The British Columbia Universities Act of March 1963, which created Simon Fraser University, required the establishment of a University Senate for the management of curriculum, instruction and education. The Act, and its subsequent amendments over the years, specified the membership, duties and powers of the Senate. As of May 2003 Senate is made up of 60 elected and appointed members chosen from faculty, students, staff, convocation, and the community. Senate is responsible for such academic matters as determining requirements for admission; providing for and granting degrees including honorary degrees; recommending to the Board of Governors the establishment or discontinuation of any faculty, department, or course of instruction; awarding fellowships and bursaries; making rules for the management of the library; and providing for the publication of the University calendar.

The President of the University is the chair of the Senate. Senate elects a Vice-Chair annually. The Registrar is the Secretary of Senate according to the University Act, and has delegated to the Director, University Secretariat, the responsibilities for the management of Senate and its committees.

Senate usually meets once a month in open and closed sessions except for August when no meeting is held. Matters for decision are normally brought to Senate through the Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules.

The first meeting of the SFU Senate was held November 29, 1965. In 1967, Senate voted to allow three student representatives--a move hailed as a first for a Canadian university. In 1968, in another precedent-setting decision, Senate admitted observers to its open sessions.

For further information on Senate membership, committees, duties, powers, and rules, see the appendix to this finding aid which contains a print out from the Senate web page, or consult the web page itself for the most current information at http://www.reg.sfu.ca/Senate/

The Department of Psychology was one of the original departments of the Faculty of Arts when the University opened in 1965. It offered courses in general experimental and applied psychology to undergraduate students based upon recommendations of the Canadian and American Psychological Associations. The Department also offered graduate work leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees.

The department functioned through a number of committees which varied over the years. In 1978, for example they included the Undergraduate Studies Committee, Graduate Studies Committee, Space and Equipment Committee, Appointments Committee, Graduate Admissions Committee, Colloquium Committee, Applied/Clinical Committee, Departmental Tenure Committee, and the University Human Experimental Committee.

The department expanded steadily from its inception. By 1979 there were 25 faculty members offering 60 undergraduate courses and 48 graduate courses. Enrollment comprised 550 undergraduate students and 57 graduate students.

The Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics was established by the Board of Governors in 1965 under the name of the Department of Modern Languages. The Department was responsible, through its Head, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the discipline of languages and linguistics. Initially, the Department offered a B.A. program in four language divisions— French, German, Russian, and Spanish— or in linguistics. In 1966, a M.A. in Linguistics was introduced, followed in 1967 by a Ph.D. program. The curricula developed and expanded steadily and by 1970, language courses consisted of three sections: the language itself, linguistics, and literature. While the French and Spanish programs expanded, the German and Russian divisions had smaller enrollments and faculty allocations were reduced. In 1974, an M.A. (Teaching French) program was added and in 1980 the French Language Training Centre was opened. In 1978, the Department was renamed Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, and in 1989 it was disbanded. Upon its dissolution, the Department was replaced by the Departments of French, Linguistics, and Spanish and Latin American Studies. All other language instruction, including Chinese, Hindi, Italian, Latin, and Swahili, was moved to the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies in the Faculty of Arts.

The Department was initially organized administratively into a Chair, four sub-departments or divisions (French, German, Russian, and Spanish), and a number of standing committees. The Chair was the chief administrative officer, whose responsibilities included the management of the operational budget; faculty tenure, promotion and salary recommendations; teaching assignments; and representation of the Department to external bodies. While the Chair had overall responsibility to the Department and the Dean of Arts for the efficient operation of the Department, most decisions were made at the committee level with major issues referred to departmental meetings. The Departmental Assistant was responsible for much of the day-to-day administration of the Department, which included the management of the departmental budget, the scheduling of courses, the provision of liaison with administrative offices, and advising students.

The number and composition of departmental committees varied over time. In 1966, there were eleven committees, including the Departmental Advisory, Scholarship, Library, Graduate Studies, Curriculum, Journal, Promotions, Projects, Amerindian, Teaching Experiments and Textbook, and Laboratory committees. There were also departmental meetings under the name of the Plenary committee. By 1969, the number of committees had been reduced to four, including the Committee of Chairmen, Graduate Studies, Tenure, and Salaries. The number of divisions within the Department had also expanded to five to include Linguistics, and each of these bodies conducted its own meetings under the leadership of a director who reported to the departmental chair. At the time of an external review in 1975, the significant change to the committees structure was the addition of a Committee of Chairmen -- consisting of the Department Chair, the Departmental Assistant, the five divisional directors, and the chair of the Graduate Studies committee -- and Tenure, Promotion, and Salaries committees. Throughout its history, the Department formed ad hoc committees when required.

