2011 Victoria College Review


 

VICTORIA COLLEGE REVIEW

DECEMBER 2011

Victoria College Review Committee 2011 Signatures
1. Preamble .......................................................................

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2. Committee to Review Victoria College .......................................................................

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2.1

Terms of Reference

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2.2

Membership of the Committee

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3. Review Process .......................................................................

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4. External Reviewers Report .......................................................................

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5. The Review Committee Report .......................................................................

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5.1 Student Experience .......................................................................

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5.2 Academic Programs and Courses .......................................................................

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5.3 Quality of the experience of Vic Fellows .......................................................................

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5.4 Governance .......................................................................

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6. Summary of Recommendations .......................................................................

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7. Appendices .......................................................................

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 Principal's Report  .......................................................................

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 Registrar's Report .......................................................................

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 Dean's Report .......................................................................

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 Chief Librarian's Report .......................................................................

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 Meetings with External Reviewers .......................................................................

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 Student Survey link on electronic copy .......................................................................

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Download a copy of the Victoria College Review 2011 Report

Printed copy available on request

1. PREAMBLE

The current term of the Principal of Victoria College ends on 30 June 2012. In accordance with the by-laws of the Board of Regents of Victoria University and the Memorandum of Agreement with the University of Toronto (1998), the President appointed a committee to review the College. The last review was in 2005.

The committee was to consult widely with faculty, student and administrative members of the College and Victoria University, with the deans of U of T faculties having relationships with Victoria College, and with chairs of relevant departments. The report is to be made available to the Victoria College Council, the Board of Regents of Victoria University, the appropriate Deans and the Provost of the University of Toronto.

2. COMMITTEE TO REVIEW VICTORIA COLLEGE

REVIEW OF VICTORIA COLLEGE
Victoria University in the University of Toronto

The second and final term of Professor David Cook as Principal of Victoria College ends on 30 June 2012. In accordance with the by-laws of the Board of Regents of Victoria University and the Federation Framework Agreement with the University of Toronto (2008), the President has appointed a committee to review the College.

I. Terms of Reference

The Committee is asked to assess the chief current strengths and opportunities of Victoria College, and to comment on the challenges facing the College in realizing its aspirations and plans. The primary purpose of the review is to make key recommendations for the College’s future directions and activities in the next five years, in order to guide the search for the next Principal. 

In particular, the review will consider the following areas and issues:  


1. Student Experience
1.a. Character of the student body: recruitment efforts; College enrolment; academic success of international and transfer students
1.b. The E J Pratt Library services to undergraduate students
1.c. The services provided by the Office of the Registrar, including recruitment, academic advising,
financial advising, personal counselling, and academic skills services; relations of the Office with other offices, services and departments at the University of Toronto 
1.d. The services provided by the Office of the Dean of Students: orientation, residence life, campus life, student governance; out-of-classroom educational experience 
1.e. Scholarship and bursary policy and the adequacy of financial support
1.f. International experience of students, including study abroad and internships; relations with partner universities
1.g. Interactions between students and alumni
1.h. Study space and social space

2. Academic Programs and Courses
2.a. The general health of the College’s programs, including Vic One and the first year small course requirement
2.b. The academic opportunities for Victoria College students beyond first year
2.c. The relationship of College programs to graduate programs
2.d. The College’s plans for future program developments
2.e. The College’s research centres
2.f. The relations of the College with other academic and administrative units including Emmanuel College, and Arts and Science units located on the Victoria University campus, the Ontario Institute for Studies in education, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Faculty of Music.

3. College Fellows
3.a. Character of the Fellowship: mix by discipline; mix by age; office space and classroom space
3.b. Research space and facilities, including provision for retired Fellows
3.c. Contribution of the Fellows to the life of the College
3.d. The role and status of instructors in College courses
3.e. Library and Computing support

4. Governance
4.a. The effectiveness and efficiency of College Council and its committees
4.b. The role of the Senate
4.c. Participation in the Board of Regents, and the understanding and support of the Board for the College

5. Distinctiveness
5.a. The distinguishing marks of Victoria College, and the extent to which it advances the goals of the University of Toronto and Victoria University

2. Membership

Members: Professor Paul Gooch, President, Victoria University (Chair); Professors Joe Blackmore (Victoria, Chair, Spanish & Portuguese), Lori Loeb (Victoria, History), Lynne Magnusson (Victoria, Director, CRRS, & English); Professor Mark Toulouse, Principal, Emmanuel College; Mr John Field and Mr Paul Huyer (Board of Regents); Mr Brandon Bailey (President, VUSAC), Ms Katie Degendorfer (student member, Victoria College); Professor Jill Matus, Vice-Provost, Students, U of T; Professor Meric Gertler, Dean, Arts & Science, U of T; Ms Gillian Pearson, Executive Assistant to the President (Secretary to the Committee).

External Reviewers: Dr Judith Woodsworth, formerly President, Concordia University,
President, Laurentian University; Vice-President Academic, Mount St Vincent University Professor David Leyton-Brown, Master of Calumet College, York University; formerly Executive Director, Ontario Council on Graduate Studies; Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies, York University

3. REVIEW PROCESS

The President announced the review and membership of the Review Committee to members of the College and the University. The Principal, Registrar, Chief Librarian and Dean prepared reports that form a self-study of Victoria College addressing the areas outlined above. The reports were made available to the review committee and the external reviewers.



The President sent an electronic message to all members of the Victoria College Council inviting them to submit comments. An opportunity to meet with the external reviewers was also provided. The President also contacted senior University of Toronto academic administrators. The Committee carried out its work in the fall term, with the external reviewers visiting on 21 and 22 November 2011.



The Review Committee met as a group three times. The first meeting included interviews with the Victoria College Principal. The Committee was divided into four sub-groups of two members each. Each sub-group was asked to look at an area outlined in the Terms of Reference. A preliminary report of findings was submitted by each sub-group to the Review Committee membership for discussion at its second meeting and final reports with recommendations were submitted to the President’s Office prior to the third meeting. A draft set of general recommendations synthesized from the sub-group reports, along with the External Reviewers’ report was circulated to members for their review. The report and its recommendations were agreed upon by the Review Committee membership.



The external reviewers were provided with support material prior to their visit to Victoria College. They were on campus for two days and met with all senior administrators and a selection of staff. They also met individually or with groups of faculty representing Vic programs. In addition, the reviewers met with a group of students. At the conclusion of their visit they met with the entire Review Committee for a discussion of the issues they had identified.

4. EXTERNAL REVIEWERS REPORT

The following  External Reviewers Report was submitted on December 7, 2011.

5. THE COMMITTEE REPORT 

1. Student Experience 

The recommendations from the 2005 review in this area were: 

•That the Registrar consider ways (a) to communicate information about the awards available for Vic students, and (b) to meet demand for services at peak times, particularly at the beginning and end of each semester 

•That the Principal undertake (a) to consider the enhancement of student academic experience after first year, and (b) to increase possibilities for international experience for Vic students 

•That the President insure that there is wide consultation about the future of Wymilwood through the advisory committee recently announced 

•That the Dean of Students discuss with the Campus Life Committee such matters as residence room allocations, group study and social space in residences and other buildings, and programs for residence and off-campus students 

•That the Bursar, with the Dean of Students, address the issue of meal plans with the Campus Life Committee



Significant progress on these recommendations has been made in the past five years. The meal plans were completely revised last year after consultation with the Campus Life Committee; student space has been enhanced especially with study space in Burwash Dining Hall at end of term and examination times; planning for the Goldring Student Centre was done cooperatively with VUSAC; the Registrar’s Office remains open throughout the lunch period. Although the Registrar’s Office was stretched to provide academic services when the College enrolment was nearly 4,000, the decision to reduce enrolment, coupled with the recruitment of academically stronger students, has made the load manageable except at peak times. Continued attention is being paid to academic experience after first year, and international experience.



