Report of the Planning Committee
to University Council
Nov. 16, 2000
Items for Information
1. Student Outcomes Study.
Enclosed with your agenda package for this meeting is a report entitled “Survey of University of
Saskatchewan 1994 Graduates, 2000”. This document, commonly called the “Student Outcomes
Study” represents the results of a year-long project by the Planning Committee to discover what
University of Saskatchewan students thought of their educational experience here and how their
education contributed to their occupational success.
In undertaking this study, the Planning Committee hoped to provide hard information about the
value of a University of Saskatchewan education to parents, governments, funding agencies, and
taxpayers. This information, we hoped, would be more accurate than “brain drain” rumours and
cabdriver-with-a-PhD anecdotes, and more useful than news stories about the Maclean’s annual
rankings, a survey which measures inputs but does not cover outputs.
A presentation describing highlights of the study and its research methodology will be made at
Council.
If Colleges find this information useful in terms of planning, program development and design of
student services, the committee intends to recommend that the University Studies Group
undertake such a study on a regular basis, such as every two years. The Committee would
welcome the opinion of Council members and deans about the usefulness of this information.
The Planning Committee will be holding a workshop on Dec. 18 to examine the study results in
detail. A report will be presented to Council. The Survey will also be available at the Planning
Committee’s website http://www.usask.ca/university_council/planning/
2. Planning Committee Retreat “Planning Our Future”.
On Nov. 4 the Planning Committee hosted a meeting of Council committee chairs, committee
members, college deans and university administrators which discussed issues related to the
University of Saskatchewan mandate and funding. Mandate questions have arisen because the
Saskatchewan University Funding Mechanism (formerly called the DesRosiers funding
adjustment) now requires that the proportion of provincial funding for the University of
Saskatchewan and the University of Regina be based on activities, student costs and programs.
We anticipate we will provide a more detailed report to Council.
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Planning Committee
Nov. 16, 2000
3. Program proposals.
The Planning Committee has also reviewed program proposals at the request of the Academic
Programs Committee. It notes that proposals which are formatted according to the new Guide to
Program Submissions, like the proposal for Honours in Kinesiology, have been dealt with very
quickly by Council committees.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Committee,
_______________________________________
Jene Porter, Chair
Committee members:
R.P. MacKinnon, President
M. Atkinson, Vice-President (Academic)
A.J. Whitworth, Vice-President (Finance
and Administration)
M. Corcoran, Vice-President (Research)
J. Wallace (USSU academic vice-president)
N. Garg (GSA president)
R. Thompson (Sessional Lecturer)
R.E. Bilson
S. Fowler-Kerry
D. Harris
R. Hickie
G. Khachatourians
F. Leighton
P. Li
W.W.E. Slights
E.B. Waygood
B.L. Dubray, University Studies Group
P.M. Melis, Office of the Vice-President
(Academic)
C. Fornssler, Committee Coordinator, Office
of the University Secretary