Academic Council at University Canada West is evolving to include more participation from students, faculty and staff.

Academic Council is the senior academic body of the University. Among other things, it advises on University academic standards, academic policies, program approvals and reviews.

The changes include the creation of new committees and the assumption of ongoing quality assurance responsibilities for our academic programs. These changes will improve Academic Council’s ability to support the priorities and operations of the University, and will result in a stronger and more resilient institution.

Academic Council’s Bylaws were recently updated to reflect these changes and to prepare for upcoming elections.

Academic Council has several open positions for representation from UCW community groups: students, faculty and staff. The elections for these positions are organized according to Academic Council Bylaws (in particular Appendix A: Rules to Govern Elections to the Academic Council).

The Fall 2022 Academic Council Elections will be organized for the following positions:

Faculty Representatives
Term of Office
Vacancies – 10 seats (3-year term) November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2025
Staff Representative
Term of Office
Vacancy – 1 seat (3-year term) November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2024
Student Representatives
Term of Office
Undergraduate – Vacancy – 1 seat (1-year term) November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2023
Graduate – Vacancy – 1 seat (1-year term) November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2023
Formal Online – Vacancy – 1 seat (1-year term) November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2023
At-Large – Vacancy – 1 seat (1-year term) November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2023

The following outlines the timeline for the elections:

Call for Nominations Week of September 12, 2022
Nominations Deadline Monday, September 26, 2022, by 5 pm (PDT)
Announcement of Candidates Week of September 26, 2022 (Issued by Friday, September 30, 2022 at the latest)
Campaign Period Monday, September 26, 2022 – Sunday, October 23, 2022
Voting Period Begins on Monday, October 24, 2022, at 12:01 am (PDT) and ends on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at 11:59 pm (PDT)
Publish Election Results Friday, October 28, 2022

Academic Council Election Forms

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General FAQ

Academic Council normally meets on the first Thursday of every month (except in January and August), and the meetings are usually from 3 to 4:30 pm.

Academic Council members are also expected to serve on at least two committees, which may also meet monthly.

For more information, see the Academic Council Bylaws.

Yes! All new members will participate in an orientation session and will receive a comprehensive manual before their first Academic Council meeting in November 2022.

No, this is a volunteer position. For faculty members, this position will be considered towards any applicable service requirements. All Academic Council members may submit requests for reimbursements for any reasonable expenses incurred.

Nominations are now being accepted.

Please submit the completed Nomination Form and signed Candidate and Nominators’ Declaration on the MyUCW Student Portal. Nominations will be submitted on your own behalf but the Declaration must be signed by three other eligible persons from the constituency you are running to represent (digital signatures accepted).

Nomination forms will be accepted until Monday, September 26, 2022 ,at 5 pm (PDT). Any late or incomplete nomination forms will be ineligible.

If you have any questions about the nomination process, please contact [email protected].

If you no longer wish to stand for election and wish to withdraw your nomination, please contact [email protected] to withdraw your nomination. Once withdrawn, you will not be eligible for the election and any votes for a withdrawn candidate will be invalid.

Please note that, if you are elected, it is our expectation that you will serve the entire term of office, to the best of your ability.

Electronic voting will begin on Monday, October 24, 2022, at 12:01 am (PDT) until Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at 11:59 pm (PDT) and will be done electronically, via the MyUCW Student Portal.

An orientation session will be held for all candidates prior to the start of the campaign period. It is the sole responsibility of the candidate to ensure they are familiar with all the rules of the election, whether they attend the orientation or not.

Each nominee will be asked to provide a Statement of Intent (maximum 300 words and no links) in the Nomination Form. This Statement of Intent will be made available to the electorate on the Academic Council Election webpage.

Campaigning is allowed and encouraged, but must be undertaken at the individual’s expense and in their own time. Candidates may not abuse UCW’s resources for election purposes. All candidates are required to act with honesty and integrity.

Candidates are expected to conduct themselves in a manner respectful of other candidates, and all campaign material must comply with human rights and other legislation.

Campaigning includes: word-of-mouth and direct communications, posters, flyers, websites and social media. Encouraging individuals to vote is not considered campaigning if there is no reference to an individual candidate or group of candidates.

Each candidate may post one campaign poster (8.5×11”) on each Community Board at the UCW campuses and may choose to distribute flyers on UCW campuses (at their own expense). Staff and faculty candidates may also post one campaign poster (8.5×11”) in each UCW faculty and staff lounge or work area.

If you have any questions about the campaigning process, please contact [email protected].

Student FAQ

Nominations will be submitted on your own behalf but must be signed by three other eligible student members.

To be eligible to nominate another student or vote, you must be:

  • An undergraduate or graduate student registered at UCW in the current term;
  • In good standing; and
  • From the same student constituency (e., graduate, undergraduate or online) as the nominee/candidate (exception: at-large nominees/candidates, who represent all students).

To be eligible to stand for election, you must be:

  • An undergraduate or graduate student registered at UCW in the current term;
  • In good standing; and
  • Registered in two of the following academic terms (Winter, Spring, or Summer Term) during his/her/their term of office (November 1, 2022 to October 31, 2023).

For more information about eligibility, see Sections 2.1 and 4.1-4.5 contained in Appendix A to the Bylaws (Rules to Govern Elections to the Academic Council).

Please see above. Classroom time is reserved for academic activities, and your professors and fellow students expect to have class time dedicated to learning. Visits or campaigning by student candidates cannot be accommodated.

No, you must select one student position to run for.

The at-large student member will represent the interests of all UCW students on Academic Council.

Faculty FAQ

Nominations will be submitted on your own behalf but must be signed by three other eligible faculty members.

To nominate an individual, vote or stand for election, faculty members must:

  • have a continuing appointment at UCW as an instructor, a lecturer, an assistant professor, an associate professor or a professor in a degree program (e., undergraduate and degree).

Instructors that have a continuing appointment and that teach in the University Access Program (UAP) may nominate an individual, vote in an election or stand for election as staff members, not as faculty.

Please note that visiting, adjunct and sessional faculty are not eligible to nominate, run for election or vote in the upcoming Academic Council elections.

For more information about eligibility, see Sections 2.1 and 4.1-4.5 contained in Appendix A to the Bylaws (Rules to Govern Elections to the Academic Council).

No. Faculty and staff members who are also UCW students are not eligible to run as student representatives.

Staff FAQ

Nominations will be submitted on your own behalf but must be signed by three other eligible staff members.

Staff members must be employed by UCW and be past their probationary period to be eligible to stand for election. All staff members are eligible to vote for and nominate another staff member.

Officers of the University (President, Vice-Presidents or the Registrar), faculty members, Chairs and the University Librarian are not eligible.

For more information about eligibility, see Sections 2.1 and 4.1-4.5 contained in Appendix A to the Bylaws (Rules to Govern Elections to the Academic Council).

Please direct any questions about Academic Council elections to [email protected].