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             A M A L G A M A T I O N   B U L L E T I N
                      No. 6 - Nov. 8, 1996

To:    All Members of the Technical University of Nova Scotia and
       Dalhousie University

From:  Presidents Ted Rhodes and Tom Traves

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This is to bring you up to date on the amalgamation planning process.

A great deal of progress has been made in recent weeks. The administrative
organization and leadership of the new university is almost complete. Where
the great majority of existing units and operations will fit within the new
structure has now been decided. It has also been determined who will be in
charge of most duplicated units that are to be combined. A series of
announcements about administrative organization and leadership will be made
over the next couple of weeks and will be reported in the next Bulletin.

Some people have asked whether these announcements will indicate how many
staff each unit will need after amalgamation. The answer is no. We are
several months away from knowing that. With the exception of Computing
Services (for which integration planning was expedited because of the
number of vacant positions), no detailed unit-level planning has yet taken
place. The development of unit-level business plans will be the first major
task of those who are appointed to head up combined units.
Post-amalgamation staffing levels -- and the extent of any associated job
loss -- will not be known until those plans have been prepared, reviewed
and finalized. As indicated in an earlier Bulletin, that will not be until
early next year.

We appreciate that there is anxiety about job change and job loss among
staff in units which are to be amalgamated. We are committed to providing
answers as soon as possible. The nature of the amalgamation process is
such, however, that a number of building blocks have to be put in place
before we can give individuals information about what the amalgamation will
mean for them.

Turning to the governance of the new university: terms of reference for the
TUNS College Board have been developed in consultation between the
executive committees of the two Boards of Governors. They will be submitted
to the full Boards for approval this month. The Senate Steering Committees
of the two universities will soon consider proposed terms of reference for
the TUNS College Academic Council in relation to the University Senate and
the Faculties of Architecture, Computing Science and Engineering.

A draft proposal to government for legislation to effect the amalgamation
has been developed and circulated on both campuses. We are consulting and
seeking comment on it now. Our aim is to submit it to the government later
this month, following approval by the Boards of both universities.

Consultations with union and employee group representatives are under way.
Discussions have taken place with student leaders about the implications of
amalgamation for student life and student government. These discussions
will continue.

In addition to this activity at the institutional level, a great deal of
planning is going on at the Faculty level. More information will be
forthcoming in future bulletins. In the meantime, we hope you find this
update helpful.

P.S. Some members of Dalhousie and TUNS aren't waiting for the amalgamation
date! Mary Anne White of Dalhousie's Chemistry Department, Dimitri Procos
of TUNS' Faculty of Architecture and Mort Fels and Ron Pelot of the Faculty
of Engineering have just been awarded a four-year, $296,000 NSERC Strategic
Grant to further study and develop a novel family of heat-storage
materials. Congratulations to them on their collaborative effort! It builds
on long-standing intellectual collaboration between our universities and
presages even more research strength and success in the future.

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Questions and Answers
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Q:     Are we on target to amalgamate on April 1, 1997?

A:     Yes. We're on track. Of course, all the details of the
       operation of every part of the amalgamated university won't be
       worked out prior to April 1 -- far from it -- but we fully
       expect that the new university will come into existence on the
       target date. Planning and implementation of post-amalgamation
       arrangements will continue after the official amalgamation
       date, so we need to appreciate the continuing character of the
       adjustment to our new circumstances.


Q:     I work in a central administrative unit. If my unit is merged
       with its counterpart at the other institution, will I end up
       working at a new location?

A:     The location of work will not be known until unit-level
       business plans are complete, but it is certainly possible that
       some people will move to new locations.


Q:     A recent Bulletin indicated that announcements concerning who
       will be in charge of amalgamated units will be made this fall.
       If the person who is going to head my unit is someone other
       than the person to whom I currently report, do I start
       reporting to him or her immediately?

A:     No. Current roles, responsibilities and reporting
       relationships will, in most cases, remain in effect until
       unit-level business plans have been developed, reviewed and
       approved, and associated organizational and staffing changes
       have been made.


Q:     I am an international graduate student at TUNS. I am concerned
       about the language on Dalhousie's parchments (i.e. Latin). The
       language on my first degree is not English and this greatly
       hindered my job search in my homeland. Is there a chance that
       Dalhousie will introduce the option, at least for
       international students like me, of receiving a parchment in
       English?

A:     Dalhousie will consider the possibility of switching to
       English. In recent years, there have also been indications
       from some Dalhousie graduates -- particularly graduates of
       professional programs -- that the Latin on the parchment is
       problematic for them as well. This appears to be an opportune
       time to review the current practice. Dalhousie's Senate
       Committee on Academic Administration will soon be asked to do
       so and to consider the merits of awarding all degrees in
       English. In the meantime, it may reassure you to know that
       Dalhousie provides English translations of its parchments to
       all graduates. The university puts an official stamp on the
       translation, if individual graduates so request. This should
       help avoid the types of problems to which you refer.


Q:     Will Dalhousie and TUNS take steps to ensure that the change
       in the name of TUNS, and therefore the change of name on its
       degrees, does not make it more difficult or time-consuming for
       graduates to get professional accreditation? Specifically,
       will the amalgamated university undertake either to: a)
       provide the graduate with an official "To whom it may concern"
       letter clearly explaining the name change and addressing any
       issues relating to the accreditation process specific to the
       graduates' faculty? or b) inform all of the universities and
       professional associations throughout the world of this name
       change?

A:     The amalgamated university will provide official "To whom it
       may concern" letters to graduates, explaining the change in
       TUNS' name, so that the name change does not result in
       complications or delays in the accreditation process. The
       university will also disseminate information about the name
       change broadly to universities and professional associations.


Q:     Will students currently enrolled in the Dip. Eng. or the
       B.Sc./Dip. Eng. programs be able to transfer into the new
       four-year Engineering program and shave one year off the time
       it takes to complete their Engineering degrees?

A:     We don't yet know the answer to this question. Planning the
       transition to the four-year program is complex and all the
       options will not be fully mapped out until the end of
       December. Information about any options for current
       Engineering students to transfer into the new program will be
       available early in 1997.


Q:     It said in the September Bulletin that "individual job loss
       will be avoided wherever restructuring can be achieved through
       early retirement and voluntary separation." Will that be
       solely under the terms of existing early retirement provisions
       or might new provisions be introduced due to amalgamation
       situations?

A:     The following early retirement programs are currently in
       place:

       *     for TUNS employees: the Public Service Superannuation
             Plan, expiring March 31, 1998.

       *     for Dalhousie employees: the Dalhousie University Staff
             Pension Plan, available until June 30, 1998.

       These will be the applicable early retirement provisions for
       the amalgamation on April 1, 1997.


Q:     What impact will amalgamation have on tuition fees and foreign
       student differential fees next year?

A:     We don't know yet. The level of fees for 1997-98 will be
       determined in the course of the institutional annual budget
       processes. It is anticipated that fee information for 1997-98
       will be available by March or April.


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Amalgamation Bulletin is available in both print and electronic forms.

If you are a member of the TUNS and Dalhousie communities, and you are
not receiving either, please call Dalhousie's Public Relations Office at
494-1339 to arrange to have your name put on the print or electronic list.
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