Proposal for Curriculum Change
to be approved by Council or by Academic Programs Committee
1. PROPOSAL IDENTIFICATION
Title of proposal: New Graduate Program (Master’s)
Degree(s): Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.)
Field(s) of Specialization:
Level(s) of Concentration:
Option(s):
Degree College: Graduate Studies and Research
Home Unit: School of Public Policy
Department:
Contact person(s) (name, telephone, fax, e-mail):
Murray Fulton
Ph: 966-8507; Fax: 966-8413; E-mail: Murray.Fulton@usask.ca
Date: March 21, 2007; Revised December 6, 2007
Approved by the degree college and/or home college: Approved October 5, 2007 by CGSR.
Proposed date of implementation: September 2008
2. Type of change
A new Degree-Level program.
3. RATIONALE
As outlined in the University’s Integrated Plan “the University of Saskatchewan should make the creation
of a School of Public Policy a high priority. This School would complement, advance, profile, and sustain
other research and graduate programs on campus that focus on public policy and governance. It would
also develop new strengths in research, particularly in areas that involve science, technology, and
society.” The School’s vision is to provide a focal point for interdisciplinary research, graduate training and
dialogue on innovation in public policy and a platform for engagement in regional, national, and
international research and engagement projects that improve the quality of public policymaking in the
innovation area. A Master of Public Administration (MPA) program will be an integral part of the research
and outreach/engagement work of the School and will contribute significantly to developing the School as
a key location for public policy work in Canada.
The specific mission of the MPA is to develop an educational program that ensures policy makers have
the knowledge and expertise necessary to devise and examine public policy in a world where innovation
– in everything from new technologies to new institutional and organizational structures – is a
distinguishing feature.
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The MPA will meet a number of objectives within the university. Faculty at the University of
Saskatchewan have been involved in the development of public policy and in public policy research since
the founding of the University, and have a strong reputation in this area. Individual and group strengths in
policy analysis cross departments and colleges – by its very nature, public policy is interdisciplinary.
However, a unifying structure, one that would facilitate interdisciplinary research and graduate programs
in public policy, does not currently exist on campus. The development of an MPA, along with a School of
Public Policy, would provide the University with a focal point for this type of research and graduate
student training. The program would also contribute significantly to meeting two of the objectives outlined
by the College of Graduate Studies and Research in its College Plan – increasing graduate student
enrolment and encouraging interdisciplinary graduate training activities.
There is a provincial and national demand for the program. Since the early 1990s there has been a
substantial shift in the age profile of the public service in Canada, with a significant decline in the number
of civil servants under the age of 35 and an increase in the number in the 35-54 year age group. In 2003–
04, the average age of public service employees in Canada was 44, with just over 50 percent of
employees over the age of 45. In the Executive category, the average employee age was 50 years, with
60 percent of employees over the age of 50 (Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of
Canada, 2005). For Saskatchewan, these numbers are even higher (Public Service Commission, 2005) –
for instance, the average age of senior executives is nearly 52. In addition there has been a move to
improved credentials within the public service, with more jobs in the Scientific and Professional, and
Administrative and Foreign Service categories (Nehmé, 1998, Public Service Commission of Canada,
2002). It should also be noted that local government, particularly those in cities, and First Nations, are
becoming increasingly important policy players in Canada. The impact of both demographic forces and
structural change will be a significant demand from federal, provincial, municipal and First Nations
governments for employees and leaders with the policy skills that the School will provide. Consultants
that were brought in to examine the plans for an MPA program clearly indicated that there would be no
lack of supply of potential students (see A Saskatchewan School of Public Policy: Building on Strengths,
by Evert Lindquist and Sharon Sutherland. A copy of this report can be found in the Appendix).
Policy in Canada is not developed exclusively in the public service. Instead, policy is created within policy
networks and communities involving a mix of players from government, industry, and the voluntary sector.
All these players will require personnel with training in policy, further expanding the base for potential
students. An important feature of this source of demand for students is that it is not solely located in
provincial capitals or Ottawa, but is spread across the province and the country.
The development of Schools at the University of Saskatchewan is intended to create more vigorous
cross-disciplinary partnerships, foster creativity and initiative, and enable the University of Saskatchewan
to build a strong reputation in a number of strategic areas. In the case of the School of Public Policy, the
School’s focus will be on innovation in all of its facets. Innovation (and globalization more generally) has
significant impacts on technology, and on social relations and structures. Civil society, for instance, is
reorganizing in light of these impacts and attempting to find innovative ways of dealing with them. Part of
this response is to provide needed goods and services, while part is a move to change the balance of
power in society. The School will examine the interaction between public policy and civil society, including
how new policy in this area develops and how government and civil society organizations respond to
each other and to other larger more global forces. The School will also focus its attention on other
aspects of innovation. Governments have been making a conscious attempt to encourage innovation via
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public policy and one of the goals of the School is to examine whether these policies have had the
intended effect, if the encouragement of innovation is a proper goal for government, and in some cases
how innovation can be better encouraged. This examination will consider the ethical issues that arise
from the new products and processes that emerge through innovation. The subject areas that will be
examined are those where technological innovations and globalization have had profound impacts on
economic structure, trade flows, social relations and the environment. Through attention to areas such as
science policy, rural and remote areas, health, and education, the School will be able to tap into the
significant areas of strength that exist at the University of Saskatchewan.
The University of Saskatchewan has a number of areas of significant research strength in public policy,
as well as areas in which it would like to develop strengths. The five areas that stand out are: (1) health,
education and social policy; (2) the social economy; (3) agriculture and the new rural economy; (4)
science and trade policy; and (5) resources and the environment.
These five research areas – plus the overarching theme of innovation that links the areas together – are
represented by an impressive number of research grants and research and graduate training activity.
Examples include: SSHRC grants on social cohesion and the social economy; a SSHRC Knowledge
Impact in Society project; leadership and participation in three BIOCAP/SSHRC grants; numerous
SSHRC/NSERC/CIHR research grants; a NSERC/SSHRC Chair in Managing Technological Change;
SSHRC MCRI grants (on Innovation Systems, Modeling Agricultural Biotechnology and Intellectual
Property Protection); a SSHRC Initiatives in the New Economy (on capacity building through learning
communities); Industry Canada NCEs; Genome Prairie’s GELS/GE3LS grants; the Public Health and the
Agricultural Rural Ecosystem (PHARE) training program; leadership and participation in Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada network grants on innovation, trade and consumer demand; CIDA and World Bank
projects; and links with the Estey Centre for Law and Economics in International Trade. Faculty with
expertise and interest in these areas are found throughout the University. There are also dozens of
graduate courses across campus related to these five research areas. Further details can be found in the
appendix document Existing and Potential Public Policy Strengths and Focal Points at the University of
Saskatchewan.
The five research areas highlighted above are highly interconnected. For instance, science and trade
issues are important in the resource and environment area, as many of the key policy debates are driven
by transformative technologies such as biotechnology and nanotechnology, which in turn are affecting the
location, and nature, of production. The new rural economy and the environment are very closely linked
through land use decisions, which themselves are affected by policy variables. Environmental
degradation, pressures facing Indigenous people, and the need for more effective health, education and
social policy are resulting in community groups and voluntary organizations (captured in the social
economy) taking important policy actions. Health and education provision is increasingly having an impact
on trade and it is more and more difficult to provide in rural and remote areas. Given this
interdependence, it is critical that all areas are represented in the School’s teaching and research.
