Senate Meeting Synopsis for April 7, 2022

The fifth and sixth Senate meetings of the 2021-22 session were held on April 7, 2022 and were chaired by President Charlotte Yates.

Dr. Rene Van Acker, Dean, Ontario Agricultural College, commenced the meetings with a territorial land acknowledgment.

Election of the 10th Chancellor of the University

Following the closed session meeting, Senate elected Dr. Mary Anne Chambers as the University’s 10th Chancellor.  A formal installation will follow in one of the June 2022 convocation ceremonies.

Leadership Updates

The President, Dr. Charlotte Yates, offered oral remarks and began by expressing condolences for the passing of Senator Dan Ashlock, highlighting his research, and sharing the resources for mental health supports available to those in the community who might be struggling with the news of his passing and taking a moment of silence.  

Dr. Yates spoke of the University’s condemnation of the violent attack on the Ukraine and expressed the University’s solidarity with the people of that country. The President noted that the University has reached out to all students who come from the Ukraine and from Russia to provide any support it can.

The President provided an update on the return to campus specifically the pausing of vaccine and masking mandates as of May 1, 2022, following advice from public health and in consultation with other universities.

President Yates commented on government relations and advocacy within the sector including the alignment of the federal governments budget with the goals of the University, the upcoming provincial election, active lobbying, monitoring, and collaboration with our colleagues to highlight the value of universities to the community, our students and the economy, the expansion of the enrolment corridor for high demand areas like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) alliance with the University. Dr. Yates also noted that tuition will continue to be frozen for the coming year.

The President highlighted the University’s new Economic Impact Report, and encouraged Senators to be engaged and participate in the formation of the strategic plan refresh which will prioritize progress on Indigenization, equity, diversity and inclusion. President Yates announced, consistent with the Indigenous Initiatives Strategy, Dr. Cara Wehkamp’s new title of Assistant Vice-President, Indigenous Initiatives.

Dr. Yates remarked on in-person events including the Shenkman lecture and the Presidential Installation and closed with announcing that convocation would be happening in-person in June including additional ceremonies for those who were unable do so in 2020 and 2021.

The Provost & Vice-President (Academic), Dr. Gwen Chapman, provided remarks on plans for exams with a goal for student success followed by a presentation and update focused on the proposed budget plan for 2022/23 and 2023/24.  

The Vice-President (Research), Dr. Malcolm Campbell, provided remarks on the impact of the federal government budget on research activities highlighting the need to safeguarding research from foreign interference, noting our high success rate in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance program and in the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Ignite Grant competition, and noting the importance of our knowledge mobilization activities.

Key Business Items and Approvals

Other key items of business at the meeting included:

• Approval of the revised Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP)
• Approval of new continuation requirements and competitive transfer processes for the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Public Policy
• Approval of transfer of major processes and letter of permission criteria for the Bachelor of Engineering program
• Approval of changes to admission, continuation of study and academic residence requirements for the Associate Diploma program
• Items presented for information: Update from the COU Academic Colleague, undergraduate and graduate curriculum changes, graduate faculty appointments, calls for Senate award nominations.

More Information

The complete meeting agenda package is available on the University Secretariat’s Governance Portal and includes detailed information on the items listed above.  The official record of the meeting is the meeting minutes, which will be available following their approval at the next regularly scheduled Senate meeting.

Upcoming Senate Meeting

The next regular meeting of Senate is scheduled to take place on Monday, June 6, 2022.

Meetings are open to the public and visitors who wish to attend are invited to contact the University Secretariat at univsec@uoguelph.ca