The Department of English was established by the Board of Governors in April 1964, and began to offer courses within the Faculty of Arts at the Bachelor level when the University opened in 1965. The Department's offerings were expanded with the addition in 1966 of a Master's program and in 1974 with the approval of a Ph.D. program. The Department was responsible, through its Head, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the field of composition and English-language literature. An adjunct to this function was its responsibility to help in the development and instruction in non-departmental programs such as Women's Studies, Fine and Performing Arts, Canadian Studies, and the Humanities minor program.

The Department's activities included participation in University and external associations and committees, and the organization of and participation in conferences. Several faculty members were involved in the publication of literary journals. These include West Coast Review, which began in 1965 and later became independent of the Department; Line, edited by Roy Miki and devoted to the University's Contemporary Literature Collection; and Tessera, a feminist journal edited by Kathy Mezei. In 1990, West Coast Review and Line were joined to form West Coast Line.

The Department was administered by a chair and a number of standing committees, as laid down in a Department constitution in 1968. In the formalized Department Constitution approved 1 August 1975, the Chair was responsible for the overall administration of the Department, which included "The devising and apportioning of the budget; The assignment of teaching duties, with the advice of the Graduate and Undergraduate Curriculum Committees; Calling and conducting Departmental meetings; Mediating all disputes within the Department; [and] Initiating course grade appeal procedures."

The number of Department committees changed greatly over time. In 1965 the Department consisted of five standing committees which had an advisory role: Curriculum (ad hoc), Appointments, Promotions and Salary Increases, Library, and Invited Speakers. There were also loosely organized committees of those teaching each first- and second-year course, usually chaired by the lecturer. By 1968 the number of committees had expanded to ten to include: the Policy Committee; Steering Committee, which was the chief advisory body to the Chair; Honours Committee; Teaching Evaluation Committee; Student Load Committee; Search and Selection Committee; Graduate Admissions Committee; Undergraduate Studies Committee; and West Coast Review, responsible for the publication of the journal.

In the Constitution of 1975, it stated that the Department would consist of four elected and two non-elected standing committees. Those elected committees included the Graduate Curriculum Committee, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Departmental Tenure Committee, and the Appointments Committee. Those appointed committees included the Library and Invited Speakers committees. After 1975, a Composition Committee was also struck.

The Department of Women's Studies at SFU has its roots in the political climate on campus during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some students and faculty expressed a desire to participate in research on women and the development of feminist theory. In the fall of 1971, the first course to focus on women—Geography 404: the Geography of Gender—was offered to 40 students. At the same time, SFU faculty members began to develop and participate in a series of non-credit courses relating to women's issues. As a result of the success of both Geography 404 and these non-credit courses, a proposal for a Women's Studies program was drafted. In 1975 this proposal was presented by Andrea Lebowitz and Margaret Benston to Senate and approved.

The Women's Studies program was established within the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, and offered its first course in 1976. The program was administered by the Women's Studies Coordinating Committee, which was responsible for hiring, course development, and other administrative details. The Coordinating Committee was composed of Women's Studies faculty members, elected student representatives, and associated faculty teaching in the program.

In 1985, when the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies was eliminated, the Women's Studies program was placed in the Faculty of Arts within the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. Also in the 1980s, the Ruth Wynn Woodward Endowed Chair in Women's Studies was founded, a role that includes teaching, public speaking engagements, the organization of conferences, and the invitation of distinguished speakers. And, in 1985, the MA program was established and admitted its first students.

The 1990s brought further developments: the introduction of a certificate program in 1990; departmental status in 1991; the offering of joint majors, with English in 1991 and with Psychology in 1992; and the approval of Women's Studies as a major in 1994. Political Science and Sociology/Anthropology joint majors were added in 1997.

In 2000, the department introduced a course-based MA, followed by additional joint majors with Criminology, History, and Humanities in 2001. A PhD program was established in 2004, and a Gender Studies minor was added to the undergraduate program in the same year. By 2007-2008, there were 775 students enrolled in Women's Studies undergraduate programs and courses, with a further 23 students in the MA and PhD programs. As of 2008, there are six full-time faculty members, four faculty who are jointly appointed with another department, eight faculty from other departments who serve as associate members of the department, three professors emeritae, one adjunct faculty member, and one endowed professor. Three staff members are also employed by the department.

