon with major expertise in environmental research, notably the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), Environment Canada (EC), National Water Research Institute (NWRI), Parks Canada (PC), and Saskatchewan Environment (SE).
• Health Sciences, specifically, infectious diseases, cardiovascular and neurosciences research, reproductive biology, gene regulation, structural biology and research initiatives in primary health, population health, and health services and policy. Several academic units have expanding integrated biomedical research strengths, which are augmented through CFI-funded initiatives including the Canadian Light Source (CLS), the Biomolecular Structure and Function priority area, and support for the Biomedical Imaging Beamline proposal. Collectively, population, rural, community and aboriginal health research involves a wide range of academic units and the Community-University Institute for Social Research (CUISR) and Saskatoon in Motion, both funded by community groups and SSHRC and CIHR respectively; the Saskatchewan Population Health Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU) and Institute for Agricultural, Rural and Environmental Health (IAREH) which both lead CIHR training programs; and the Indigenous Peoples Health Research Centre, a CIHR ACADRE centre. Aboriginal people’s health and CLS – oriented research coincide with the University’s major strategic priorities.
• Identity and Diversity, specifically, the Aboriginal experience, multiculturalism and citizenship. The University of Saskatchewan has a number of well-established programs aimed at meeting the needs of our Aboriginal students. These include, among many others, programs run by the Native Law Centre, with its focus on introducing Aboriginal students to the study of law, and the College of Education, with its teacher education programs targeted to Aboriginal students. The University anticipates expansion in this area, beginning with research and teaching programs in Aboriginal justice. We also expect to build on the work of faculty actively engaged in the Prairie Centre of Excellence of Research on Immigration and Integration, one of four Centres of Excellence established across Canada in 1996.
• Materials Science, specifically, material synthesis and modification, structures and surfaces, material structures and macro-properties. At the University of Saskatchewan we intend to use CFI-funded installations, most notably the Canadian Light Source (CLS) and the Saskatchewan Structural Science Centre (SSSC), to advance a number of research programs associated with materials. The departments of Chemistry and Physics, both excellent research departments, are intimately involved, as is the College of Engineering, especially in the area of material structures and macro-properties.
• Technology and Change, specifically, applied Internet research, next-generation groupware, social impact of technology, communications and networks, computer architecture and systems engineering, and the socio-economic impacts of technological change on the rural economy. At the University of Saskatchewan our concern is both to participate in the process of technological change—particularly in the area of information and communication technology—and to better understand the process and its implications.
The University of Saskatchewan has generated a number of processes, and several documents, which have assisted in establishing an array of research priorities. These planning initiatives have been conducted in collegial fashion drawing on resources from Colleges and Council committees and they represent a distillation of current thinking on University priorities. In 1998 University Council endorsed a document entitled A Framework for Planning at the University of Saskatchewan which contained, among other things, a set of four institutional goals: improve the quality of instructional programs; foster the teacher-scholar model; intensify research efforts; and, respond to the needs of Aboriginal peoples. From this beginning, the University built an Integrated Planning Initiative which uses, as its starting point, a document which was unanimously endorsed by the three governing bodies of the University. The Strategic Directions: Renewing the Dream established four major planning foci:
(i) attracting and retaining outstanding faculty;
(ii) increasing campus-wide commitment to research, scholarly and artistic work;
(iii) establishing the University of Saskatchewan as a major presence in graduate education; and
(iv) recruiting and retaining a diverse and academically promising body of students, and prepare them for success in the knowledge age.
This Canada Research Chairs Strategic Research Plan is built on the University’s commitment to its Integrated Planning Initiative, and specifically to the Strategic Directions which are the cornerstone of the first planning cycle.
The University of Saskatchewan has drawn up its Strategic Research Plan for the Canada Research Chairs program in the same way as we have developed our broad-based set of initiatives, using an inclusive and consultative planning process. A draft of the Plan was widely distributed and an Advisory Committee created to recommend on strategic research thrusts and specific nominations. This revision of the Strategic Research Plan was approved by the Planning Committee of Council.
The process of priority identification is by no means over with the creation of this Strategic Research Plan. In fact, we anticipate that the Canada Research Chairs Program will contribute significantly to its advance. The Integrated Planning Process referenced above involves the development of a set of Foundational Documents, at least two of which– the Faculty Complement Plan and the Plan for Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work– will be directly related to this Plan. As the Integrated Planning Process develops, this Plan will also evolve.
