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Vice-President Academic and Provost

Faculty of Health

Udpated: May 6, 2024 (originally published May 9, 2023)

The Faculty of Health will be established on May 1, 2024 and will become operational on May 1, 2025.

At their March 1, 2024 meeting, Senate voted unanimously in favour of moving the motion to establish a Faculty of Health. The ad-hoc Senate Committee on Academic Health Programming brought forward an omnibus motion, comprised of 26 parts. On March 26, the Board of Governors also unanimously approved the motion.

This new faculty will enhance our health profile by highlighting our strengths in health education, training and research and providing a stronger external profile to attract students, faculty, research chairs and partners. The intention is to lift up all faculties across the university while also serving vital community needs, including through Indigenous-led scholarship and addressing systemic barriers to healthcare.

Programs

The Faculty of Health will be established on May 1, 2024 but would not become operational until the following year. The following schools are confirmed to be part of the Faculty of Health for May 1, 2025:

  • Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education
  • Health Information Science
  • Medical Sciences*
  • Nursing
  • Public Health and Social Policy
  • Social Work

*The Division of Medical Sciences will become a school

At their May meeting, Senate voted unanimously in favour of proposals for UVic's Clinical Psychology and Counselling Psychology programs. The proposals will proceed to the Board of Governors for approval on May 28, 2024.

Three Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD) schools not bound for the Faculty of Health will migrate to other faculties, also on May 1, 2025, and HSD will be disestablished:

  • Child and Youth Care, Faculty of Education
  • Indigenous Governance, Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences

Opportunities

UVic has a compelling and timely opportunity to strengthen our health profile—delivering essential programs, training professionals and conducting community-relevant research here on Vancouver Island.

The vision supports a health structure that external stakeholders will see and recognize. It will be transformative for UVic in many positive ways, including with respect to:

  • interdisciplinary research, teaching and work;
  • engagement with the community on population health, Indigenous health and other priority areas;
  • student recruitment, including graduate students and post-docs; and
  • faculty and staff recruitment and collaboration. 

As well, it has the potential to generate more donor funds, sponsored research and government support, including for academic expansions.

Ad-hoc Senate committee

As per the BC University Act, final approval for a faculty rests with the Board of Governors on the recommendation of Senate. An ad-hoc Senate committee chaired by the Deputy Provost has been leading this initiative since June 2023, including identifying and consulting with stakeholders, moving through the approval processes, and developing communications.

Terms of Reference for the Committee - 2023
160KB PDF file

Senate Committee on Academic Health Programming

  • Helga Hallgrímsdóttir, Deputy Provost (ex-officio and Chair)*
  • Elizabeth Adjin-Tettey, Associate Vice-President Academic Programs (ex-officio)*
  • Carrie Andersen, University Secretary (ex-officio)
  • Vanessa Andreotti, Dean, Faculty of Education (ex-officio as of July 1)*
  • Lisa Bourque Bearskin, School of Nursing (VP Indigenous nominee)*

  • Tony Eder, Associate Vice-President Academic Resource Planning (ex-officio)

  • Lindsay Gagel, Director, Academic Communications and Projects (ex-officio)
  • Lois Harder, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences (ex-officio)*
  • Robin Hicks, Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies (ex-officio)*
  • Fraser Hof, Associate Vice-President Research (ex-officio)*
  • Sandra Hundza, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education (Senate nominee)*
  • Cole Kennedy, Department of Psychology (graduate student representative)*
  • Darryl Knight, Providence Health Care (Presidential nominee)*
  • Nathan Lachowsky, Associate Dean Research, Faculty of HSD (ex-officio)*
  • Peter Loock, Dean, Faculty of Science (ex-officio)*
  • Anastasia Mallidou, School of Nursing (Senate nominee as of March 1, 2024)*
  • Simon Minshall, School of Health Information Science (Senate nominee)*
  • Nathaniel Sukhdeo, Faculty of Law (undergraduate student representative)*

  • Wendy Taylor, A/University Registrar (ex-officio)

  • Bruce Wright, Head, Division of Medical Sciences (ex-officio)*
  • Ashley Fitterer, Senior Project Officer (support)

*Voting

Process

This is a consultative, collegial and transparent process, with faculty, staff and students empowered to participate in consultations towards enhanced collaborations, connections and scholarship.

Project phases

The project will have at least three distinct phases:

  • Phase 1 (September 2023 to March 2024) - consulting and determining an initial set of recommendations to Senate regarding the foundational programs and units, a draft rationale, a name, and interim appointment procedures for the dean, culminating with an omnibus motion to Senate and the Board of Governors.
  • Phase 2 (March 2024 to fall 2024) - additional consultations, refining the rationale and organizational structure, and the launching of parallel processes outside of Senate's scope (e.g., labour relations, operations, etc.), including to support transitions and individuals impacted by change. May include additional Senate motions.
  • Phase 3 (fall 2024 to 2025) - the scope of phase 3 will be determined during phase 2, with the new dean, and could include new or continued parallel processes. It's important to note that, as per the University Act, faculties have agenda to determine their own vision and strategic priorities.