These key research areas will allow for significant involvement by faculty from across campus. Indeed
one of the key goals of the School of Public Policy and the graduate programs is to bring together
researchers working on public policy issues and to coordinate their activity. The development of public
policy graduate programs will be important in this regard.
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The MPA program that is proposed at the University of Saskatchewan would closely mirror the Master of
Public Administration (MPA) program at the University of Regina. The two universities are currently in
discussions to develop an integrated school of public policy – the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of
Public Policy – that would closely link their work on public policy. In June 2007 the two universities signed
a Memorandum of Understanding to create a single joint school of public policy between the two
universities; this MOU is currently being implemented (for an overview of the integrated model, see Public
Policy Programs in Saskatchewan: A Report Prepared for the University of Saskatchewan by Keith
Banting. A copy is found in the Appendix). To facilitate future integration (e.g., joint programs offered by
both universities), the MPA program at the University of Saskatchewan has followed the structure used at
the University of Regina. While it is important that the University of Saskatchewan’s program be
integrated with that of the University of Regina, it should also be noted that the University of
Saskatchewan’s program could stand alone in the event that integration with the University of Regina
took time to develop or did not proceed.
The MPA programs at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina will share a common
core, will have the same number of credit unit requirements and will be able to be completed in the same
length of time. Although separate core courses will be developed at the University of Saskatchewan,
these courses will be designed so that they are equivalent to the core courses in the MPA at the
University of Regina.
It is anticipated that a number of the courses will be taught in a format that would enable students from
both universities to attend and participate. For instance, some of the courses may be taught using “smart”
classrooms that will allow participation by students from both campuses, while other courses may be
taught in non-standard formats (e.g., in two-week blocks) in which the students and professor(s) can
physically be together. Since these arrangements are yet to be worked out, the course proposals that are
part of this proposal are all based on the standard 13-week format.
The pursuit of an integrated graduate program in public policy would enable both universities to offer a
program that would far exceed what either university would be able to support individually. With growing
competition in the public policy field, the integrated model offers economies of scale and the opportunity
for specialization that would truly set the integrated Regina/Saskatchewan program among the best in
Canada.
The School of Public Policy is planning on offering both a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a
PhD program in Public Policy. The PhD program will be developed in conjunction with the faculty in the
Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Regina. This program is in the
process of development and will be submitted to CGSR in early 2008.
Since the SPP was approved by Council in May 2007, and is now operating with an acting director, the
administrative responsibility for the MPA can be assumed by the SPP as soon as the MPA is approved.
The SPP will also be the administrative home to the Master of International Trade (MIT), the distance
delivered course-based program in international trade which is slated to be implemented in the fall of
2007. Since the MIT program deals in part with trade policy, there are obvious benefits – both
academically and administratively – to having the two programs administered by the same unit. The
Master of International Trade program has already been approved and is described elsewhere.
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4. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS
Admission Qualifications:
Students must have completed a bachelor's degree from a recognized university. An average of 75
percent or better must be maintained during the final two years (60 credit units) of the undergraduate
program (or in the graduate program if students are coming to the MPA after a graduate degree).
Students from a wide variety of disciplines – e.g., everything from the fine arts to the social sciences to
the physical sciences to the professional college disciplines – are eligible. While it is not necessary, some
knowledge of economics, statistics, and calculus is generally an advantage.
Total Minimum Credit Units Required: 30 credit units, plus the PUBP 990 seminar. For those students
that choose the project-based option, the 30 credit units include the project course PUBP 992.6.
Core Courses: All students are required to take the five core program courses (or their equivalents):
PUBP 801.3 – Governance and Policy (GSPP 801 Governance and Administration)
PUBP 802.3 – Fiscal Policy and Federal Provincial Fiscal Relations (GSPP 802 Public Finance)
PUBP 804.3 – Public Policy Analysis and Methodology (GSPP 804 Research Writing)
PUBP 805.3 – Political Economy of Public Policy (GSPP 805 Economics for Public Policy Analysis)
PUBP 806.3 – Public Policy Processes (GSPP 806 Public Policy Analysis)
The items in brackets are the equivalent University of Regina courses.
The remaining 15 credit units – i.e., electives – will be chosen based on the student's area of interest and
must be approved by the student's advisory committee and the College of Graduate Studies and
Research. Courses may be taken outside the School of Public Policy, as long as they are related to the
student’s area of interest.
Exam Requirements: For international applicants whose first language is not English, the English
language proficiency is required as per College of Graduate Studies and Research Regulations.
Core Courses
PUBP 801.3 – Governance and Policy
PUBP 802.3 – Fiscal Policy and Federal Provincial Fiscal Relations
PUBP 804.3 – Public Policy Analysis and Methodology
PUBP 805.3 – Political Economy of Public Policy
PUBP 806.3 – Public Policy Processes
Course proposals for these courses are provided below.
Electives
Students will be required to select 15 credit units of elective courses. Students wishing to do a projectbased program must take 9 credit units of course work and 6 credit units of project work (through PUBP
992.6) as electives. Students wishing to do a course-based program must take 15 credit units of courses
as electives.
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Electives may be taken from courses offered through the School of Public Policy at the University of
Saskatchewan or the University of Regina, or from other relevant programs at the University of
Saskatchewan (see list below).
The electives that will be offered through the School of Public Policy depend critically on the make-up of
the School of Public Policy faculty. Since the specific faculty that will be associated with the School of
Public Policy are in the process of being appointed, the electives that will be developed at the University
of Saskatchewan have consequently not yet been determined. When the School of Public Policy is
approved, the faculty that are subsequently appointed will determine the electives that are to be offered.
It is expected that there will be six to eight faculty associated with the School on a full-time basis. If each
faculty member teaches at least two 3 credit unit courses in the School’s program(s) (there is an
expectation that School faculty will teach at least one 3 credit unit course outside the School (e.g., in their
“home” department), then 12 to 16 courses will be available in total from the full-time faculty. Since five of
these courses are the core courses, the result is that seven to eleven courses would be available as
electives. The elective courses that are developed will, of course, be brought through the standard
approval process for new courses. Since the courses at the University of Regina will be available to
students at both campuses, it is also possible that some of the courses that are offered by the University
of Regina could be taught by University of Saskatchewan faculty.
Although no decisions have been made regarding the electives that would be offered, a number of ideas
have been suggested for possible topics. Included in this list is a capstone course that would specifically
examine innovation and policy. Such a course would enable the overarching theme of the School of
Public Policy – namely innovation – to be reflected in the teaching program. Other possible topic areas for
elective courses include the machinery of government, ethics and corruption, social economy policy, and
trade and investment policy.
With respect to a capstone course, the SPP is interested in a course (or courses) that would serve as a
capstone for the MPA – a course or courses that would provide opportunities for synthesis and
integration. No specific core course has been identified as a capstone course at this point. The reason for
this is that the SPP has made its program identical to the one at the U of R, and the U of R does not
specifically have a capstone course identified. However, the lack of a specifically identified capstone
course does not mean that the synthesis and integration will not take place. In particular, the course
PUBP 804 Public Policy Analysis and Methodology (equivalent to GSPP 804 Research Writing) will
provide for a high level of synthesis and integration and will accommodate project and group work.
Although the schedule of courses is not yet worked out for the 2008-09 academic year, this course is
currently being taught in the second semester at the University of Regina during the 2007-08 academic
year, thus positioning it nicely as a capstone-like course. As well, those students taking the project option
will have to write a major paper as part of the six CU project course PUBP 992.6 – this paper and the
project work serves effectively as a capstone experience.