The 2005 review stressed the difference in the quality of experience for resident and commuting students. While more still needs to be done, Victoria College has taken the lead in creating opportunities for involvement for its commuters. On a motion from student representatives, the Board of Regents approved a $25 fee per commuter student, which funds and staffs a variety of programs (see the Dean's Report, 7.III).



On recruitment and applications, the 2005 report advised that Victoria should target selected feeder schools, and cautioned that there might be unintended consequences of requiring a special application process. Since then, Victoria College has required students to fill out a profile, and made a small seminar-style course in first year mandatory. If anything, these measures have strengthened the applicant pool. See the Registrar's report (7.II) for details on applications and recruitment.



In addition to comments about student experience in the appended reports, the sub-group has conducted a Survey of six hundred students.



Our general conclusion is that the student experience at Victoria College is healthy and positive, and can justly be ranked high in several respects (such as quality of applicants, academic performance, programming in class and out of class, student government, student satisfaction). There is always room for improvement, and in the next five years the College should pay particular attention to the following.

Recommendations:

1. Victoria College should recruit and select outstanding students from the GTA, across the country, and internationally.
2. In its part of the recently announced U of T campaign, the College should seek funding for scholarships, for international experience, and for enhanced out-of-class experience.
3. The College should use to full advantage the new Goldring Student Centre for programs that bring together students (especially commuting students) with faculty and alumni. This should be an important element in the campaign.
4 The Alumni Office and the Dean’s Office should work together to develop and implement a strategy for alumni/ student relations.
5 The College should continue to make internationalization a priority, in recruitment, exchanges and other opportunities such as internships and mentoring programs.

2. Academic Programs and Courses

This section of the 2005 review concluded with two recommendations:

•That Victoria College continue to nurture and develop its programs, and to seek funding for two chairs (one in Comparative Literature / Literary Studies, the other in Reformation and Renaissance Studies), and for programs in accordance with its academic plan 

•That the College foster the proposed Material Culture program, which would bring together a significant number of Vic Fellows in related disciplines

With respect to the first recommendation, the report commented on Vic One (“a model for a new kind of first-year education”) and Pathways, and on planning that was under way for a concurrent teacher education program joint with OISE. It added that the proposal for Material Culture was “especially exciting”. Praising the programs in renaissance studies and literary studies (the latter was “undergoing some interesting changes”), the review did express concern about semiotics which was about to be reviewed in connection with the cyclical review of Anthropology in Arts & Science.



For this current 2011 review, the sub-group investigating Vic’s academic programs has highlighted several accomplishments over the last six years. As the Principal points out in his Report, Vic One has added the Ryerson and Jewison streams, and doubled Stowe-Gullen. It won the Northrop Frye Award in 2010 for excellence in linking teaching and research. Students in the Ryerson stream in particular are deeply engaged in co-curricular activities, according to the Student Survey. The concurrent teacher education program has turned out to be very successful, developing strong international links with Beijing and now France. A minor program in Material Culture has just been approved, with promise of close connections not only with the relevant Arts & Science departments but also the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner Museum, and other cultural institutions. Literary Studies was reviewed and restructured; Semiotics was scaled back to a minor program because of staffing considerations. The Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies underwent a highly positive international review in 2008. The E.J. Pratt Library continues to offer excellent service, especially in course specific instruction for classes taught by Vic Fellows (see the Library Report).



All that said, the academic programs require constant attention and development. Following on the comments in the attached documentation, the Committee wishes to recommend the following items for the attention of the next principal.

Recommendations: 

6. Maintaining the high quality of academic staffing of programs, especially Vic One and Renaissance Studies, should be a priority in the light of likely retirements in the next period of time. Where possible in the campaign, the College should seek endowments for professorships and chairs. The Principal should develop an academic staffing plan that includes, where desirable, secondments from appropriate departments. 
7. The College should continue to explore, and bring into a new structure in a Northrop Frye Centre, opportunities for collaboration among Literary Studies, Material Culture, Comparative Literature, and Semiotics should it continue. 
8. Having developed a successful first year experience for Vic students, the College should now concentrate on academic enhancement for students in upper years, in cooperation with departments, especially those units housed on Vic’s campus.

3. Quality of the Experience of the College Fellows

The last review took note of the increased demand on spaces and services required by the expansion of College programs, and recommended: 

•That the Principal and the President undertake to clarify the terms under which departmental groups occupy space at Victoria University

•That the Victoria College Council consider the issue of the disciplinary balance of Fellows to ensure an appropriate mix for the College in light of the College’s courses, programs and student body

•That the principle of office sharing for part-time and retired faculty who teach courses be affirmed, as well as the provision of shared research space for retired faculty

•That the Principal and President work with the Senior Common Room Committee to enhance the collegial experience ofthe Fellows


As the Principal comments in his 2011 Report, there is still no formal agreement on space occupancy by Arts & Science units, though an attempt was made to construct an understanding with a previous Dean. While some efforts have been made to improve the collegial experience of the Fellows, it cannot be said that they have been very successful. This is an area in need of concerted attention in the next period.



The sub-group on Victoria College Fellows found an encouragingly high level of interest in the College fellowship and in suggestions for rejuvenation. Communication has been a problematic area, perhaps because of the general lack of participation in Council and high table, which many Fellows many not have time or inclination to attend.

Recommendations:

9. The criteria for fellowship should be reviewed, especially in the light of program development at Victoria College.
10. The responsibilities of Fellows, as well as their privileges, should be clear, and include opportunity to participate in
College programs, both in class and out of class.
11. Opportunities for social interaction among the Fellows should be enhanced, with particular attention to space as well as events. More effective vehicles of communication should be developed.

4. Governance

The 2005 review noted that governance was generally adequate but made several recommendations: 

•That the Vice-Chancellor review the role, membership, agenda and frequency of meetings of Senate with the goal of ensuring that Senate continues to meet statutory obligations while at the same time striving to avoid duplication with the College Council, and focusing on areas that will have a positive impact on the College 

•That the Principal encourage exchanges of information between the College Council, the Senate and Board of Regents 

•That the President review the reporting relationship of the office of the Registrar to the office of the Principal with a view to creating a more formalized relationship; such review may include the possible addition of a title more descriptive of  the Registrar’s work with students

•That the President discuss with the Principal the complexity of his various roles within Victoria University, and with the Faculty of Arts & Science and other faculties at the University of Toronto, to ensure that his Office has appropriate academic support



The review noted that some changes in governance would require a revision of the Victoria University Act 1951 (rev 1981) but that within the Act improvements were possible. Since that review, the Board of Regents has undertaken discussions of governance at all levels, and is committed to reform. The Emmanuel College Council has recently been restructured, and a review of the Senate is about to commence next month. During the last few years, the Principal has regularly reported the activities and issues of Victoria College to the Board of Regents. It was determined that the relationships between the offices of the Principal and the Registrar worked well without a formal reporting structure. The Principal has signalled in his current Report the need for an administrative review of program support, and the President has commissioned a separate review of the administration of the offices of the Principals of both Victoria and Emmanuel colleges.



In this 2011 review, the sub-group on Governance has noted several issues that will require considerable discussion within the College and the wider University. The goal should be a governance system that is streamlined and effective in encouraging participation. In particular, the Victoria College Council is in need of reform.

Recommendations:

12. The Victoria College Council membership does not include all categories of those who teach in College programs; it is also too large with the result that many Fellows do not feel the necessity of attendance. In response to a felt need for active participation in College governance, the Council membership and mandate should be reviewed and revised.
13. The mandate of the Council should be revisited to determine whether more aspects of student life should be considered in the Council; this should be done in conjunction with a review of the Campus Life Committee of the Board of Regents.
14. The review of the Senate about to commence should take into account likely reforms in College governance, in order to provide a University view on academic matters without duplicating effort.
15. Communication continues to be a challenge, with many Fellows not aware of issues before governance at each level. This should be a matter of concern, as noted in the previous section.

6. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Student Life

1. Victoria College should recruit and select outstanding students from the GTA, across the country, and internationally.
2.  In its part of the recently announced U of T campaign, the College should seek funding for scholarships, for international experience, and for enhanced out-of-class experience
3. The College should use to full advantage the new Goldring Student Centre for programs that bring together students (especially commuting students) with faculty and alumni. This should be an important element in the campaign.
4. The Alumni Office and the Dean’s Office should work together to develop and implement a strategy for alumni/student relations.
5. The College should continue to make internationalization a priority, in recruitment, exchanges and other opportunities such as internships and mentoring programs .

Academic Programs and Courses

6. Maintaining the high quality of academic staffing of programs, especially Vic One and Renaissance Studies, should be a priority in the light of likely retirements in the next period of time. Where possible in the campaign, the College should seek endowments for professorships and chairs. The Principal should develop an academic staffing plan that includes, where desirable, secondments from appropriate departments.
7. The College should continue to explore, and bring into a new structure in a Northrop Frye Centre, opportunities for collaboration among Literary Studies, Material Culture, Comparative Literature, and Semiotics should it continue.
8. Having developed a successful first year experience for Vic students, the College should now concentrate on academic enhancement for students in upper years, in cooperation with departments, especially those units housed on Vic’s campus.

College Fellows

9. The criteria for fellowship should be reviewed, especially in the light of program development at Victoria College.
10. The responsibilities of Fellows, as well as their privileges, should be clear, and include opportunity to participate in College programs, both in class and out of class.
11. Opportunities for social interaction among the Fellows should be enhanced, with particular attention to space as well as events. More effective vehicles of communication should be developed.

Governance

12. The Victoria College Council membership does not include all categories of those who teach in College programs; it is also too large with the result that many Fellows do not feel the necessity of attendance. In response to a felt need for active participation in College governance, the Council membership and mandate should be reviewed and revised.
13. The mandate of the Council should be revisited to determine whether more aspects of student life should be considered in the Council; this should be done in conjunction with a review of the Campus Life Committee of the Board of Regents.
14. The review of the Senate about to commence should take into account likely reforms in College governance, in order to provide a University view on academic matters without duplicating effort.
15. Communication continues to be a challenge, with many Fellows not aware of issues before governance at each level. This should be a matter of concern, as noted in the previous section.

7. APPENDICES

I. Principal's End of Term Report 2011



I would like to begin by thanking my colleagues, both administrative and faculty, for the support they have shown over my second term as Principal. Clearly, thanks go as well to the wonderful students who have come to Victoria. I would also like to thank my fellow principals, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science and his colleagues as well as the Provost and her colleagues. Finally, a special note of thanks to Ms Welsh who guided me throughout my terms and to President Gooch.



As a starting point I have provided, in the appendices, the documents prepared for the Faculty planning process and the Faculty’s response. I will comment below on some the events that have taken place since the plan. Retrospectively, I have also included my 2005 End of Term Report and the last Review Committee’s Report and my response for those who wish to compare where we were, where we were successful in moving forward and where we were less so. The focus of this Report will be more on what I see are the challenges ahead rather than on ‘what is to be done’.



Overall, Victoria College has continued to build on its many strengths fashioning an identity that has attracted very bright and able students. We have become a desired place to do undergraduate studies not only because of our unique programs but also for the many innovations taken in the area of the out of classroom experience. When I first came into office I was fortunate that the strong leadership of Principal Callaghan and before that Principal Johnston had moved the College sharply forward. I believe this momentum has been carried on providing the next Principal the same opportunity that I had to further the College.



College Programs



The recent past, with the challenges facing the Faculty of Arts and Science, has made it more difficult to advance our programs as fast a one might desire. Nonetheless, we have moved forward though in each program we face challenges. 


Vic One has gone since 2005 from three streams to five enrolling ~200 students. The Ryerson and Jewison streams            were established and Stowe-Gullen has doubled in size with the great help of IHPST. Last year Vic One won the UTAA Award for excellence. The program, while clearly a success, will need to be reviewed especially looking to the succession of some of the instructors. The advancement campaign will also help to put the program on a sounder fiscal basis. 

Vic Two has begun on a rather modest level. It remains to be seen whether the student interest will translate into a second year experience that draws as we hope from the Vic One experience. The new Principal will have to decide whether this start is in the right direction and whether it needs to be changed or the experiment terminated. 

The Literary Studies program after a long period of reflection and hard work by many, especially the conveners, has launched its new program in the fall. The Faculty planning process has made it easier to develop strong ties to the Centre for Comparative Literature. The Centre has helped with faculty appointments, which will strengthen things for 
the future, and is greatly appreciated. With any new program there will be growing pains but I believe we have a new 
and innovative program that will serve us well. 

The Semiotics and Communications Theory underwent review in the last Review and was successfully consolidated 
 into a minor program. As the program continues to rely mainly on one colleague planning should now be undertaken to 
re-position the courses in a new Northrop Frye Centre. In the alternative, the program may be one that in the future the 
college cannot support. 

The Renaissance and Reformation program continues to be strong and with the addition of some resources for TAs from the Centre for Mediaeval Studies and resources for additional first year programming it should continue to advance. At some point in the next Principal’s term, planning should be undertaken to take into account possible retirements. The CRRS has recently been reviewed with the appointment of the new Director. The review identified a number of challenges such as a possible collaborative graduate program and that the CRRS is in need of additional space to accommodate their activities. This will only grow as CRRS becomes more integrated within the Faculty of Arts and Science and if a collaborative graduate program is added.

The Material Culture program signaled in earlier planning documents is now finally coming to life. The opportunity for 
 this to be a unique and first rate minor is there with the possibility in the future of being a major program. Clearly, to be 
successful, this program will require additional administrative support and outside support. 

The Current Teacher Education Program started in 2005 will, next spring, see its first graduating class. The program has met its objectives with Vic being seen as a leader in many areas from international experience, to student publications to student clubs. This will also be a time for the program to be reviewed. 

The Northrop Frye Centre, with the completion of the Frye editorial project and the retirement of Dr. O’Grady, required a rethink of its goal and mission. To this end a working group has been struck to refocus the Centre both on more direct relations with the Centre for Comparative Literature and with the Vic academic programs in the general area of ‘culture.' One of the options to be discussed will be to move the Centre closer to the model of the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies. This will give the opportunity to bring the undergraduate programs together in closer contact to research activities. This direction will need to be reviewed by the incoming Principal.

Instructors in the Vic Programs


In the past Vic courses were predominantly taught by Vic Fellows holding full time Faculty of Arts and Science appointments. We continue to have a substantial involvement of Fellows in the programs but we have also a considerable number of valued teachers coming from outside the Fellows. They fall into three categories: ‘retired’ colleagues, three individuals who hold the equivalent of a Vic part time academic appointment and then a number of individuals who are hired under the CUPE contract. This presents a difficulty in College governance to the extent that retired colleagues and those who hold union contracts are not members of the College Council. Going forward it would be important to find a way where more of our teachers could be involved with governance.



Relations with the Units of the Faculty of Arts and Science and with the Faculty of Music
The three Arts and Science units (IHPST, The Centre for Comparative Literature and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese) that share the campus have become an integral part of Victoria College. Program initiatives between the college and two of the units are developing and in the next five years should be further enriched. This has contributed greatly to the strengthening of the college programs and is very much appreciated. I regret, for many understandable reasons, the same cannot be said with regard to the Department of Spanish and Portuguese where, going forward, the college should make more of an effort to work with the department. I believe though that the Chair of the Department shares this desire.



