The meeting was held at 3:30 p.m. in Room 330, Stevenson-Lawson Building.
PRESENT: Mr. W.W. Peel, Chair, Ms. J.K. Van Fleet, Secretary, Mr. S.N. Adams, Mr. R Bateman, Dr. W.A. Bridger, Mr. S. Castiglione, Dr. R. Colcleugh, Dr J.V. Collins, Dr. P. Davenport, Mr. J. Etherington, Mr. T. Garrard, Ms. S. Grindrod, , Ms. R. Ivey Thom, Mr. D.J. McDougall, Mr. T. O'Neil, Prof. J. Starkey, Dr. J.L. Stokes, Mr. T. Vine, Dr. A. Weedon, Ms. C. Weldon, Ms. L. Whittaker
BY INVITATION: R. Wirick, S. Desmond, L. Koza
Mr. Castiglione asked whether the new format will allow sufficient time for students to make adjustments outside class hours and whether a mid-week move-in day will be convenient for families. Ms. Grindrod explained that all students will have visited Western two or three times before September for Summer Academic Counselling and related activities that formerly took place during a student's first week on campus. As for moving students into residence on Wednesday, Ms. Grindrod did not think this would present problems; however, alternative arrangements can be made with the Housing Department under very exceptional circumstances.
That the following amendment be made to Special Resolution No. 1-D (Campus & Community Affairs Committee):
2. The Committee may report and make recommendations to the Board concerning the following campus affairs:
(a) the relationship of campus components and organizations to the University as a whole, provided that such relationships do not fall within the purview of the Senior Operations Committee
(b) (i) the use of the University's name and
coat-of-arms
(ii) the naming of buildings, roads, structures,
etc.
(iii) the use of University facilities for other than
regularly-scheduled academic purposes
[DELETED: "except that the Coordinating Committee may direct such reports and recommendations to the Property and Finance Committee"]
CARRIED
That the following amendments (underscored) be made to the terms of reference of the Senior Operations Committee (Special Resolution No. 1-M):
2. The Committee's principal responsibilities are:
(a)personnel issues, including:
(i) to review and make recommendations to the Board regarding negotiated collective agreements
(ii) to negotiate and approve on behalf of the Board the terms of the contract with the President
(iii) to fix and provide for the remuneration, retirement and superannuation of the following
employees of the University:
President and Vice-Chancellor
Vice-Presidents
Director of Libraries
Registrar
Secretary of the Senate
Secretary of the Board
Deans
(iv) to fix, on the recommendation of the President, the salary of those occupying positions in the Senior Administrative Staff Group, numbering not more than 20, as identified by the Board on the recommendation of the President.
(v) when not so determined by approved policies, group plans or collective agreements, to authorize expenditures of such sums as may be required to establish funds for the payment of gratuities, retirement allowances, pensions, life insurance or other insurance (including health insurance) for the benefit of employees
(vi) to review recommendations from the President in personnel matters which fall outside existing University policies
(vii) to review annually the performance of the President and to receive from the President and Provost the performance appraisals of the other employees listed in (iii) and (iv) above;
(viii) to receive from the President the President's proposed priorities for each forthcoming academic year and to make a recommendation thereon to the Board
In all of the foregoing, the Committee shall have due regard for collective agreements which have been approved by the Board.
CARRIED
That Special Resolution No. 6 regarding Presentation to Retiring Members of the Board of Governors be revised to read as shown below:
1. Presentation of mementos to retiring members of the Board shall be in accordance with the following guidelines:
(a) A suitably engraved silver tray will be presented to a member in good standing with the University who retires following completion of at least one full membership year of service and who has attended at least 25% of the scheduled meetings of the Board.
CARRIED
That Special Resolution No. 7-Annex (Guidelines for University-Funded Portraits) be revised to read as shown below:
3. From time to time the Senior Operations Committee shall approve a short list of portrait artists from which one such artist may be selected and commissioned by the Senior Operations Committee for any given commission. The retiring officer may, in the alternative, propose an artist not on the list, subject to financial considerations noted in section 8. below.
