Role
The Arts Faculty Council (AFC) is the Faculty’s Faculty's academic governing body as required under the University Act. The responsibilities of AFC include including the review of proposals related to the creation, change, or discontinuance of programs and courses, the approval of credentials, advising on the priorities of the Faculty and the Faculty budget. AFC frequently invites guests from KPU Leadership or other university bodies to attend meetings, speak about priority issues, and respond to questions.
AFC is a faculty-led body with representatives from all Arts departments. Issues arrive on the AFC agenda through its standing committees, at the request of departmental representatives, and in response to broader developments at KPU.
Membership
- One faculty represented elected from each department within the Faculty, including one representative from interdisciplinary and / or non-aligned programs;
- The Dean and Associate Deans of the Faculty;
- Two student representatives;
- One staff member with instructional duties;
- Senators elected by the Faculty;
- One BA Advisor
Faculty representatives serve three-year terms.
Chair: Dr. Mike Larsen (Criminology) – Mike.Larsen@kpu.ca
Vice Chair: Dr. Kyle Mitchell (Sociology) – Kyle.Mitchell@kpu.ca
Meetings
Arts Faculty Council normally meets once per month, on Fridays (excluding July and August).
A Year in Review
In addition to its routine business, AFC studied a number of policy and procedure issues and forwarded recommendations to the Dean, Senate, and KPU senior leadership. Issues included KPU waitlisting procedures, payroll delays, micro-credentials, tuition relief for students, systemic racism, and KPU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights:
- This year saw AFC devote considerable time to discussing the draft new BA Framework – a process led by the Standing Committee on Academic Planning and Priorities, with regular feedback from AFC during its monthly meetings.
- AFC held multiple fulsome discussions about the White Paper on Research and Scholarship at KPU. We heard diverse views from departmental representatives, Senate representatives, and numerous guests. Representatives discussed the paper with their colleagues and shared written and oral feedback with AFC. Our work on this culminated in June with the passage of several motions on areas of consensus. These motions, along with an overview of our process and a compilation of comments and feedback, have now been sent to Senate for further study and consideration.
- AFC, like the rest of the KPU community, had to adapt to COVID-19 by shifting its work online. We have had several successful online meetings (some with over 30 participants), and we will be using Microsoft Teams for AFC business for the foreseeable future.
Looking Ahead
Heading into the Spring 2021, AFC will continue to focus on the academic implications of KPU’s response to COVID-19. We are also going to be finalizing our work on an Arts Academic Plan, drawing on both the KPU Academic Plan and on feedback from faculty.