Message to the General Academic Assembly
June, 2012
Welcome to the fifth edition of Council’s newsletter, and the last one for the 2011‐12 academic year. This newsletter is intended to give you a sense of the work that your university Council does in the academic oversight of the university. The 17th year of our representative Council has been a productive and eventful one for the University of Saskatchewan and we would like to highlight some of the activities and decisions of the most recent term: ITEMS THAT COUNCIL CONSIDERED IN THE SPRING TERM  Revised policy and procedures for Student Appeals in Academic Matters 
Approval of a new Policy on Admissions 
Review and revisions to the Scholarships and Awards Handbook 
Approval of a new school of professional development 
Dissolution of the department of women’s and gender studies 
Approval of the Bachelor of Science in Animal Bioscience 
A significant re‐structuring of the College of Medicine 
Establishment of a Confucius Institute 
Creation of a Global Food Security Institute 
Approval of a post‐graduate degree specialization certificate in corrections ITEMS RELATED TO INTEGRATED PLANNING  In January, Council received the Unit Plans Review Committee reports on the individual plans and the common messages and issues perceived by the committee across the plans.  In February, the draft Third Integrated Plan was presented to Council as a request for input and there was a lively discussion of the draft.  At a special meeting on March 1st, Council unanimously approved a motion to approve Promise and Potential: the Third Integrated Plan, 2012‐2016.  In March, the Planning and Priorities Committee of Council reported to Council on the development and key principles informing the Multi‐Year Capital Framework and the Multi‐Year Budget Framework as the supporting pillars of the Third Integrated Plan At its final meeting in June, Council was joined by a number of former Council chairs and student leaders at a reception to honour outgoing members of Council, including our outgoing president, Peter MacKinnon. …/2
Message to the General Academic Assembly
June, 2012
ABOUT COUNCIL Council is the governing body responsible for all things academic, and it relies on the collegial model of academic self‐governance to do its business. That means that you, as a member of the General Academic Assembly, have an opportunity to influence the academic direction of the institution, both by electing members of your college for the university to Council, and by considering letting your name stand for election to Council or one of its committees. More information, including the agendas of upcoming Council meetings, minutes of past meetings, and information about elections, committees, bylaws and policies, can be found on Council’s web site at http://www.usask.ca/university_secretary/council/. Questions can be directed to university.secretary@usask.ca. Council meets once a month (see below). Meetings are open to all, and we hope you will always feel welcome to join us and to watch your Council in action. Meetings of University Council in 2012‐13*  Thursday, September 20, 2012  Thursday, October 18  Thursday, November 15  Thursday, December 20  Thursday, January 24, 2013  Thursday, February 28  Thursday, March 21  Thursday, April 18  Thursday, May 16  Thursday, June 20 * All meetings are in Neatby‐Timlin Theatre, Arts 241, at 2:30 p.m. On behalf of Council and its committees and of the Council secretariat, I wish to acknowledge the hard work and support of our secretary, Lea Pennock, and of the secretariat staff, Sandra Calver, Cathie Fornssler, Lesley Leonhardt and Norma McBain. I wish all of you all a restful and enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing you in the fall. Jay Kalra, Chair, University Council