5. Upon reaching tentative agreement with the Artist, the Secretary of the Board shall arrange for the drawing of a formal Agreement between the University and the Artist to which the Retiring Officer shall be a signatory. This document shall be referred to the Senior Operations Committee of the Board for approval following which the portrait shall be executed by the Artist.
CARRIED
That Special Resolution No. 9 be revised to read as follows:
(Election Procedures):
Undergraduate Student Constituency
3. ... Undergraduate students of the Constituent University enrolled in Distance Studies and in the Faculty of Education may participate in the election by mail ballot provided they indicate their interest in doing so by completion of a Franchise Activation Form which will be provided in their registration materials. This form must be received by the Secretary of the Board by the date specified on the form (usually in the first week in October). The form will require the student's registration number, faculty code, name, and mailing address during the month of October of the year in which the election is held. In the case of all students eligible to vote by mail who have returned the Franchise Activation Form by the specified date, the Secretary of the Board shall, as soon as possible after the close of nominations, mail ballots to all eligible voters at the address provided on the Franchise Activation Form. Included with the ballot, which shall show only the full names of the candidate in alphabetical order, shall be an information sheet containing candidates' names and statements.
Members Elected by the Board (4 members)
1. The election of members by the Board under Section 9.(1) of the Act, clause (h) [4 members] shall be by a majority of those members of the Board entitled to vote in such election present at the meeting at which the election takes place, provided that a quorum of fourteen such eligible members are present.
2. The Senior Operations Committee shall be responsible for the identification of candidates as vacancies occur and shall make nominations to the Board.
3. Voting shall be by show of hands or by ballot as may be determined by the Board.
CARRIED
That the Board of Governors approve the proposed budget for the 125th Anniversary Campaign, including the 1% levy on endowments and the 5% levy on all tax receiptable gifts beginning on May 1, 1998, detailed in Appendix III, Annex 1.
The Vice-President (External), Mr. T. Garrard, elaborated on the proposal for financing the 125th Anniversary campaign. He highlighted his presentation with the use of slides, copies of which are attached as Appendix 2 to these Minutes. The campaign will encompass all of the University's fund raising initiatives. Preliminary estimates of the campaign projects total $179 million, which, combined with the Ivey campaign at $75 million and Stadium/Games projects at $15 million, suggests a final campaign goal of $269 million. This target represents tax receiptable gifts only: government matching funds and contract research funds will not be included.
In response to questions, the following points were made:
The question was called and CARRIED.
That the Board approve in principle the draft "Update of the Campus Master Plan (1998)" (Appendix III, Annex 2) and the concepts contained therein on the understanding that the Administration will undertake consultations with affected groups and individuals with the prospect of a public meeting to discuss the Update of the Campus Master Plan (1998) in the fall of 1998 under the direction of the Chair of the Board. A final document will be proposed for approval by the Senate and Board of Governors thereafter.
Referring to item 2 in the Report from Senate (Appendix VII), Dr. Davenport reported that Senate, at its meeting on Friday, June 19, approved the document in principle but suggested that the document be called "Amendment to the Campus Master Plan", rather than "Update of the Campus Master Plan". Dr. Colcleugh stated that the Property & Finance Committee wished to confirm the principles of the 1994 Master Plan and outline the current focus, including academic and operational changes. However, the Committee believes it is important that Western continue to be flexible, open to change, and sensitive to the changing environment.
It was moved by J. Stokes, seconded by L. Whittaker,
That the main motion be amended by changing any reference to "update of" the Campus Master Plan to "amendment to" that Plan.
