News Articles
Board of Governors
Third phase of Axelrod renovation gets nod
The University got the go-ahead to proceed with Phase 3 of the Axelrod Building renovation at the final Board of Governors meeting of the 2008/2009 academic year June 4. The entire cost of Phase 3 — an estimated $33.6 million — will be financed by money received from the federal Ministry of Science and Technology.
The Axelrod Building will be overhauled to create a cutting-edge environmental teaching and research hub. The government investment, announced May 25, comes from the federal Knowledge Infrastructure Program as part of a joint government plan to repair and expand research and educational facilities at Canada’s colleges and universities.
Construction will also begin this summer on a facility for equine and bovine teaching animals, governors learned. The project allows OVC to meet the accreditation and animal-care needs in the master plan for the phased redevelopment of its facilities.
In other business, a revised appointment protocol for B of G and the Board of Trustees was approved. Governors were told that, although skill and experience are critical considerations when making non-elected appointments, there must also be a commitment to increasing the range of perspective and to enhancing diversity. The board’s Membership and Governance Committee plans to develop processes and tools to help identify and assess the board’s attention to this issue.
B of G also voted to convey to the City of Guelph two easements at the intersection of College Avenue and East Ring Road for traffic signal control equipment, an improvement that will benefit the campus.
Governors approved revisions to the student rights and responsibilities policy. The policy now applies to students when they’re off campus if they are engaged in University-sanctioned business or if their behaviour affects community safety or integrity.
The board was updated on U of G’s fundraising activity. Guelph has reached 75 per cent of its $20-million target for this year despite the economic downturn, a performance that is at par or above that of other Canadian universities.
It was announced that Prof. Al Sullivan, Plant Agriculture, has been re-elected as the faculty representative on B of G for a three-year term. Board chair Evan Siddall welcomed new board members and thanked the seven outgoing governors — Peter Devine, Jonathan Guss, Jeff Lozon, Bill Teesdale, Rohan Mathai, Joel Harnest and Joel Wood — for their dedication and contributions.