Our efforts will continue to require the cooperation and support of our community, on campus and off, including the many research institutes associated with the University. Collaborations and partnerships are an integral part of the research enterprise. In addition to CUISR and SPHERU we participate in numerous Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE). In the area of Health Sciences, we currently belong to the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network (CBDN), Health Evidence Application and Linkages Network (HEALnet), the Canadian Network for Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics of Cancer and Chronic Viral Diseases (CANVAC), and the Canadian Stroke Network. In the area of Technology and Change, we participate in Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS), the Tele-learning NCE, and Telecommunications Research Laboratories (TRLabs). Other NCE involvement includes the Sustainable Forest Management network and the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration. We expect that the Canadian Light Source will generate further national and international collaborations in the area of Materials Science, Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences and Health Sciences. Complementary to the CLS is the newly formed Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre, a CFI funded installation, housed at the University of Saskatchewan. With our wide array of health sciences, we anticipate that the interdisciplinarity of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research will allow us to further expand collaborative efforts in health research.
We will evaluate our progress in achieving our goals by monitoring the following indicators:
I. Graduate enrollment and the recruitment of post-doctoral fellows. We expect increases in each of the areas selected, and improved success in funding support for graduate students.
II. Tri-council funding. We expect a strong record of funding from the Chairs and from those recruited to support the areas in which Chairs are located.
III. Partnerships. Well-established partnerships exist in most of the areas identified, but we will evaluate the maintenance and strengthening of these relationships.
IV. Patents and Technology Transfer. In those areas where this is an appropriate expectation, we anticipate an increase in research benefits made available to the private and public sectors.
V. Publications and citations.
VI. Awards and other forms of recognition, particularly for those directly related to the research areas supported by the Chairs program.
VII. Instructional programs. It is our intention to ensure that the Chairs program assists us in meeting the University’s teaching mission, and we will encourage the incorporation of research activities in undergraduate programs.
VIII. Contributions to social policy and public good.
The University has several major installations that will be critical to the research environment of the Canada Research Chairs. The CLS will be used in a number of research thrusts including Materials Science, Biotechnology, Health Sciences, and Environmental Sciences. The Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre (SSSC) will provide complementary infrastructure to the CLS in similar research areas. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has started a major expansion to the physical space and equipment to undertake innovative research in the area of vaccines for animal and human health. Most recently, the University has begun implementation of a $15 million reconfiguration of the campus network to accommodate the capacity, reliability, and security network requirements of the data-intensive research using facilities such as the CLS and SSSC.
In addition to the research assets identified above, the University is beginning the largest investment in capital infrastructure in decades. This construction program includes, as one of its first components, a $43 million reconstruction of the Thorvaldson Building, which will house our Chemistry and Computer Science Departments.
Of course, our most important asset at the University of Saskatchewan is our people. In the next decade the University will undertake its most significant recruiting effort since the 1960s. We expect these faculty to strengthen significantly our existing research efforts. We anticipate that our recruitment efforts will reflect the demography of our province and also our region and we intend to aggressively recruit women and Aboriginal faculty to our campus. We also intend to build on our deployment of Canada Research Chairs and CFI awards to recruit tenure-track faculty in the areas of research identified in this Plan. In short, the University of Saskatchewan is fully committed to the research enterprise and its prospects at this institution have never been brighter.
This Strategic Research Plan has been developed to address the requirements of the Canada Research Chairs Program. It reflects the University of Saskatchewan’s commitment to the research enterprise as articulated in A Framework for Planning at the University of Saskatchewan (1998) and in University of Saskatchewan Strategic Directions 2002: Renewing the Dream. This Strategic Research Plan has been endorsed by the Planning Committee of Council (the senior academic planning committee of the University), by the Deans of the Colleges and by the senior administration. It reflects many of our research accomplishments and aspirations, but naturally it cannot hope to capture the wide range of research currently pursued at the University of Saskatchewan.
The purpose of this Plan is to provide a guide to the way in which we intend to use the Canada Research Chairs program. We have identified six major thrusts for research and research training: Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Identity and Diversity, Materials Science, and Technology and Change. We intend to use the Chairs program to increase research intensiveness in these areas and to raise the profile of the research enterprise in general. We will evaluate our progress toward these goals by monitoring the following indicators:
I. Graduate enrollment and the recruitment of post-doctoral fellows. We expect increases in each of the areas selected, and improved success in funding support for graduate students.
II. Tri-council funding. We expect a strong record of funding from the Chairs and from those recruited to support the areas in which Chairs are located.
III. Partnerships. Well-established partnerships exist in most of the areas identified, but we will evaluate the maintenance and strengthening of these relationships.