However, there are some real questions that will need to be addressed in the area of space planning as the Victoria College programs expand and as the other units look to increasing their space to meet their needs. This will become a more acute problem if the College undertakes to have a graduate involvement. In the last report, I noted that this situation has been exacerbated by the lack of clarity when the units joined Victoria, as there are no letters setting out the terms and conditions upon which the units were invited to Victoria. This continues to be the case. The fact that Victoria College has lost space over the last term while expanding our programs means that this issue needs to be addressed by the new Principal.



Finally, the Faculty of Music has sent many students to our residences, but as yet, Victoria College has not extended the interaction to the academic programming. This may be an issue for the future.



Relations with Emmanuel College
Emmanuel continues to develop under the strong leadership of Principal Toulouse. Over the last while, Emmanuel has forged relations with other units in the University of Toronto, thus raising the hope that in the future stronger links between the two colleges will develop.



Summer Programs
The President and the Bursar have made considerable progress in bringing to the campus activities that fit with Victoria’s mission. To date the Principal’s Office has not been involved but it is an issue for the future.



Space, Accommodations and Administrative Support
Administrative support in the Principal’s office has declined over the last ten years while program activity has increased. Part of this is a reasonable transition from one type of support, largely focused on the faculty, to program support. I think the reduction in administrative support will have an impact in the future on our ability to deliver the type of program we wish. One of the lessons of Vic One was the critical nature of administrative help, which contributed to the sense of cohort amongst the students. A review of the needs of each of our programs would be in order.



Space for Victoria College should be another concern for the new Principal. Renovations to the Pratt, the elimination of academic space in Wymilwood where several colleagues were housed, and the loss of some small offices in Emmanuel have contributed to the net loss of space. Yet Vic programming and the number of courses has tripled with the attendant need for shared office space. With this expansion of our programs the College’s ability to make new Fellow appointments has been reduced drastically. Coming at a time when retirements have been few, the college has not been able to fulfill this mandate. However, with the governance review to be undertaken by the President, a new type of Fellowship may emerge.



Recruitment
The area of recruitment to the College has seen some considerable success. This reflects the strong leadership of Registrar Macdonald and her colleagues. We are better at identifying schools of interest and have a strategy to increase enrolments from certain of the schools where we have seen excellent students. While there still are things to do, especially in working with the Faculty of Arts and Science and the University’s Office of Admissions, Vic’s message is getting some real attention.



After considerable effort we now have the admissions profile in place and it is being used for scholarship and college admittance near the cut offs. In the future, other uses may be added such as using the profile to identify accomplishments of the students that might be continued through club memberships. There also continue to be opportunities with Vic alumni that might be exploited.



While we have improved considerably in our ability to control enrolment, it is the case that we still have some way to go. While the attempt to bring enrolment under control has largely been a success as Vic went from the largest college in 2000 (outside of Woodsworth) to a middle sized college, it may now be time to consider whether this is where we want to be.



The First Year Experience
One of the clear priorities over the last number of years has been enriching the first year experience. This has involved not only the academic experience but as well the co-curricular experience organized by the Dean of Students. In the latter case Vic has been a leader in the Faculty and I believe we are seeing the benefits in student satisfaction.



Since my last report we have initiated the Pathways program along side of Vic One. Clearly it is a less intense experience for our students and has made less of an impact on a portion of the entering class than hoped. On balance however, I think it has achieved some success though this should be reviewed in the near future.



The Upper Year Experience
Part of the goal of the First Year experience was to prepare students to go on to their departmental concentrations. Outside of our college programs and the first steps of Vic Two, the college has taken a role of trying to enhance the experience of our students through support for international experience and research along with the other benefits of being in the college that come from the Dean of Students or Registrar. There have been some successes in the uptake of these opportunities by our students. The recent experience of seven of our students who taught in Beijing is a good example. I expect more effort will be forthcoming here involving the Principal in more initiatives tied to the academic program of the students.



Research opportunities, especially in the summer period, remain a challenge and will continue to require more effort. Along with supervised individual courses this can have an enormous impact in advancing students along the path of where they want to go.



Governance
The President has signaled that a governance review is a priority for Victoria University. Naturally this will include the College and, in particular, the College Council. Attempts to reform the Council to make it more relevant and effective were undertaken in 2003 with limited success. At that time we reduced the number of College Council committees. Even with the reduction many of the remaining committees have not met. Participation in the Senate has been virtually nil by the Fellows though the retired Fellows do play a role. In contrast, the Fellows have participated in the Board. Hence, it is timely to reflect again on how best the College should govern itself but this time in the larger canvass of changes that might be made to the Senate and Board. A review is also opportune in that most of the colleagues who held ‘original’ Victoria contracts have now retired or may do so in the near future. We also have considerable experience with the Arts and Science units at the College and with the expanded Vic programs whose role in governance needs to be reviewed. While this process will start in this my final year, I am sure it will not be completed before a new Principal arrives.



Conclusion
None of the above should prejudge the ideas that will come with a new Principal. There will be new directions that will take the College forward that have not been mentioned in this report.



In conclusion, as I have often said, for a Vic undergraduate to have the opportunity to be Principal is a rare privilege. I thank the College. I hope we have moved Vic along to what will be more exciting things in the future.



David Cook
Principal
September 30, 2011

Appendix
Reference Documents available on request:

Principal’s End of Term Report 2005
Victoria College Review 2005
Administrative Response to the College Review 2005
Victoria College Plan 2009
Final FAS Planning Committee Response 2010

II. Registrar's Report
Victoria College Review



Susan McDonald
Registrar
Victoria University
18 October, 2011



CONTENTS



Our Students……………………………………………………………………………...3
Recruitment…………………………………………………………………………….....3
Recruitment of International Students…………………………………………………5
College Enrolment………………………………………………………………………..6
Academic, Personal & Financial Advising…………………………………………….6
Scholarship & Bursary Programs……………………………………………………….8



OUR STUDENTS


The character of the student body at Victoria College has changed significantly over the past five years. Victoria is fortunate in that we are able to attract greater numbers of applicants with high entering averages. A large percentage of the students admitted to Victoria College have averages over 90%. This was not always the case. In 1991, only 60 of our admitted students had averages over 90%; in 2005 it had increased to 540; and this past year, Vic admitted almost 750 students with averages of above 90%.



Given that there are greater numbers of student with higher entering averages, the College has seen a significant increase in the number of Vic students excelling in their university studies. In 1995 (16 years ago), the total student population at Victoria College was around 3100 and a total of 202 Vic students achieved an 'A' average and earned an in-course scholarship. 16 years later in 2010-11 the total enrolment was up slightly to 3400 students and 550 Vic students achieved an "A" average and earned an in-course scholarship. This is more than double - almost triple - the number of students achieving top results in 1995.



Along with a higher level of academic achievement we also note that many of the current Vic students show a higher level of engagement. Many are involved in athletics - Vic has one of the best-run and most active athletic associations on the St. George campus. Our students are eager to participate in co-curricular opportunities and the College's new Ideas for the World Programme is oversubscribed. The number of Vic students involved with writing and editing literary journals, undergraduate discipline journals and student newspapers, etc. has certainly increased and the number of our students volunteering in off-campus organizations - hospitals, schools and community organizations - is also up. While it is hard to quantify this increased involvement, as Registrar I definitely see an increase in these activities on our students’ admission profiles, annual participation award applications, bursary applications, and reflected in the conversations I have with students.



While it is only a small example it is worth noting that in last year’s Moss scholarship competition, four of the five finalists in the competition were Vic students. This competition looks for a high level of extracurricular involvement as well as excellent academic achievement.




