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Article #1705

Amalgamation Bulletin No. 7

#1705
From: Public Relations
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 00:00
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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. 7 - Nov. 15, 1996

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

From:  Presidents Ted Rhodes and Tom Traves

*************************************************************************

As we mentioned in last week's Bulletin (No. 6), a number of building
blocks have to be put in place before we can give people information about
what the amalgamation will mean for them. One of those building blocks, and
a major task of amalgamation planning, is determining where existing units
will fit within the structure of the new University.

The Amalgamation Agreement that was signed in July described a new
university with an expanded Board, an expanded Senate and a College of
applied science and technology -- initially comprising the Faculties of
Architecture, Computer Science and Engineering -- in addition to
Dalhousie's existing Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Dentistry,
Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Law, Management, Medicine, Science,
and Henson College of Public Affairs and Continuing Education. The TUNS
College will have a College Board and an Academic Council, and will be
headed by a Principal (Ted Rhodes), who will report to the President of the
University (Tom Traves). The existing Dalhousie Faculties will continue to
report to the Vice-President, Academic and Research (Deborah Hobson). The
amalgamated university will have three other vice-presidential-level
positions: a Vice-President, Development and Alumni Affairs (Dale Godsoe),
a Vice-President, Finance and Administration (Bryan Mason) and a
Vice-President, Student Services (Eric McKee). Dexter Kaulbach, currently
Vice-President (Administration) at TUNS, has chosen to retire on Jan. 1,
1998. He will continue to serve TUNS as Vice-President (Administration)
until April 1, 1997. Subsequently, he will serve the University in a senior
executive capacity, working on projects related to the amalgamation.

The process of determining where existing units and operations will fit, in
relation to this overall administrative structure, is almost complete. In
some cases (e.g. Computer Science and Engineering), this was determined by
the Amalgamation Agreement itself. In other cases, decisions have been made
recently with a view to creating a vibrant college within a
well-functioning and dynamic university, and to fulfilling other purposes
of the agreement. These purposes include continuously seeking improvements
in operational efficiency, with a particular focus on maximizing resources
for academic/research activities and minimizing administrative costs, while
maintaining an array of support services of professional quality.

In deciding the future organization of units at TUNS and Dalhousie, we
sought to balance these objectives with the need for responsiveness to the
requirements of the students, faculty, staff, alumni and other
constituencies of the College, as well as other units of the university.

The future structure and leadership of units which are now duplicated are
described in some detail below. For those units which are to be combined
administratively, it was necessary to identify those who will lead the new
units. As you may recall from an earlier bulletin, heads of existing
duplicated administrative departments were invited to compete for the
single position created as a result of amalgamation. As it happened, there
were no instances in which both existing heads elected to compete for the
new position.

Decisions have now been made about the organization and leadership of
almost all units. (Graduate Studies and the Libraries require further
consideration and discussion). Staff in units to be merged have now been
advised of the changes that will take place. Those who will lead the new
departments are learning about operations on both campuses in preparation
for the development of operational plans for their amalgamated units, which
will determine future structure and staffing. We expect that the
preparation of these plans will take between one and three months.

Section A lists those units which are now duplicated and which will
continue to exist at both the University and College levels, with some
changes in mandate and reporting relationships. Section B outlines the
status of duplicated units that will be combined. This does not necessarily
mean that the unit will have only one physical location. Section C
identifies offices which are currently unique and whose mandates will
expand to encompass the amalgamated institution.

Section A
---------
The following units will continue to operate as separate entities at both
the University and the College levels for the foreseeable future. They will
co-operate and co-ordinate where appropriate.

ALUMNI AFFAIRS:  There will be an Alumni Office within the College. Current
TUNS Alumni Affairs Director Laura Addicott will report to Principal
Rhodes. Dalhousie's Alumni Affairs Office will continue to offer programs
for other Dalhousie alumni. Dalhousie's Acting Director of Alumni Affairs,
Marian Gray, will continue to report to Dale Godsoe, Vice-President
(Development and Alumni Affairs).