IV. Commercialization and Technology Transfer. In those areas where this is an appropriate expectation, we anticipate an increase in research benefits made available to the private and public sectors.
V. Publications and citations.
VI. Awards and other forms of recognition, particularly for those directly related to the research areas supported by the Chairs program.
VII. Instructional programs. It is our intention to ensure that the Chairs program assists us in meeting the University’s teaching mission and we will encourage the incorporation of research activities in undergraduate programs.
VIII. Contributions to social policy and public good.
We also intend to increase our capacity to support the efforts of all of our researchers and to communicate the results of their work. The Chairs program will, appropriately enough, challenge us to increase our research productivity and enhance our profile as a research-intensive university.
Research Planning
The University of Saskatchewan has generated a number of processes, and several documents, which have assisted in establishing research priorities. The areas selected for emphasis have typically been characterized by opportunities to expand graduate programs, enhance undergraduate teaching, respond to societal needs, and build on our comparative advantage.
For example, in 1998 the University established a program—Priority Determination—intended to reallocate approximately one million dollars of operating budget funds to new areas of research and teaching. In the first year of the program the area of Biotechnology was identified and four new faculty positions were authorized. In the second year, two new areas came on stream: Northern Ecosystems and Toxicology, and the Teaching and Research program in Biomolecular Structures. In the final year of the program, the Indigenous Peoples and Justice Initiative was added. Each of these areas are in the final stages of faculty recruitment. This process of reallocation was launched in part on the understanding that new areas of research innovation would likely arise at the boundaries of existing areas. For that reason a premium was placed on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary programming, a quality that each of these areas shares.
Priority Determination has been followed by a university-wide planning process –Integrated Planning – that will result in a Strategic Plan for the University as a whole (anticipated April 2004). Integrated planning at the University of Saskatchewan is built on the Strategic Directions and a set of Foundational Documents that will signal university commitment on a set of key planning dimensions. The key element of the Integrated Planning Process is to plan for the future, taking into consideration the many inter-linkages between research disciplines and academic programming when making resource allocation decisions. The Canada Research Chairs Program will provide a significant number of outstanding researchers to the University and upon which major recruitment efforts will be built. For example, the University has committed to ensuring that, in appropriate research areas, research related to the use of the Canadian Light Source (CLS) will be a high priority in the selection of candidates for nomination. As the Integrated Planning Process develops, this Plan will also evolve.
Research Thrusts
The University of Saskatchewan has identified six broad research thrusts in which it intends to concentrate for purposes of the Canada Research Chairs program. We anticipate that all of our nominations will fit into one or more of the research thrusts sketched out below. Our capacity in each of these is considerable, in part because of the investments made independent of this program and in part because of the work of numerous faculty members. The Chairs program will strengthen our commitment and bring additional focus. The precise character of that focus will depend, in the first instance, on the work of our nominees and the research programs they have developed. In what follows we offer an interpretation of the research thrusts that we have chosen, a short explanation of our existing strengths, and a discussion of the precise uses to which we intend to put the resources of the program in the early stages of its development.
Biotechnology
Research that both develops and applies biotechnology permeates all the life science disciplines, and there is significant overlap between the areas of Biotechnology, Health Sciences, and Technology and Change. To help recognize the interdisciplinary character of research in biotechnology, the University created, in 1999, a Virtual College of Biotechnology, to coordinate our teaching and research efforts. To help strengthen those efforts the University designated Biotechnology a priority area and assigned four new faculty positions, one each in Sociology, Commerce, Anatomy and Cell Biology, and Biochemistry. In addition, with the assistance of the provincial government’s Department of Economic and Co-operative Development, the University undertook a major upgrade of laboratory facilities and a strengthening of teaching assistance in the area. In 2001, an endowment from the Jarislowsky Foundation allowed the establishment of the Jarislowsky Chair in Biotechnology. Two other Chairs in Biotechnology exist within the College of Agriculture, the AFIF Chair in Ag-Biotechnology and the NSERC/SSHRC Chair in Managing Knowledge-based Agri-food Development. Recent CFI funded expansions of research space in the College of Agriculture and Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) all underscore the importance of this area to the University and to the regional economy.
