Admissions and Awards

Why SAAC?

SAAC’s varied responsibilities make it an interesting and important committee on which to serve.

• SAAC is populated with thoughtful, intelligent, and dedicated students, Faculty members, and senior administrators, whose knowledge, compassion, experience, and dedication to the well-being of students and the university make serving with them an honour and a pleasure.
• SAAC’s influence on items such as enrolment targets, admissions policies and appeals, student financial awards, and student mobility agreements, impact the entire campus.

SAAC is charged with the rather heavy responsibility of adjudicating student admission appeals but SAAC also gets to review and recommend for approval a myriad of student financial awards and other initiatives that support student success.

For consistency in scheduling, all SAAC meetings are typically scheduled to occur (via Zoom) on a Monday 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm, except where the Monday falls on a statutory holiday, in which case the SAAC meeting is generally scheduled for the next day (Tuesday).

October – May

• SAAC generally meets monthly, ideally 1-2 weeks prior to Senate Agenda Committee, for consideration of ‘regular business’ [i.e., all items listed under Why Does SAAC Exist (Formal Terms of Reference) except ‘Appeals of Admissions/Readmissions Decisions’ and ‘Appeals of Transfer Credit Decisions’]
• Each meeting agenda typically includes several new/revised awards, generally with minimal points of contention.

June – September

• SAAC generally meets bi-weekly, only for consideration of ‘Appeals of Admissions/Readmissions Decisions’ and ‘Appeals of Transfer Credit Decisions’ [see Why Does SAAC Exist (Formal Terms of Reference)]
• Generally no ‘regular business’ [i.e., all other items listed under Why Does SAAC Exist (Formal Terms of Reference) except ‘Appeals of Admissions/Readmissions Decisions’ and ‘Appeals of Transfer Credit Decisions’]

Why Does SAAC Exist? (Formal Terms of Reference)

• Responsible for recommending the following to Senate:

• Admission and transfer policies;
• Campus, Faculty, degree program, and yearly enrolment targets for new and continuing students;
• Awards policy and approval.

• Delegated authority over the following by Senate:

• Appeals of Admissions/Readmissions decisions (decisions made on appeals brought before the Committee are reported to Senate for information on an annual basis)* bi-weekly meetings during summer months (June-Sept);
• Approval of student exchange agreements with other institutions for Okanagan campus;
• Appeals of transfer credit decisions* bi-weekly meetings during summer months (June-Sept);
• Consideration of applications for admission and transfer that are not clearly resolvable under the policies governing admission; and,
• Approval of non-substantive or editorial changes to existing admission requirements (approved by Senate, January 2016)

2020-2023 Triennium Highlights

During the 2020-2023 Triennium, SAAC considered, and recommended to Senate for approval, the following [consistent with Why Does SAAC Exist (Formal Terms of Reference)]:

1. Revisions to admission policies for existing programs (both at the undergraduate level and the graduate level), as well as creation of admission policies for new programs (including Indigenous language fluency programs).

• Implemented as an element of the UBC Okanagan’s Declaration of Truth and Reconciliation Commitments, Indigenous language fluency programs are a part of the university’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action.
• In 2021, UBC Okanagan became the first university in Canada to offer a bachelor’s degree in Indigenous language fluency. The Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency program is designed to provide a comprehensive and high- quality education in Nsyilxcn – the language spoken by members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation – and to promote new, fluent speakers with a deep understanding of the language, culture, and customs.https://ok.ubc.ca/about/milestones/ubco-launches-indigenous-language-fluency- degree/
• In June 2023, the Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency program celebrated its first graduates at UBC Okanagan https://globalnews.ca/news/9736699/nsyilxcn- language-fluency-graduation-ubc-okanagan/
• During the 2020-2023 Triennium, two additional Indigenous language fluency programs were also approved: Bachelor of NłeɁkepmx Language Fluency and Bachelor of St’át’imc Language Fluency.

2. Annual Enrolment Targets for new and continuing students (domestic and international).

• There has been increased scrutiny of enrolment targets, with concern regarding under-funding on the Okanagan campus. University administration has indicated increased effort in advocating for both a revised budget model (internally across the UBC system) and increased government funding (specifically for graduate students at UBCO).

3. Several new and revised awards, ultimately providing financial support for students.

• Awards recommended by SAAC are commonly approved by Senate with minimal points of contention.

During the 2020-2023 Triennium, SAAC considered – under the authority delegated to it by Senate – the following [consistent with Why Does SAAC Exist (Formal Terms of Reference)]:

1. Appeals of Admissions/Readmissions Decisions.

• For the Okanagan campus, appeals rarely occur from October to May, so appeals are most commonly considered during summer months (June to September), with bi-weekly meetings of SAAC in effort to achieve timeliness of decisions and to manage the number of appeals heard at each appeals meeting.
• Smaller quorum of 3 members is required for Appeals (versus 6 members for ‘regular business’).