Discussion of the amendment included the following:
Dr. Colcleugh stated that the individuals who have dealt directly with the neighbors and the external community on a number of Capital Plan issues in the past understand how very sensitive the Plan is and how sensitive the wording of the Plan is to those people who are directly or indirectly affected by what they see to be changes to it. The draft Update attempts to enhance communications with the community and to emphasize that there is an "open door" at Western. The University was criticized and accused of making changes to the existing Campus Master Plan without consultation. Using the word "amendment" in the documentation, before the external community becomes involved in the consultative process, carries some implications that are not needed and that could encumber the consultative process. It is desirable to keep the proceedings informal and to emphasize to the neighbors and the external community that Western is open to input from the community with respect to the Campus Master Plan. It is intended that a final document will be presented to Senate and the Board for approval following consultations with affected groups this Fall.
The question on the AMENDMENT was called and was DEFEATED.
The question on the MAIN MOTION was called and CARRIED.
That the Board of Governors approve the Memorandum of Understanding (Appendix III, Annex 3) which sets out the proposed agreement between the City of London and The University of Western Ontario related to the use and operation of the University's stadium.
Asked if the administration is satisfied with the operating agreement, Mr. Riddell replied that Western achieved its basic aims --to assert that Western owns the stadium and will manage it, and that the City will provide up to $100,000 annually to offset any operating deficit. The estimated annual operating costs, including maintenance, will be approximately $300,000.
The question was called and CARRIED.
That Policy 2.4 - Student Fees - be amended as shown on Appendix III, Annex 4.
Mr. Castiglione expressed concern that the proposed policy may be inconsistent with the Student Services Committee Protocol with respect to the procedure for assessing compulsory non-tuition-related ancillary fees. He stated that although section 2.00(b) is an accurate reflection of what does occur, in his view it does not reflect the text of the Protocol which is an agreement between the USC, SOGS, the MBAA, and the University.
Due to Dr. Mercer's absence from this meeting, with the Board's agreement the item was tabled until Dr. Mercer can address the issue raised by Mr. Castiglione.
It was moved by C. Weldon, seconded by J. Collins,
That:
(i) A tuition fee of $1,500 be levied for students entering Medical Residency programs in 1999-2000;
(ii) Students currently enrolled and enrolling in 1998-99 will not pay fees for the duration of their Residencies;
(iii) The Board will set the fee each year, effective July 1 the following year. The standard "grandparenting" clause will apply: for students continuing in a Medical Residency program, the maximum increase in fees will be no greater than 20% in any one year.
Dr. Davenport advised that control over fees for Medical Residents was recently granted to university Boards of Governors by the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training. Medical Residents are full-time post-graduate students and the only students who have not been charged fees. The proposed $1,500 fee will be charged to students entering a Medical Residency program in 1999. The fee is a fair contribution to the cost of the education Medical Residents received from clinical faculty. The University pays approximately 25% of the compensation of the clinical faculty.
In response to Mr. Bateman's question about what it costs to educate a Medical Resident, Dr. Davenport advised that if one adds together the medical students and graduate medical students, including the residents, Western spends about $30,000 per student, per year. As shown in an overhead slide entitled "Expenditures per FTE Student - Preliminary 1997-98 Data", most of Western's students are in Faculties that have costs that are far below those of Medicine & Dentistry. Students in Medicine & Dentistry pay under 10% of the total cost of their education, while students in the Faculties of Social Science, Health Sciences, Arts, Education, pay a large portion of the cost of delivering those programs. Students in the Faculty of Social Science, for example, pay half of the cost of their education. (Slides detailing these figures are attached as Appendix 3 to these minutes.) Western shifts tuition revenue from other Faculties to support the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry; the net transfer is about $12 million. The proposed fee of $1500 for Medical Residents is modest for a Faculty with extremely high costs that is draining funds from other units. Part of the revenue generated from the fee will be reinvested in the Faculty.
Asked if there is any risk of legal action against the University for implementing a Medical Residents tuition fee, given that a similar situation in Saskatchewan resulted in legal action, Dr. Davenport stated that he does not believe there is any such risk. The proposed fee is in compliance with Ministry regulations and the Board has the authority to set the fee.
