A Senate meeting was held on March 2 in the Senate chambers.

Richard Sigurdson, dean of the faculty of arts, chaired the meeting in place of president Barnard. Sigurdson claimed that this was due to a provision in the university act, which states that a senator must chair the meeting if it is his or her birthday.

Report on research

Digvir Jayas, vice-president (research), presented a report on research entitled “Innovations: Contributions of the University of Manitoba.” The report highlighted collaborative projects with various partners, research grants and the various mechanisms through which research is done.

After the presentation, concerns were raised in regards to the gap in incorporating the arts and humanities while highlighting the innovation and research mechanisms at the U of M. Several professors from humanities departments felt that research done in the arts had been underrepresented.

A question was posed by professor and University of Manitoba Faculty Association president Cam Morrill about whether the university was engaging in discussion about including a Confucius Institute at the University of Manitoba. David Collins, vice-provost (academic planning and programs), responded that Extended Education had initiated discussions in the university, which are ongoing.

Proposed degree changes and Senate committee reports

Ada Ducas, chair of the Senate planning and priorities committee, stated that the committee is still considering the proposal for a PhD in nursing.

The faculty of environment report proposed two degree changes to be approved by Senate. The first involved the minimum degree GPA graduation for the BSc in geology to be increased from 2.0 to 2.3. The entry GPA was proposed to increase from 2.0 to 2.5.

The Senate committee on admissions reported the clarification of vague admission requirements to the school of dental hygiene after a recommendation from enrolment services.