CONTINUING EDUCATION: Continuing Education will be provided by Henson
College of Public Affairs and Continuing Education, by the Continuing
Education Division of the TUNS College, and by other Faculties of the
University. There will be no change in management or reporting
relationships as a result of the amalgamation. Units offering continuing
education will co-operate as appropriate.

CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION: There are no changes envisioned to the
administrative operations of current co-operative education programs
offered at either institution, although co-operation will, of course, be
encouraged. The creation of a new Faculty of Computer Science will
eventually lead to new arrangements for co-operative education within
computer science.

RESEARCH SERVICES: The College will maintain a research office to pursue,
negotiate and approve research projects within the framework of the
policies and procedures of the University. Feridun Hamdullahpur, currently
Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at TUNS, will continue to be the
officer in charge of the Research Office of the College. He will report to
the Principal. Research administration at the University level will
continue to be led by Robert Fournier, Associate Vice-President (Research
and International Relations), who will establish arrangements for
expeditious approval of College proposals on the part of the University.

Section B
---------
The following duplicated units will be combined into single units.

I. Academic Units

COMPUTER SCIENCE: As outlined in the Amalgamation Agreement, the School of
Computer Science at TUNS and the Division of Computing Science at Dalhousie
will be combined into a new Faculty of Computer Science. The provincial
government has committed funding for the development of the Faculty into a
centre of excellence in teaching and research with a vital role in the
development of Nova Scotia's information technology sector. A search for a
dean is currently under way.

Pending the appointment of a dean, a Joint Transition Committee consisting
of representatives of the existing School and Division is planning for the
transition. The recently established Academic Co-ordinating Committee,
co-chaired by Dalhousie Vice-President Deborah Hobson and TUNS Dean Adam
Bell, will ensure that the process is co-ordinated with planning processes
at other levels of the universities.

ENGINEERING: The members of Dalhousie's Department of Engineering will
become members of the Faculty of Engineering of the College. They will join
departments appropriate to their individual areas of expertise and
specialization. The new Faculty of Engineering will provide a comprehensive
program of studies from the first undergraduate year through to the
completion of doctoral studies. The Faculty will also be launching a
four-year engineering degree program, targeted to begin in the fall of
1997.  Adam Bell will be Dean of the expanded Faculty. As with Computer
Science, the provincial government has committed funding for the continued
development of the Faculty into a centre of excellence, with a critical
role in the development of the province's future.

II. Administrative Units

ATHLETICS: Athletics and  Recreational Services at Dalhousie and the
Department of Athletics at TUNS will be merged. Pat Nearing, who is the
Director of Athletics at TUNS, will continue to be responsible for
overseeing athletic and recreational services and facilities at the College
site. Tony Martin has been selected to head up the new combined Department
that will serve our merged universities. He has been the Director of the
Dalhousie unit since 1987, and previously was Director of Dalplex.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS: The Department of Community Relations at TUNS is
presently responsible for Alumni Affairs, Development and Public Relations.
The current Executive Director of Community Relations, Barbara Watt, has
chosen to retire from this position in February 1997, but has agreed to
continue to assist the Principal in executive roles such as Secretary of
the College Board and manager of the Associates Program.

DEVELOPMENT activities (including capital fund-raising) will be merged into
units headed by Charlotte Sutherland, Director of Development, and Bill
Straitton, Director of the Capital Campaign, and will report to Dale
Godsoe, Dalhousie's new Vice-President (Development and Alumni Affairs).
Dale, an experienced fund-raiser, began the VP job at Dalhousie on Nov. 1,
1996.

PUBLIC RELATIONS functions will also be merged and will be headed by
Dalhousie's recently appointed Director of Public Relations, Michelle
Gallant. Prior to joining Dalhousie, Michelle was a Principal of Corporate
Communications Limited.

COMPUTING SERVICES: The Department of University Computing and Information
Services at Dalhousie (UCIS) and the Department of Computer and
Communications Services at TUNS will be merged. Perry Sisk, who is the
Director of Computer and Communications Services at TUNS, has chosen to
accept appointment as the Director of Administrative Computing in UCIS.
Morven Wilson has been selected to head up the new combined department.
Morven has been the director of the Dalhousie unit since 1995 and
previously was the director of Computing and Communication Services at
Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto.

