Senate approves merger of music and visual arts

Senate approved the merger of the schools of music and visual arts into a single administrative academic unit at its November 11 meeting.

The merged unit – yet to be named – includes a permanent faculty component of 19. It will deliver the existing programs in the two disciplines and will introduce new programs in film production, sound, interdisciplinary arts, and an option for students to design their own interdisciplinary degrees.

Faculty members will conduct a national search for a director to be appointed for July 2012, and will work toward relocating its operations to the Windsor Armouries building by July 2013.

Music therapy suspends new admissions

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has suspended admissions to the Bachelor of Music Therapy program.

According to a report to Senate from dean Cecil Houston, current students will be able to complete their BMT degrees. He said that barring a change in the faculty’s material circumstances, suspending admissions could be the first step to an orderly phasing out of the program.

University may seek additional proof of proficiency in English

Senate approved a request from its academic policy committee to curtail the possibility of fraud in applications, adding this line to its admission requirements:

The University reserves the right to require applicants with an English Language Proficiency score disparate from their academic English prerequisite achievement to present further evidence of proficiency.

UWindsor to participate in research study on academic governance

Senate agreed to participate in a study of the academic governance at Canadian universities conducted by researchers from the universities of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

The study looks at the structure, role and operating practices of academic senates and the perceptions of individual senate members. Assuming a web-based questionnaire meets the requirements of the Research Ethics Board, it will be distributed to Senate members later this year.

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