Dean’s Report to Faculty CouncilRespectfully submitted by Peta Bonham-Smith, May 27, 2020

Some of the highlights and milestones for 2019/20:

› College-wide one-year celebration of the College Plan ‘Think Big – Be Bold’

› First A&S Pinning ceremony for our ‘third year’ students

› Signing of the new Academic and Financial Partnership Agreement with STM

› Arts & Science faculty council approval of the new BMSC programs

› Artist residencies and art projects including “anohc kipasikônaw/ we rise /niipawi” which saw Nehiyaw syllabics inscribed on 100-year-old slate stair treads reclaimed from USask’s Thorvaldson Building

› Relocation and opening of the Digital Research Centre – now housed in the library

› Appointment of the first Gabriel Dumont Institute chair in Métis studies – July 1, 2020

› Appointment of new Vice Dean Indigenous – July 1, 2020

› Increased donor funding to the College

It is readily recognized that one of the few constants in university life is change and we, together with our students and alumni have experienced this keenly over the past few months. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, these are unusual times and the future will be unpredictable. However, our students, including our new cohort of 800+ graduates this spring, are best situated for this new future because of the diverse learning opportunities and experiences they have had, through you, in the College of Arts and Science. Where else can a student learn humanities in a science degree, or science in a fine arts degree? A&S degrees lead not only to employment, but to a richer understanding of and participation in societies with unforeseen complexities. This will not change.

2019-20 will be a year that we will always remember, not only for the superb accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students, but for all of your resilience in Winter term, when in a space of five days, the university moved primarily off-campus to learn, teach, research, and work remotely. Your decision-making was swift, accountable, creative, and compassionate. We stayed together – while working apart – well done and thank you!

ARTS AND SCIENCE PLANNING UPDATE

The College Planning Advisory Committee continued to meet monthly and achieved the following over the 2019-20 year:

Organized a day-long college-wide “Think Big – Be Bold Plan Celebration Day” on Monday, March 2, 2020. Activities, displays and interactive demonstrations from 11 departments took place in the Arts and Geology Buildings. One year into our seven-year college plan, we shared stories about major accomplishments we have made towards two of our priority commitments: Students First, and Excellence in Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work. As a unified college, we championed the impact and achievements of our artists, scholars and researchers – with hundreds of passers-by from all walks of the university:

https://artsandscience.usask.ca/news/articles/4910/College_of_Arts_and_Science_celebrates_plan_milestones

Created a searchable database of departmental and unit progress toward the college’s four priorities:

https://artsandscience.usask.ca/college/2025/outcomes.php

Commitment #1: Students First

Commitment #2: Diversity and

Equity in Faculty and Staff

Commitment #3: Excellence in

Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work

Commitment #4: New Curricula

Indigenous

› ISAP programming welcomed 118 students in 2018-2019, representing approximately 22% of first-year Indigenous students

› 13 students in the college received Indigenous Student Achievement Awards

› The college provides funding for 4 Indigenous graduate students (2 PhD, 1 MA, 1 MSc) through its College of Arts & Science Aboriginal Graduate Scholarship program

Epitome examples of college’s four commitments

Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work (RSAW)

› 24 researchers received funding from the NSERC Discovery Grants program, 2 researchers received NSERC RTI funding, 3 scholars received SSHRC Insight Grants, 4 received Insight Development Grants, and a major SSHRC Partnership Grant was awarded. 2 of our researchers were successful in the inaugural New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) competition for new researchers and 2 concepts will be developed for the anticipated NFRF Transformation Stream.

