About the Senate
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The Senate is the senior academic body of the University Canada West. Formerly known as the Academic Council, it was renamed the Senate in 2023. Among other things, it advises on university academic standards, academic policies, and program approval and review. While business decisions are made by the President in consultation with the Board, the determination that a program meets the academic requirements and standards of the University is that of the Senate.
The following materials provide some additional guidance for existing or incoming members of the Senate (as well as any UCW community member interested in the role and the structures of the Senate):
- Senate Manual – A guide for Senate members at University Canada West outlining their roles, responsibilities and the governance framework in which they operate. It includes key legal foundations such as the Degree Authorization Act and DQAB guidelines, explains how the Senate’s standing committees function (e.g. Academic Planning and Priorities, University Curriculum, etc.) and describes procedural rules (Robert’s Rules of Order) for running meetings and making decisions. The manual aims to help members understand their duties, the structure of academic oversight, and the standards that protect quality, integrity and accountability in the University’s academic affairs.
- Training Materials (require login)
- Orientation Video for Elected Members
- Orientation Video for Committee Chairs
- A brief intro to the Robert’s Rule of Order (the UCW Senate generally uses these rules to run the meetings, see page 22 of the Manual) - Senate Evaluation Report: these are the reports from the UCW Senate Secretariat compiling the annual results of these self-evaluation studies (based on an instrument developed by the Senate at its retreat in Fall 2023):
- Annual Report – 2024
- Annual Report – 2025