2. Approval of student exchange agreements (a.k.a. student mobility agreements) with other institutions for Okanagan campus.

• It has recently come to SAAC’s attention that there is currently a significant back-log of student mobility agreements (~75?) requiring renewal and approval. University administration has indicated that intentional and focused efforts are being made to achieve process improvements within the UBC system to: get a better handle on magnitude of the back-log; implement more effective processes for tracking timing of expiration of agreements; and, more effectively coordinate efforts between the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses to achieve efficiencies and prevent such back-logs in the future.
• The UBCO Provost Office has been in discussion with SAAC in effort to achieve balance between catching up on back-log (to ensure the Okanagan campus and its students are not disadvantaged) and achieving practical and sustainable process.

3. Appeals of transfer credit decisions

• For the Okanagan campus, these types of appeals are extremely rare, and it is expected such appeals would likely be considered during Appeals meetings in summer months (see above).

4. Consideration of applications for admission and transfer that are not clearly resolvable under the policies governing admission.

• Such applications are extremely rare.

5. Approval of non-substantive or editorial changes to existing admission requirements (approved by Senate, January 2016).

• The UBC Office of the Senate provides guidance regarding which revisions to admission requirements/policies are ‘non-substantive or editorial’ for which decision may be made by SAAC (under the authority delegated to it by Senate) versus which revisions are substantive enough to warrant full Senate approval following SAAC consideration [see above].

Looking Forward: 2023-2026 Triennium

At this time, it is anticipated that SAAC’s work during the 2023-2026 Triennium will be similar to the work summarized above as undertaken during the 2020-2023 Triennium.

A strong collegial, respectful, and highly productive working relationship has been established between the current SAAC Chair and Vice-Chair.

• We are optimistic a similar relationship will be maintained (if current roles continue) and/or developed (if/as there may be change in roles), as it has proven to support consistency and smooth operations of SAAC – both during meetings and behind the scenes during preparation for (and follow-up of) meetings.
• A strong collegial, respectful, and highly productive working relationship has been established among SAAC members, with strong participation, thoughtful engagement, and constructive debate during SAAC meetings.
• We are optimistic similar relationships will be maintained for the benefit of the university and for the personal sense of fulfilment of SAAC members whose service is greatly valued.

We are optimistic to see continued improvements in the following areas for SAAC:

1. Scheduling (and Logistics) of SAAC Meetings

• Great progress has been made in recent year in context of scheduling of SAAC meetings for logical placement within timeline for Senate Agenda Committee meetings.
  • This will require continued intentional focus for timeliness of SAAC- approved items to get to full Senate.
  • Pre-scheduling of Appeals meetings (June-Sept), with Outlook Calendar invitations sent well in advance, has proven to be highly effective in mitigating historic challenges regarding quorum.
• Great progress has also been made in recent year in context of timeliness of distribution of meeting packages to provide SAAC members more reasonable time (target: 1 week) to consider materials in advance of SAAC meetings.
• Stricter submission cut-off deadlines for proponents are arguably promoting better ‘habits’ and have not appeared to create much push-back.
• There has been noticeable improvement in both time management and discussion clarity during SAAC meetings when SAAC members have been provided more reasonable time (target: 1 week) to consider materials in advance of SAAC meetings.
• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SAAC meetings transitioned to online (via Zoom).
  • Preference of SAAC members has been to retain virtual meetings (via Zoom), with feedback that these meetings have been considered both effective and efficient.
  • Virtual meetings (via Zoom) have proven to be particularly effective in mitigating historical challenges regarding quorum for Appeals meetings during summer months (June – September).
  • If considering a change to either in-person or hybrid meetings, careful consideration should be given to corresponding logistics and potential impact on ability to achieve quorum.

2. Annual Enrolment Targets

• A revised budget model (internally across the UBC system) and increased government funding (specifically for graduate students at UBCO) would go a long way to alleviating the concerns regarding enrolment targets in context of under-funding on the Okanagan campus.

3. Awards

• Continued progress toward gender-neutral wording for new and revised awards will be welcome.

4. Student Mobility Agreements

• We are optimistic that process improvements will be achieved within the UBC system to: get a better handle on the back-log of student mobility agreements requiring renewal and approval; implement more effective processes for tracking timing of expiration of agreements; and, more effectively coordinate efforts between the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses to achieve efficiencies and prevent such back-logs in the future.
• We are optimistic the UBCO Provost Office will continue to maintain open lines of communication with SAAC in effort to achieve balance between catching up on back-log (to ensure the Okanagan campus and its students are not disadvantaged) and achieving practical and sustainable process.

Finally, we remain optimistic to see continued advocacy for improved resourcing for the UBC Office of the Senate, to support not only SAAC but all committees of Senate as well as Senate as a whole.