The Senate of Victoria University
Powers
The 1981 Victoria University Act gives the Senate power to grant degrees, establish student awards, summon Convocations, "make regulations and deal with all such matters of a strictly educational nature as have not in this Act been assigned to either of the Colleges", and "deal with other matters and affairs as may from time to time be committed to it by the Board".
By the terms of the Federation agreement which brought Victoria University into the University of Toronto in 1892, Victoria has held in abeyance its power to grant degrees except in Theology. Victoria College students do not receive Victoria University degrees; their degrees are conferred by the University of Toronto. For Emmanuel College, however, the Senate is an important upper chamber. It must approve any changes in the theological degree requirements and vote on the granting of all theological degrees. The degrees granted by the Senate to students of Emmanuel College are Master of Divinity, Master of Pastoral Studies, Master of Religious Education, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Theology, Doctor of Theology and Doctor of Ministry. The first four are referred to as basic degrees, the other three as advanced degrees. The Senate also votes on the granting of the two honorary degrees, the Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Sacred Letters. The first of these is usually conferred only upon ministers of religion, the second upon lay persons.
In addition to granting degrees, the Senate deals with matters that transcend the Victoria College - Emmanuel College division and are of equal concern to both Colleges and to the broader academic community. The nature of these matters is reflected in the names and work of the various standing committees.
Much of the regular work of the Senate is done through its standing committees, whose mandates show the broad concern referred to above: Library Committee, Awards Committee, etc.
The current Standing Committees are:
Awards Committee: recommends terms for new awards, awards policy, recipients of awards in both Colleges. Its main reports come at the October, May and June meetings; sometimes shorter reports at other meetings.
Honorary Degrees Committee: meets in January to report at the February meeting with recommendations for the conferral of honorary degrees at the Convocation in May. Chaired by the Chancellor.
Library Committee: deals with Library policy; brings forward an annual Report at the April meeting.
Lincoln Hutton Scholarship Committee: recommends a recipient each year for the Lincoln Hutton Essay award. This essay competition, established in 1917, is open to students of Victoria College.
Music Committee: recently established; makes plans for and presents musical events at Victoria.
Nominating Committee: reports usually only once a year, at the June meeting, with proposed membership of all standing committees for the following year.
Margaret Ray and Florence Pratt Award Committee: this Committee, established at the meeting of February 1992, determines the recipient or recipients of this award, given annually to candidates among Victoria University employees of over 10 years standing to enable them to take extended leave for some desired purposes. The award was established through the will of the late Margaret Ray, a former Victoria University Librarian.
Research Committee: concerns itself with facilities for research, Victoria grants policy, etc.
Special Awards and Prizes Committee
Spooner Fellowship Committee: this Committee, established in 1994, recommends recipients of grants from the Spooner bequest to members of the Victoria University staff for travel to locations in Asia for academic research.
The By-laws, established in 1954 and amended only slightly since, determine the date of meetings and rules of procedure.
1. By-laws of the Senate of Victoria University heretofore passed insofar as they are inconsistent with the by-laws hereinafter contained are hereby repealed.
2. Meetings of the Senate shall be held on the first Wednesday of October, December, February and April, on a day to be fixed by the Vice-Chancellor within the week preceding the graduating exercises in Divinity, and on a day to be fixed by the Vice-Chancellor within the week preceding the graduating exercises in Arts.
3. A special meeting of the Senate may be called by the Chancellor on the requisition of not fewer than five members on not less than three days' notice, for the transaction of such business as may be specified in the notification of such meetings.
4. Every meeting of the Senate unless otherwise directed by the Chancellor shall begin at 4:15 p.m.
5. At all meetings nine members shall form a quorum.
6. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the Senate in the representatives elected by the graduates of Victoria College or by the alumni of Emmanuel College, the Senate shall fill the vacancy by election at its next regular meeting on nomination respectively by the Principal of Victoria College or the Principal of Emmanuel College.
7. At the June meeting of the Senate the Nominating Committee shall bring in a report proposing names for the Standing Committees and such other Standing Committees as may be hereafter authorized by the Senate. Upon election by the Senate such Committees shall serve for the following year.
8. When a special Committee is appointed by resolution of the Senate, the mover of such resolution shall, unless it be otherwise determined, be a member and the first convener of the Committee.
9. At every meeting of the Senate the Chancellor shall preside as chairman, or in his absence the Vice-Chancellor; or in the absence of both, a chairman shall be chosen by the members present.
10. Any member desiring to speak during a meeting of the Senate shall rise in his\her place and address the chairman.
11. The chairman may take part in a debate on any subject, but before doing so he shall leave the chair and appoint some other member to occupy it until he has spoken.
12. All questions coming before the Senate (except motions to confer honorary degrees) shall be decided by a majority of the members present, but in case of an equality of votes the question shall be deemed to be negatived. The chairman may vote on any question.
13. No motion introducing new matters other than matters of privilege or petition shall be taken into consideration at any regular meeting of the Senate, except upon a two-thirds vote of the members present.
14. No matter once disposed of by the Senate shall be reconsidered during the same session except by a two-thirds vote of the members present.
15. When recommendations for the conferring of honorary degrees are brought to the Senate by its Standing Committee for that purpose, the Senate shall vote by ballot on each name proposed, and no degree shall be conferred unless the nominee shall have received an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the members present. Notice of at least seven days shall be given of any meeting at which recommendations for honorary degrees are to be made.
16. Unless by special resolution of the Senate, a degree honoris causa shall in no case be conferred in absentia.
17. In all minutes recording the action of the Senate on recommendations for honorary degrees only the names of those on whom the degree is to be conferred shall be recorded.