The question was called and CARRIED
That the Board of Governors approve the following Dental Kit fees for 1998-99:
Year 1 $6,700
Year 2 $6,919
Year 3 $3,448
Year 4 $ 451
Qualifying Program $3,448
CARRIED
That the Board of Governors approve the awarding of a systems contract to VWR Canlab and Fisher Scientific to provide general laboratory supplies for a three-year term starting May 1, 1998, at approximately $1,000,000 per year.
CARRIED
That the Board of Governors approve the President's priorities for 1998-99 as detailed in Appendix IV, Annex 1.
Dr. Davenport's priorities for 1998-99 fall into the same four categories as last year: Setting Directions: Leadership in Learning; Keeping Academic Priorities First; Ensuring Open Administration and Effective Communication; and Strengthening Ties with the External Community. He highlighted his presentation with the use of slides, copies of which are attached as Appendix 4.
As promised at an earlier meeting, Dr. Davenport showed slides of some 40 performance indicates showing progress towards various goals or measures as to where Western ranks. These are included in Appendix 4.
Responding to a question about the low number of females on faculty, Dr. Davenport agreed to distribute a graph at the next Board meeting that provides the following details: number of faculty hired over the last ten years, and the percentage of those new hires who are women; the percentage of PhDs granted to women during those three years, which relates to the pool of female candidates; and the percentage of PhDs at Western who are women.
The question was called and CARRIED.
That the Board of Governors approve the amendments to Policy 6.1 -- Professional and Managerial Employment Status -- as shown in Appendix IV, Annex 2. The new policy is to come into effect on July 1, 1998.
CARRIED
It was moved by L. Whittaker, seconded by C. Weldon,
That the Board establish an ad hoc Committee on Labor Relations, under the aegis of the Senior Operations Committee, which will receive regular updates on the status of negotiations with the University's various employee groups.
Members: All members of the Board except those whose salary is paid under a collective agreement or Memorandum of Agreement between the University and a union or employee association.
Vice-Presidents
Resource persons will be invited, as appropriate.
The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board shall be Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee respectively.
CARRIED
Dr. Davenport has announced that he will be spending his study leave at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris where Mr. Thomas Alexander, the Director of DEELSA (Directorate of Education, Employment, Labour and Social Affairs), will be his host. Dr. Davenport's research will focus on the role of universities in the Knowledge Based Economy.
Justice Commissioner: Brennan Carroll (term to April 30,
1999)
Chief Magistrate: Talaal Bond (term to April 30, 1999)
Mr. Bateman observed that the accumulated deficit was $472,453 in the Office of the Registrar as a result of growth and overspending from May 1995 to April 1997. Dr. Davenport assured the Board that the Provost and the Registrar are monitoring the situation with the view of bringing the overspending under control.
Board members complimented the Pension Boards and staff for the Pension Plans Report: it is clear, concise, and easily understood.
Responding to concerns about informing academic and administrative staff members about their options, Professor Wirick advised that plan members have access to information sessions, a website, publications, and counsellors who can aid in making decisions about investment choices.
(a) That the minimum admission average for 1998-99 be 75% for entry into any first year program in the Constituent University (except those in which a performance based assessment is required), and Senate urges that in no case in the future shall the minimum admission average be set below 75%.
(b) That in 1999-2000 the minimum admission average be set at 75% or higher to achieve the enrolment target of 3,950 full-time first-year students.
(c) That in 2000-2001 the minimum admission average be set at 75% or higher to achieve the Senate-approved enrolment target of 3,750 full-time first-year students.
The history of first-year enrolment limits is provided in Appendix VII.
B. Definitions:
2. The terms "Senate", "Faculty", "Dean", "Department", "Chair", "academic staff", and related terms shall be interpreted in accordance with the provisions of The University of Western Ontario Act 1982 (as amended, 1988).
The term "Faculty", used in the sense of an academic unit, refers also to the Richard Ivey School of Business.
Signed by:
W.W. Peel, Chair
J.K. Van Fleet, Secretary of the Board