The training of future scholars and professional leaders in graduate programs enhances the intellectual vitality and reputation of a university. To offer a quality graduate program, members of the Office of the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies, individually and as a group, must be active scholars and leaders in their discipline or profession. In order to acquire and maintain a reputation as an established scholar, a professor must regularly publish in journals or books that are read and reviewed by academic peers employed in other universities in Canada, the United States and abroad. Normally, the published work should contribute to or change the currently accepted thoughts, theories, findings or practices in the discipline or profession. The key to evaluation is that the evidence of quality and current activity must be available for review and critical analysis by academic peers. Clearly, an evaluation process based on peer-adjudicated publications or external grants is the normal way to assess scholarly achievement in the traditional disciplines, and in most professional areas (e.g. Social Work, Business).
The OCGS Appraisals process reviews the quality of graduate programs and the faculty every seven years using external reviewers. In the intervening years, a Unit or Faculty and the University have the responsibility to create an intellectual environment and to maintain a critical mass of productive scholars in order that graduate students are supervised by faculty who are active in the field(s) of expertise pertinent to the Unit or program. To insure that student theses, research projects and cognate essays are supervised by faculty with an established record of scholarly activity in their field, the internal evaluation of faculty, individually and as a group, is a vital component of the appraisal process.
Expectations of an Active Scholar
Activities associated with establishing a reputation as a scholar so that one is qualified to supervise and examine students, or to serve on Graduate Council, include being involved, in the previous seven years, in such scholarly activities as
• Regularly publishing articles in refereed journals or conference Proceedings that are read and reviewed by academic and professional peers
• Publishing a scholarly book (as author or editor), or chapters in scholarly books produced by a commercial or university press
• Publishing case studies in a peer-reviewed publication
• Applying for, and being awarded, internal and external peer-reviewed grants and contracts
• Editing a journal or serving as a reviewer for journals or granting agencies
• Regularly presenting invited or submitted papers at scholarly conferences or professional meetings attended by colleagues in the field of expertise
• Producing research, technical, or other types of reports for agencies, or the completion of grant or contract research
• For the performing arts, significant professional performing experience or significant commissioned works which have received professional performance.
• Supervising graduate students to the successful completion of a thesis, research project, practicum or cognate essay.
• Serving on the thesis committee of a graduate student
• Other activities specific to the discipline
A minimum acceptable level of expected performance is a productivity rate of the equivalent of two refereed publications every four years.
Activities normally requiring accreditation from the Office of the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies (exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies.)
• Serving as a research/thesis supervisor.
• Chairing a thesis defence
• Serving as a member of Graduate council or as a Unit Graduate Coordinator
Minimum criteria for accreditation to the Office to the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies.
• Ph.D., an equivalent advanced degree, or an established record of scholarship
• An appointment at the level of Assistant Professor or above, or status as Professor Emeritus.
• An appropriate level of scholarly activity (see above)
• Adjunct Professors or others may be accredited at the discretion of the Vice-President following recommendations from the Unit or program following article 6 below.
NOTE:
Accreditation to the Office of the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies does not guarantee that a faculty member will supervise thesis students. Units may require more rigorous criteria for thesis supervision. The assignment of faculty as supervisors and committee members is the responsibility of the Graduate coordinators and/or Chairs/Directors, in consultation with the unit and the student.
Procedures for Accreditation
1. Before reviewing the nominations for accreditation or re-accreditation an academic unit must communicate to the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Faculty a set of criteria and procedures to be employed within the academic unit in evaluating faculty for accreditation to the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies. These criteria should clearly indicate the standards and expectations of scholarship in the discipline/profession, in general, and any unique issues/matters that need to be addressed prior to an objective internal evaluation. The academic unit may wish to name and indicate various peer-reviewed journals in the field; the major professional scholarly meetings where papers are presented to academic peers as well as the level and type of scholarship expected of a professor in that discipline or profession. These criteria must be approved by the Dean of the Faculty and the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies.
2 a) Those wishing to be considered for accreditation or re-accreditation should submit a CV in the OCGS format to the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies through the Unit Chair/Director (or program coordinator in a multidisciplinary program) by November 1st for consideration during the Fall term, or by March 1st for consideration during the Winter term.
The Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies may elect to accept nominations at other times.
b) Individuals who wish to be accredited in a program outside their unit or in a program that is not attached to a single unit, must be nominated by the graduate program in place. Upon accreditation, such individuals will be governed by the criteria and policies of the sponsoring unit or the program in which the graduate student(s) are registered.
3. The Accreditation Committee will be composed of the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies, who will chair the committee, the Dean(s) of the applicant’s Faculty(ies), the applicant’s unit Chair/Director (if applicable) and the coordinator of the graduate program. If anyone of these individuals is under review, they will absent themselves and an alternative member of the graduate program will serve in their place. If there is no Chair/Director (i.e. if the program is not attached to a single unit), a member of the graduate program will serve instead. The program will choose the alternate member. The Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies will bring the recommendations before the Accreditation Committee to decide whether accreditation should be granted or denied.
a. If the applicant is not satisfied with the decision of the Accreditation Committee he/she may appeal the decision through the Accreditation Appeals Committee, consisting of four members of Graduate Council. The Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies and any one else who was part of the Accreditation Committee that approved the decision which is being appealed may not sit on the Accreditation Appeal Committee. The decision of the Accreditation Appeals Committee is final.
4. Members will be accredited to the Office of the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies for seven (7) years, or until the next review in conjunction with the OCGS Appraisal of a graduate program (whichever is the earlier). The Accreditation Committee may offer a candidate Probationary Accreditation for two years, after which a review must take place.
5. A Regular accreditation to the Office of the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies expires when an individual no longer holds an appointment at LU.
6. Adjunct Professors or others who wish to participate in Graduate Programs can be accredited by the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies. The recommendation for Accreditation should be submitted via the normal route and the decision will be taken in the same manner as for regular faculty members. The accreditation will last until the end of the Adjunct Professorship or until the next appraisal (whichever is shortest).
Adjunct professors cannot be accredited as sole supervisors.
7. Faculty accredited to the Office of the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies will have their names placed on a list of Graduate Faculty which is filed in the Office of Graduate Studies as well as the Unit and Faculty offices.
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NOTE:
Any exceptions to the these regulations must be approved by the Vice-President, Francophone Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies, who has the right to waive the rules if circumstances warrant it.