S-99-18 FACULTY OF SCIENCE Meeting of Faculty Tuesday, November 9, 1999 Leacock Council Room - L232 ATTENDANCE: As recorded in the Faculty Appendix Book. DOCUMENTS: S-99-12 to S-99-17 Dean Shaver called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m. (1) MINUTES OF OCTOBER 5, 1999 S-99-12 Prof. Paquette moved, seconded by Prof. Barrette, that the minutes be approved. The motion carried. (2) BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES Minute 206.4, Admissions Criteria for the Faculty of Science 302.1 Associate Dean Mendelson said that at the last Faculty meeting, CEGEP Mathematics course 105 had been added to the admission requirements for the Faculty of Science. This had been done because of the mistaken impression that this course had originally been an admission requirement. Associate Dean Mendelson said that in fact Mathematics 105 had not been an admission requirement. With the agreement of Prof. GowriSankaran, who had moved the amendment adding Mathematics 105 to the admission requirements, the course was removed from the criteria sent to the University Admissions Committee. Associate Dean Mendelson said the admissions criteria as described above was passed by the University Admissions Committee, with the addition of the phrase "depending on the language of the school" after the OAC requirement of English or French, in order to clarify this requirement. (3) ANNOUNCEMENTS 303.1 Dean Shaver said that, as usual, a series of Faculty announcements had been sent by e-mail from the Dean's office, including one concerning the appointment of Ms. Donna Henchey as the new Development and Alumni Officer for the Faculty of Science. He introduced and welcomed Ms. Henchey. The announcements will comprise Appendix A, which will be attached to the permanent copy of the minutes of the current meeting. (4) REPORTS OF COMMITTEES a) Sub-committee on Scholarships S-99-17 The Dr. Alexander S. MacInnes Scholarship in Chemistry Value: $2500 304.1 Prof. G. Brown, Chair of the Faculty of Science Sub- committee on Scholarships, read the terms of reference for the above new Faculty of Science in-course award. b) Committee on Student Standing (CSS) S-99-13 304.2 Associate Dean Mendelson said there had been one CSS meeting, involving one appeal, which had been accepted by the Committee. c) Academic Committee S-99-14 MINOR COURSE CHANGES (AC-99-13) (for information) SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE New Programs: - Joint Major in Computer Science and Music Technology [originally submitted as Joint Major in Computer Science and Music] (AC-99-15) 304.3 Associate Dean Mendelson informed members that the addition of the word "Technology" to the program name had been agreed to by the School of Computer Science and the Faculty of Music. He said there were small problems involving timetabling, and that the School of Computer Science and the Faculty of Music were discussing these. Prof. Pasztor moved, seconded by Prof. ThÇrien, that the program be adopted. The motion carried. - Graduate Diploma in Information Technology (AC-99-16) Prof. ThÇrien moved, seconded by Prof. Merrett, that the program be adopted. The motion carried. New Courses (All TWO CREDITS): 308-576 Algorithms and Data Structures AC-99-17 308-577 Object Oriented Programming AC-99-18 308-578 Systems Programming I AC-99-19 308-579 Information Systems Management AC-99-20 308-580 Theory of Computer Science AC-99-21 308-581 Software Engineering AC-99-22 308-582 Systems Programming II AC-99-23 308-583 Object Oriented Design AC-99-24 308-584 Web Design and Programming AC-99-25 308-585 Technical Project & Report AC-99-26 308-586 The Life of Projects AC-99-27 308-590 Human Computer Interaction AC-99-28 308-591 Comp. Graphics & Visualization AC-99-29 308-592 Computer Modeling and Simulation AC-99-30 308-593 e-info Flow & Management AC-99-31 308-594 Network Operation/Programming AC-99-32 308-595 Internet & Multimedia Content AC-99-33 Prof. ThÇrien moved, seconded by Prof. Merrett, that the above courses be adopted. The motion carried. CHEMISTRY 180-150B World of Chem: Food (AC-99-58[Rev]) 3 credits Changes in restriction & title Prof. Harpp moved, seconded by Mr. Kovacs, that the changes be approved. The motion carried. 180-160A World of Chem: Technology (AC-99-34[Rev]) 3 credits Changes in restriction, course description & title 180-170B World of Chem: Drugs (AC-99-35[Rev]) 3 credits Changes in restriction, course description & title Prof. Harpp moved, seconded by Prof. Farrell, that the above changes be approved. The motion carried. New Course: 180-180A World of Chem: Environment (AC-99-36[Rev]) 3 credits Prof. Harpp moved, seconded by Prof. Brown, that the course be adopted. The motion carried. Program Changes & Program Name Changes: - Major in Chemistry(Environmental Chemistry Option) AC-99-37(Rev) Prof. Harpp moved, seconded by Prof. Paquette, that the program changes be approved. The motion carried. - Honours in Chemistry(Environmental Chemistry Option)AC-99-38(Rev) Prof. Harpp moved, seconded by Prof. Paquette, that the program changes be approved. The motion carried. ANATOMY & CELL BIOLOGY/BIOCHEMISTRY New courses: 504-458B/507-458B Membranes & Cellular Signaling (AC-99-39[Rev]/ 3 credits AC-99-39A[Rev]) Prof. Brawer moved, seconded by Prof. Brown, that the courses be adopted. The motion carried. 