School of Computer Science Wiki

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- Agenda approved - Director’s Comments

1. Congrats to Dan on his teaching award
   • Thanks to all those who helped make it possible
2. Faculty Hiring Update
   • Short list of the faculty to 20 or so in the next week or two
   • Looking at interviews beginning in January
   • Filling the position quickly thereafter
     • Bill: Exciting portfolio?
   • Stefan: broad range of applications, some of which are really exciting, others not so much short list of applicants look good
   • Yang: how many applications?
   • Stefan: 130ish
3. Grad program assistant update
   • Still being processed in the Dean’s office
   • Stefan: Please encourage the Dean to support the hiring of a new grad assistant
   • Bill: What stage is it at?
   • Stefan: Still getting permission to advertise
4. Upcoming tasks
   • curriculum:
     • Charlie has agreed to chair the undergraduate committee They will be moving forward with mobile computing major as well as other housekeeping activities
   • At the graduate level, we will move ahead with the PhD program including updates to dept. regulations about the nuts and bolts of the program
     • Perhaps the development of educational modules in the program [for students who aren’t as “comp sci strong” as others] Yang has agreed to chair the PhD committee
   • new uni initiative:
     • New University Strategic Renewal Initiative
   • New process - initiated out of pres office
     • strategicrenewal.uoguelph.ca
     • news.uoguelph.ca/conversations
     • not connected to PPP or other initiatives
       • Stefan: “we need to be actively engaged in this, and make the case for comp sci”
       • Goal: defining where the uni is 10 years from now
       • Stefan: “we shouldn’t be using this to solve our current resourcing problems”
   • socs growth:
     • need to properly resource the growth we’ve already seen, plus the growth that continues to happen, plus the growth we want
     • need more staff and faculty positions
     • need more money for labs and for renewal of machines
     • where will the labs be located?
     • space etc for faculty and students
   • need to push for a new building
   • DOE forms:
     • for next fall - will be with us soon
     • anticipated teaching and service for fall 2016 and on
       • happy? sign and return
       • not happy? set up a meeting with Stefan
5. winter 16 updates:
   • Overload courses available. Let Michael know by Wed PM.
     • CIS2500
     • CIS3110
   • TA postings
     • update the requirements for the course you are teaching
     • word requirements with metrics if possible
     • TA allotment will be based on enrolments
     • each student only eligible for 1 140 hour per week per term
     • more jobs will be posted as UTA jobs
     • UTAs and GTAs posted by next week (hopefully)
       • Dan: Is there an issue that the UTA positions won’t be able to be converted back to GTAs later?
       • Stefan: I don’t believe so, since the union is pushing for GTA positions
       • Dan: I thought the Dean could write a letter for exceptions to the rule?
       • Sheryl: There are exceptions.
       • Stefan: We don’t want to make this the standard thing we do.
6. grad program funding:
   • more money coming for grad program funding
     • $4500 and $6500 may be increased by a few $1000
     • uni developing a system to top up students with NSERC grant (to make us competitive)
     • uni actively engaging competitive scholarships wrt to other unis - if student has an offer from somewhere else, the uni will try to match/competitive offer (maybe higher)
     • aboriginal students interested in grad studies - extra funding available
       • all on the horizon at the moment, nothing finalized
       • Stefan: if you have a student that looks good, let me know with ample time and I will start asking about these things for the student.
7. security system updated again
   • all CIS student access will be disabled at the end of the semester
   • all winter CIS students will be added to the system
     • Charlie: when will this be done?
     • Sheryl: by January 11, the first day of class.

- Other items

• Dan: Lots of info presented today, will we be receiving meeting minutes?
• Stefan: I’ll work on a solution to that.
• Bill: I was going to ask the same thing.