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Updated as of February 2024
For committee meeting dates and materials, please contact Karen Jack, Associate University Secretary, Senate.
The Senate Academic Planning Committee (SAPC) makes recommendations to Senate on all matters related to the overall direction of academic programs at Laurier.
This includes:
- Adapting and modifying the overall university plan as required;
- Responding to specific requests (from the Board of Governors or from the Ministry) to articulate a Laurier niche or position relative to a current situation or need;
- Responding to requests from Faculties and units to initiate new programs, modify current programs, or cancel them;
- Considering the financial implications of maintaining all academic programs; and
- Dealing with questions of policy that govern scholarships, bursaries and awards.
As part of this broad mandate, SAPC oversees the program review and approval process run by the University under the Ontario Universities’ Council on Quality Assurance, managed by the Ontario Council of Academic Vice‑Presidents.
In general, its role is to offer to Senate a considered conceptualization of where the University is, in what direction it should be heading, and what needs to be undertaken to accomplish this.
- Chair: Provost and Vice-President: Academic
- Administrative support: University Secretariat
Membership
- Provost and Vice-President: Academic: Heidi Northwood
- Academic dean or university librarian (chosen by the deans/librarians):
- Maria Cantalini-Williams
- Brent Wolfe
- Janny Leung
- Graduate student (chosen by the Graduate Students' Association): Hashem Faal Moghanloo
- Undergraduate student (chosen by undergraduate students): Haley Richards
- Martin Luther University College faculty senator (elected by the Martin Luther University College [Waterloo Lutheran Seminary]): Daniel Maoz
- Eight faculty members (elected by UFC; two must be senators; one from each of the faculties):
- Anna Ferenc (Music)
- Julie Mueller (Education)
- Bruce Gillespie (Liberal Arts)
- Azim Essaji (Lazaridis School/Senator)
- Xu (Sunny) Wang (Science)
- David Smith (Arts/Senator)
- Kari Brozowski (Human and Social Sciences)
- Nancy Freymond (Social Work)
The broad mandate of the Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning is to support and advance teaching and learning at the University. The committee shall send recommendations to Senate regarding university policies associated with teaching and learning, including institution-wide classroom and virtual teaching spaces, learning technologies, student accessibility, and student retention/success initiatives. The committee shall also adjudicate selected instructional development grant programs, referee the teaching and instructional assistant awards of excellence, and liaise with other university committees related to teaching and the student experience.
- Chair: Debora Van Nijnatten
- Administrative support: University Secretariat
Membership
- Academic Director, Teaching Excellence and Innovation: Debora Van Nijnatten
- Academic Dean or University Librarian: Scott Gillies
- Dean of Students: Adam Lawrence
- Six faculty members (two must be Senators; no more than one from each Faculty):
- Dan Antonowicz (Human and Social Sciences, Senator)
- Kathleen Clarke (Education, Senator)
- Erich Fox Tree (Arts, Senator)
- Kelly Gallagher-Mackay (Liberal Arts)
- Tracy Snoddon (LSBE, Senator)
- Vacant
- Academic librarian: Meredith Fischer
- Undergraduate students:
- Elisha Felician
- Haley Richards
- Graduate student: Michelle Jutzi
It shall be the duty of the Executive and Finance Committee to care for any matters committed to it by Senate, to function in place of the Senate between meetings of the Senate, to consider matters pertinent to Senate, including policies and protocol relating to university Convocations and functions, and to report to Senate.
The Executive and Finance Committee also considers the financial position of the University. It makes recommendations to Senate on budget planning as well as on the details of the annual University operating budget as prepared for presentation to Senate and the Board. The recommendations of Senate on that budget are forwarded to the Board of Governors, the body with ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the University.