304.4 Dean Shaver said that several sets of double-prefix courses have been proposed and approved by the Faculty of Science. Courses taught by a joint-appointed professor have been approved by APPC. However, a similar course team-taught by two departments had not been approved by SCTP. Dean Shaver said he wanted to inform Faculty that the issue was being debated with APPC on academic grounds. He said the Faculty considers double-prefix courses to be a significant attempt to recognize overlap between departments. Both departments invest personnel in a double-prefix course and therefore the departments feel that these courses should be listed in each department's Calendar entry. 304.5 Dean Shaver said that the first argument against double- prefix courses is that they are too administratively complex. He said the Faculty does not understand that argument, and that the alternative offered seemed even more administratively complex. The second argument was that there could be a proliferation of such courses. The Faculty's response was that this may be a good thing; double-prefix courses may be a very efficient way of dealing with dwindling resources and with the need to address interdisciplinary topics, and double- prefixing may provide a way to offer courses that would not normally be able to be given because of a lack of personnel. The third argument was that there could be some unforeseen negative consequences of the proliferation of these courses. 304.6 Dean Shaver said it was getting difficult to persuade APPC of the Faculty's point of view. He said he was letting Faculty know that he was proceeding with double- prefix courses and he would keep Faculty informed of the outcome. He asked members for comments or questions. 304.7 In response to questions concerning allocation of FTEs to departments, Dean Shaver said there were several ways of doing this: the FTEs from each department's students could be allocated to that department, or the FTEs could be split equally between the departments. The latter would be a means of dealing with the FTEs of students from neither of the offering departments. 304.8 Dean Shaver said he appreciated members' comments. BIOCHEMISTRY Course Retirement: 507-456B Biochemistry of Membranes (AC-99-40) 3 credits Prof. Farrell moved, seconded by Mr. Kovacs, that the course be retired. The motion carried. Program Changes: - Faculty (AC-99-41) - Major (AC-99-42) - Honours (AC-99-43) Prof. Farrell moved, seconded by Prof. Pasztor, that the program changes be approved. The motion carried. ANATOMY & CELL BIOLOGY Program Changes: - Faculty (AC-99-44[Rev]) - Major (AC-99-45[Rev]) - Honours (AC-99-46[Rev]) Prof. Brawer moved, seconded by Prof. Paquette, that the program changes be approved. The motion carried. PHYSIOLOGY New Courses: 552-314A Integrative Neuroscience (AC-99-47) 3 credits Prof. Marley moved, seconded by Prof. Baines, that the course be adopted. The motion carried. 552-550A Molecular Physiology of Bone (AC-99-48) 3 credits Prof. Brawer moved, seconded by Prof. Paquette, that the course be adopted. The motion carried. Program Changes: - Faculty (AC-99-49) - Major (AC-99-50) - Honours (AC-99-51) Prof. Baines moved, seconded by Prof. Paquette, that the program changes be approved. The motion carried. PSYCHOLOGY New Course: 204-709A/B Interdisciplinary LAP Seminar I (AC-99-52) 2 credits 304.9 Associate Dean Mendelson said that the above course would be offered jointly by four faculties. After all the faculties approve the course, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research will implement the recommendations of all faculties, including the removal of the acronym in the title. Each faculty will have its own number for the course. Prof. Marley moved, seconded by Prof. GowriSankaran, that the course be adopted. The motion carried. New Program: - Language Acquisition Program (Ph.D.)(AC-99-53) Prof. Marley moved, seconded by Prof. Paquette, that the program be adopted. The motion carried. 204-505A The Psychology of Pain (AC-99-60) 3 credits Changes in Prerequisites & course description Prof. Farrell moved, seconded by Prof. GowriSankaran, that the changes be approved. 304.10 Prof. Marley proposed a friendly amendment that the prerequisite course, Physiology 552-209, be replaced by Physiology 552-314. The amended motion carried. 204-522B Neurochemical Basis of Behavior (AC-99-54) 3 credits Changes in course number, prerequisites, restriction Prof. Farrell moved, seconded by Prof. GowriSankaran, that the changes be approved. 304.11 Prof. Marley proposed a friendly amendment that the prerequisite course, Physiology 552-311, be replaced by Physiology 552-314. The amended motion carried. 