The Faculty of Arts was one of the three founding faculties of the University established in September 1965, as required by the Universities Act, 1963. c.52 (RS 1979, c. 419). According to the Act, a faculty has a number of powers and duties, including the responsibility to make rules for its self-governance; provide for student representation in faculty bodies and meetings; determine the courses of instruction offered and who is eligible to provide such instruction; appoint examiners to conduct examinations and determine results; and decide on all applications and memorials by students and others in connection with the Faculty. In addition to these powers, a faculty is the central intermediary body through which funding is disbursed to departments and non-departmental programs, including the provision of facilities, equipment and support. In keeping with the overall approach of the University, the Faculty of Arts has sought from its inception to foster interdisciplinary research and teaching.

The Faculty is organized administratively into a Dean of Arts, Associate Dean, and a number of faculty committees, including the committee of the whole. The Dean, as the chief officer and chair of the faculty committee, is responsible for ensuring that the varied duties and responsibilities of the Faculty are carried out. The position of Associate Dean, established in 1966, has been responsible for space allotment, the appointment of sessional staff, the coordination of curriculum development in graduate and undergraduate programs, advice to the Dean on specific matters, and to take the role of Acting Dean when required.

The number and composition of faculty standing committees has changed little over time. Those committees which have existed since the inception of the University include Academic Planning, Curriculum, Dean's Advisory, Graduate Studies, and Tenure. The Faculty has also had a number of ad hoc committees, which were numerous during the first developmental years of the Faculty. These included the Departmental Review and Grading committees.

The Faculty of Education was one of the three founding faculties of Simon Fraser University and began operations in September 1965 with the opening of the university. As of this writing (May 2008), it continues as an active faculty with a mandate to engage in research and scholarly inquiry, advance knowledge, and improve the practice of teaching and the learning experience.

The Faculty of Education was founded with a broad mandate. In addition to courses relating to education and the teacher-certification Professional Development Program (PDP), the faculty was also responsible for instruction in the fine and performing arts, campus arts programming, campus recreational services, and intercollegiate athletics. This broad scope was reflected in the original structure of the faculty, which was organized into three distinct Centres, each with their own departments. (i) The Physical Development Centre included the departments of Physical Development Studies, Athletics, and Recreational Services. (ii) The Centre for Communications and the Arts was responsible for courses in fine and performing arts and communication studies, and provided a range of non-credit courses and public-events programming. (iii) The Educational Foundations Centre offered courses through the departments of Behavioural Sciences Foundations, Social and Philosophical Foundations, and Professional Foundations.

Re-organization occurred in 1970. The Centre for Communications and the Arts moved out of the faculty to become a separate unit for arts programming and non-credit instruction. Communication Studies remained within the faculty, moving to the Educational Foundations Centre. Athletics and Recreational Services merged, separated from the Physical Development Centre and left the faculty. Professional Foundations moved out of the Educational Foundations Centre to become its own Centre.

This new arrangement did not last long, and in 1972 the faculty abolished the entire structure based on centres and departments. Physical Development Studies (renamed Kinesiology) and Communication Studies moved out of Education to become academic departments in the newly established Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies. The Faculty of Education became a unitary body with functional divisions for Undergraduate Programs, Graduate Programs and Professional Programs. Professors were now affiliated to the faculty as a whole, able to cross over different program areas. Two further divisions were later added. Field Relations and Teacher In-Service was established in 1994 for professional development programs for BC school teachers and administrators (renamed Field Programs in 1998). International Programs was created in 2000 for coordinating the faculty's many internationalization activities. In both cases, the new divisions did not represent the accrual of a new function as such, but rather provided a more coherent organizational structure for activities and programs that were already underway in the faculty.

Administratively, the faculty is headed by the Dean of Education, assisted since 1983 by an Associate Dean. The Dean originally reported directly to the President, but since 1970 has reported to the Vice-President, Academic whose office was established in that year. The number and composition of the faculty's committees has varied over time. The Faculty Meeting has always been the principal governing forum, while the Executive Committee prepares matters for the Faculty Meeting, makes recommendations, and reviews and coordinates the activities of the different program areas. Each program area is headed by a Director, with program committees that review and make recommendations relating to the program as a whole.

Since the 1972 re-organization, teaching in the Faculty of Education focuses on provision of Education courses to undergraduate and graduate students; teacher certification through the Professional Development Program (PDP); and professional development activities for in-service teachers. From 1965, the faculty has offered degrees for the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), the Master of Arts (Education) (M.A.) and Master of Science (Education) (M.Sc.). The Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) were offered from 1983, and the Doctor of Education (D.Ed.) was added in 1998. Teaching is carried out by faculty members, assisted in the PDP program by faculty associates and program coordinators (teachers in the BC school system seconded to assist in teaching and classroom supervision activities). Since the early 1970s, decentralization has allowed PDP students to complete part of their requirements in communities across the provinces, as well providing in-service professional development activities beyond the Lower Mainland region.