For their electives, MPA students may be able to take courses from existing graduate programs on
campus. To do so, students would have to have the proper prerequisites. Programs that are likely to have
courses of interest to MPA students include the Master of International Trade, Political Studies,
Economics, Agricultural Economics, Sociology, Educational Administration, and Community Health and
Epidemiology. Possible elective courses are listed in Table 1.
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Table 1 Possible Elective Courses: University of Saskatchewan
AGEC 832 - Rural Development
AGEC 851 - Agricultural Policy
AGEC 855 - International Agricultural Trade Policy
CHEP 808 - Health Policy and Politics
ECON 817 - Economics of Developing Countries
ECON 821 - Industrial Organization and Public Policy
ECON 827 - Public Utilities Economics
ECON 831 - Economics of Natural Resources
ECON 834 - Health Economics
ECON 840 - Canada United States Economics and
Political Relations
ECON 845 - Regional and Urban Development Theory
EADM 812 - Educational Finance
EADM 819 - Leadership and Governance in First
Nation Education
EADM 824 - Structure and Organization of Education
in Canada
EADM 825 - Educational and Administrative Law
EADM 830 - Education in Rural and Sparsely
Populated Areas
EADM 835 - Governance and Policy Making in
Education
EADM 884 - Critical Perspective on Policy Making in
Education
MIT 802 - International Trade and Commercial
Policy
MIT 805 - Politics of International Trade
MIT 806 - International Trade Law
MIT 807 - International Sales and Finance Law
POLS 801 - Federalism
POLS 802 - Canadian Government and Politics
POLS 805 - Provincial Government and
Politics
POLS 809 - Canadian Constitution and Politics
POLS 818 - Readings in Contemporary
Political Studies
POLS 820 - Canadian Public Administration
POLS 840 - Comparative Government
Bureaucracy
POLS 841 - Comparative Public Policy
POLS 849 - Theory and Method in
Comparative Government and Politics
POLS 852 - Selected Topics in Political
Sociology
POLS 853 - Political Leadership in Anglo
Western Democracies
POLS 854 - Political Parties and Voting
Behaviour
POLS 865 - Decision Making Theory and
Canadian Foreign Policy
POLS 866 - Canadian Foreign Policy Process
SOC 817 - Sociology of Industrial Relations
SOC 825 - Political Sociology
SOC 826 - Advanced Seminar in Social Policy
Note: All courses are three credit units.
The University of Regina, through the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, offers a large
number of elective courses. Where appropriate for a student’s program and when it is physically possible
for the student to do so (e.g., if the courses are offered on-line or in a non-standard format), courses from
the University of Regina may be accessed. It is expected that some of the more popular electives may be
taught in such a fashion that students from both campuses will be able to access them. A list of potential
electives from the University of Regina is found in Table 2.
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Table 2. Possible Elective Courses: University of Regina
GSPP 807 Management Information Systems
GSPP 809 Law in Public Administration and
Policy
GSPP 811 Nongovernmental Organizations and
Alternative Service Delivery
GSPP 813 Managing Change
GSPP 810 Public Enterprise and Privatization
GSPP 812 Collective Bargaining in the Public
Sector
GSPP 814 Comparative Public Sector
Management
GSPP 816 Tax Policy and Fiscal Federalism
GSPP 818 Policy Evaluation
GSPP 820 Micro-Economics for Policy Analysis
GSPP 822 Comparative Public Policy
GSPP 824 Saskatchewan's Model of Government
GSPP 815 Strategic Human Resource
Management
GSPP 817 Health Policy
GSPP 819 Gender and Public Policy
GSPP 821 Macro-Economics for Policy Analysis
GSPP 823 Regional Economic Policy
GSPP 825 Saskatchewan in Canadian
Federalism
GSPP 827 Health Care Organization and
Administration
GSPP 829 Human Behaviour in Organizations
GSPP 831 Seminar on Public Administration
GSPP 833 Performance Measurement in Health
Care Organizations
GSPP 837 Health Economics
GSPP 826 Labour Market Policy
GSPP 828 Project Management
GSPP 830 Public Choice
GSPP 832 Population Based Health Program
Management
GSPP 834 Financial Management of Health Care
Organizations
GSPP 838 Seminar on Public Sector Budgeting
GSPP 841 Public Sector Labour Relations
GSPP 843 Development Policy and International
Organizations
GSPP 845 Behavioural Social Policy
GSPP 840 Public Policy and Public Opinion
GSPP 842 American Foreign Policy in a New Era
GSPP 844 Agricultural Policy
GSPP 846 Philanthropy and Fundraising for
Nonprofit Organizations
Note: All courses are three credit units.
5. RESOURCES
The SPP will have more than enough resources to handle the teaching and supervisory requirements
associated with the MPA. As is documented in the proposal for the SPP, it is anticipated that six to eight
full time faculty members will be associated with the School” (SPP Proposal, p. 9). These resources alone
are more than sufficient to support the MPA (one use of these extra resources will be the offering of a
PhD program). Three of these full time faculty members have already been identified (Michael Atkinson,
Janice MacKinnon and Murray Fulton) and the process of having their appointments transferred to the
school is underway. The appointments with the School will be reviewed every three to five years.
Two of the positions that are allocated to the SPP are ones that were created under the Priority
Determination process. Finally, the SPP also has been allocated a Canada Research Chair and a
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Centennial Chair (the interviews for the Centennial Chair are underway and an offer for this position may
be forthcoming in the very near future).
In addition to these resources, the SPP at the University of Saskatchewan will have access to courses
being taught at the University of Regina (the Memorandum of Understanding to create a single joint
Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy between the two universities that was signed by the
two universities in June is currently being implemented). This access could be through classes offered in
distance education format, or it could be through classes taught jointly to U of S and U of R students in
non-standard format (e.g., a two week intensive course).
In addition to the faculty resources described above, the SPP may also have access to other faculty
members through joint appointments (either primary or secondary) or through associate membership.
Negotiations are currently underway with three individuals regarding their participation in the School, and
a general call has been submitted to all faculty on campus asking for people that would like to be
associated with the SPP in some capacity. The details associated with joint appointments are
documented in the material that was prepared by the Provost’s office when the three schools were
formally examined and approved in May 2007. Thus, a procedure is in place that will address the issues
surrounding the impact on departments and units that are contributing faculty to the SPP. Through this
process deans and department heads will be able to gauge the impacts – both positive and negative –
that might occur as faculty become involved with the SPP. It should be noted that it is the faculty’s
involvement with the SPP that should be considered, not specifically whether faculty are involved with the
MPA program, and hence a process has been constructed with this perspective in mind.
Tenure, promotion and salary review recommendations will be made in the School. The
recommendations from the School will be passed to a College Review Committee that will be created
within the College of Graduate Studies and Research. This College Review Committee will be
responsible for all tenure, promotion and salary review decisions/recommendations that emerge from the
three schools (public policy, health, and the environment).
The school will require a director for leadership of this initiative, as well as support staff. Given the wide
range of activities in which the school will be involved (e.g., a large scale graduate program, research
work and research facilitation, outreach and engagement) and the many roles that the school will be
required to fill (e.g., a reporting unit for centres), a full-time director and adequate support staff are
essential. The library resources that will be required are similar to those required by existing programs on
campus (e.g., those in political studies, economics, agricultural economics, history and sociology). Thus,
the School will not be a substantial drain on the resources of the library. It will also not be a substantial
drain on audio visual services or computing services (see the attached consultation reports).