204-536B Correlational Techniques (AC-98-135[Rev]) 3 credits Changes in number, prerequisites & course description Prof. Farrell moved, seconded by Prof. GowriSankaran, that the changes be approved. The motion carried. JOINT HONOURS IN MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE (AC-99-57) (Program Changes) Prof. GowriSankaran moved, seconded by Prof. ThÇrien, that the program changes be approved. The motion carried. DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY New Program: - B.Sc. Minor Program in Geographical Information Systems(AC-99-11) Prof. Ewing moved, seconded by Prof. Merrett, that the program be adopted. The motion carried. d) Other (i) Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) S-99-16 304.12 Mr. Kovacs expanded on the above report. He asked members for input on the mandate of the Committee on Academic Integrity. He said that Associate Dean Mendelson would be meeting with the Committee to provide some direction, and Associate Dean (Students) Amsel had also agreed to meet with the committee. Mr. Kovacs asked if there were any professors who would take an active interest in the committee. 304.13 Dean Shaver said he thought the above committee represented a very interesting initiative, and that the issues were being addressed in a positive and instructive fashion. (5) DEAN'S BUSINESS (i) Preliminary Statistics on Graduate Admissions (for information) 305.1 Dean Shaver gave a brief summary of preliminary graduate admissions figures. He said that in 1998, 170 graduate students had been admitted to the Faculty of Science, and in 1999, the preliminary figure was 165. He said that while there were sometimes quite considerable changes in individual departments from year to year, overall the numbers do average out. Dean Shaver said the figures will be discussed with chairs. (ii) Proposal for an Associate Dean of Science (Research)S-99-15 305.2 Dean Shaver said that further to the above document, yet another relevant program had recently been introduced. He said he was bringing the above proposal to Faculty for feedback, comments and discussion. 305.3 In response to a member, Dean Shaver said the appointment of an Associate Dean of Research would improve communication between the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Graduate Studies & Research. He said other faculties had a comparable type of position, and that they appoint the Associate Dean (Research) to various FGSR committees. The Science Associate Dean of Research would report to Faculty meetings. 305.4 Dean Shaver said that in view of the lack of negative comments, he would proceed with the proposal. (iii) Intellectual Property Policy - Relevant Documents Available at: http://www.mcgill.ca/fgsr (in the Faculty Business section) 305.5 Dean Shaver said the IP proposal contained many minor changes and two major changes. He briefly described the two major changes, which were a change from co- ownership to university-ownership, and a change in revenue sharing. Dean Shaver said the policy would be going to Senate, and was being presented here for discussion so that Senate representatives and the Dean could be informed. 305.6 Prof. ThÇrien requested speaking rights for Mr. Robert Sim, a graduate student in the School of Computer Science, and Ph.D. student Senate representative. Prof. ThÇrien moved, seconded by Prof. Farrell, that Mr. Robert Sim be granted speaking rights. The motion carried. 305.7 Mr. Sim was primarily concerned with the ownership changes in the proposed IP policy. Faculty members expressed agreement with his concerns. 305.8 It was pointed out that ownership relates to control of what is done with any invention, and also to incentives for exploitation and to the degree of effort that would be put into attempts at exploitation. It was also mentioned that as well as rights, inventors have responsibilities concerning their inventions, which would be affected by a lack of ownership. It was questioned whether it was appropriate that students (both graduate and undergraduate) should be bound by the proposed policy. It was pointed out that there was a logical inconsistency between the way original works of authorship in printed form were treated in the document, as compared to software. 305.9 Mr. Sim strongly encouraged Faculty members to write to the relevant Vice-Principals to express their concerns. 305.10 Dean Shaver said that he and the Science Senators would express members' concerns to Senate during the debate on the proposed IP policy. (6) MEMBERS' QUESTION PERIOD 306.1 In response to a question concerning the lengthy period between thesis submission and receipt of theses by examiners, Dean Shaver said that if he received sufficient documentation of this from departments, he would take up the issue with the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. (7) REPORT ON ACTIONS OF SENATE Senate Meeting of October 13, 1999 - To be Reported by Prof. A. Baker at the next Faculty of Science meeting scheduled for December 7, 1999. Senate Meeting of October 27, 1999 - Report by Prof. G. Brown There were two parts to this meeting. In the first and shorter part, reports by the Steering Committee, the Academic Policy and Planning Committee and the Committee on Libraries were presented, followed by a presentation on Academic Staff changes that took place over 1998. In the second part of the meeting, the Senate moved into a Committee of the Whole, with Professor Farrell in chair, to discuss the document "Tradition and Innovation: an International University in a