RECRUITMENT


Prior to 2000, Victoria College had to accept students rejected by the other Arts and Science colleges in order to meet its quota of entering students. For the most part, accepted students’ grades were right down to the University of Toronto’s "cut-offs". By 2005, Victoria was receiving more applicants who indicated Vic as their first-choice college than we could accommodate. By this time, the cut-offs we applied for Humanities and Social Science applicant pools were higher than U of T’s cut-offs. (U of T used 78% while Vic used 82%.) It should also be noted that because Vic has a very strong pool of applicants in the Humanities and Social Sciences we often end up admitting a disproportionally higher number of students in these areas.



For this past admission cycle, the cut-offs used by Victoria College for all admissions categories had risen well above those for the Faculty of Arts and Science: 



                                                            VIC         A & S
Humanities                                        84               80
Social Sciences                                 84               82
Life Sciences                                     85               83
Math & Physical Sciences             85               80
Commerce                                          90               90



Based on cut-offs alone, we were in a position where we would have had to reject over 550 Vic first choice applicants (of the 2370 admissible by Arts and Science’s cut-offs).



New Application Profile



In 2007, Victoria College developed a new online application (“Profile”) as part of our application process. This online Profile has been mandatory for all ‘101’ (current Ontario High School) applicants since 2008. And starting this year, it will also be mandatory for all ‘105’ (everyone else) applicants.



The Profile (and the online Vic One application) was developed with the assistance of U of T’s Integrated Client Services department. This web-based application system has the capacity to import admissions data from ROSI (the U of T student records system), giving us the ability to access a student’s entire application record from one place. Evaluators can log on to a secure site to read and score applications and store their evaluations right on the site. The system can also provide a variety of detailed reports about the Victoria College applicant pool. The system is also used for the collection, evaluation and reporting of Vic One applications and has the capacity to send out email acceptance and rejection notices to Vic One applicants.



The Profiles are used by the college in a variety of ways. They are reviewed for relevant information for Admission Scholarships and Participation Awards. They also play a role in determining admissibility for those applicants who fall just below our cut-offs. This past year, we read the profiles for all applicants who fell within 2% below our cut-offs. 85 students in this pool were admitted to the college based on the strength of their Profile. Beyond admissions-related purposes, professors in the Vic One and Vic Pathways programs receive copies of the profiles for those students enrolled in their courses.



New Recruitment Position



In 2008, Victoria College created a new full-time Recruitment Officer position. The role of the recruitment officer is to develop and implement strategies and initiatives to ensure that Victoria College achieves its recruitment objectives. In addition, the position is responsible for all recruitment and outreach activities: the design, development and administration of online admissions and awards sites (including applicant profiles, Vic One applications, and scholarship applications) and the development of recruitment materials and related webpages for prospective and newly-admitted students. This position is unique among the Arts and Science colleges on the St George campus.



Our recruitment officer has helped to develop and implement our online applications (Profile and Vic One Application); held several very successful onsite recruitment events including several events with guidance counsellors, potential Victoria College and Vic One applicants. Through these activities Victoria has forged closer relationships with specific schools and has seen an increase in applicants from those schools. In 2011, our recruitment officer organized our first post-offer reception (POR) for the early admission group (a select group of students with high admission averages were admitted in February). This was a very well-attended and successful recruitment event. Nicola Woods, associate director of recruitment from the Faculty of Arts and Science was in attendance and thought the event was so successful she recommended that other colleges in the Faculty consider hosting similar events.



Future Recruitment Goals



The next phase in the development of the recruitment officer position (now that the online application system is fully developed and running smoothly) is to have this person focus more on external recruitment and outreach. Given Victoria’s status as a Federated University (enshrined in our Federation Framework Agreement with the U of T), we plan to move ahead with external recruitment and outreach for the 2011-12 recruitment cycle and will do so in cooperation with U of T. We will work together and develop a collaborative approach which enhances our collective recruitment efforts.



RECRUITMENT OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

In the last few years, the University of Toronto has attracted higher numbers of highly qualified international applicants and as a result, the number of international students at Vic has increased. The quality of this applicant pool has also increased. This past year Vic offered admission scholarships to a record-high of 80 international students. Unfortunately, only a small portion of these students (30) accepted our offers. The level of financial funding for entering international students is still very low. Entering scholarships from Vic are usually in the range of $3,000 to $5,000. Given the very high international tuition fees and costs, a scholarship even of $5,000 is often not enough incentive to come to Vic and U of T. Furthermore, international students are not eligible for bursary assistance from the University, so the amount of financial support they can access is very limited.



COLLEGE ENROLMENT


The University of Toronto together with the Faculty of Arts and Science determine, on an annual basis, the number of students to be admitted into Faculty. This number is then divided among the seven colleges according to an agreed-upon formula. Over the past 15 year the proportion of students being admitted to Vic has shrunk. For a very long period of time Vic admitted 22% of the Faculty’s overall entering class. This percentage dropped to 20% then 17.5 %, then in 2006 Vic agreed to take in 13.5% of the entering class.



Enrolment in Victoria College has fluctuated a great deal over the past 25 years from a low of 2900 to a high of 3940. At the peak, it was very clear that our residences and registrarial services were being pushed to the straining point. Higher enrolment also puts a strain on our scholarship and bursary funds. So in 2006 an administrative decision was taken to try to reduce our overall enrolment to a more manageable level. Given our resources it was determined that total enrolment in the 3400 – 3500 range would be optimal.



Even with a lower percentage (13.5%) intake Victoria continues to struggle to keep our enrolment stable and below 3500. This past year, our enrolment has once again climbed above 3500 to 3574. It can be a delicate balance between ensuring that our overall enrolment does not increase above 3500 and meeting our current commitment to accept 13.5 % of the entering Arts and Science class each year.



Part of the problem with enrolment is that while we can control the admission of 101 (current Ontario high school) candidates we have far less control over the 105 (everyone else) applicant pool since we admit the latter group on a rolling basis. We are hoping that by requiring a mandatory Profile for all 105 applicants we will be able to better control the number of applicants we accept in this category in future years.



ACADEMIC, PERSONAL & FINANCIAL ADVISING

The primary role of the Victoria College Registrar's Office is to provide information and advice to prospective and current students. This is our main focus and takes up most of the staff time. Between January to December 2010, staff in the Vic Registrar's Office held over 2700 individual advising appointments. Additional advising is also done by the Concurrent Teacher Education Program officer and the Vic One Officer from the Vic Principal's Office. In addition to individual advising appointments, a number of group advising sessions were held during the 2011-11 academic year:



Summer Advising (newly-admitted students)
(5) general advising sessions - 300+ students
(1) Vic One advising session - 150 students
(1) Transfer Credit session - 30+ students
Transition Seminars
(1) Third Year Goal-Planning seminar - 60 students
(1) Graduation Orientation seminar - 70 students
(1) Accessibility Group - 70 students
(1) Subject Post seminar - 100+ students
(1) Vic One Subject Post seminar - 100 students
Open Vic Welcome Event - 300 newly-admitted students
College Registration Day/Orientation Convocation - 300 students



The demand for advising services in the Registrar's Office is high. In addition to regular and drop-in advising appointments, our office continues to dedicate a significant amount of time advising and problem-solving via phone and email.



This past year the Vic Registrar's Office started a special weekly support group for Vic students who were signed up with the U of T Accessibility Services. One of our assistant registrars and a staff member from Accessibility Services meet weekly with a small group of students to provide extra help and support. They provided the students with information and advice on administrative procedures, academic issues and also provided information on the available accommodations and resources. During these weekly sessions students often shared their stories and challenges. This initiative was quite successful and there is talk about expanding it to other colleges.



Chemistry Mentoring Program



For many years Victoria College has organized and run a mentoring/tutoring program for student in first and second year chemistry courses. The Chemistry Department supports the program by providing designated space for the mentors. The program has been successful for so many years (unlike many volunteer mentoring and tutoring programs) because it has strong financial and administrative support.



