Senate to vote on the Faculty of Health

February 23, 2024

Dear colleagues,

I am writing as Chair of the ad-hoc Senate Committee on Academic Health Programming to provide you with another update on our work towards establishing a Faculty of Health at UVic.

As noted in our last email, Senate held a special meeting on Feb. 9 to discuss the draft proposal for a Faculty of Health. Thank you to everyone who attended the special meeting or tuned in to the livestream. We have updated our project web page to include much of the information shared, including a proposed organizational chart listing UVic faculties and units.

Based on the support and feedback from Senators, we are proceeding with tabling an omnibus motion at the March 1, 2024 Senate meeting. Assuming a positive vote at Senate, the motion will proceed to the Board of Governors on March 26, 2024 for final approval.

We invite you to review the Senate materials (pages 338-433) that include the omnibus motion and related documents. The committee acknowledges and thanks academic units for providing letters of expression and support, which are included in the materials and reflect their significant consultations and thoughtful deliberations.

As noted in the materials, the Faculty of Health would be established on May 1, 2024 but would not become operational until the following year, on May 1, 2025. This time will be used for implementation planning and culture building, as well as to support individuals and units moving to a different faculty, update student registration processes, communicate with students, move budgets and create a space plan, among other necessary steps to ensure the Faculty of Health and other impacted units are set up for success. Once approved, the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost will launch a search for the inaugural dean who will work with Faculty of Health units to develop a vision and mandate for the Faculty, informed by the ongoing work of the Indigenous Wellness Working Group.

Thank you for your continued interest in this transformative initiative, and to everyone who has contributed to moving this forward. We will update you again following the March 1 Senate meeting.

Sincerely,

Helga Hallgrímsdóttir, PhD

Chair, Senate Committee on Academic Health Programming
Deputy Provost, Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost