Senate Meeting Synopsis for November 21, 2022

The second Senate meeting of the 2022-23 session was held on November 21, 2022 and was chaired by President Charlotte Yates.

Dr. Soha Eid Moussa, Chair of the Board of Undergraduate Studies, commenced the meeting with a territorial land acknowledgment.

Leadership Updates

The President, Dr. Charlotte Yates, offered oral remarks, welcoming Senators and commenting on renewed on-campus activity and community engagement events.

Dr. Yates relayed that the University continues to monitor public health recommendations regarding COVID and will be holding an on-campus flu vaccination clinic to help deal with the growing incidence of flu currently being experienced.

President Yates provided an update on government relations including mention of several on-campus visits from Ministers and Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), as well as off-campus advocacy activities with the Provincial and Federal governments, Universities Canada, and the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) related to financial sustainability and the University's strategic priorities.

The President informed Senators that the University’s Strategic Plan had been unanimously approved by the Board of Governors and development of an implementation plan which will include the methods by the University measures its success is underway. Dr. Yates indicated that a related, full scale communication plan will be rolled out in the new year.

President Yates notified Senators of the University’s decision to discontinue its pursuit of moving the University of Guelph-Humber to Brampton, due to a lack of commitment from the City to provide an adequate amount of space to suit the programming needs and to commit to firm deadlines.

The President provided updates on work toward Indigenization, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion highlighting the distribution of the Anti-Racism Policy Statement to the community, and announcing the new Doody Family Chair for Women in Engineering which signals a clear commitment to boosting women’s enrolment and retention in our engineering program.

The President closed by commenting on the Royal Winter Fair, acknowledging its importance to the University of Guelph.

The Provost & Vice-President (Academic), Dr. Gwen Chapman provided a high level update on the University’s budget and finances including the University’s deficit, focusing on the current budget context and how it came about, as well as the University’s approach to moving to a balanced budget. Dr. Chapman commented on enrolment and tuition revenue for 2022-23, noting a current increase in projected revenue over early projections. Provost Chapman also presented projections for undergraduate international enrolment targets to 2025 and possibilities for other revenue growth opportunities that could help to balance the University’s budget.

The Vice-President (Research), Dr. Malcolm Campbell, opened by thanking those who participated in the creation of the Strategic Research Plan 2023-28. Dr. Campbell presented an update on Office of Research business including progress on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in research initiatives, the procurement progress underway for a research ethics digital workflow system, progress on the renewal of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)-University of Guelph Agreement, and progress on the University’s Research Commercialization Policy.

Key Business Items and Approvals

Other key items of business at the meeting included:

• Approval of the University of Guelph Strategic Research Plan 2023-2028
• Approval of Transfer Pathway Agreements for Associate Diplomas in Agriculture, Horticulture, and Turfgrass Management to the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program
• Approval of revisions to the requirements to graduate with a minor from the BA program
• Approval of a major modification to the Bachelor of Engineering, Biological Engineering major (regular and Co-op) including the addition of areas of emphasis in Environmental Engineering, Food Engineering, and Biochemical Engineering
• Approval of the addition of a Co-op option for the Associate Diploma in Environmental Management
• Approval of revisions to the Food Engineering minor
• Approval of changes to the admission requirements for the Graduate Diploma (Type 3) in Tourism Research
• Approval of Interim Election Regulations for the nomination of students in low enrolment programs
• Items presented for information: undergraduate and graduate curriculum changes, graduate faculty appointments, non-degree program approvals, and quality review reports.

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, February 6, 2023.

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