Future Goals for Advising



The advising staff in the Registrar's Office are "jack-of-all-trades". In addition to regular academic and financial advising they also provide career advising, graduate school planning as well as short-term psychological advice and crisis intervention. Further professional training is needed as the advising staff perform a remarkable amount of short-term psychological advising. The number of students presenting with mental health and anxiety issues has certainly increased and while many of these students are also being seen by professionals, they do rely on our staff for short-term solutions and advice. The other area where more training is needed is with future career and graduate school planning. Many students seek advice on how they can best prepare for future careers (employment) or on what graduate and professional studies options are available to them.



SCHOLARSHIP & BURSARY PROGRAMS

Victoria has very well-developed Scholarship and Bursary programs which provide significant support and encouragement to Vic students. For over 15 years we have had a guarantee in place which promises all Vic students achieving a sessional GAP of 3.50 or greater (an ‘A’ average) an in-course scholarship of $1,000. This past year 550 Vic students received in-course awards. Vic now allocates over $1.2 million in scholarship funds annually.



Over the past five years the Registrar's Office has developed a sophisticated awards database system to manage the Vic awards program. Vic is not on U of T’s Financial Information System and has a completely independent awards program and system which are managed in-house.



Since the last College review in 2005 there are two noteworthy additions to the Vic awards program. Victoria now provides bursary support for our students engaged in study abroad programs. Fundraising efforts have resulted in at least ten new bursaries being established for this purpose. We also have a special new award (Milne Research Grants) which provides support for our life science students who are engaged in academic research.



Bursary Support



Victoria College (like all colleges in Arts and Science) provides bursaries to students who demonstrate financial need. Vic has some in-house bursary resources and also receives an allocation from the U of T for this purpose.



Future Goals for the Scholarship and Bursary Programs



During the new fundraising campaign the College is looking to raise approximately $10 million for student awards. The most significant element would be $6 million for admissions and in-course scholarships. The $1000 in-course guarantee has not increased for 15 years even though tuition costs have risen year over year. Our long range goal is to raise this guarantee to $2000 per eligible student per year.



Vic does not provide bursary support for international students. The U of T and Vic both have policies which state that international students are ineligible for regular bursary support (though some exceptions are made through a U of T-held one-time-only fund). With tuition and residence costs topping $35,000 annually, many of our international students face huge financial struggles which impact their academic performance. We would like to see some increases in the level of support provided to international students.



Our final goal for the year will be to examine the level of bursary support Vic is able to provide to Victoria College students. A typical bursary is in the $1500 - $2000 range. There is some concern that these bursaries may be smaller than typical bursaries awarded by the other colleges in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Ultimately, Vic has less funds available for bursaries than the other colleges because our allocation from U of T is much (disproportionately) smaller. Vic receives $100,000 while many of the colleges receive upwards of $400,000. It is not clear what formula is used to determine divisional allocations and whether this amount is scaled back based on existing divisional resources. It is also not clear whether Victoria College should have access to more funds from this pool of resources.

III Dean's Report
Report from the Dean of Students
Victoria College Review
2011-2012



The areas of responsibility of the Office of the Dean of Students include non-academic student life, discipline, and policy. The office has been busy with all of these, but the past year has been marked most specifically with the planning and creation of new programmes to enhance the already first-rate student experience at Victoria. I arrived at Victoria College in February 2010 to the usual university year-end student difficulties, and to expected staff transitions and office planning (because there had been no Dean in place for the majority of the year). I began, then, with managing these, familiarizing myself with the College, and assessing (in consultation with many different campus constituencies) the needs of the College with respect to the “non-academic” realm.



A popular mantra in Student Affairs for the last couple of decades has been that what happens outside of the classroom is just as important as what happens inside it. We have re-thought and re-named “extra-curriculars,” and in their stead we promote “co-curriculars” as being with, rather than beyond, the academic experience. A good university education obviously requires a solid classroom experience, but best practice at most universities is now to develop complementary co-curricular programming so that education is as broad and as deep as possible.



One of the first things I realized when I arrived is that Victoria College is an exemplar of this sought after model of higher education. Many colleges and universities still grapple with how to turn this idea of integrated education into a reality. Victoria has already done a great deal of this through (among other things) its Vic One programmes, its requirements for small group seminar classes, and its commitment to international experience. I also quickly realized that Victoria College is an inspiring place, not just because our students are academically extraordinary. It is also inspiring because so many of our students are, and take pride in being, well-rounded and reflective people with a commitment to being responsible citizens. Inspiration extends beyond the students to the staff and administration at the College, who recognize, support and build upon this grounded and thoughtful learning of our students that marks the character of the College.



When we turned toward the question of how this character could be combined with the now popular goal of providing stronger and more varied co-curricular activities, four areas emerged that seemed to need attention. These four areas are (i) an integrated student experience (in the sense that it blends academic, social, and community outreach/awareness elements), (ii) a commuter student experience that is tailored to students who may not be part of the community as organically as our resident students seem to be, (iii) the international student experience (both for international students studying here, and for our own domestic students studying elsewhere), and (iv) a deeper and more varied alumni connection with our students. This report is focused primarily on how we have been forging ahead with plans in these areas. It is divided into five sections, four of which address these areas and one of which is more generally dedicated to looking ahead at projects we are planning in the next few years.



(i) Integrated Student Experience -- Ideas for the World 


Our goal in creating a new co-curricular experience to enhance the Vic experience was to build a programme that was at 
 once academic, social and community oriented. There are many terrific programmes that encompass one or two of these 
three elements (volunteering at food banks, departmental socials, “Vic goes to”… the opera, plays, etc.), but surprisingly few that bring them all together. 



The “Ideas for the World” program we have developed at Victoria (and launched in September, 2011) attempts to pull 
all of this together. It is, of course, just one part in developing a well-recognized and signature integrated student 
experience. It has seven sections, each of which combines academic work, social interaction, and community involvement. For the two sections that are open to upper year students only (Humanities for Humanity and Theatre for Thought), we recruit community members from shelters, community centres, churches, and foodbanks to participate, with our own undergraduate student mentors, in lectures and/or performances, dinners and discussions on interdisciplinary topics. Other sections (open to all years) happen with faculty and students coming together over lunch discussion to integrate academic reading, presentations, clips, etc., with discussion about the impact of these ideas in the world. 



The sections include: Humanities for Humanity (a chronologically ordered, interdisciplinary history of ideas as they relate to social, political, literary, historical and philosophical realities); Theatre for Thought (combining an examination of historically renowned texts with those of social justice and popular import); Science in Society (addressing the social implications of scientific theories such as the human genome project and stem cell research); The Purpose, Power, and Politics of the University (including questions of what universities are meant to be in the first place; who funds universities and why; and why academic freedom is so central to our teaching); Religion in the Public Sphere (discussing how religion has related to public topics ranging from charity and peacemaking to the environment and economics); and Culture and Conflict in the Media (addressing the role the media plays in relaying information on a wide variety of issues to the public ). 



Any student who completes four of these over the course of their degree receives a certificate acknowledging completion of the programme, delivered at a ceremony with a distinguished lecturer each year. Student feedback has been unanimously positive. We have had national press coverage of the new programme and faculty, administrators, community members and students have consistently and productively worked together. Each section is full and although we anticipated that it would be a couple of years until students had completed the four sections to get the certificate, some will have completed more than four by April, so we (happily) must plan our year-end festivities! 



(ii) Commuter Student Experience – The Commuter Student Experience Package 



For most Canadian universities with significant commuter populations, the question of how (and even whether) they ought to encourage commuter students to engage in co-curricular activities is a vexing one. What is clear is that commuters participate in activities outside of the classroom much less than do their resident peers. This is recognized as being for one or more of a number of reasons, including being too busy at home, lacking the interest, feeling alienated and/or isolated, having to work, not knowing enough people, not having enough information, and having planned events at times that are inconvenient for people who have to face the TTC. The desire to encourage commuters was a clear one at Victoria when I arrived, and this was from all areas of the university – students, staff, administration, and faculty. 



