Amit Chakma has received valuable input from members of the campus community during his first year as president, which he has used to outline his priorities for the year ahead.
With the opportunities and challenges confronting The University of Western Ontario and post-secondary education – from local, provincial, national and global perspectives – Chakma’s priorities aim to advance Western’s academic mission under five broad areas of strategic importance: leadership, students, research intensiveness/graduate education, financial accountability and community partnership.
“To compete successfully in our increasingly complex and globalized world, we must also work in a more collaborative and interdisciplinary fashion – within the university, across faculties and in partnership with other institutions,” Chakma states in his report to Senate, presented at Friday’s meeting.
Highlights among Chakma’s priorities are:
Students. Among the important elements for enhancing the student experience is increasing the number of international students on campus by continuing to build strong and effective relationships with student leaders on campus, and to identify and act on ways to enhance the Western undergraduate and graduate student experience.
Research intensity/graduate education/post-doctoral studies. Developing and maintaining strong research programs helps attract talented graduate students and post-doctoral scholars. These same individuals help drive discovery and innovation— which ultimately raises Western’s profile on the world stage. Chakma’s goals are to continue to refine/execute graduate expansion plans and expand the professional master’s degree programs.
Financial accountability. Chakma stresses building excellence and creating an environment where all members of the campus community can flourish cannot rely entirely on government funding. Western must become more creative and entrepreneurial in developing new revenue streams. The president seeks to continue realigning the fundraising campaign with academic priorities, developing the next long-range budget cycle in support of institutional aspirations while recognizing the economic challenges facing universities and governments across Ontario and Canada.
Community partnership. While Western intensifies its focus on enhancing its national and global influence, Chakma is well aware Western’s roots and impact run deep in the local community. Working together with community partners, he looks to develop the full potential of the Advanced Manufacturing Park in partnership with the City of London, implement a comprehensive strategy for strengthening government relations at all levels and explore ways to serve and engage Western alumni in an impactful ways.
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Scholastic offenses
With 47 scholastics offenses (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010), the Faculty of Social Science topped the university’s annual list of student violations that included cheating, plagiarism and use of unauthorized items/materials in an exam. Other faculties reporting offenses included Arts and Humanities (28), King’s University College (16), Information & Media Studies (13), Huron University College (12), Science (9), Health Sciences (8), Brescia University College (8), Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (3) and Engineering (1). Ivey, Education, Law and Music reported no scholastic violations. Sanctions ranged from warnings, reprimands and percentage grade reductions to a zero on the assignment/exam and an F on the course.
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New programs
As the world continues to become smaller through innovations and technology, it calls upon socially conscious, globally minded engineers to solve problems. Western Engineering (WE) is tackling this reality by offering the innovative WE Go Global Certificate Program beginning next September.
By augmenting traditional engineering courses with additional specially selected courses in ethics, language and global studies, students will be able to appreciate and understand the impacts of engineering in international cultures. Students enrolled in this program will also participate in a minimum 12-week Global Externship to develop an appreciation for how Canadian or North American engineering principles and solutions may or may not fit into different cultures and environments.
* A collaborative Music Recording Arts (MRA) program between the Don Wright Faculty of Music and Fanshawe College’s Faculty of Media, Arts and Design will be introduced next September. The MRA program is a five-year, integrated program. Successful graduates of the program will receive a Bachelor of Musical Arts (BMusA) degree from Western and a two-year Ontario College Diploma in Music Industry Arts (MIA) from Fanshawe.
* A major in Sexuality Studies will be introduced in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, beginning next September. Sexuality Studies is an interdisciplinary intra-faculty module in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, administered by the Departments of Classical Studies, English, Film Studies, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, and Visual Arts, with the Department of Women’s Studies and Feminist Research as the lead unit.
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Scholarship and Awards
First National Champions Scholarship. Awarded to a full-time student in any year of any degree program at Western, including the Affiliated University Colleges, who is making a significant contribution as a member of the Mustangs football team. Valued at $1,000, the scholarship was established by alumni from the 1959 Western Mustangs football team;
HaakSaan Responsible Journalism Scholarship. Awarded annually to a full-time student in the MA in journalism, the student must demonstrate high integrity and a strong commitment to responsible journalism. Valued at $5,000, the scholarship was established through the Korean Canadian Scholarship Foundation by an anonymous donor, in loving memory of his parents and to promote and enhance social justice, peace and harmony by encouraging highly responsible journalism.