› 3 Tier 2 CRCs (all female) were awarded

› The University of Saskatchewan Art Galleries and Art Collection was awarded more than $480,000 by the Canada Council for the Arts to develop a digital service that will help arts organizations in the province better engage with their audiences. Led by the galleries director, a team of 5 digital experts from art and art history, archaeology and anthropology, computer science and the University Library will support this 3-year project

Faculty Relations › 7 new department heads; 15 renewal of probation;

6 tenure; 7 promotion to associate; 5 promotion to full; 309 salary review cases; 6 depts submitted revised standards; 42 applications for sabbaticals; 14 tenure track/ tenured appointments made; 6 searches (including 2 Indigenous) underway or pending; and, 6 retirements

Students First › Psychology: With $19K funding from the

USask Open Textbook Adaptation Fund to create an open textbook for PSY 120/121, more than 2,300 students will use the open textbook, with an estimated savings of $389,000 per year for students

Equity and Diversity in Faculty and Staff

› Archaeology and Anthropology: Reconciliation statement

› Computer Science: Hired 4 female professors in the last 18 months

Excellence in RSAW › Mathematical Physics: Approval of Centre

for Quantum Topology and Its Applications (quanTA)

New Curricula › Drama/ English/ Indigenous Studies: Launch

of the new Certificate in the Study of Indigenous Storytelling

› Geography and Planning: New BSc in Hydrology

› Political Studies: 3 certificates - Politics and Law; Indigenous Governance and Politics; Global Studies

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artsandscience.usask.ca/2025

ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT FALL 2019

With more than 40 per cent of the total student population at USask, we comprise 21 departments and offer more than 60 programs. With 300+ faculty members, we provide approximately half of the undergrad-uate courses offered at USask, spanning the humanities, social sciences, sciences and fine arts.

WE SAID WE WOULD DO IT. AND WE DID IT. BUT WE’RE NOT DONE.

10,504enrolled students

• 1,276 international students• 1,515 self-declared Indigenous students

1,284 degrees granted in 2018

53,000+ living alumni

$26,500,466 research funding

awarded in 2018-19

Numbers at a glance

Donors › Together, donors gave $2.1M in 2018-19, helping our

students achieve their potential and advancing research as we tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Academic › New Math 101 course for new degree requirements

› Creating 4 new BMSC degree programs

› 97 students in Study Abroad (triple from last year)

› Science outreach programming reached more than 7,500 people in Saskatoon and 12 First Nations communities in the north

Enrolment › In the 2018/19 academic year we saw a slight increase

in our undergraduate student number to 9,446 (up 0.6%); however, a 5.6% growth was seen in the graduate student number to 1,058 graduate students, over the last academic year

› Both our Indigenous and international student numbers have increased from last Academic Year, by 6.7% (UG-2018/19) for Indigenous students and 7.8% (UG) for international

› Over 7000 face-to-face student advising sessions and over 20,000 advising contacts via email or letter

Arts and Science Magazine

10,000copies for alumni, donors and friends

Implemented a tagging system of news connected to the plan priorities:

https://artsandscience.usask.ca/college/2025/commitments.php

Created an annual update:

https://artsandscience.usask.ca/college/2025/pdf/CAS%20Progress%20Report%20Oct2019_FINAL.pdf

COVID-19 Crisis Communications

Communications and Events:Highlights of 2019-20

Highlights of COVID-19 Communications Work since January 2020:

› COVID-19 update messages for faculty, staff and students (through PAWS, email, social media, video and college website posts)

› COVID-19 news stories for college/ departmental websites showcasing the resiliency, innovation and generosity of our faculty, staff, students and alumni

› COVID-19 articles shared with University Relations for USask Unites website

› FAQs webpage for students

› Daily news roundup and summaries of news conferences held by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Scott Moe

Communication during a global pandemic and serious public health crisis is more important than ever. The A&S communications office strategically supports clear, concise, accurate and up-to-date communications to our key audiences. We are nimble and responsive communicators as this fast-changing, developing and unprecedented public health crisis evolves. Our internal and public communications reflect and support central University of Saskatchewan directions and operations.