6. RELATIONSHIPS AND IMPACT OF IMPLEMENTATION
It is anticipated that six to eight full time faculty members will be associated with the School. With this
faculty complement, the School will be in the mid-range of Canadian public policy schools. Combining this
faculty complement with that at the University of Regina through the integrated model would create one of
the largest faculties in Canada. Table 3 compares the proposed MPA program at the University of
Saskatchewan with MPP/MPA programs at other universities across Canada.
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All full-time faculty will be expected to teach at least one course outside the School (e.g., in their “home”
department/college). This requirement ensures that faculty remain in touch with their disciplinary base
and that departments/colleges feel that they are getting a direct benefit from having one of their faculty
associated with the School. The administrative work of the faculty members, however, will be largely
confined to the School or to university-level committees or initiatives.
The School will require a director for leadership of this initiative (see description above), as well as
support staff. Funds for these purposes, as well as to establish fellowships and visiting chairs, will be
made available through the Integrated Planning process.
Faculty on campus have been actively involved in the development of this proposal. The original idea for
the School of Public Policy emerged from a desire by a number of people on campus for a major effort in
research, graduate training and engagement in public policy. The initial work that was undertaken was
subsequently incorporated into the Integrated Plan.
With the introduction of the Integrated Plan in May 2004, the development of the school became more
formal. A workshop was held with interested faculty in December 2004 to obtain indications of interest, to
present areas of expertise and to discuss structure and program ideas (a list of the participants in this
workshop and the material that they prepared is found in the appendix document Existing and Potential
Public Policy Strengths and Focal Points at the University of Saskatchewan. A working group was also
formed to discuss and work through the various elements required for the development of a proposal. The
members of the working group are:
Beth Bilson, Law
Karen Chad, V-P Research Office
Murray Fulton, Agricultural Economics
Joe Garcea, Political Studies
Grant Isaac, College of Commerce
Robert Lucas, Economics
Janice MacKinnon, History
Peter Phillips, Political Studies
Keith Walker, Educational Administration
The group included faculty members from the traditional core areas of public policy schools, namely
economics and political studies, as well as individuals with substantial involvement and expertise in public
policy. On a number of occasions the working group met with additional faculty members to discuss
specific issues – a good example is the meeting held to discuss the nature of joint graduate programs that
faculty from a variety of departments (e.g., political studies, sociology, history, geography) attended.
The activities of the working group have been supplemented with a number of other initiatives designed to
obtain input and feedback from across campus. A local consultant, Laurie Thompson, was hired to
interview faculty and other individuals that were interested in the School and that could be affected by it in
one way or another, and to prepare a report based on these interviews. Laurie’s report, including a list of
people interviewed, is found in the appendix document A Framework for a School of Public Policy at the
University of Saskatchewan.
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Three outside academics, each with substantial experience in the public policy area, were also invited to
campus to meet with faculty; their visit to the province also allowed them to meet with faculty at the
University of Regina and with officials at the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy and in the
Government of Saskatchewan. Their reports are found in appendix documents – Public Policy Programs
in Saskatchewan: A Report Prepared for the University of Saskatchewan by Keith Banting; and A
Saskatchewan School of Public Policy: Building on Strengths, by Evert Lindquist and Sharon Sutherland.
Professor Banting is a former director of the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University, Professor
Lindquist is the director of the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria, and Professor
Sutherland is a visiting faculty member at the University of Ottawa where she is assisting with the
establishment of a public policy school there. The itineraries of their visits, including a list of people with
whom they met, are included as an appendix document.
The MPA is very different from existing Master’s programs in areas such as economics, political studies,
and agricultural economics, and as a result this program is expected to attract new students to the
University of Saskatchewan. While a few students may take the MPA instead of one of the existing
programs, this is not expected to result in a significant loss of students to either the University or the
departments in question, since typically these programs have more applications than they can
accommodate. Based on the experience of other universities with MPA programs, the anticipated
program capacity will be the admission of 40 students each year.
7. BUDGET
Table 4 and Table 5 shows the incremental costs and tuition revenue associated with developing the
School over the five-year period 2007-08 to 2011-12. All figures are in constant dollars. The budget does
not show the salaries of faculty that would transfer their appointments to the School; as discussed earlier
in the document, this would account for a minimum of 4.5 FTEs. The Canada Research Chair and the
Centennial Chair positions are also not accounted for in the budget. The budget does make allowance for
sharing the cost of the executive director with the University of Regina. Depending on the agreement that
is reached, this funding may not be needed (for instance, in the absence of an agreement with Regina,
this budget item would not be required and the executive director position could be filled with by a faculty
member in the School). However, to allow for a situation where it would be required, this item is retained
in the budget.
The budget for the first five years makes allowance for scholarships that would go to MPA students. For
funding beyond the first five years, following CGSR policy, the MPA will qualify for devolved scholarship
funding once it has been established (i.e., an average of 12 students over a 3 consecutive year period). It
should be noted that RSA and PCIP have recently proposed that project-based programs should qualify
for one year of funding instead of two given the possibility of completion within a one-year period. This
issue is currently under consideration by the CGSR Scholarships and Admissions Committee.
Funding for teaching fellowships for PhD students is provided for; these fellowships could be used to
cover teaching assignments in the School or in cognate departments. In addition to these fellowships,
PhD students would compete for scholarship funding through CGSR. Provision has been made for
funding for a visiting Fulbright Scholar from the United States in the area of public policy. The Fulbright
program matches this amount.
13
12
8. PROGRAM REVIEW
An evaluation of the MPA will occur along with the evaluation of the SPP. The SPP proposal outlined the
following procedure for a review of the SPP.
“The School of Public Policy will be formally reviewed at the end of the next planning cycle in 2012. This
review will consider whether the School should be disbanded or whether it should be allowed to continue
until the next formal review in 2022. After the first review in 2012, the School would be reviewed following
a schedule of reviews established by the dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research. The
reviews will include an examination of the integration with the University of Regina and whether this
relationship should be continued.
The School, of course, would participate fully in all planning activities at the university. Assuming that the
School has been operating successfully, the formal review in 2012 would coincide with the School
preparing a plan for the third planning cycle (e.g., 2012-2017).” (SPP Proposal, p. 24).
14
15
B avg in
honours BA
diplôme de
premier cycle;
average of 3
from 4.33
(approx 75%)
“approp.
discipline”
B+ avg in
honours (or 3 yr
B.A.)
GuelphMcMaster
Laval
ManitobaWinnipeg
BSc or
equivalent with
avg of 3.2 of
possible 4.3
B+ average
preferably 4
year may be
waived for midcareer
honours or
equival.
ENAP
Dalhousie
Concordia
Carleton
accept B avg
with
experience
no for MPA,
for online,
***work nec.
and can subs
for first
degree; CCMD
adv. std.
Managers’
option:
significant exp.
required; not
for Analysts’
option
may be
credited
Pol Sc or Econ
pref at entry
macro and
micro econ
stats pub ad
intro
political
science
Economics,
Can Gvt,
Algebra
encouraged
nec.
background
can be added
online degree:
computer
config. To
School system
Table 3. Comparison of MPP/MPA Programs at Canadian Universities
University
Undergrad
Work
Required
Degree
Experience
Subject(s)
1-2 yrs
2 yrs
1 yr
2 yrs
2 yrs
2 yrs
2 yrs
Full time
Part
time
up to 6
yrs
4 yrs
6 yrs
max
3 yrs
5-8 yrs
Duration
24-48 cr
(background)
45 credits
8 courses (5
core)
Mgt option: 45
cr 11 courses
18 ½ cr ft; 14 cr
distance
45 cr
16 ½ courses
Credits/Courses
option (12 cr)
major
research
paper 4.25 cr
paper for 9
thesis 24 cr
optional 27 cr
option B 6 cr
defense 12 cr
optional
Thesis
co-op for FT (6
cr on top of
pgm reqs)
optional or 12
cr; or 12 cr
projet
d’intervention
12 cr
yes
option C 9 cr
defense 9 cr
optional coop
work terms, no
cr.
Internship
16
MAP:bacc
(diplôme de 1er
cycle); avg of 3
from 4.33
4 yr, min. B+
4 yr, B, or less if
progress in last
2 yrs
4 yr, B+ avg in
last two years
BA
B avg in last 2
yrs
B in last 2 yrs
Moncton
Regina
Saskatchewan
Simon Fr.
Victoria
York
Source: Sutherland and Gow.
Queen’s
Undergrad
Degree
University
two years,
may be
credited
desired
may subs. for
bac for civil
servants, work
term oblig.
five years work
for PMPA
Work
Experience
computer skills
strong social
sc. preferred
both lang,
statistics
Required
Subject(s)
16 mos 4
consec
terms
FT 2.33yrs, 2.5 yrs
2 yrs (4
semesters)
FT, 1 yr
MPA FT 1
yr (3
terms)
PMPA 2-3
yrs
FT, 1 yr
2 yrs for
MPA
Full time
Part
time
2-6 yrs
Ltd #
PT
spaces
avail
PT 3.55 yrs
PT 2-5
yrs
PT 2-5
yrs
Duration
60 credit hrs
22.5 units
8 grad courses
(24 cr hrs)
10 grad
courses (30 cr
hrs)
8 grad courses
(24 cr hrs)
10 grad
courses (30 cr
hrs)
14 courses
12 ½ courses
10 ½ courses
60 cr
Credits/Courses
mgt rpt (4.5
cr) or thesis (6
cr) mgt rpt.
policy
analysis
project
research
project 6 cr
hrs
research
project 6 cr
hrs
paper (2 cr)
Thesis
3 coop terms
(opt.)
summer, oblig.
adv. cr. for
exper.
Students
eligible for
separate
program
Students
eligible for
separate
program
optional
12-16 weeks
(oblig.)
Internship
14
17
Incremental FTE graduate students
Number
Tuition revenue
Annual balance
Funding sources:
Centennial Chair Trust
Canada Research Chair
Scholarship funds
Minor capital equipment
Academic Priorities Fund
Other sources
Total Funding
Administrative expenditures:
School Director
Acting Director
Professor emeriti
ASPA staff
CUPE staff
Shared ASPA services
Benefits (17.5%)
sub-total
General operating costs
Scholarships (MPP)
PhD teaching fellowships
Fulbright scholar
Equipment
Provision for SIPP liaison
sub-total
Expenditures - Chairs & faculty
Centennial Chair
Canada Research Chair
New faculty
sub-total
Total Expenditures
11
12
14
9
15
16
11
12
13
9
10
6
7
8
3
3
4
5
Notes
1
2
1.5
1.5
1.5
0
0
8,569
0
0
0
8,000
250,000
0
258,000
0
0
0
0
249,431
37,500
25,000
10,000
21,695
16,750
28,730
11,756
151,431
40,000
0
0
0
8,000
50,000
249,431
2007/08
$'s
0.5
0.5
0.5
FTE
Table 4 School of Public Policy Budget: 2007/08 – 2011/12
2.0
5.0
1.0
1.0
3.0
3.0
2009/10
$'s
12
106,000
0
120,000
200,000
6,000
8,000
250,000
107,861
691,861
120,000
200,000
0
320,000
691,861
2.0
5.5
1.0
1.0
3.5
24
212,000
0
120,000
200,000
18,000
8,000
250,000
127,543
723,543
120,000
200,000
0
320,000
723,543
10,000
43,390
50,250
57,460
26,443
262,543
40,000
12,000
6,000
25,000
8,000
50,000
403,543
10,000
43,390
33,500
57,460
23,511
242,861
40,000
6,000
0
25,000
8,000
50,000
371,861
3.5
75,000
1.0
1.5
1.0
FTE
75,000
2008/09
$'s
1.0
1.0
1.0
FTE
2.0
5.5
1.0
1.0
3.5
3.5
36
318,000
0
120,000
200,000
30,000
8,000
250,000
127,543
735,543
120,000
200,000
0
320,000
735,543
10,000
43,390
50,250
57,460
26,443
262,543
40,000
18,000
12,000
25,000
8,000
50,000
415,543
75,000
2010/11
$'s
1.0
1.5
1.0
FTE
2.0
5.5
1.0
1.0
3.5
3.5
43
374,000
0
120,000
200,000
36,000
8,000
250,000
130,543
744,543
120,000
200,000
0
320,000
744,543
10,000
43,390
50,250
57,460
26,443
262,543
40,000
21,000
18,000
25,000
8,000
50,000
424,543
75,000
2011/12
$'s
1.0
1.5
1.0
FTE
Notes to Budget:
1 The budget is based on the following assumptions:
(a) Academic year (July 1 to June 30)
(a) Constant 2006/07 dollars
2 The two universities plan to share the leadership position.
3 Support required for Director, faculty, grant writing, student advising and academic
programs including MPP internships.
Salaries for ASPA and CUPE FTE positions valued at $43,390 (Phase 1) and
$33,500 (Phase 4), respectively.
4 Arrangements required for other services including financial administration,
technology, outreach and development.
Salaries for shared ASPA FTE position valued at $57,460 (Phase 2).
5 Benefits calculated on ASPA, CUPE and Shared ASPA services.
6 Estimated amount includes costs for student recruitment (including events and
promotional material such as brochures and posters), speakers and visiting scholars,
workshops, travel and conference support, other advertising, website maintenance,
office supplies and other expenses including software.
7 Estimated based on 20% of the planned number of MPP students receiving $3,000
each.
8 Each PhD student would be expected to teach for 1 semester every three years at
$6,000 ($18,000/3) per semester.
9 A provision for equipment will be included in the General Capital Equipment
allocation.
10 Provision based on level of support provided in 2006/07.
11 The School has a commitment for a fully funded Centennial Chair.
12 The School has a commitment for a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair.
13 The School has not planned for any new faculty positions requiring central funding.
14 The School has a commitment of $90,000 in scholarship support. Current plans are
to use those funds for the planned MPP scholarships and PhD teaching fellowships.
Access to central scholarship funds will be required beginning in 2011/12.
15 The Provost's Committee made an initial commitment of $250,000 annually from
the APF to each School commencing in 2007/08.
16 In addition to the $750,000 ($250,000 x 3) allocated to the three Schools combined,
the Provost's Committee has also set aside $700,000 in the APF to support faculty
positions and additional resources within the Schools. While some portion of the
additional funds set aside in the APF can be considered by each School to be an
"other source", each School will be expected to generate an appropriate level of
support from any number of other sources. These sources could include, but not be
limited to, interested provincial government departments, external agencies,
development activities, and research activity including overhead recoveries.
