Accreditation
Every five years an evaluation of each recognized Planning Program in Canada is conducted by the Canadian Institute of Planners and their local provincial affiliate. The latest accreditation in November 2007 was very positive. Their covering letter stated:

The Site Visit Committee for the 2001-2006 accreditation of the University of Manitoba Master of City Planning Program submits its final report and recommendations for your consideration. We are pleased to recommend that the program currently offered by the Department be provided with continuing accreditation from the Canadian Institute of Planners. The Committee observed that the University of Manitoba is operating a strong and well-respected graduate program in community planning and design that maintains very strong links to the profession and to members of the planning community. The attached report summarizes the periodic intensive review process followed by the Site Visit Committee, materials reviewed by the Committee, compliance with mandatory program requirements, and the Committee’s observations about strengths and weaknesses of the program and suggestions for further improvement. On behalf of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to be involved in this process to ensure that our country’s planning graduates have a minimum level of skills, knowledge and ethics to advance in the profession and contribute to making sustainable communities. Valdene Buckley, MCIP, CMMA Chair Mark Seasons, MCIP, RPP Andrea Gabor, FCIP, RPP . Highlights of the report will be posted.

The following is a copy of text reporting on the 2001 department accrediation prepared for the Faculty Newletter Network.

City Planning: Another Accreditation Aced in 2001

The current round of successful professional accreditation visits in the Faculty of Architecture drew to a close recently with the very favourable review of the Masters of City Planning program. Following the highly commendatory evaluations of the design programs in Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape Architecture, a team of professionals visited the planning program in October, 2001. Their report recommended full re-accreditation - and it lauded the strengths and accomplishments of the program, its staff and its students.

The team included a respected private consultant, Linda Allen of City Spaces; an experienced public sector planner, Chris Leach, President of the Manitoba Planners Institute; and a senior academic, Pierre Filion of the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Waterloo. They prepared for their careful analysis of the program by reading the Self-Evaluation Report written in a collaborative effort by CP staff, covering essential aspects of the program: structure, human and material resources, governance, and outcome measures; as well as future developments in an all-important section entitled Looking Forward. Over three days the team held intensive interviews with graduates and current students, faculty members, part-time staff, adjunct professors, department heads and deans in the Faculty of Architecture and University administrators. They examined student work on exhibit in the building Architecture 2, and inspected samples of professional work and peer-reviewed publications of staff.
The site visit team: Linda Allen, Pierre Filion, Chris Leach
appearing here with Dr. Ian Skelton, Department Head (second from left).
The last two days of the site visit were particularly memorable. A disagreement between the University and the Faculty Association had escalated, and these were the first two days of a work stoppage on campus. Participants in the program review showed their commitment to the process and their flexibility by holding the rest of the proceedings off campus. Students insisted on their work receiving full attention and brought samples downtown for an impromptu crit.

In reporting out, the team opened its observations on an upbeat note: "...the committee would like to emphasize how impressed we are with the overall strength and vitality of the program." They valued the focus of the program in housing and urban revitalization and its orientation towards studios, a noteworthy strength in relation to other graduate planning programs. The positive tone continued, describing the staff as "committed" and " well thought of and respected" and giving high value to the contribution of adjunct professors and part-time staff. The team rated the computer facilities as "ahead of the curve" and praised the presentation of the program on its web site.

Looking back, the team was well-satisfied with the quality of the planning program. Looking ahead, they recognized that the Department of City Planning is giving careful consideration to its future. They fully endorsed the goal of creating an Aboriginal Planning Program at Manitoba, and offered useful suggestions on this priority, as well as on the possible directions under discussion including community design and Green Map projects, and participation in Faculty initiatives.

The team's report reflects extremely well on the accomplishments of the planning program, building on its deep roots in Canadian planning education. The Department of City Planning is fortunate to exist in such a fertile environment as the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba and it is grateful for the remarkable support given by the professional communities and other friends in Winnipeg.

excerpted from: Site Visit Committee Report Periodic Intensive Review Master of City Planning Program Oct 2001.
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Other comments regarding the strengths of the Program include:

- All full-time staff have Ph.D.'s and are full Members of CIP. The committee feels this is a unique distinction both within the Faculty of Architecture and planning schools in Canada.
- Staff are flexible, mutually supportive and have a strong commitment to the program.
- Staff place teaching at the core of their academic activities, as demonstratd by the energy they invest in the studios. Students we have met are aware of this situation and appreciate it.
- The Department has a close working relationship with MPPI.

*Site Visit Committee Report (Oct. 2001) "Periodic Review Master of City Plannning Program" p. 6

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An exhibition of student work from each of the courses along with staff profiles was arranged in Rm 225 Arch. 2 Building. While M1 students had an opportunity to view the exhibit, it was not possible to have this more open to the Faculty due to the strike Oct. 22. Accreditation meetings and events were moved to a downtown hotel. A noon lecture by the site team members also had to be cancelled. While the low profile did not contribute to the Faculty wide interest that usually occurs with accreditation events, the outcome of the committee report was very positive. Highlights of the report follow along with photos from the display.
The site team meeting with City Planing staff to discuss the program, past, present and future.
A number of alumni viewed the exhibit prior to a focus group session arranged by the site visit team.
L: Linda Allen viewing student work. Centre: File boxes containing publications and cv of each staff member and a selection of thesis / practicum documents from each of the previous five years. R: Student games designed in the Housing course.
L: Student work from Studio 1. Centre: Documentation from the Orientation Week. R: Example of studio work.