FINANCIAL SERVICES:  The Department of Financial Services at Dalhousie and
the Department of Financial Services at TUNS will be merged. Rick Lowery,
who is the Treasurer at TUNS, has chosen to accept an appointment as the
College's Administrative Officer, reporting directly to the Principal. Ian
Nason has been selected to head the new combined department that will serve
our merged universities. Ian has been the director of the Dalhousie unit
since 1991, and previously served as the Assistant Director.

PERSONNEL SERVICES: The Department of Personnel Services at Dalhousie and
the Department of Personnel Services at TUNS will merge. Lorabeth Ritch,
who is Director of Personnel at TUNS, has chosen to accept an appointment
as the assistant director in the combined department, with a particular
responsibility for a strengthened labor relations function. Michael
Roughneen has been selected to head the new combined unit. Michael has been
the Director of the Dalhousie unit since 1981, and previously was Assistant
Administrator of Employee Relations at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

PHYSICAL PLANT: The Department of Physical Plant and Planning at Dalhousie
and the Department of Physical Plant at TUNS will be merged. Carl Day, who
is the Director of Physical Plant at TUNS, has chosen to take advantage of
the early retirement program. Bill Lord has been selected to head the new
combined department that will serve both the University and the College.
Bill has been the Director of the Dalhousie unit since 1986, and previously
was the Assistant Administrator, General Services and Director of Plant
Services, Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, B.C.

REGISTRAR'S OFFICE:  The Registrar's Office at Dalhousie and its
counterpart at TUNS will be merged. Monty Pelletier, who is the TUNS
Registrar, will be Associate Registrar with particular responsibility for
the new College for the next two to three years. During this time, a new
Student Information System will be selected and installed in the combined
department. Until the new system is in place, student information at the
College will continue to be maintained on the existing TUNS system. Gudrun
Curri has been selected to head the new combined office. She has been the
Registrar at Dalhousie since 1987, and previously was the Registrar of
Scarborough College at the University of Toronto.

STUDENT SERVICES:  It will be the aim of the amalgamated university to
provide a wide range of professional quality student and campus services to
its students and other clients, in a cost-effective manner. The range of
services will include: residence administration, financial aid services,
counselling services, career information, study skills and writing
assistance, health services, employment services, bookstore, international
student services, general advice, assistance and referral, service for
students with disabilities, Black student and Native student services,
chaplaincy services, food services, conference services.

A planning process is being initiated to determine how best to provide
these services. There will be consultation with students and staff on both
campuses. The process will define the future organizational and staff
structures for these services. Opportunities to provide comparable or
better service through integration with other administrative functions
will be explored. The precise roles and responsibilities of the current
heads of student services units at both universities will be defined
within the amalgamated university in light of the plan. The intention is
to have a plan for a redesigned and integrated operation finalized early
in the new year. 


The Next Step in Planning for Amalgamation of Duplicated Units
--------------------------------------------------------------

The newly designated heads will study the current operations of the two
departments and will develop and recommend business plans setting out the
future organizational and staffing structures. The intention is to have the
plans finalized early in the new year. Because one of the purposes of the
merger is to reduce the cost of administrative services, the department
heads have been asked to design plans which provide necessary professional
quality services to clients throughout the entire institution in the most
cost-effective manner.

Section C
---------
The following offices exist only at Dalhousie. Their mandates will expand
to include the larger, new University. There will be no change to current
personnel or reporting relationships for these offices.

*    Environmental Health and Safety (William Louch, Director)

*    Instructional Development and Technology (Alan Wright, Executive
     Director)

*    Employment Equity (Mary Margaret Dauphinee, Employment Equity
     Officer)

*    Status of Women/Sexual Harassment (Susan Brousseau, President's
     Advisor on Women's Issues)

*    Institutional Affairs (Brian Christie, Executive Director)

*    Legal Counsel (Brian Crocker, University Secretary and Legal
     Counsel)

In the past few months, we have made very substantial progress towards the
amalgamation of our institutions. The decisions detailed in this Bulletin
represent an important milestone in our organizational development. Clearly
they provide only the framework of our amalgamated institution. In the
coming months, we will develop more detailed plans and move another step
closer to bringing our new University to life.

