Annual Report 2005-2006 - Osgoode Hall Law School - York ...

After consultations with the graduate students, the Graduate Studies Committee introduced an extended
dissertation proposal approval process, to be completed at the end of the PhD students’ first year. This
process will result in students producing a major paper including a literature review and detailed research
plan, meeting with their committees as a whole, making revisions to their research plans, and being thus
better prepared for the task of independent research to be undertaken in the second year.
A continuing problem occurs when students have completed a first draft, and stall awaiting feedback or
find themselves not sure how to revise what they have written.
5. Scholarly and career support
The aid to students presenting papers at scholarly conferences has been a great success, with
approximately 10 students taking up the stipend. A publication workshop is still needed by students, as is
much more support in terms of future careers, such as sessions on applying for jobs, job talks etc. This
activity, while very important, seems to have fallen by the wayside in 2005-06, but will be picked up again
in 2006-07.
A proposal for a job fair is being launched for next year’s Graduate Student Conference, and for the
Congress meetings in Saskatchewan.
6. Administrative (and Financial) Issues
The Graduate Program is progressing toward having a fully electronic admission process (except for
students who lack access). The assessment of applications was done using electronic dissemination of
materials, with great success.
That said, each student requires individual attention (registration, advising, scholarship processing, record
keeping, transcripts, payroll, petitions, grade submission, theses defenses and convocation).
The increase in 2005-06 was absorbed (with great alacrity by the staff) because so many functions were
newly electronic. However, very few economies remain to be captured. The more students, the greater the
administrative cost.
By and large, there has been sufficient money to provide the necessary financial support to attract and
maintain Graduate students, but arranging financial support (including teaching positions) also requires
considerable effort, with more students requiring more effort, needless to say
7. Opportunities for enrichment
It remains to be seen whether Atlas and the Hamburg Exchange will get underway in 2006-07. New
Graduate student exchanges are being initiated.
There is more work to be done here to make Osgoode the preferred destination for applicants, and to
promote greater student satisfaction.
8. Integration with the Osgoode community
The situation has improved, with much more awareness of the Graduate Program, a new Osgoode
Graduate prize, and new graduate oriented requests for additional faculty resources.
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