McMaster University Senate last met on Monday, May 16 in the Council Chambers of Gilmour Hall. The following are some of the items addressed at this meeting.

University transition program

Recent high school graduates will be offered a new University Transition Program, intended to help those who are undecided about the area in which they will focus their universities studies. It also will apply to those who do not quality for direct admission to McMaster but want to develop the skills and knowledge required for university level studies. To qualify for admission, applicants require an Ontario Secondary School Diploma, with a minimum average of 70 per cent. Students who complete the one-year diploma, with a minimum B standing, will be guaranteed admission to Level 1 in the Faculty of Humanities or Social Sciences and will be grated up to 24 units of advanced credit.

The program will be offered in the Bay Area Learning Centre in Burlington and is to be established as a pilot program that will admit the first class of 35 students in the 2005-06 academic year.

Curriculum includes existing undergraduate degree courses and those developed for certificate and diploma programs offered through McMaster's Centre for Continuing Education. It also will offer a number of units designed to teach students particular skills required for successful university studies, such as stress and time management, presentation and problem-solving skills.

COMPASS curriculum revisions

To enhance students' learning experiences, the curriculum of the undergraduate medical program has undergone some revisions. While the content will remain essentially unchanged and will continue to be centered on small-group tutorial, problem-based learning, more emphasis will be given to developing students' understanding of important concepts in medicine and related disciplines, through problem-based learning activities.

There will be concurrent delivery of the Medical Foundations and Professional Competencies curriculums. This is intended to provide better integration of scientific and medical knowledge acquired through the pre-clerkship component of the curriculum with practical and professional skills development in such areas as communication, ethics, professionalism and social contexts of health care.

MD applicants to be required to complete verbal reasoning portion of MCAT

Undergraduate medical applicants to McMaster will be required to complete the verbal reasoning portion of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), effective Sept. 1, 2007.

The MCAT test is used as a criterion for entry to every Anglophone medical school in the United States and Canada, with the sole exception of McMaster. One of the historical reasons for this include the desire to spare applicants to McMaster the added cost of $200 U.S. to write the test. Additionally, McMaster's medical school prides itself on the advancement of those applicants with non-science backgrounds. Therefore, while two of the four portions of the MCAT – assessing applicant knowledge of the physical sciences and biological sciences – might run counter to the goal of non-science applicant advancement, the other portions – verbal reasoning and writing sample – would not. Only the verbal reasoning portion, however, was felt to be predictive of future performance, and as a result, arrangements have been made to allow McMaster applicants (who are not already taking the full MCAT) to pay only a fraction of the total fee to write the verbal reasoning portion only.

New admission category for nursing

A new admission category will be added in the Bachelor of Science Nursing (BScN) Program, to provide an avenue by which registered practical nurses can upgrade their qualifications to registered nurse by completing a BScN degree in three years.

Also approved by Senate, was the introduction of two new courses focused on the transition to professional nursing. The courses are designed to introduce students to problem-based, self-directed small group learning. It also will prepare students for the role of the registered nurse or baccalaureate level study.

Communication Studies and Multimedia

Communication studies and multimedia have been combined into one department. Called the Department of Communication Studies and Multimedia, it will be located and administered by the Faculty of Humanities, effective July 1, 2005.

In February 2004, an ad hoc committee was struck to consider the future of communication studies, jointly administered by Humanities and Social Sciences and its potential relationship with multimedia, currently in the School of the Arts and administered by Humanities.

Diploma in steel processing and manufacturing

Senate approved a graduate diploma in steel processing and manufacturing. The diploma will be offered jointly by three departments: Chemical Engineering (process systems engineering), Materials Science & Engineering (material processing) and Mechanical Engineering (manufacturing). It will enable engineers in the steel industry to upgrade their skills and knowledge without the major commitment that a master's degree entails.

New scholarships

McMaster will offer three new scholarships. The Harish Jain Human Rights in Employment Bursary will be awarded to a student enrolled in the MBA program on the basis of scholastic achievement and financial need. The Dr. John Thomas Memorial Bursary will assist graduate students enrolled in philosophy or health sciences who demonstrate financial need, with preference given to students studying medical or applied ethics. The Robert John Morris Graduate Studies Bursary will be granted to graduate students in good academic standing who demonstrate financial need. Whenever possible, preference will be given to engineering students studying in the area of nuclear engineering or advanced energy systems or to humanities students studying music.

Institute for Surgical Invention, Innovation and Education

A McMaster Institute for Surgical Invention, Innovation and Education was approved by Senate. Offered jointly by the Faculty of Health Sciences and St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, the research institute will include the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery (CMAS).

Created in 1999, CMAS provides supports the training of residents and surgeons with newly developed minimal invasive surgical techniques. Over the past five years, CMAS has trained more than 700 surgeons from around the world in various specialties, and more than 1,000 nurses from North America.

The Centre has become one of the leading centres of its kind, and due to its success in robotic and telerobotic surgery and new modules of training, it is developing significant national and international partnerships.