Dr. Edward Rhodes                            Dr. Tom Traves
President                                    President
Technical University of Nova Scotia          Dalhousie University

---------------------
Questions and Answers
---------------------

Q:      I'm a staff member in one of the units being merged with its
        counterpart.  How will all of this affect me, my job, my reporting
        relationship, my overall responsibilities?

A:      At this point in time, staff members at both universities will
        continue in their current positions, with no immediate changes in
        responsibilities, duties, hours of work, salary/wages, pension or
        insured benefits. Furthermore, there will be no changes to
        reporting relationships at this stage of the amalgamation process.


Q:      What are the next steps in the process?

A:      Now that we have determined the basic organizational structure for
        the university as a whole, we can begin the process of planning for
        individual departments and operations. This step is key to
        determining the actual staffing requirements for each department.
        When these plans are complete, we expect to be able to inform
        individual employees of how the amalgamation will affect their
        personal situations. Timing for the completion of the operational
        plans will likely vary by department, but we expect all of the
        plans to be complete in about three months time. Just as some plans
        will be completed earlier than others, integration of services and
        staff will begin at different times in different areas.


Q:      If my department is being merged, will I be moving to a new
        location?

A:      No decisions about location will be made until operational plans
        for the merged units have been completed.


Q:      What will be the process for developing operational plans?

A:      The planning process will vary from unit to unit, reflecting the
        nature of the unit's clients, programs/services, and operations.
        The process will be led by the designated head of the new unit.


Q:      I am a staff member in an administrative unit. Is my job at risk?

A:      One of the objectives of amalgamation is to maintain or improve
        administrative services while eliminating unnecessary duplication
        and reducing costs. Over time, there will be some overall reduction
        in staff numbers. We hope that much of this reduction will be
        achieved through natural attrition, by taking advantage of current
        vacancies, and by use of the early retirement incentive programs
        now available at both institutions.


Q:      I am a staff member in an academic unit which is being merged with
        its counterpart. Is my job at risk?

A:      The heads of the newly created Faculties will also be preparing new
        plans which will outline staffing needs. Until that process is
        complete it is not yet possible to tell you how your job will be
        affected.


Q:      Will there be layoffs or terminations of staff members in either
        administrative or academic units?

A:      If, at the end of the day, some layoffs/terminations are
        unavoidable, we will follow the applicable provisions
        (organizational change, re-deployment, layoff and severance) of the
        relevant union contracts. Where non-union positions are combined,
        the incumbents will be given the opportunity to compete for the new
        position. Every reasonable effort will be made through redeployment
        to find alternative employment for the unsuccessful applicant. If a
        layoff/termination of a non-unionized administrative employee is
        unavoidable, notice/compensation will be provided in accordance
        with terms agreed to by the Dalhousie University Administrative
        Group, which will be extended to comparable TUNS employees.


Q:      What about my rights and protection under my current union
        contract?

A:      Even as departmental management structures change in the months
        ahead, current collective agreements will continue to apply to
        unionized employees. Merged units will have staff whose employment
        conditions will be governed by their different collective
        agreements, and those differences will continue until new
        contractual terms apply. Government restraint legislation mandates
        that collective bargaining will not resume until after Nov. 1,
        1997.


Q:      I'm not in a union, so what about my employment?

A:      Employees who are not unionized nevertheless have terms and
        conditions of employment. These will continue to apply, but over
        time uniform terms and conditions will be introduced as the
        universities merge. Some jobs will be redefined in the expected
        restructuring of service units, and when this occurs, our usual
        procedures (such as job evaluation) will apply.
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From: Public Relations <notice@is.dal.ca>
Subject: Amalgamation Bulletin No. 7
Date: 1996/11/15
Message-ID: <Pine.A41.3.95.961115124737.75386A-100000@is.dal.ca>
X-Deja-AN: 196735102
distribution: dal
sender: amalg-update@dal.ca
organization: Dalhousie Communications Services
reply-to: notice@is.dal.ca
newsgroups: dal.general,tuns.general,dal.mscs.forum,tuns.cs.general
originator: server@Snoopy.UCIS.Dal.Ca