The biotechnology research thrust benefits from extensive contacts with federal and provincial research establishments on campus and in Innovation Place, particularly those related to agriculture. Plant science, animal science, physical bioprocess engineering, and infectious diseases are major parts of the agricultural biotechnology research thrust, with many interactions involving the NRC Plant Biotechnology Institute (PBI) and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada. Two large scale Genome Prairie projects that relate to Agricultural Biotechnology and bring together a number of researchers from other institutions are led through the University of Saskatchewan. The project “The Functional Genomics of Abiotic Stress in Plants” was approved for funding ($19.3M) after the first round of application to Genome Canada and involves 25 scientists from 10 institutions across five provinces. A second project “The Functional Pathogenomics of Mucosal Immunity” was approved for funding ($27M) and is co-led by our Canada Research Chair in Vaccinology and another Canada Research Chair from the University of British Columbia, with support from Pyxis Canada and Inimex Pharmaceuticals.
The Province of Saskatchewan has been very supportive of the University’s thrust in Ag-Biotechnology. Within Agriculture, one of its priorities is to increase the value of crops grown in Saskatchewan. The College of Agriculture is committed to expanding its capacity in post-harvest agriculture. We expect to dedicate a Tier 1 Chair in Biotechnology who could speak to these priorities and undertake research in the area of Biotechnology and Crop Quality with a focus on starch and protein.
The CFI funded Canadian Light Source (CLS), the Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre (SSSC), and the Biomolecular Research Laboratory represent important assets. One of our Tier 1 Chair holders in Biotechnology focuses on structural biology. In addition, we hope to expand the CRCP to the area of drug design. Structure determination is the cornerstone of structural biology and will assist in pharmaceutical development and the understanding of fundamental disease mechanisms. In addition, the University will focus on structural biology as it applies to Plant Cell Biology, broadening this research group. This would also support the strong plant-based research thrust of the University and wider community. It is expected that this research group will establish a strong link between the biotechnology research thrust and the CLS.
The University has also designated biofuels and biomaterials as a priority in this research thrust. The Province of Saskatchewan has begun implementing the Life Sciences Strategy in part through the formation of Bio-Products Saskatchewan Inc. and a Strategy & Action Plan for Saskatchewan’s Bio-Based Economy has been drafted. One of the University of Saskatchewan's Chairs in Biotechnology is an active researcher in the area of hydrocarbon upgrading using alternative catalysts. These catalysts are more attractive than conventional catalysts with respect to waste disposal, toxicity, and corrosivity. The gasolines produced have less volatility, no lead or sulfur compounds, and increased iso-octane concentrations that reduce the need for fuel additives. Other work in this area includes the production of value-added products such as bio-diesels from waste biomaterials, and the production of hydrogen and synthetic gas from pulp and paper production wastes.
Outside of these areas of established effort, the University intends to expand its attention to bioinformatics and bioethics. New initiatives in bioinformatics are driven by various genome programs, and include research collaborations between computer sciences and life sciences. The University of Saskatchewan will be recruiting a Tier 1 Chair in Technology and Change who would also be appointed as the Director of the Bioinformatics Unit at the University of Saskatchewan. The recent development of graduate offerings in this area, the award of a CFI-funded bioinformatics proposal, the creation of a dedicated computational array at PBI, and the current consideration of an undergraduate program are the beginnings of a major development. To assist in these developments we also intend to strengthen our capacity in bioethics. Recent appointments in Sociology and Commerce as well as faculty in other areas are brought together through the Virtual College of Biotechnology. The biotechnology revolution continues to pose serious ethical questions in areas such as reproductive choice and environmental experimentation. The university intends to ensure that scientific development is accompanied by a conscious consideration of the ethical implications.
Environmental Sciences
The University of Saskatchewan has a broad array of research and academic interests in the environmental sciences, many of which are associated with agriculture and the natural resources of the province. We also have strong connections to other institutions in Saskatoon with major expertise in environmental research, notably the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), Environment Canada (EC), National Water Research Institute (NWRI), Parks Canada (PC), and Saskatchewan Environment (SE). In the context of the Chairs program, the University will emphasize aquatic systems and natural resources, focusing on research in three interrelated areas.
The first area of focus is water quality, which is a primary indicator of environmental health and ecosystem integrity, and clean water is of vital importance in the arid prairies. The University has substantial breadth and depth of research activity in this area and will emphasize innovative research on water quantity and quality issues related to sustainable agriculture, natural ecosystems, and rural communities. In terms of nominees for the Chairs program, our initial focus will be in the area of environmental soil science where a number of well-established researchers work on soil water quality and transport.