18
19
2
1
10,000
3,000
0
0
0
0
0
0
2007/08
100,000
6,000
106,000
10
2
12
2008/09
200,000
12,000
212,000
20
4
24
2009/10
Notes:
1 The projections are intended to only include amounts over and above student
numbers that proposed faculty may currently supervise.
2 Tuition for the MPP program has been projected at the same amount as the
current tuition for the program at the University of Regina.
Tuition revenue
MPP
PhD
Total
Enrolment
MPP
PhD
Total
Notes
Annual
Tuition
Table 5 MPA Program Incremental Tuition Revenue 2007-08 to 2001-12
300,000
18,000
318,000
30
6
36
2010/11
350,000
24,000
374,000
35
8
43
2011/12
16
ASSOCIATE DEAN
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Academic Programs Committee of University Council
FROM:
Ron Borowsky, Acting Associate Dean, College of Graduate Studies & Research
DATE:
Oct 10, 2007
RE:
New program proposal for Master’s of Public Administration in the School of Public
Policy
____________________________________________________________________________________
I note that my predecessor, Trevor Gambell, sent a memo to APC dated May 10, 2007 concerning the
Master’s of Public Policy program (MPP). Given that this program was considered during a transition
period involving Trevor and then myself, I am including the contents of his memo below, followed by
my report of the committee discussions, decisions, and correspondence that took place since his May
10th memo. Please note, however, that I did not take office as acting associate dean until July 1, 2007.
Memo to APC from Trevor Gambell (May 10, 2007):
“As per the agreement between the Academic Programs Committee (APC) and the College of Graduate
Studies and Research (CGSR) for expediting reviews and approvals of graduate programs, CGSR is
submitting this new program proposal for a Master’s of Public Policy (MPP). This submission is rather
unusual in that it has not yet been reviewed and approved by the neither Executive Committee of
Graduate Council nor Graduate Faculty.
In this instance, it is important to move forward as quickly as possible with the MPP proposal. The
School of Public Policy, which will house the MPP program, was approved by Planning Committee on
May 7, 2007 and will proceed to University Council on May 17, 2007. Assuming that Council approves
the School on May 17, we face the likelihood of having the School in place for the Fall of 2007 but no
program approved, and hence uncertainty and lack of momentum for faculty assigned to the School.
In order to minimize academic lassitude and have the School and MPP program come together as soon
as possible, while still maintaining important approval processes, CGSR suggests that APC undertake its
review of the MPP program at the same time as the Executive Committee of Graduate Council, enabling
Graduate Faculty to consider for approval the MPP proposal at its first meeting of the Fall 2007. Given
approval by APC, the MPP program could then ostensibly proceed directly to University Council (such
that Planning Committee could also have the opportunity to consider the positive recommendation of
20
APC in the interim). This extraordinary process of parallel approval consideration would allow, in this
case, for quicker approval without circumventing the responsibilities of Graduate Council or University
Council.
Attached is the full documentation for the MPP program, along with ancillary documents for the School
of Public Policy. Also attached are the Minutes of the Master’s Committee of Graduate Council
meeting at which the program was approved on May 1, 2007. I provide below a summary of the
discussion that took place at the previous meeting to provide a picture of the initial concerns of the
Committee, and their resolution.
The Master’s Committee first considered the proposal at its meeting of April 4, 2007. At this meeting it
noted the thoroughness of the proposal, and the priority for the School of Public Policy and its graduate
programs, of which the Master’s is the first, as set out by PCIP and the Academic Priorities Fund. The
Master’s Committee had two questions to put to Murray Fulton at its next meeting: First, Will faculty
transfers result in resource issues for other units?; and Second, A capstone course is listed as an elective
but should it not be a core course?
Murray Fulton addressed these two questions at the May 1, 2007 meeting. On the transfer of faculty
issue, Murray stated that there was no plan to recompense units who would contribute faculty to the
School. He noted that there would be peripheral benefits accruing to the affected units, such as teaching
of undergraduate courses in the original department, and increased graduate program and student
activity in the original department. On the capstone course issue, Murray noted that the program needed
in the beginning to parallel the Graduate School of Public Policy program at the University of Regina.
As negotiations proceed with the University of Regina towards a joint School of Public Policy and joint
graduate programs, the need for a capstone course will be introduced.
The Master’s Committee was satisfied with the second response, but some members were not
enthusiastic about the response to the faculty resource issue. Nonetheless, the Master’s Committee
approved the Master’s of Public Policy program proposal on May 1, 2007, sending it to Executive
Committee.
The College of Graduate Studies and Research is highly supportive of the MPP proposal. An ambitious
goal of the CGSR 2003-2007 College Plan is to increase the number of graduate students at the U of S
with a target of 2,500 students by 2010. Therefore graduate programs that enable CGSR to reach this
goal are enthusiastically reviewed, but not endorsed unless the College is convinced that there is
sufficient expertise and other resources on hand to provide a quality program that will withstand the
scrutiny of external review. CGSR is thoroughly convinced that the MPP program, in consort with the
School of Public Policy, meets the necessary qualitative criteria. In fact, CGSR looks forward to an
imminent proposal for a Ph.D. program in Public Policy. The President’s Committee on Integrated
Planning has also indicated the high priority it gives to the School of Public Policy and its graduate
program initiatives.”
21
______________________________________________________________________________
On May 28, 2007, the Master's Committee of CGSR approved the following courses: MPP 801.3, 802.3,
804.3, 805.3, 806.3, 990.0, and 992.6. There were no concerns raised.
On May 31, 2007, the Executive Committee approved the proposal for a Master’s of Public Policy
program subject to the clarification of the admission requirements and meeting CGSR admission
standards.”
The minutes from the May 31, 2007 Executive Committee on this issue are as follows:
“
There is strong provincial and national demand for these types of interdisciplinary professional
programs. Eventually the home unit for this program will be the School of Public Policy. There are 5
areas and the program is mirrored on the Master of Public Administration program at the University of
Regina. The courses will be developed as faculty come on stream and faculty can request transfers to
the school for 3 to 5 year appointments. The tuition is set at $10,000 or $1,000 per term. Governance
and admission qualifications were outlined. Concern was expressed that the grade point average (GPA)
could be less than the College’s minimum admission requirement. The understanding is in place that
should the average be less than 70% that an additional requirement would be required such as the Prior
Learning Assessment Portfolio (PLAP). This does not set aside the CGSR’s minimum entrance
requirement.
As there was some urgency in having this program implemented in the fall, it was brought
forward in a parallel process before the Academic Programs Committee. Clarification regarding the
admission requirements and CGSR standards will be obtained from Murray Fulton and brought back to
the Executive Committee at the September meeting.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the University of Saskatchewan and
the University of Regina to provide an integrated arrangement for the degree and gives the go ahead for
a joint unified school and joint degrees. The degree will be awarded wherever the student has
registered. At this point, it is considered to be a stand alone degree program here.”
I sought clarification regarding the issue of admission standards, and received the following email from
Murray Fulton on August 29th, 2007:
“Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:58:47 -0600
From: Murray Fulton <Murray.Fulton@usask.ca>
To: Ron Borowsky <ron.borowsky@usask.ca>
Cc: Peter Phillips <pwp392@mail.usask.ca>, Grant Isaac <grant.isaac@usask.ca>
Subject: Re: clarification of the admission requirements for MPP
Hi Ron
Yes, Trevor did contact me about this. After a bit of discussion we
22
came to the conclusion that there was some confusion on the part of
the Executive Committee as to what the minimum requirements were for
CGSR.