- Chair: President, Chair of Senate
- Administrative support: University Secretariat
Membership
- President: Deb MacLatchy
- Provost and Vice-President: Academic: Heidi Northwood
- Vice-President: Finance and Administration: Lloyd Noronha
- Vice-President: Research: Jonathan Newman
- Principal-Dean, Martin Luther University College: Kristine Lund
- Academic deans or university librarian:
- Sofie Lachapelle
- Bruce McKay
- Lisa Keeping
- Undergraduate student Senator: Noah Espiritu
- Graduate student Senator: William Gillam
- Alumni Senator: Anita Hansra
- Academic Librarian Senator: Mona Elayyan
- Faculty Senator (Arts): Loren King
- Faculty Senator (Education): Julie Mueller
- Faculty Senator (Human and Social Sciences): James Popham
- Faculty Senator (Liberal Arts): James Cairns
- Faculty Senator (Music): Gerard Yun
- Faculty Senator (Lazaridis School): David Wheatley
- Faculty Senator (Science): Louise Dawe
- Faculty Senator (Social Work): Michelle Skop
- Faculty Senators (one shall be the Vice-Chair of the Senate):
- Mary-Louise Byrne
- Anne Domurath
- Roman Makarov
- John Schwieter (Vice-Chair of the Senate)
- Administrative Staff Senator: Maureen Coulter
The Governance Committee shall have the responsibility of preparing a list of nominees to Senate committees for the annual meeting or as required. The Governance Committee may select nominees from outside the Senate except where otherwise stipulated. The establishment of a list of nominees does not preclude nomination from the floor.
The Governance Committee shall consider and make recommendations to Senate for the proper functioning of the Senate. (See Terms of Reference 1.4).
- Chair: Scott Ramsay
- Administrative support: University Secretariat
Membership
- Secretary of the Senate: Scott Ramsay
- Academic dean or university librarian:
- Cynthia Johnston-Turner
- Faculty Senators:
- Roger Buehler
- Sapna Isotupa
- Vacant
- Vacant
- Kenneth Werbin
- Undergraduate Student Senator: Sophia Guardado
- Alumni Senator: Chris McAdam
- Administrative Staff Senator: Maureen Coulter
Subject to the approval of Senate, the Honorary Degree Committee shall make policies regarding honorary degrees, shall invite nominations for honorary degrees, shall receive nominations respecting honorary degrees and make recommendation thereon to the Executive Committee of Senate.
- Chair: President, Chair of Senate
- Administrative support: University Secretariat
Membership
- President: Deb MacLatchy
- Chancellor: Eileen Mercier
- Provost and Vice-President: Academic: Heidi Northwood
- Martin Luther University College (Waterloo Lutheran Seminary) Senator: Ara Parker
- Alumni senator: Caitlin Smith
- Faculty members (at least two senators; at least one faculty member from each of the Brantford and Waterloo campuses; no more than one member from each faculty):
- Avis Beek (Education/Senator)
- Tarah Brookfield (Faculty of Liberal Arts/Brantford)
- Jerzy Kaplanek (Music)
- Maryam Khan (Social Work/Senator)
- Rosemary McGowan (Human and Social Sciences/Senator)
- Vacant (Science/Senator)
- Ali Zaidi (Arts)
- Jessie Zhan (LSBE)
- Student senator: Noah Espiritu
- Administrative staff: Sally Heath
The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall, in accordance with the policies and procedures governing its operations, make recommendations to the President on specific applications for promotion and tenure.