The second area of focus will be conservation and climate change. The prairie provinces contain more species of endangered plants and animals than any other political region in Canada, primarily as a result of the conversion of native grasslands to agriculture. A deeper understanding of prairie and boreal forest ecology is crucial to our future prosperity. Of particular importance, and connected with the area described above, is the impact of climate change on water resources. Current climate research suggests that the near future will be a period of changing temperature and precipitation, manifested most dramatically in changes in the magnitude and frequency of extreme events such as storms, floods, tornados and droughts. The capacity both to mitigate adverse impacts and to take advantage of opportunities requires sound understanding of the inter-related operation of climate, water resources, and social systems. In this regard we will be concerned to foster study of the nature and dynamics of biocomplexity in the prairie and boreal forest biomes and to spearhead conservation biology on campus by coordinating collaborative research efforts among existing researchers with related interests. In addition, our research group in the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Physics (ISAS) has considerable expertise in the area of the atmospheric environment. One possible focus of a research chair would be on climate change in northern high latitudes.
The third area of focus is ecotoxicology, an emphasis intended to augment the University's Northern Ecosystems Toxicology initiative that has recently been designated as a priority area. The University is presently adding faculty in Veterinary Pathology, Soil Science (Agriculture), Biology, and Geological Sciences to form an integrated research network with the Toxicology Research Centre. Research will focus on the fate and effects of toxicants, including how toxicants behave in the northern environment (e.g., persistence, distribution, bioavailability, speciation), how they affect target organisms (e.g., tissue damage, reproductive impairment, compromised immune function), and how they affect ecosystems (e.g., disruption of ecological balance and food-webs, alterations in predator-prey relations). This research thrust is founded on a strong research program in geochemistry, and also on the analysis of the effects of industrial and agricultural pollutants on wildlife populations. To complement these established areas, the University will also emphasize research on environmental microbiology, with particular emphasis on soil and plant-microbial interactions, especially as related to sustainable agriculture and natural ecosystems.
Health Sciences
With the widest array of health sciences colleges of any university in the country, the University of Saskatchewan seeks to strengthen a number of related research areas that impinge directly on the health of the citizens of the province and region. In the past year, the University has moved to encourage the creation of research groups that cross departmental and college boundaries.
The College of Medicine, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization (VIDO) have pioneered work in infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, animal diseases, and animal-human disease relations. Research in these areas, particularly immunological research, is expanding in part through CFI-funded initiatives (i.e., expansion of VIDO). The Canada Research Chair in Vaccinology is developing new vaccination techniques in animals that should be applicable to humans, and on the investigation of human disease vectors harbored by animals.
The University will continue to promote cardiovascular and neurosciences research. These are traditional core areas that involve many researchers spanning basic investigations to clinical applications. Several new research groups in these areas are currently being developed. In the area of reproductive biology, active groups in both human and animal reproductive biology have collaborative interactions in both endocrinology and imaging. The potential for CLS imaging research is being promoted as part of the Biomedical Imaging Beamline proposal. CLS related research in structural and rational drug design will be consolidated with the Biotechnology research thrust.
Health research, especially CIHR supported research, has broadened in response to socio-economic challenges. Health research at the University of Saskatchewan will increasingly focus on health outcomes, social impacts and alternative therapies. The Community-University Institute for Social Research (CUISR) is a SSHRC-supported community and health development research unit while Saskatoon in Motion is a CIHR-support community health initiative. The Saskatchewan Population Health Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU) and the Indigenous Peoples Health Research Centre (IPHRC), a CIHR ACADRE centre, are joint initiatives with other Saskatchewan post-secondary institutions, and with the Institute of Agricultural, Rural, Environmental Health (IAREH) are responsible for separate CIHR-training programs. Together they form a strong focus for population, community, Aboriginal and rural health research and health service research.
Identity and Diversity
There are approximately 8000 cultural groups and over 600 living languages located in the more than 180 independent countries that are currently members of the United Nations. Some of this linguistic, cultural and racial diversity is the product of imperialism, the often forcible incorporation of distinctive social groups into a larger political entity; some of it is the product of migration, both the voluntary and forcible movement of individuals and groups across boundaries. The result is that most societies are polyethnic and a host of national minorities live within a single political boundary. Both majority and minority cultures are in constant flux with resultant challenges for the simultaneous creation of shared identities and the preservation of distinctive group identities.
At the University of Saskatchewan our faculty have a wide range of research interests that bear on these challenges. For example, the representation of race, class and gender has been a strong theme in the work of faculty members in Sociology, Women’s and Gender Studies, as well as in the arts, music and literature. The College of Law and the Department of Political Studies have been the catalysts for conferences on the drawing of political boundaries and the construction of constitutional protections for minority rights. The representations of diversity—both artistic and political—and the construction of identities—both individual and social—are unifying themes in the work of many of our faculty.
