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CCCESD/CDDGC
Council of Chairs of Canadian Earth Science Departments
Conférence des Directeurs de Départment de
Géologie du Canada
A Council Dedicated to the Promotion of Education in the
Earth Sciences at all Levels |
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A Brief History of CUDGO
In the mid 1960s the government of Ontario and university presidents alike where expressing
concerns about the lack of long term planning in establishing departments and programs, especially
at the graduate level. Therefore each discipline area was required, by the Committee of Presidents
of Universities of Ontario, to establish a committee of their Chairmen to study the (then) current
situation pertaining to the undergraduate and graduate enrolment levels, whether or not they satisfy
the provincial and national demand, provide projections as to future demand and make appropriate
recommendations to them via the Associate Committee on Academic Planning (ACAP), a committee
of the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies (OCGS). This general instruction lead to the creation
of GUDG(O), Committee of University Departments of Geology (Ontario) which later became the
Council of University Departments of Geoscience in Ontario (CUDGO).
One of the first tasks was to collect data on enrollments and staffing levels over a period years. An
Interim Report of CUDG(O) was presented to ACAP on 17/03/1969. The final report was presented
in 1971 and it may be worth noting the 9 recommendations; have things changed much?.
- That all universities in Ontario offer at least an introductory course in Geology.
- That no new departments of geology be created in Ontario unless a need is established on a
provincial basis, and that the transfer of students interested in a degree program in geology from
universities without a department of geology or geological sciences to those having one be facilitated
in every way possible.
- All existing departments develop a four-year programme, for which a minimum of seven faculty
members (full-time or equivalent) is desirable.
- That graduate programmes in geology be established only after demonstration of national need,
and not merely because competence exists.
- That a graduate program in geology be established only with the clear statement of commitment
of adequate resources, financial and other, by the university concerned.
- That university administrators take steps to improve the facilities (teaching and research
equipment, support staff, housing) in departments of geology and geophysics to the point where they
compare with facilities in other science departments.
- That cooperative graduate programmes in geology be encouraged and expanded to make
available and facilitate exchange of students and staff members between universities, for both
teaching and research purposes.
- That scientific collaboration between Ontario geology departments, federal and provincial
agencies, industrial organizations be further encouraged and promoted, especially in the form of joint
programmes to resolve major research problems or to study areas of geologically interesting ground.
- That additional submissions to the Ontario Department of Education be made to make geology
a more readily available subject in the high schools, preferably at Grade 10 level, in the form of the
ESCP programme, and that summer courses be given to train teachers in ESCP methods.
CUDGO's separate questionnaire was dropped in the mid 1980s when the CCCESD/CDDGC questionnaire was well enough established and the
data were analysed regionally as well as nationally. CUDGO has not met physically
for several years but there are frequent email "consultations" when major issues of provincial
significance arise.
This screen last updated 2002 09 01
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