Academic College Council Update | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

by Irene Kanurkas, Academic College Council Chair

in the Spring 2017 issue

After a brief hiatus in the fall, Academic College Council (ACC) resumed its work in January under the stewardship of VPA Laurel Schollen. As an advisory council to the President, the Council is responsible for reviewing and providing recommendations on matters related to academic policy and the implementation of Seneca’s Academic Plan. The Council offers a means for students and staff of Seneca to provide advice to the President on matters of importance related to students and staff (the Minister’s Binding Policy Directive). As a nucleus for College-wide committees and councils, ACC provides a vehicle for the two-way exchange of information and ideas within the college community.

The recent College Quality Assurance Audit Process (CQAAP) submission identified policy review as a priority. Seneca has moved to transfer all college policies to a new template that will provide a consistent approach to policy development, documentation, review periods, and a clear separation between policy and procedures. Working within the new framework for policy development and review (PDF), ACC has begun a comprehensive review of Academic Policy: separating out individual policies from our single Academic Policy document and determining which policies will be converted to the new policy template, which policies require significant revision, and which policies need to be developed. Recently, ACC identified Transfer Credits as an area requiring further policy development and established a working group tasked with researching and formulating a draft policy for discussion and endorsement in June (see Transfer Credits, Pathways, and Student Mobility in this issue for more information on Transfer Credits and the working group).

Seneca faculty and staff can keep abreast of the Council’s activities by means of the website. Check in regularly for our meeting dates, agenda items, minutes and opportunities to contribute ideas or participate in working groups.

View the Spring 2017 issue of the Academic Newsletter.