- Chair: Provost and Vice-President: Academic
- Administrative support: University Secretariat
Membership
- Provost and Vice-President: Academic: Heidi Northwood
- Vice-President: Research (alternate: Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies): Jonathan Newman (Alternate: Brent Wolfe)
- Vice-Provost: Teaching and Learning: TBC
- Dean of the member's faculty:
- Maria Cantalini-Williams (Education)
- Anthony Clarke (Science)
- Cynthia Johnson Turner (Music)
- Kalyani Menon (Interim Dean, Lazaridis School)
- Sofie Lachapelle (Arts)
- Bruce McKay (Human and Social Sciences)
- Janny Leung (Liberal Arts)
- Maria Cantalini-Williams (Acting Dean, Social Work)
- Designates (five tenured faculty; no more than one from any faculty; elected by UFC for two-year terms):
- Bree Akkeson (Social Work)
- Sean Doherty (Science)
- Lan Guo (Lazaridis School)
- Stacey Hannem (Liberal Arts)
- Kate Rossiter (Human and Social Sciences)
- Alternates (five tenured faculty; no more than one from any faculty; elected by UFC for two-year terms):
- Pam Bryden (Science)
- Tony Christensen (Human and Social Sciences)
- Bruce Gillespie (Liberal Arts)
- Christine Neill (Lazaridis School)
- Lee Willingham (Music)
- Employment equity representative (one-year term):
- Christine Neill
- Susan Neylan
- Marcia Oliver
The Research and Publications Committee shall review and examine policies on research as they affect the academic life of the University, and, where appropriate, make recommendations to Senate. Its mandate shall include receiving annual reports from the Animal Care Committee and the Research Ethics Board, and annually approving the distribution of funds within the University's internal research grants program. It shall also advise the Vice-President: Research on matters that pertain to research and its effective promotion and dissemination, and shall consult with the Director of the WLU Press on issues concerning scholarly publications.
- Chair: Jonathan Newman
- Administrative Support: Office of Research Services
Membership
- Vice-President: Research: Jonathan Newman
- Dean, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies: Brent Wolfe
- University Librarian: Gohar Ashoughian
- Graduate students:
- Taylor Coleman
- Sarah Southey
- Eight faculty members (two must be senators; no more than one from each Faculty):
- Abhijith Archarya (Lazaridis School, Senator)
- Michael Cinelli (Science)
- Cameron McKenzie (Social Work)
- Nathan Vo (Human and Social Sciences, Senator)
- Mary Wilson (Education)
- Vacant (Liberal Arts/Brantford)
- Deanna Yerichuk (Music)
- Peter Urquhart (Arts)
The Student Appeals Committee shall hear and determine appeals from the decisions of the divisional faculty councils on applications and examinations by students and appeals relating to scholarships, bursaries and awards, and subject to the approval of Senate, shall establish rules and procedures for the hearing and determination of such appeals. The Associate Vice‑President: Academic shall be chair of the committee.
- Chair: Trish McLaren
- Administrative Support: Office of the Provost and Vice-President: Academic
Membership
- Associate Vice-President: Academic: Trish McLaren
- Dean of Students: Adam Lawrence
- Five students (two undergraduate student senators; two graduate students):
- Nicole Walker (Graduate)
- Ky Stewart (Graduate)
- Vacant (Undergraduate)
- Mitchell Baldwin (Undergraduate)
- Mohammad Abu-Rshaid (Undergraduate)
- Faculty (Arts, designate): Linda Quirke
- Faculty (Arts, alternate): Dana Weiner
- Faculty (Liberal Arts, designate): Tarah Brookfield
- Faculty: (Liberal Arts, alternate): Geoff Spurr
- Faculty (Human and Social Sciences, designate): Stacey Hannem
- Faculty (Human and Social Sciences, alternate): Lisa Kuron
- Faculty (Education, designate): Tara-Lynn Scheffel
- Faculty (Education, alternate): Jennifer Straub
- Faculty (Music, designate): Gerard Yun
- Faculty (Music, alternate): Kathie Schlaikjer
- Faculty (Lazaridis School, designate): Azim Essaji
- Faculty (Lazaridis School, alternate): Michael Brolley
- Faculty (Science, designate): Louise Dawe
- Faculty (Science, alternate): Paul Mallet
- Faculty (Social Work, designate): Bob Basso
- Faculty (Social Work, alternate): Jessica Hutchison
Vice-Chair of Senate
-
Elected Senator: John Schwieter
Secretary of Senate
- Faculty or academic librarian senator: Scott Ramsay
Members on the Board of Governors
- Ling Chu
- Andrew Herman
- Peter Urquhart
Representatives of the Ontario Secondary School System:
- Tyrone Dowling
- Claudine VanEvery-Albert
Council of Ontario Universities Academic Colleague (Faculty senator or incumbent):
- Sapna Isotupa (designate)
- Loren King (alternate)
Contact
Karen Jack
E: kjack@wlu.ca