In the context of the Chairs program, we intend to build on this work by focusing on two sub-themes, the first of which is the aboriginal experience. The University of Saskatchewan has a number of well-established programs aimed at meeting the needs of our Aboriginal students. These include programs run by the Native Law Centre, with its focus on introducing Aboriginal students to the study of law, the College of Education, with its teacher education programs targeted to Aboriginal students both on and off reserves, and the more recent Indigenous Peoples and Justice Initiative. In fact, virtually all the Colleges have programs that focus on the needs of this population, and we are in the process of strengthening our community partnerships. On the research front we are fortunate to have a number of distinguished faculty members, some of whom work within the Department of Native Studies. Among our first nominees for the program was a faculty member with a well-established reputation in the area of Aboriginal-newcomer relations, and with a strong research record in the area of Native Residential Schools. We need to expand research programs in this area so that work on constitutional issues, treaty rights, linguistic survival, and indigenous self-government can all be fostered. We also anticipate that research on Aboriginal topics will affect other areas, including Health and Environmental Sciences, where traditional lifestyles may provide alternative models of order and design and so assist in developing a sustainable relationship to the environment. We have also made appointments that recognize the experience of the Aboriginal population in urban settings and the obstacles that urbanization poses for the creation and preservation of community.
Our second sub-theme in this area is that of multiculturalism and citizenship. The 1996 Census of Canada indicates that immigrants make up about 17 % of the total population, but the proportion is higher in the active labour force. Changes in the immigration regulations in 1967 produced a surge of immigrants from non-traditional source countries with a significant impact on the proportion of visible minorities in Canada. The University of Saskatchewan is well situated to study the impact of migration on labour markets and political identity. Faculty from the University are actively engaged in the Prairie Centre of Excellence of Research on Immigration and Integration, one of four Centres of Excellence established across Canada in 1996 and actively supported by a consortium of federal departments and agencies. A focus on the experience of immigrants and the demands of citizenship will force us to confront the reality that belonging takes place in different ways and diversity can be a source of both strength and weakness depending on how it is confronted.
Materials Science
Work in materials science spans a number of disciplines and its results are found in many familiar products and applications. Faster computer chips, tougher plastics, better lubricants, and more durable ceramics, are all products of research in materials science. The theoretical foundation of this research is quantum physics, and its demands on computational resources are imposing. Applying the laws and theories of quantum mechanics, specifically to explore and enhance atomic structure, unites research in a wide range of disciplines, particularly chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering.
At the University of Saskatchewan we intend to use CFI-funded installations, most notably the Canadian Light Source (CLS) and the Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre (SSSC), to advance a number of research programs associated with materials. The Physics and Engineering Physics Department is concentrating on condensed matter physics, both theoretically and experimentally. Work is expanding to utilize the CLS for diagnosing photoemission and x-ray absorption properties of materials. Targeted areas include polymer surfaces, diamond film and other hard coatings, novel chemical reactions using low energy ion beams, and fabrication of transistors based on III-V semiconductors. Materials work in the Plasma Physics group focuses on plasma etching and deposition, and the need to improve plasma parameters for the next generation of LSI with line sizes of a few nanometers. One of the University's appointed chairs in the materials science research thrust is a world-renowned researcher in plasma physics. Plasma-based material synthesis and modification is an emerging new technology that exploits the nature of high temperatures not available in conventional chemical reactions. Diamond films have already been synthesized in the Plasma Physics Laboratory, and work is currently underway to produce C-60 materials (Fullerenes) such as carbon nanotubes.
In Chemistry, materials research will continue to concentrate on structures and surfaces employing the techniques and tools of spectroscopy. At the University of Saskatchewan our researchers are focused on experimental and theoretical aspects of inner shell electron excitation, problems related to surface electron spectroscopy, structural determination by near edge and extended energy loss fine structure, and synthetic super lattice structures and surfaces. There is also increasingly important work connected with the SSSC related to biomolecular systems, and work related to several Biotechnology initiatives. These studies lead to a better understanding of the structures of organic materials and to new techniques to design commercially important chemical compounds. Similarly, materials work in Geological Sciences is supported by a $6M regional geochemical analytical facility capable of characterizing materials prior to synchrotron analysis. Research in this area includes such environmentally important topics as speciation of toxic materials, mineral structure and interface chemistry, kinetics of metal release into the environment, and metal-organic acid chemistry.
