Board of Governors Meeting Synopsis for January 23, 2019
The second regular meeting of the Board of Governors for the 2018-19 year was held January 23, 2019 at the University of Guelph Arboretum, Chaired by Board Chair Kevin Golding.
The meeting began with a territorial acknowledgement offered by the Board Chair and a welcome to Board members as well as many visitors in attendance.
The Board received and considered the Phase II Recommendations of the Board’s ad hoc Committee on Special Action Requests, chaired by Board Vice-Chair Paul Gallagher. Members of Fossil Free Guelph, the group that submitted the special action request, were invited to address the Board and engage in discussion. Following questions and discussion the Board approved the recommendations of the ad hoc Committee.
The President offered oral remarks and an update on recent developments within the post-secondary education sector, including the recent government announcement on tuition fees.
As per the Board’s standard practice, the Chair of each standing committee of the Board provided an update on recent activities of their respective committees, bringing forward items for information or approval, as appropriate.
An update was provided on recent activities of the Audit & Risk Committee by the Committee Chair, Neil Parkinson.
An update was provided on recent activities of the Finance Committee by the Committee Chair, Nancy Brown Andison. The Board received for information semester financial reports for the University of Guelph and the University of Guelph-Humber. The Board of Governors approved the renovation of the former Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology (VMI) building as the future home for the Centre for Couples and Family Therapy and Psychological Services. The Board also approved the 2019-20 capital renewal projects included in the 2019-20 capital plan. An update was provided by Provost Charlotte Yates on budget development for 2019-20.
An update was provided on recent activities of the Governance and Human Resources Committee by the Committee Chair, Shauneen Bruder. The Board received updates on the appointment of Governors to review committees for the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and the Vice-President (Research), the upcoming Board evaluation process, Board recruitment activities and Board meeting dates through to 2022. The Chair of the Board’s Working Group on Board Governance Review, Eleanor Fritz, provided an overview of the final report of the working group and its recommendations.
An update was provided on recent activities of the Pensions Committee by the Committee Chair, Paul Gallagher, including the continued development of a jointly sponsored pension plan for Ontario universities – the Ontario University Pension Plan.
An update was provided on recent activities of the Physical Resources and Property Committee by the Committee Chair, Paul Gibson.
The complete open session meeting package is available on the University Secretariat website. The official record of the meeting are the meeting minutes, which will be available following their approval at the next regularly scheduled Board Meeting, to be held on April 17, 2019.