Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Department of Geography
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1968 -
History
The Department of Geography was established by the Board of Governors in 1965 as one of the original Departments in the Faculty of Arts. The Department was responsible, through its Head, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the broad fields of Human and Physical Geography. In 1965, the Department consisted of five faculty members and offered six undergraduate courses in the areas of economic, social and physical geography. Subsequent additions to its degree program offerings were a M.A. and Ph.D. in 1966, a B.Sc. in Physical Geography in 1978 and M.Sc. in 1981. The latter two degrees were both through the Faculty of Science. In 1979, the Department had 21 faculty. Members of the Department have also been involved in interdisciplinary programs with other departments and faculties, including the Master of Natural Resource Management Program in Applied Science; the Canadian Studies Program in the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies; the Institute for Quaternary Research; and the Latin American Studies Program in the Faculty of Arts.
The Department was administered by a Chair and a number of standing committees. The Chair was the chief administrative officer, whose responsibilities included the management of the operational budget; faculty tenure, promotion and salary recommendations; teaching assignments; and representation of the Department to external bodies. The number and composition of departmental committees varied little over time. In a draft Constitution of 1969, there were nine standing committees: Undergraduate Studies, Graduate Studies, Library, Accommodation and Equipment, Budget, Appointments and Guest Lecturers, Salaries and Promotions, Cartographic Services, and Tenure. By 1990, the Resources Committee had replaced the former Accommodation and Equipment and Cartographic Services Committees; and the Departmental Tenure Committee had replaced the Salaries and Promotions Committee. Ad hoc committees, such as the Chairman's Search Committee, were also formed.