The Vice President's Academic Operations Committee (VPAOC) was created by A. Gifford in 1980. The committee was to establish a set of quantitiative and qualitative evaluation criteria which were to be used to examine each individual program at Ryerson for academic budget planning. There was overlapping membership between the VPAOC and the PBRC which was a sub-committe of the VPAOC. The committee consisted of the V.P. Academic, Ryerson's five deans and the Registrar. In 1981 the Academic Planning and Research Unit (APRU) was created to serve as a support for the VPAOC. It gathered, analyzed and organized data to assist the VPAOC in making decisions for academic planning in 1982/83 and beyond. It's formation was recommended by the Hickling/Johnston report (1979). This unit was not a policy-making body. The committee published the report "Framework for 1982 and beyond" and another report in 1982/83. In 1984 the committee was referred to as the V.P. Academic's Planning Group. In 1987 it was referred to as the Academic Planning Group and the membership was similar to the earlier VPAOC.