Project milestones

Working groups and parallel processes

Given the scope of the work, it will be necessary to break into working groups to advance this work in an inclusive and timely way. The following working groups have been formed:

  • Health Survey Working Group (July-September 2023)
  • Indigenous Wellness Working Group (September 2023-present)
  • Senate Timeline Working Group (October 2023-January 2024)

There are parallel processes that are outside of Senate’s jurisdiction and that are meaningful to the work. Processes underway include:

  • Health Futures Institute - led by VPRI
  • Academic Program Expansions (of existing programs) - led by VPAC

Parallel processes outside of Senate's scope during phase 2 and/or phase 3 will include labour relations and human resources, including supporting faculty who request to move to another unit as per the Collective Agreement process. We also expect to address budget and space considerations in phase 2 or 3. There will also be a considerable amount of work for the Office of the Registrar and Enrolment Management.

Resources & FAQs

This proposal is connected to our university plans and direction, and in particular the new strategic plan and Aspiration 2030. It will be important to ensure any changes align with the Equity Action Plan and, once launched, the new Indigenous plan (for example, through increasing access and opportunities for systemically and historically marginalized groups). We need to ensure we have the structures in place to respond to community needs and find solutions to current and emerging crises.

  • In BC and across Canada there is urgent need for health care professionals and community health and wellness supports.
  • The BC Government is interested in expanding opportunities for health education to address urgent needs in BC communities across the province. They have indicated their willingness to fund new seats in medicine, nursing, and allied health professions such as social work, health information science, public health, health administration and leadership, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology.
  • It will be important for us to establish our strengths in health and wellness and their connection to community to remain competitive with other Canadian universities.

This proposal is not motivated by budget and we do not anticipate needing any new resources, as we are not creating a net-new faculty. Instead, we are re-imagining how we can reorganize existing academic units and programs. This means we will have no additional Deans than we currently do.

While this initiative may have positive resource implications and savings through centralizing or sharing resources, it is not a primary motivation for change. That said, this proposal also has the potential to generate revenue through enhanced student recruitment, government-funded program expansions, research grants and donor funding.

The process to determine and move budgets will happen as part of a parallel process co-led by VPAC and VPFO during phase 2 or 3.

The Committee heard through the campus-wide survey that it will be important to “right size” faculties as we work to create a Faculty of Health.

There is no formula for a "right" size, but there are considerations and comparisons that can be helpful. For example, number of schools and departments, number of undergraduate programs, number of graduate programs, number of faculty members, number of enrolled students, student-to-faculty ratio, and/or budget and resources. To support an informed vote, the Committee presented Senate with some of this information at a special meeting on Feb. 9, 2024 and again on March 1, 2024.

Faculty of Health (as of March 1, 2024):

  • Number of schools: 6
  • Number of faculty: 104.1 FTE
  • Approximate number of students: 1,850 FTE
  • Student-faculty ratio: 17.7

See the organizational chart (March 2024).

When the Committee began their work, there were no predetermined outcomes and no departments, schools or programs yet identified to be included in the new faculty. Through consultations, the Committee recommended to Senate, and Senate approved, the following schools be included in the Faculty of Health:

  • Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education
  • Health Information Science
  • Medical Sciences
  • Nursing
  • Public Health and Social Policy
  • Social Work

The process for determining the new faculty structure is iterative. In May, the counselling psychology and clinical psychology programs were approved by Senate to be included in the Faculty of Health.

The process of supporting units moving from one faculty/division to another will be part of the focus during phase 2 in 2024/25.

UVic is not contemplating a medical school at this time. We are also not creating a net-new faculty or division, as the Faculty of Health will be populated by existing units and programs.

Parallel processes outside of Senate's scope during phase 2 and/or phase 3 could include:

  • Space, capital and operations – with Vice-President Finance and Operations
  • Labour relations – with Faculty Relations and Academic Administration, Human Resources, the Faculty Association, CUPE unions and the PEA
  • Partnership and innovation – with Vice-President Research and Innovation
  • Community engagement – with Vice-President External Relations
  • Government relations – with Vice-President Academic and Provost and Vice-President External Relations

Students who apply to graduate up to and including the spring 2025 graduation deadline will have their current faculty listed (e.g., Faculty of Human and Social Development). Students who apply to graduate for fall 2025 or later will have their new faculty listed (e.g., Faculty of Health). Learn more about your parchment.

Students interested in the Faculty of Health should apply to a program in one of the schools that will be part of the Faculty of Health, listed above. We will update UVic’s application system, information systems and website in the coming months. These changes will be sequenced to align with the operational date for the Faculty of Health, which will be May 1, 2025. Students applying prior to this date will be accounted for when these changes occur.

Current students in a program in one of the schools that will be part of the Faculty of Health (listed above) will see their faculty updated effective May 1, 2025 when the new Faculty of Health becomes operational.

*Recently updated

Summary of survey results - Oct. 2023
1.84MB PDF file
Indigenous Wellness Working Group: Interim Report - Jan. 2024
355KB PDF file

Updates to campus

If you have questions, please email healthfaculty@uvic.ca. This address is monitored by the Committee's support team.