As you know the MPP proposal indicates that:
"Students must have completed a bachelor's degree from a recognized
university. An average of 75 percent or better must be maintained
during the final two years (60 credit units) of the undergraduate
program (or in the graduate program if students are coming to the MPP
after a graduate degree). Students from a wide variety of disciplines
– e.g., everything from the fine arts to the social sciences to the
physical sciences to the professional college disciplines – are
eligible. While it is not necessary, some knowledge of economics,
statistics, and calculus is generally an advantage."
These requirements exceed the minimum requirements of the CGSR (the
CGSR requirements are a 70% average over the last 60 credit units).
As outlined on page 20 of the Policy and Procedures Manual, the
minimum requirements for a Master’s degree are:
• A four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized
college or
university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field
of study.
• A cumulative weighted average of at least 70% in the last two years
of study (i.e.
60 credit units).
• Demonstrated ability for independent thought, advanced study, and
research.
Thus, the MPP requirements are clearly greater than those of CGSR, as
was the intention of the proposal.
I do not understand the point about PLAP; if this were to be used, it
would be to establish the 75% average required by the MPP.
I hope this helps. If you have questions, please let me know. I would
not want to see the proposal get hung up at the Executive Committee
over a lack of clarification.
Murray”
On Sept 9th, 2007, Murray Fulton sent the following email to myself and Trever Crowe (Chair of APC):
23
“Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:52:35 -0600
From: Murray Fulton <Murray.Fulton@usask.ca>
To: Ron Borowsky <ron.borowsky@usask.ca>, Trever Crowe <trever.crowe@usask.ca>
Cc: Peter Phillips <peter.phillips@usask.ca>, Grant Isaac <grant.isaac@usask.ca>
Subject: Public Policy Graduate Program
Hi Ron and Trever
As you know, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of
Regina signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June of this year
regarding the establishment of a joint School of Public Policy. I
have attached a copy of the MOU.
In the MOU the two universities agreed to establish a number of joint
degrees. Currently, the University of Regina offers a Master of
Public Administration (MPA). At the University of Saskatchewan, the
proposed degree that is wending is way through CGSR committees and
Academic Programs is the Master of Public Policy. Since this proposed
program is designed to parallel the MPA program at the University of
Regina, a crucial first step in establishing a joint degree (and thus
meeting the terms of the MOU) is to have the name of the University
of Saskatchewan degree match that of that University of Regina. Thus,
on behalf of the executive sponsor (Grant Isaac) and acting director
(Peter Phillips) of the School of Public Policy, I would like to
request that the name of the proposed degree to be offered at the
University of Saskatchewan be Master of Public Administration (MPA),
rather than Master of Public Policy as was previously requested.
To back up this request, I have attached a proposal for a new
graduate program - specifically the Master of Public Administration
(MPA). This proposal is identical to the one that was submitted for
the Master of Public Policy (MPP), except that the name of the
program has been changed. There is no substantive change to the
program whatsoever.
I have not submitted new course proposal forms, although I could if
you would like me to. There are minimal changes required on these
forms, since the title of the courses and the course identifiers
(PUBP) and course numbers remain unchanged.
I trust that this request for a change in name will not delay the
approval process of the new program. We are already in conversation
with the University of Regina about how we can jointly promote our
programs to potential graduate students.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you need any
24
additional information. I would be pleased to provide it.
Murray Fulton”
On September 25, 2007, the Executive Committee of CGSR approved the Masters of Public
Administration program, given the clarification regarding admission requirements and the request to
change the name of the program from Masters of Public Policy to Masters of Public Administration.
There were no other concerns raised.
On September 27, 2007, the Master’s Committee of CGSR also approved the name change in order to
have consistency on the name of the program between our committees. There were no other concerns
raised.
On October 5th, 2007, the Graduate Council of CGSR approved the proposal for a Master’s of Public
Administration program. The following issues were discussed: Regarding the electives listed in Table 1
of the proposal: a faculty member from the Dept of Political Studies pointed out that many of the
courses from Political Studies are going through some changes (e.g., in name, some are being deleted,
and there will also be some new courses) and this will be coming forward to graduate council in the
future. In response to a question about the relative number of credits units compared to programs at
other institutions, Professor Fulton explained that there is a wide range of course requirements at
Canadian universities, and that the difference is explained by the duration of the programs; those with
higher program requirements tend to be those which require the student to spend 2 years in program
while the UofS proposal is for a one-year program. Further, the MOU between the UofS and UofR
indicates that these are “mirrored” programs and thus should have the same number of credit units.
Regarding faculty resources for the School of Public Policy: Dean Wishart explained that the School of
Public Policy will be provided with required resources, that consultation is on-going, that one of the
major issues appears to whether any compensation will be provided to the home unit from which a
faculty member contributing to the School, and that some of the details have yet to be worked out. Dean
Wishart also reminded Graduate Council that the School has already been approved at University
Council. Regarding the availability of 898.3 courses to the School, Acting Associate Dean Borowsky
noted that 898 courses are open and available to any graduate program.
CGSR memo re: Master’s of Public Administration
25
6
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Murray Fulton, Department of Agricultural Economics
FROM:
Ron Borowsky, Acting Associate Dean, CGSR
Tom Wishart, Dean, CGSR
Lawrence Martz, Incoming Dean, CGSR
CC:
Trever Crowe, Chair, APC
DATE:
November 29, 2007
RE:
Revisions to MPA
____________________________________________________________________________________
As you know, we recently received some feedback from Trever Crowe (Chair of APC)
regarding the MPA program. I have included his feedback in boldface below. Tom,
Lawrence, and I met with Trever yesterday, and we are including our comments from the
perspective of CGSR in italics.
Masters of Public Policy/Public Administration
The APC is generally supportive of this proposal and wishes to prepare a recommendation
for Council consideration. However, before it can do this, the Committee asks that the
College work with the program proponents, Peter Phillips and Murray Fulton, to prepare a
document which addresses a number of issues for clarification and which provides a
complete ‘package’ to Council for its review and approval. The committee specifically
requests the following information:
1) an indication of the anticipated impact that the MPP/MPA might have on the
research activity and the undergraduate teaching in the departments contributing
resources to the program. The committee was struck by the fact that the letters
provided with the submission address the creation of the School of Public Policy and
not the creation of the Master’s program. It is the view of committee members that
these are not necessarily the ‘same thing’. For example, will resources be provided
by departments and colleges, in addition to the School, to deliver the proposed
program? If so, have the departments and colleges been afforded an opportunity to
describe the level of support that they anticipate they will provide? Further, the
documentation provided by your office indicates that ‘details associated with
backfill or compensation to home departments/units have yet to be worked out’. It
is the understanding of the APC that these details have been spelled out in the policy
documents prepared by the Provost’s Office. Please see:
http://www.usask.ca/vpacademic/pdf/Schools_complement_principles_process_May
26
_9-07.pdf. and
http://www.usask.ca/vpacademic/pdf/Schools_financial_support_May_9-07.pdf and
http://www.usask.ca/vpacademic/pdf/Schools_financial_support_May_9-07.pdf.
The committee is not aware of any discussions taking place that would change these
policies. We’d appreciate your informing us of any ongoing discussions and the
substance of these discussions on this topic?
The comment concerning 'backfill' was triggered by a question during the discussion of
this proposal at graduate council. Dean Wishart acknowledges that he gave improper
advice. Thus, there are no ‘ongoing discussions’ about backfill or compensation to home
departments/units, but clearly there are discussions about which faculty will transfer into
Schools. The policies concerning these transfers are those identified in Trever’s memo.