City of Knowledge". The Steering Committee reported that three new members have been elected to the Senate nominating committee: Malcolm Baines, Uner Turguay and Faith Wallis; Professors GowriSankaran and Anthony Pare have been elected to the Senate Steering Committee. The Report of the Committee on Libraries generated considerable discussion, much of which centered on cuts to the serials budget. Dean Shaver noted that the serials budget was reduced by 25% in the past year, and that we can expect even greater cuts next year. He called for a moratorium on cuts to journals and for the formation of a task force that would address this issue. It was noted that relief may come from a CFI grant for the licensing of electronic versions of journals. The efficacy and timing of this funding in offsetting the serials cuts was questioned, however. Senate approved the establishment of the Evolution Education Research Centre, which will be housed in the Faculty of Education. Its research objective will be "to design and conduct studies that will inform the practice of evolution education and improve evolution education at all levels". With respect to the staff changes reported by Vice- Principal Vinet, it is noted that the faculty of Science experienced a net loss of 8 staff during 1998, roughly a 4% drop, in comparison with a roughly 3% loss over the entire University. The Senate then proceeded into an extended discussion of the "Tradition and Innovation" document. This is a discussion paper prepared by the Principal and Vice- Principal Academic, in response to a call for submissions from the Minister of Education. It outlines McGill's academic priorities and its views on the funding of QuÇbec's Universities. In response to a question from Senator Baines, the Principal noted that although "Tradition and Innovation" is not a definitive planning document, it is hoped that it may eventually lead to a definitive planning document. "Tradition and Innovation" has three major chapters. One deals with McGill as an international university and the merits of internationalization. The second is devoted to strategic planning and development, and touches on a wide range of issues, chief among which is a description of priority areas that could serve as a focus for the development of academic programs. The third addresses funding issues, and includes recommendations concerning tuition fees, increased funding of graduate programs and graduate students, increased funding for indirect costs of research and increased funding for libraries, electronic teaching resources and information technology. The document is available online at http://www.mcgill.ca/documents/innovation/. The discussion touched on many aspects of the document, but much of it was directed at its proposal that universities be allowed to set and keep differential tuition fees for highly restricted programs. The document defines these as professional programs such as medicine, dentistry, law, where the number of applicants is very high relative to the number admitted, and where the job market guarantees a certain income level. A number of senators argued against this proposal. It was pointed out that high income levels are not guaranteed for all graduates in these professions, and that by imposing higher fees the university might be driving graduates away from socially valuable but lower paying careers. The Dean of Law expressed concern about how differential fees might lead to the development of have and have-not faculties, to which the Principal responded that huge inequities of this type already exist. Interestingly, a student senator from the Faculty of Medicine indicated that medical students would accept the notion of differential fees, provided the bulk of the additional revenues would be allocated to the respective faculties and provided better loans and bursaries be made available to the students affected. The Meeting concluded with Dean Shaver congratulating Vice-Principal Vinet on the document, pointing out that it shows real vision and is superior to the documents he has seen that have been produced by the other universities. 307.1 In response to a question concerning the current staffing statistics for the Faculty, Dean Shaver said it was very difficult to give exact numbers, since a number of professors actually stay on for a period after their official termination date. He said it was his policy not to have any more net losses of staff, and that the Faculty was trying to replace staff on a one-to-one basis. Dean Shaver said that the demographics of the Faculty require that it increase in size. He said the university was working very closely with the QuÇbec government to increase staffing at QuÇbec universities. (8) OTHER BUSINESS 308.1 Associate Dean Mendelson, on behalf of the Faculty of Science, congratulated Dean Shaver on having been re- appointed as Dean, and said he would like to express the Faculty's appreciation of Dean Shaver's leadership. 308.2 Dean Shaver invited Faculty members to a reception, immediately after the Faculty meeting, to celebrate the unveiling of the Faculty's first Viewbook. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m. Fmn1999nov.doc