See fonds Appendix B for a visual representation of the Faculty of Education's organizational structure and how this has changed over time.

The Faculty of Business Administration has its origin in the Department of Economics and Commerce that was established in February 1964 by the Board of Governors. The Department was responsible for promoting research and the development and delivery of economics and commerce programs.

In 1968 the Department of Economics and Commerce began offering a Master of Business Administration program (one of the oldest in Canada). In September 1979 the Department underwent a reorganization and was subsumed by the new School of Business Administration and Economics in the Faculty of Arts. The School consisted of the Department of Business Administration and the Department of Economics. Each school had their own chair, faculty and support staff. In November 1981 the School was dissolved into two separate entities. The Department of Economics remained as part of the Faculty of Arts while the Department of Business Administration was restructured as the Faculty of Business Administration, reporting to the Vice-President, Academic. Later, the Faculty established a Dean's External Advisory Board comprised of industry professionals who provide expertise, guidance, and direction in supporting relevant education and research focused on the changing needs of business and the economy.

The Faculty of Business Administration offers undergraduate, graduate (MBA), and Ph.D. programs in cooperation with various faculties. Curriculum concentrations include accounting, finance, international business, marketing, management information systems, management and organizational studies, policy analysis, and technology and operations management. The structure of undergraduate program allows students to combine academic studies with cooperative and intern work opportunities, and student exchange agreements are in place with business schools throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. The Faculty also offers non-credit programs at the director, executive and management levels. The undergraduate business program is offered at both the Burnaby and Surrey campuses, while the Segal Graduate School of Business - located in downtown Vancouver - officially opened in May 2006 as the site of the Faculty's MBA and graduate programs.

The Faculty of Business Administration is also home to a number of different research institutes and centres that enable faculty to be involved in a range of research activities. In 1990 the W.J. VanDusen B.C. Business Studies Institute was established and funds research on issues relevant to B.C. industry and government and supports an executive-in-residence program and special public lectures. In 2000 the Time Business Centre opened to support research, teaching, and innovation in technology and management partnerships between Simon Fraser university and technology based businesses. In 2005 the CMA Centre for Strategic Change and Performance Management and the CIBC Centre for Corporate Governance and Risk Management opened. As of 2006 corporate support is also being sought for additional research centres including the Centre for Technology and Innovation, the Centre for Building Sustainable Enterprises, and the Centre for Global Asset and Wealth Management.

The Faculty of Business Administration has achieved international accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and, as of 2006, is in the process of acquiring European Quality Improvement System (EFMD Equis) accreditation.

The Kelowna School of Resource Management (KSRM) was a proposed school that Simon Fraser University intended to establish in British Columbia's Interior, offering an undergraduate degree program based on core courses in natural and social sciences and in techniques of resource management and planning. The project was never realized.

Planning began in 1977 as part of SFU's response to the provincial government's Commission on University Programs in Non-Metropolitan Areas (Winegard Commission). The province's degree-program approval authority at that time – the Universities Council of British Columbia (UCBC) – gave approval in principle to SFU's proposal in early 1978. By August the university had appointed John M. Munro (then SFU's Dean of Arts) as the School's first Director, and KSRM began recruiting faculty. The curriculum was designed to provide undergraduate instruction for third- and fourth-year students who had already completed their first two years at community colleges in the province or at other universities. KSRM was to begin operations in September 1979, using facilities on the campus of Okanagan College.

In February 1979 UCBC reversed its earlier decision and rejected the proposal, citing several factors: lack of professional infrastructure at SFU; the employability of graduates; the professional qualifications of graduates; the need for a permanent building; and the financial requirement of $1 million annually. SFU contested each point of the rationale but was unable to overturn the decision. All planning activities were discontinued and the School dissolved. Its Director, Professor Munro, returned to SFU's Department of Economics and Commerce; in June 1979 he became SFU's Vice-President, Academic.

The Canadian Studies program developed from a series of informal meetings among a group of interested faculty members in late 1969 and early 1970. Subsequently representatives from eight departments and the library drafted a proposal for a Canadian Studies program within the Division of General Studies (later the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies). Course offerings began in the fall of 1971. The program was intended to provide a corrective for the lack of Canadian content being offered in the University and to provide a focus for interdisciplinary study.