Nevertheless, Deans and Department Heads will need to consider the impact of transfers
on the research activity and the undergraduate programs of the departments contributing
resources to the Schools.
2) an indication of how the program will be administered, who will be responsible for
ensuring that appropriate resources are available to deliver it, and who will be
responsible for student files, advising etc. The proposal states that the program will
be the responsibility of CGSR without giving a clear indication of the program’s
relationship to the School of Public Policy. The committee is under the impression
that the role of the CGSR will shift to the School but there are no assurances that
this will happen, when it will happen and who would be responsible if/when it does.
This may be a matter of document timing, but if these are known, it would be better
to have them stated correctly in the Council document so that Council doesn’t go
over “old ground”.
Just as the programs in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics, Public Health, and
Community Health and Epidemiology recently shifted over to the new School of
Public Health in a relatively efficient manner, we would expect the same of the MPP
and the School of Public Policy. This must be a “bottom-up” process such that the
transfer takes place upon the request of the Director of the School who must assure
the Dean that the School is functioning at a level that that makes the transfer
appropriate.
3) given that this is a professional master’s program, an indication of the level to which
the program will provide opportunities for synthesis or integration for students
through capstone, project or group work or activities.
4) an indication of the level and source of scholarship support that will be provided to
students once the funding support provided by the Provost’s Office to the School of
Public Policy is completed.
The MPP will qualify for devolved scholarship funding once they have established
themselves (i.e., an average of 12 students over a 3 consecutive year period). We
note that RSA and PCIP have recently proposed that project-based programs ought
to qualify for 1 year of funding instead of 2 given the possibility of completion within
a 1-year period. This issue is currently under consideration by our Scholarships and
Admissions Committee.
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5) an indication of how the program will be assessed, including milestones associated
with program delivery and timelines.
The MPP can set its own internal milestones. CGSR will treat it the same as any new
program in that it will undergo external Graduate Program Review after 7 years (or
10 students), which ever occurs later.
To assist Council in its review of the documentation, it would be preferable if a cohesive
document could be prepared which identifies the appropriate degree under
consideration and assembles the appropriate information about the degree program. It
is APC’s view that not all of the information provided is germane to Council’s
determination.
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Bioresource Policy, Business & Economics (PBE)
51 Campus Drive Saskatoon SK S7N 5A8 Canada
Telephone: (306) 966-4008
Facsimile: (306) 966-8413
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Trever Crowe, Chair, APC
FROM:
Murray Fulton, Bioresource Policy, Business, and Economics
CC:
Ron Borowsky Acting Associate Dean, CGSR
Tom Wishart, Dean, CGSR
Lawrence Martz, Incoming Dean, CGSR
Peter Phillips, Acting Director, SPP
Grant Isaac, Dean, Edwards School of Business
DATE:
November 30, 2007
RE:
Revisions to the MPA
I will respond to each of the points raised in the memo from Ron Borowsky dated
November 29, 2007.
1. The SPP will have more than enough resources to handle the teaching and supervisory
requirements associated with the MPA. As is documented in the proposal for the SPP, it
is “anticipated that six to eight full time faculty members will be associated with the
School” (SPP Proposal, p. 9). These resources alone are more than sufficient to support
the MPA (one use of these extra resources will be the offering of a PhD program). Three
of these full time faculty members have already been identified (Michael Atkinson,
Janice MacKinnon and Murray Fulton) and the process of having their appointments
transferred to the school is underway. Two of the positions that are allocated to the SPP
are ones that were created under the Priority Determination process. Finally, the SPP also
has been allocated a Canada Research Chair and a Centennial Chair (the interviews for
the Centennial Chair are underway and an offer for this position may be forthcoming in
the very near future).
In addition to these resources, the SPP at the University of Saskatchewan will have
access to courses being taught at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
at the University of Regina (the Memorandum of Understanding to create a single joint
school of public policy between the two universities that was signed by the two
universities in June is currently being implemented). This access could be through classes
offered in distance education format, or it could be through classes taught jointly to U of
S and U of R students in non-standard format (e.g., a two week intensive course).
In addition to the faculty resources described above, the SPP may also have access to
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other faculty members through joint appointments (either primary or secondary) or
through associate membership. Negotiations are currently underway with three
individuals regarding their participation in the School, and a general call has been
submitted to all faculty on campus asking for people that would like to be associated with
the SPP in some capacity.
As APC points out in its memo to CGSR, the details associated with backfill and
compensation to home departments are well documented in the material that was
prepared by the Provost’s office when the three schools were formally examined and
approved in May. Thus, a procedure is in place that will address the issues surrounding
the impact on departments and units that are contributing faculty to the SPP. Through this
process deans and department heads will be able to gauge the impacts – both positive and
negative – that might occur as faculty become involved with the SPP. It should be noted
that it is the faculty’s involvement with the SPP that should be considered, not
specifically whether faculty are involved with the MPA program, and hence a process has
been constructed with this perspective in mind.
2. At the time that the MPP proposal was submitted, a SPP did not exist. Since the SPP
has now been approved and is in fact operating with an acting director, the administration
of the program can pass to the SPP. The administrative responsibility for the MPA can be
assumed by the SPP as soon as the MPA is approved.
3. The issue of a capstone course was raised by the Masters Committee of CGSR and was
addressed at the May 1, 2007 meeting of that committee. The SPP is interested in a
course (or courses) that would serve as a capstone for the MPA – a course or courses that
would provide opportunities for synthesis and integration. As the Masters Committee
pointed out, no specific course has been identified as a capstone course. The reason for
this is that the SPP has made its program identical to the one at the U of R, and the U of
R does not specifically have a capstone course identified. However, the lack of a
specifically identified capstone course does not mean that the synthesis and integration
will not take place. In particular, the course PUBP 804 Public Policy Analysis and
Methodology (equivalent to GSPP 804 Research Writing) will provide for a high level of
synthesis and integration and will accommodate project and group work. Although the
schedule of courses is not yet worked out for the 2008-09 academic year, this course is
currently being taught in the second semester at the University of Regina during the
2007-08 academic year, thus positioning it nicely as a capstone-like course. As well,
those students taking the project option will have to write a major paper as part of the six
CU project course – this paper and the project work serves effectively as a capstone
experience.
4. Following CGSR policy, the MPA will qualify for devolved scholarship funding once
it has been established (i.e., an average of 12 students over a 3 consecutive year period).
It should be noted that RSA and PCIP have recently proposed that project-based
programs should qualify for one year of funding instead of two given the possibility of
completion within a one-year period. This issue is currently under consideration by the
CGSR Scholarships and Admissions Committee.
30
5. An evaluation of the MPA will occur along with the evaluation of the SPP
itself. The SPP proposal outlined the following procedure for a review of the SPP.
“The School of Public Policy will be formally reviewed at the end of the next
planning cycle in 2012. This review will consider whether the School should be
disbanded or whether it should be allowed to continue until the next formal
review in 2022. After the first review in 2012, the School would be reviewed
following a schedule of reviews established by the dean of the College of
Graduate Studies and Research. The reviews will include an examination of the
integration with the University of Regina and whether this relationship should be
continued.
The School, of course, would participate fully in all planning activities at
the university. Assuming that the School has been operating successfully, the
formal review in 2012 would coincide with the School preparing a plan for the
third planning cycle (e.g., 2012-2017).” (SPP Proposal, p. 24).
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