The UW Senate met this April to discuss and vote on a number of important changes that will directly affect the student experience. The Senate is the university’s highest governing body for academic matters, made up of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, governors, and administrators. During this meeting, they addressed key issues like budget restructuring, faculty reorganization, and new academic programs. Here are the major changes approved at the meeting. 

Operating Budget Cuts 

Senate members reviewed the recommendation of the 2025-26 university operating budget, which is part of a broader three-year plan to eliminate the structural deficit by the 2027-28 fiscal year. The structural deficit arose from a combination of factors such as provincial funding constraints, capped domestic tuition rates, recent limits on international student enrolment, and inflation. Although the university is exploring ways to bring in more money, those efforts are not expected to make a noticeable difference for a few years. In the short term, expense reductions remain necessary.  

Achieving this goal will require significant annual expense reductions through organizational transformation. As part of this transformation, the uUniversity plans to shift its academic model toward a more sustainable, future-focused approach. This includes concentrating resources on institutional priorities and making strategic use of one-time funds. 

What does this mean for students? While no specific cuts were detailed during the Senate meeting, the administration did emphasize that protecting the student experience remains a core priority during this transition. The Senate emphasized that the institution remains committed to maintaining quality in academic and research operations, supporting student experience, and ensuring employee morale. 

Knowledge Integration Department to Be Dissolved 

A major structural change within the faculty of environment was also approved, involving the dissolution of the department of knowledge iIntegration (KI). Beginning July 1, 2025, KI programs, students, and faculty will be integrated into the school of environment, resources, and sustainability (SERS). This decision was made due to the small size of the KI department with only three faculty members and one undergraduate program, making it less sustainable as an independent academic unit. Moving KI into SERS is expected to provide better administrative and academic support, as well as opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.  

Faculty of Environment Constitution Amended 

In line with the KI reorganization, the Senate approved several updates to the constitution of the faculty of environment. These amendments are designed to reflect the new structure and improve internal governance. One significant change is the extension of the faculty council chair’s term from one year to two years. This move aims to provide more stability in leadership, especially given the increasing complexity of virtual and hybrid meetings. 

Other amendments include updates to committee memberships to include more representative roles, such as the manager of environment Indigenous initiatives and the associate dean of work-integrated learning. Voting rights on key committees like the undergraduate studies committee and graduate studies committee have also been revised to ensure a more accurate reflection of current academic responsibilities. 

New Graduate Specialization: Future Cities 

Students interested in civil engineering and urban sustainability may be excited to hear about the new “Future Cities” specialization, which will be available to master of engineering (MEng) students in civil engineering beginning in fall 2025. Developed by the Future Cities Institute and supported by the Turkstra Chair in Urban Engineering, this specialization aims to address urban challenges like climate change, infrastructure sustainability, and municipal planning. 

The new option will require students to complete four core and four elective courses and is designed to prepare engineering leaders to shape Canada’s urban future. With cities facing increasing pressure to adapt to climate change and social needs, this program presents an exciting opportunity for students to be at the forefront of engineering innovation in municipal settings. 

Health Technology Programs for Engineering Students 

In addition to the Future Cities specialization, new collaborative programs in health technologies were approved across three engineering disciplines: civil, electrical and computer, and systems design. These collaborative programs aim to merge traditional engineering fields with health technology innovation.  

Graduate Program Changes Across Faculties 

The Senate also approved several major modifications to existing graduate programs, including the master of climate change, PhD programs in psychology, and the MA in English with a critical media studies focus. One particularly notable change is the revision of the master’s research paper (MRP) option. Students and faculty had raised concerns about the administrative challenges of the MRP — particularly around faculty workload and lack of credit for supervision. The new structure is expected to ease these burdens and make the MRP pathway more accessible and sustainable for both students and supervisors.