Materials research in engineering concentrates on the relationship between material structures and macro-properties. A new Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope facility will complement the CLS in helping researchers determine the nanostructures, sub-grain boundaries, and atomic structures related to the mechanical properties of matter, including ductility, strength, and thermal properties. In the study of composites the focus is on relationships between the microstructures and macro properties of materials that are the source of environmentally induced failures such as thermal fatigue and structural failures in the presence of corrosion. Materials science work in engineering also includes attention to semiconductor materials and photosensitive materials used in photocopiers and printers. A rapidly growing area is that of solid-state medical x-ray detectors that promise to change radically the way x-rays are taken, stored, and analyzed. These x-ray detectors promise to reduce substantially the radiation doses to patients, increase image resolution, and improve the storage and recall of x-ray images in a digital format. Fundamental materials science research into the most appropriate elements and alloys for the optimum photosensitivity and imaging properties will make these important engineering advances possible.
Technology and Change
Over the last half of the twentieth century the world has been changed dramatically by the introduction of new technologies. Two technologies in particular have paved the way for progress in the twenty-first century: information technology and biotechnology. These areas are of enormous strategic importance for both Canada and the world and the University of Saskatchewan has demonstrated considerable strength in each. In committing our research Chairs to the area of technology and change, our concern is both to participate in the process of technological change—particularly in the area of information and communication technology—and to better understand the process and its implications.
Information and communications technology has had far-reaching impact, not just in traditional areas such as Computer Science and Engineering, but across a wide span of academic disciplines. The computer has become an essential research tool and the Internet and World-wide Web have become indispensable vehicles for information gathering and dissemination. These tools have changed profoundly the very nature of many disciplines, both in the subjects they study and in their methodologies. Computer modeling is now commonplace in fields such as Economics and Chemistry; imaging and other computational techniques have enhanced diagnostic capabilities in medicine; geographic information systems have changed map making and how geographic information is organized and retrieved. The communications and software technology behind the Internet and electronic commerce is changing the way business is done; data mining technology has created new research opportunities for political scientists and historians; digital techniques have revolutionized both art and music. For these reasons, this research thrust will be deliberately directed toward multi-disciplinary concerns with a premium placed on sharing the products of these developments across a wide range of departments and disciplines.
Our departments of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering are working together in several areas of strategic importance both nationally and provincially, in part with industrial partners, such as TRLabs, which is located in the University’s research park, Innovation Place. We begin with several areas of collaboration as part of the Technology and Change research theme. A key area is communications and networks, covering a range of issues related to computer networks, communications and the Internet. Specific topics include protocols, routing, resource management, flow control, mobile computing, modeling and performance evaluation. We are also interested in developing the many exciting new applications that emerge from this work, in areas such as media streaming and collaborative group work, Collaboration is also taking place in computer architecture and systems engineering, covering a range of issues in the design of both hardware and software systems. Finally, exciting opportunities exist for rich and successful collaboration that builds on existing strength in digital systems, operating systems, and software engineering, and new initiatives presently through the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron facility. Specific topics include digital control systems, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), nanotechnology, robotics, real-time operating systems, embedded systems, biomedical devices and “systems on chips” (in collaboration with the Canadian Microelectronics Corporation).
The rapid penetration of computer networking technologies into our working environments has created a world in which people and software (and devices) can interact with their counterparts across the room or across the globe. Collaboration is a powerful force. Research in next-generation groupware aims to remove the impediments, posed by distance, to collaborative work by developing systems that allow users to interact with each other in new and creative ways. This research will involve collaboration between colleagues in Computer Science and in the social sciences and humanities, particularly Sociology and Psychology.
The University has a strong tradition of research in the history and sociology of technological change. We expect to build on this tradition by focusing on the social impact of technology, including its impact on the organization of work, the diffusion of innovation, artistic expression, the durability of social bonds, the distribution of property rights, and the new rural economy. In an increasingly small world, globalization of the agricultural and resource-based economies such as the Great Plains has had significant impact on the socio-economic structure of the region. For the most part, this is driven by the accelerated introduction of technology into primary industries. This has been traditionally in the form of agricultural production technology but the introduction of information technologies is now playing a major role in the transformation of regional economies. The focus of research in this area will enable regional economies to manage this transformation much more efficiently and effectively. This is particularly appropriate for the University of Saskatchewan given its historical responsibilities to the region.
Research Assets
Each of the areas described above will be supported by a number of major installations and assets currently available at the University of Saskatchewan. We provide below an overview of the key installations and their potential application to the six major research thrusts.