Communications and Events: Highlights of 2019-20

Communications

370+news stories posted (up by 30% from last year)

200+events promoted

3social media accounts

4awards for Arts & Science magazine

Most-read stories on artsandscience.usask.ca/news

Truth and doubt: To become a police officer, John Langan (BA’13) had to stop holding back (June 7, 2019)

Digital and print publicity for hundreds of events artsandscience.usask.ca/news/events.php

USask graduate students examine Indigenous, non-Indigenous relations in new documentary play (Dec. 11, 2019)

78,000 engagements

Award-winning USask professor shares personal journey with dyslexia (Oct. 10, 2019)

CASE District VIII awards for Alumni Publications; Low Budget Publications; Feature Writing CCAE 2020 Prix D’Excellence for Best Feature Writing – English

Public lectures, performances and exhibitions on campus and in Saskatoon

Communications and Events: Highlights of 2019-20

Marketing Campaigns

Structurist Fellowship

Spring and Summer Session

Value of a BA

Certificate Programs

Events

21events organized/co-organized

Pinning Ceremony300 pinned

Movies that Matter8 movie nights

Convocation Awards Dinner62 awards, 200 attended

Welcome Back Breakfast800 fed

Anniversaries, Conferences, Celebrations

Arts and Science Book Club200 attended

MOVIES MATTER

Sparking conversation through filmTHAT

Followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Alexandre Chartrand,

and Gérard Bouchard (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)

For more information contact j.white@usask.ca

AND WITH A SMILE,

THE REVOLUTION!TUESDAY,

MARCH 107 PM

ADMISSIONStudents $5

General $7BROADWAY THEATRE

715 Broadway Avenue

Doors open at 6:30 pm

MOVIES MATTER

Sparking conversation through film

THAT

Panel discussion with Professor Pierre-Fracois Noppen (Philosophy), Professor Josh Morrison (WGST-English) and Professor Alessio Ponzio (History).For more information contact alp216@mail.usask.ca

THE MAN WHO WILL COME (L’UOMO CHE VERRÀ)1944. ITALY UNDER NAZI OCCUPATION. A POWERFUL ACCOUNT OF VIOLENCE, HEROISM, DEATH, AND HOPE.

ADMISSIONStudents $5General $7

BROADWAY THEATRE715 Broadway Avenue Doors open at 6:30 pm

TUESDAY, MARCH 247 PM

Advancement:Highlights of 2019-20

The college’s diverse alumni network continues to grow with 53,128 alumni living in 81 countries around the world. Arts and Science alumni comprise nearly 34% of the total USask alumni population. In 2019-20, over 4,000 college alumni were actively engaged through various ways such as participating in an event, serving as a volunteer, or making a gift. As our college’s advancement team works closely with departments and other units to improve gaps in alumni engagement tracking, and as we develop unique alumni engagement opportunities, we anticipate that this number will grow in the coming years.

In 2019-20, nearly 600 donors came together to give over $4.9M in support of students, programs, and research in the College of Arts and Science. The college received a number of planned gifts, including generous bequests from the estates of two esteemed college alumni: $2.1M from the estate of Mary Houston (BA’47, BED’50) in support of the Stuart and Mary Houston Professorship in Ornithology, and a $540,000 gift from the estate of Dr. Wilma Elias (BA’47, MA’50), establishing a new scholarship fund for women studying chemistry.

Despite a significant amount of uncertainty at this time, we have continued the planning and collective work of the comprehensive campaign. We are engaging with our donors and they are eager to play an important role in the future of the College of Arts and Science. It is more important now, than ever before, that our departments and units coordinate with our college’s advancement team.

DONATIONS TO COLLEGE ALUMNI DONORSDONORS

2018-19: $2,202,4032017-18: $3,503,3082016-17: $1,215,8302015-16: $1,061,147

$4,285,489 595 3112018-19: 8672017-18: 9562016-17: 9692015-16: 1,004

2018-19: 4782017-18: 5402016-17: 5612015-16: 579

Giving to the College of Arts and Science