At the end of the last academic year, the Board of Regents passed, with student approval, a motion to impose a levied 
“Commuter Student Experience Fee” of $25 per year on each full-time commuter student (with reduced fees charged to part-time commuters). This amount notably included a $5 increase from the proposed $20 fee, and this increase was put in place at the request of students. It is rarely the case that students request that they be charged more, and this was taken as indicative of a strong desire for enhanced programming and services for commuters. 



The package offerings include (to date): Three commuter dons, a commuter lounge, a new Alumni Alliance programme (in part for commuter students), subsidies for commuter students participating in programmes, faculty-student breakfasts, and overnight study space during exam times. The dons have already been very active, study space has been planned for winter exams, the commuter lounge is up and running, and commuters are well-represented in each of the currently running Ideas for the World sections. 



(iii) The International Experience – International Students and Study Elsewhere 



Vic has long been committed to encouraging students to get, during their degrees, international experience. This is most often through Study Abroad programmes. We also have a sizable group of international students coming to Vic for their education. There are challenges in each of these areas. For Study Abroad, it is crucial that students see it as a viable . Despite a great deal of information being sent to students, it is often the case that they do not seriously consider it despite later regrets at not having done so earlier. 



We have a Co-ordinator of International Student Life (CISL) who is dedicated to these two areas of international student experience. We have made significant strides over the past year in the area of the experience of our international students. Our CISL now meets individually with each incoming international student. This is an important development in our office. Many international students have difficulties (well recognized and acknowledged within the university) that are categorically different from those our domestic students face. The former are often away from home by significant distances, experiencing language difficulties and cultural barriers, facing inordinately high expectations from families who are far away, and/or with financial troubles that cannot be helped by our bursary programmes (which require that needs must be assessed and demonstrated through federal plans). The result is that they often need more assistance than domestic students need. Our individual meetings with each student have been very successful at offering services and help early in the process so that international students will be more likely to avoid the frequent problem of not seeking help with difficulties until their situations are dire. 



We have two challenges in the area of Study Abroad, on which our Coordinator is working: 



(a) One of the primary reasons that students want international learning (through study-abroad or otherwise) is that they believe they will benefit from cross-cultural experience. One opportunity that is typically excluded from “study abroad” categories is study in Northern Canada, despite the fact that there is arguably more cross-cultural experience involved there than there is in at least some of the approved Study Abroad destinations. Exploring options for expanding at least some of our international opportunities and funding to include Northern Canadian experiences and exchanges is a challenge and a goal for the upcoming years. There are many partnerships and funding opportunities that are possible for this type of co-curricular planning. 



(b) Our international students themselves have many times expressed an interest in Study Abroad, but our funding arrangement cannot accommodate them. This puts them at what they sometimes perceive as a disadvantage with respect to their peers, despite their own international experience. 



(iv) Alumni-Student Relations 



One traditional approach to linking students to alumni is to have “meet-and-greets” and other social events at which students can meet alumni who already have careers in which the students are interested. While these are popular and good for those students who already know where they are headed professionally, they are not so helpful for who are unsure of their career options and interests. 



In an effort to break out of this mould, we have done two things:



(i) We expanded our Life After Vic programme (which provided opportunities for students to meet alumni with interesting traditional careers – law, medicine, journalism…). We now have included alumni with non-traditional jobs (political lobbyists, entertainers, artists, writers, etc.). These have been extremely popular, and have in some cases even evolved into off-campus tours of workplaces



(ii) We have created an Alumni Alliance programmewhich connects alumni to students not according to the students’ intended career paths, but rather by their fields of study, so that they can meet with people who have common academic interests to see where those interests have taken the alumni. The main recognition here is that despite the fact that many students have clear career paths already chosen, even more do not. A frequent message from universities is now that students ought to study what they like and what they are good at; they should treat education as an end-in-itself and not a means-to-an-end. Given this, it is incongruous to only offer opportunities to meet with alumni on the basis of an end about which they are not supposed to be obsessed! These meetings will be in small groups over afternoon tea beginning this term.



(v) Future Projects 



The 2010-2011 year was predominantly a planning year. We planned and launched the Ideas for the World programme, the Commuter Experience Programme, the plan for International Students, and the Alumni/Student projects. This year, 2011-2012, is largely an implementation year for all of those. We have all the ideas we can handle at the moment, and are busy getting everything off the ground. 



While all of this is happening, there are some other projects that need to be started. We will review of the Alcohol Policy, the Residence Handbook, all relevant student non-academic discipline policy, and student life awards (in particular, the Dean’s Education Enhancement Fund, the Webster Fund (sports), and the Performing Arts Endowment). These are all very time-consuming projects, but with the programmes underway we will turn our attention over the next year to reviewing these policies and awards. 



I am overall extremely grateful for the opportunities here at Victoria College. The students, staff, faculty and administration share a collective vision for the College. It is a place that fosters real learning and character building, and a fertile ground for gritty, complicated and enriching education to take place. I am thrilled to be here with a strong and dedicated staff in my office and students who are unparalleled in my experience.

IV CHIEF LIBRARIAN'S REPORT TO THE
VICTORIA COLLEGE REVIEW COMMITTEE 2011



The E.J. Pratt Library at Victoria College is a major academic partner in fulfilling the teaching, learning and research objectives of the College and the University. As an educational and scholarly resource the Library offers expert, individual and group service, effectively introducing and connecting members of the academic community to information resources in the campus system and the world at large.



The Library’s Mission and Objectives (see Appendix A) highlights the goal to make it possible for its users to have access to books, journals, documents and other records of knowledge in whatever format relating to fields of study within the scope of the University’s programs.



In keeping with the directions outlined in its mission statement, the Library at Victoria fulfills the following objectives:



1. To select, acquire and preserve those materials which will support the University’s current and anticipated teaching, 
    research and publication.



2. To receive and preserve those special collection materials which will enhance existing collections and support teaching, 
    research, and publication.



3. To organize and maintain bibliographic control over the materials acquired.



4. To promote the collection and make it available to users, to help them in using the resources of the Library and to provide 
    information about and access to materials located elsewhere.



5. To provide a welcoming environment that enhances learning and research through the provision of experienced reference 
    service and established program of library and information literacy instruction.



6. To maintain our commitment to incorporating new and emerging technologies as they support and enhance learning, 
    teaching and research.



7. To provide appropriate, convenient and attractive facilities for study and research in a safe and healthy environment.



8. To maintain and enhance contacts, programs and events for students and faculty as well as for the wider Victoria and 
    University of Toronto community of Friends of the Library, Alumni, volunteers and staff.



Facilities and Services



The Pratt Library provides a physical environment which enhances the intense intellectual activity which the Library encourages. Spacious, bright study carrels, computer workstations, “ smart” classroom facilities, group study spaces for collaborative work, individual study carrels, leather club chairs, and a student lounge looking out at the Lester B. Pearson Garden with its waterfall and magnificent heritage Beech tree provide an attractive venue for the students’ library experience.



Since its complete renovation in 2001, additional group study space was provided in 2009 and an increased amount of study counter space was installed in early 2011. There are now close to 400 study/reading/lounge seats of various kinds throughout the building.



