Board Meeting Synopsis for January 22, 2020

The second regular meeting of the Board of Governors for the 2019-20 year was held January 22, 2020, at the University of Guelph - University Centre and was chaired by Board Chair Shauneen Bruder.

The meeting began with a moment of silence to honour the victims of the Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 crash in Iran, followed by a territorial acknowledgement offered by the Board Chair.

The President offered oral remarks in addition to the President’s Kudos Report.

In keeping with 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 Physical Resources & Property Committee by the Committee Chair, Paul Gibson. Recent activity included consideration of the 2020-2021 Capital Plan, and other capital projects. Capital projects are considered by both the Physical Resources and Property Committee and the Finance Committee and are formally presented to the Board by the Finance Committee.

An update was provided on recent activities of the Finance Committee by the Committee Chair, Nancy Brown Andison. The Board of Governors considered and approved several items arising from the 2020-2021 Capital Plan. The Board approved the capital renewal program, consisting of ongoing repair and maintenance of University buildings, including continued renewal of the MacNaughton building. The Board also approved construction of the Lang Plaza, in front of Macdonald Hall, and the expansion of backup power to certain animal care facilities. Additionally, the Board approved a revised budget for OVC Phase 1 and 2 capital projects and approved athletics performance centre renovations and addition.  

An update was provided on recent activities of the Governance & Human Resources Committee by the Committee Chair, Eleanor Fritz. The Board approved updates to the University’s Policy on Non-Academic Misconduct following a five-year cyclical review.

An update was provided on recent activities of the Pensions Committee by Committee Chair Carol Poulsen. The Board received an update on the transition to the University Pension Plan, Ontario, and approved changes to the Pension Plans’ Statement of Investment Policies and Procedures in order to comply with the evolving regulatory environment.  

The Board also received reports for information, including financial reports from the University of Guelph and the University of Guelph-Humber, as well as a Health and Safety Report.

The complete open session meeting package is available on the University Secretariat’s Governance Portal. 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 22, 2020.