By 1978, the University had appointed a full-time director for the program. The director was advised by a Steering Committee with one member from each department in the University which offered courses acceptable for credit towards the minor in Canadian Studies. The Steering Committee also included representatives from the Faculty of Education, the library, and the Student Society.

In 1980, the program was redesignated as the Centre for Canadian Studies, and offered students a major and honours in Canadian Studies. In addition, the Centre developed a French Canadian Studies Certificate Program.

Upon the dissolution of the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies in 1985, the Centre for Canadian Studies became part of the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies within the Faculty of Arts.

The School of Criminology was established under the name of the Department of Criminology by the Board of Governors in February 1975. In 1984, it was renamed the School of Criminology. The School is responsible, through its Director, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the field of Criminology. The first director, Dr. Ezzat Fattah, set out the goals of the Criminology program, which included the mission to contribute to public education and public enlightenment about crime and justice through the dissemination of scientific, unbiased information; accelerate the shaping of a fair, rational and responsive criminal justice system; promote understanding and co-operation between people in the social, legal and behavioral sciences, in and outside the University, through an interdisciplinary and integrative approach, through team teaching and team research, and; contribute in various ways to social development and social reform.

In December 1972, a faculty ad hoc committee recommended that graduate and undergraduate programs in Criminology be established and incorporated within the Division of General Studies. In August 1973, the Senate resolved to accept this recommendation. In 1974, Criminology was established as a program within the new Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, before becoming a full department the next year. In 1985, the School left the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies to become a departmental unit within the Faculty of Arts.

In 1978 the School added an M.A. program to its offerings, followed in 1984 by the addition of a Ph.D. program. In meeting its research and instruction mandates, the School has sponsored the Criminology Research Centre, whose management committee consists of members of the department. The School has also taken part in the University's Directed Independent Study Course (DISC) Program, recruiting its first Distance Education Coordinator in 1979 and offering its first DIS course in 1980. In May 1981, The Universities Council of B.C. approved the establishment of Certificate Programs (General and Advanced) in Criminology, comprised of a variety of home study courses. The School also sponsors conferences on various topics, and members of the department have attended conferences elsewhere.

The School has been organized administratively into a Director, Associate Directors, and a number of standing committees. The Director is the chief administrative officer, whose responsibilities include the management of the operational budget; faculty tenure, promotion and salary recommendations; teaching assignments; and representation of the School to external bodies. The Director reported, until 1985, directly to the Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies. The Associate Directors have been responsible for space allotment, the appointment of sessional staff, the coordination of curriculum development in graduate and undergraduate programs, and advice to the Director on specific matters. The Departmental Assistant is responsible for much of the day-to-day administration of the School, including the management of the departmental budget, the scheduling of courses, the provision of liaison with administrative offices, and advising students.

The number and composition of departmental committees has varied over time. Long-standing committees include the Undergraduate and Graduate Curriculum Committees. The School also struck various ad hoc committees when required, including those on Field Practices, Planning and Co-ordinating; Statistics; and Legal Studies.

TRIUMF is Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, operated as a joint venture by a consortium of universities. Its facilities support both pure and applied research and include the particle accelerator (cyclotron) and the Isotope Separation and ACceleration (ISAC) facility.

The idea of building a cyclotron in western Canada was first conceived by Dr. J.R. Richardson on Galiano Island in 1962. Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria collaborated on a proposal in 1966 for the Tri-University Meson Facility (TRIUMF). The University of Alberta joined the group and TRIUMF was formally established by the four universities in 1968 with funding from the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB).

The early years of TRIUMF were primarily concerned with the planning, design and construction of the facility on the campus of UBC, and on February 9, 1976 it was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Canda, Pierre Trudeau. In the same year the four founding universities signed a Letter of Agreement with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), to provide on-going core operational funding. The organization was formally constituted as a Joint Venture between the four universities in November 1981. A number of other Canadian universities are affiliated with TRIUMF as Associate Members, while Carleton University and the University of Toronto became Joint Venture members around 2003-2004. Although owned by the consortium, TRIUMF has always made its facilities available to other Canadian and foreign researchers.

TRIUMF is governed by a Board of Management which comprises individuals drawn from its Joint Venture and Associate Member universities and which is responsible for policy, budget, and fund-raising. TRIUMF is administered by a Director, assisted by a number of Advisory Committees, whose number and composition has varied over the years. The organization is internally structured into a number of divisions which have also changed over time through periodic reorganizations.