The Pratt Library has long had a reputation as a welcoming, student friendly environment striving for excellence. The College library is a popular facility with user visits averaging close to 350,000 annually and staff dealing with close to 150,000 reference, research, computing and other queries. Program developments in the areas of information literacy, bibliographic instruction, course specific instruction as well as individual research and reference consultation contribute to student success. (http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/research/)



Effective study and research is enhanced by the Library’s production of subject bibliographies in print and electronic form as well as the on-line guides to e-resources available at the Library’s web site. (http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/research/subject_guides/)



The Library’s Information Commons provides a wide range of information technology services and support ranging from “help desk” assistance to wireless access throughout the building. The Library was a successful innovator of the first laptop lending program on campus and thousands of students take advantage of this service: http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/library_services/technology/. The provision of a workstation specifically dedicated to those with visual challenges provides additional support for students with special needs and this workstation is updated as new technology emerges.



The Library’s Systems unit is not only responsible for maintaining and updating the infrastructure to accommodate changing information technology needs, but is also involved in direct support of student’s information technology needs: http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/library_services/technology/it_support_desk.html 



Student’s academic and research experience has been enhanced by various collaborative projects with the Library. Students were involved with exhibitions of Special Collection materials in conjunction with scholarly conferences (North American Society for the Study of Romanticism, William Blake Symposium and others):
http://bookhistory.ischool.utoronto.ca/annuals/index.html
http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/exhibitions/blake/index.htm  
http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/exhibitions/nassr/index.htm



The Library’s success in delivering its programs and serving the needs of its users has been demonstrated by various Performance Indicators: Recent internal and external surveys (2006, 2008, 2010, 2011) were consistent with past measures and reaffirm the success of Library operations: in the latest surveys 89.4% rated their satisfaction level with Pratt as “High” or “Very High”, 97.5% would return to the Library for assistance, and 83.4% found that the material in the Library met their academic needs (this is up from 75% on the 2003 survey)



Web Pages



The Library’s web pages http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/ are in a constant state of development: they are a significant source of information about learning and research resources, special collection finding aids, links to electronic resources elsewhere, essay writing and research guides, subject bibliographies and virtual exhibitions based on Library collections. A new web page design was launched in 2011 with increased content in the Special Collections area http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/collections/special_collections/ and a new Archives section: http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/archives/ 



During the past 3 years web page views increased by more than 17% and accesses to the Library’s web pages increased by almost 1,000,000 hits. The web pages are visited 24 hours a day.



Special Collections



The Library’s Special Collections are an important source of research and learning materials for many students, faculty and visitors. The web site provides finding aids and other access to more than 80 distinct book and archival collections in subject areas such as Art, Canadiana, Literature and Literary resources, Religious Studies and Sociology. These often unique materials offer the opportunity to enhance students’ academic experience and provide for innovative approaches to teaching and learning.



In recent years tens of thousands of manuscript and rare book items were consulted with heavy use of Frye annotated books, Canadiana, Woolf, Vic Rare, A.P.Coleman and Coleridge Collections among others.



Web access to the Library’s virtual exhibits of Special Collection materials and finding aids for manuscripts and rare books reveal substantial use of these resources. For example, last year (2010-2011) the Bloomsbury pages were accessed 18,795times, the Frye pages had 10,833 viewers, and the William Blake pages 15,412. There were more than 72,000 Special Collection page views, an increase of 14% from the previous year.



Digitization projects which make special and unique materials available for students and researchers include the A.P.Coleman 1852-1939 web exhibition http://library2.vicu.utoronto.ca/apcoleman/ 
which received more than 135,00 page views and visits and the Correspondence of Mario Pratesi, 1842-1921 http://pratesi.vicu.utoronto.ca/ which had 11,680.



The Future



The University of Toronto and Victoria University’s goal of enhancing student experience is well under way at the E.J. Pratt Library of Victoria College. In fact, “enhancing student experience” has been part of the Library’s ethos and its service focus for many years. Victoria’s commitment to student experience was reaffirmed by the recent increase in study space and the enhanced focus on information literacy and faculty outreach. The Pratt Library is committed to adding the required levels of information technology support to meet current and emerging demands of students, faculty and researchers.



Some of the developing and current ways in which the Library will provide instructional and research support include:



• real-time live “on-line” chat with reference staff
• co-browsing database capability
• enhanced “virtual reference desktop” (VRD) for collaborative study
• support for a variety of PCD’s
• maintaining collection development in various formats
• enhancing and expanding in-class instruction (e.g., Vic One, Vic Pathways and other College programs)
• making accessible unique Special Collection materials to improve the learning and research experience
• developing the digital library and virtual library services to meet student requirements for interactive collaboration, 
  customization, and multi-tasking.



APPENDIX A



VICTORIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY



Mission and Objectives



Victoria University Library is an educational and scholarly resource operating as an integral part of the University. Its goal is to make it possible for its users to have access to books, journals, documents and other records of knowledge in whatever format relating to fields of study within the scope of the University’s programs.



In keeping with the directions outlined in its mission statement, the Library at Victoria fulfills the following objectives:



1. To select, acquire, preserve or provide access to those materials which will support the University’s current and anticipated teaching and research.



2. To receive and preserve those special collection materials which will enhance existing collections and support teaching, research and publication.



3. To organize and maintain bibliographic control over the materials acquired.



4. To promote the collection and make it accessible to users, to help them in using the resources of the Library and to provide information about and access to materials located elsewhere.



5. To provide a welcoming environment that enhances learning and research through the provision of experienced reference service and an established program of library and information literacy instruction.



6. To maintain our commitment to incorporating new and emerging technologies as they support and enhance learning, teaching and research.



7. To provide appropriate, convenient, attractive and accessible facilities for study and research in a safe and healthy 
    environment.



8. To maintain and enhance contacts, programs and events for students and faculty as well as for the wider Victoria and 
    University of Toronto community of Friends of the Library, Alumni, volunteers and staff.



To reach these objectives the Library will:



A. Acquire and/or make available those library materials


            1. needed for the instructional programs of the University 
            2. required by students and faculty for course oriented research 
            3. required for general information in selected subject areas not covered by the instructional program 
            4. needed in support of the programs of Emmanuel College through cooperative acquisition plans with the TST 
            5. needed to strengthen and support existing special collections

B. Adopt the best methods of using available financial, physical and technological resources
C. Attract and retain Library staff of high ability, encouraging and supporting them to develop their potential and to work 
    effectively together
D. Plan and administer space and equipment to ensure that the collections and facilities may be used effectively
E. Foster and maintain effective working relationships with all parts of the University community
F. Co-operate with other institutions for the effective use of resources
G. Enhance the role and position of the Library within the academic community and beyond via special events and other 
    activities
H. Provide for a periodic review of the Library's performance in achieving its goal



\RCB\Mission & Objectives 2008 EDITED2.doc
01/09

V. Meetings with External Reviewers



• Paul Gooch
• Kelley Castle, Dean of Students
• Alison Broadworth, Director Alumni Affairs & Deb Scott, Executive Director, Advancement
• Bob Brandeis, Chief Librarian
• Ray DeSouza, Bursar
• Andrew Baines, Professor, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology; Vic One Coordinator, Stowe-Gullen Stream
• Students: Christopher Matropietro, Hope Caldi, Kate Bruce Lockhart, Brandon Bailey, Katie DeGendorfer, John Debiasi
• Susan McDonald, Registrar
• Sheila Cook, Vic One Coordinator, Ryerson Stream; Coordinator Vic Concurrent Teacher Education Program (CTEP)
• Lynne Magnusson, Professor of English; Director, Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies
• David Cook, Principal Victoria College
• Anne Urbancic, Senior Lecturer, Italian Studies; Vic One Coordinator, Frye/Pearson Streams
• Manuela Scarci, Renaissance Studies Program Coordinator
• Al Moritz, Instructor, Vic One Frye Stream; Coordinator of the Jewison Stream
• Variety of Faculty @ High table
• Victoria College Review Committee

VI. Victoria College Review 2013 Student Survey



Download Victoria College Review Student Survey

Printed copy available upon request.


























































































































  

 

 
 
        




    

























































  








































 

 





























































 

























































































































































About Victoria