Research installations funded by CFI and other sources. In recent years the University has been successful in obtaining major national funding to construct a number of facilities for research on campus. These installations are applicable to varying numbers of research areas contained in the Plan. For example, the isotope and trace element clean laboratory and controlled environment mass spectrometry laboratory in the Department of Geological Sciences will be of use in molecular analysis of environmental contaminants and will be available for collaboration with industries involved in prospecting for minerals, oil, and natural gas. Similarly, the laboratory for environmental toxicology in the Toxicology Centre will be useful for research in environmental contaminants, nutraceuticals, and agricultural biotechnology. The distributed information visualization laboratory in Computer Science will be employed in research on IT. The scanning transmission electron microscope will be useful in materials science, environmental research, and biomolecular structure. The infrastructure for applied animal, plant, and microbial biotechnology will be employed by researchers in biotechnology, infectious diseases, and a variety of other areas of research in health and in molecular structure and function.
The University has several major installations that will be critical to the research environment of the Canada Research Chairs. The CLS will be used in a number of research thrusts including Materials Science, Biotechnology, Health Sciences, and Environmental Sciences. The Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre (SSSC) will provide complementary infrastructure to the CLS in similar research areas. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has started a major expansion to the physical space and equipment to undertake innovative research in the area of vaccines for animal and human health. Most recently, the University has begun implementation of a $15 million reconfiguration of the campus network to accommodate the capacity, reliability, and security network requirements of the data-intensive research using facilities such as the CLS and SSSC.
Research support from the Government of Saskatchewan. Historically, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food has provided major financial support for research in agriculture, food, and food safety. Funding for health research in this province advanced significantly with the agreement between the CIHR, Saskatchewan Health, and Saskatchewan Industry & Resources (SIR) to provide funding for CIHR’s Regional Partnership Program in Saskatchewan. SIR has established an Innovation and Science Fund, which will provide approximately $10M annually in matching funds for major research initiatives. The Government of Saskatchewan has made a major commitment of direct support to the Canada Research Chairs Program at Saskatchewan universities.
Research opportunities in local installations. The University of Saskatchewan is host to several federally supported laboratories, many of which have been mentioned already. These laboratories provide opportunities for collaborations as well as sharing of expertise and research resources. The interactions fostered by the presence of the federal laboratories will contribute to much of the research identified in the Plan. Similarly, the largest and most successful research park in the country, Innovation Place, is located on the campus. A number of industries are located at Innovation Place, including many in agricultural biotechnology, IT, and pharmaceuticals are located there, as is TR Laboratories, a catalyst for innovation in IT and related sectors.
Institutional Commitment
The University of Saskatchewan has a long and distinguished record of research accomplishment. The University welcomes the Canada Research Chairs program and has adopted internal policies that support this initiative. Specifically, we will ensure that the Chairs we appoint have the resources necessary to compete at the national and international levels. In addition to the research assets identified above, the University is beginning the largest investment in capital infrastructure in decades. This construction program includes, as one of its first components, a $43 million reconstruction of the Thorvaldson Building, which will house our Chemistry and Computer Science Departments. The University completed a $10 million addition to the Agriculture Building which houses biotechnology research and graduate training and is currently building a $32 million Kinesiology building, which will advance our efforts in interdisciplinary research in the health sciences.
Our most important asset at the University of Saskatchewan is our people. The drive for research, and our historical and current successes in research, have their source in the inspiration and hard work of our faculty members, staff, and students. In the next decade the University will undertake its most significant recruiting effort since the 1960s, and we expect these faculty to strengthen significantly our existing research efforts. We anticipate that our recruitment efforts will reflect the demography of our province and also our region and we intend to aggressively recruit women and Aboriginal faculty to our campus. With our current potential candidates’ list, we feel confident that recruitment in these designated groups will meet national norms. We also intend to build on our deployment of Canada Research Chairs and CFI awards to recruit tenure-track faculty in the areas of research identified in this Plan. One of the highest priorities for the next five years is a sharp increase in graduate student enrolment.
In the document, Renewing the Dream (2002), the University identifies four strategic directions to provide a framework that will guide us in the coming years: (i) attracting and retaining outstanding faculty; (ii) increasing campus-wide commitment to research, scholarly and artistic work; (iii) establishing the University of Saskatchewan as a major presence in graduate education; and (iv) recruiting and retaining a diverse and academically promising body of students, and prepare them for success in the knowledge age. This Strategic Research Plan is built on the University’s commitment to these fulfilling these directions.
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