Board of Governors - APPENDIX VI - April 22, 1999

REPORT OF THE SENIOR OPERATIONS COMMITTEE

FOR APPROVAL

1. President's Priorities for 1999-2000

Recommended: That the Board of Governors approve the President's priorities for 1999-2000 as detailed in Annex 1 (below).

Each June, the Senior Operations Committee and the President meet to discuss and reach agreement about the priorities for the year to come. Because Dr. Davenport will begin a three-month study leave on May 1, the priorities have been prepared earlier than usual.

The attached letter from Dr. Davenport to the Committee contains the priorities that the Committee has approved and recommends to the Board.

In September, the President will address the Senate and Board of Governors to outline the goals and anticipated activities for the year ahead in a way that reflects the priorities approved by the Board in June.

2. Role Statement - Board of Governors

Recommended: That the Board of Governors approve the following amendments to the role statement of the Board of Governors:

Background:

The statement of roles of the Board of Governors was established by the Board in 1997. The principal change proposed is the insertion of a new item 5: "To ensure and monitor the organization's ethical values." this is adapted from a statement in "Guidance for Directors - Governance Processes for Control", The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, December 1995: "Approving and monitoring the organization's ethical values deals with the board's role as guardian of the organization's values, as its conscience."

The other change is a reordering of items 1 and 2. When the list was first proposed for approval in March 1997, "To participate in setting the mission and strategic plan of the University .. (etc)" was the first item. At the meeting, "To provide stewardship and ensure that University actions support University objectives" was added, without careful thought to its placement. The Senior Operations Committee recommends the ordering set out above.

FOR INFORMATION

1. Robarts Research Institute Board of Directors

Dr. Bob Colcleugh has been named to serve as one of three University representatives on the Board of Directors of RRI. He replaces Libby Fowler who has resigned. The other UWO representatives are Dr. Bill Bridger and Dr. Bob McMurtry.

To: Senior Operations Committee, Board of Governors

From: Dr. Paul Davenport

Date: April 8, 1999

Subject: President's Priorities for 1999-2000

Each year in year June I submit for approval to the Board my priorities for the coming year, which are considered by the Board and then discussed with Senate in the fall. Because of my study leave this year, the Board Chair asked that I submit the priorities in April. I am pleased to do so.

My overall priorities will be set by Western's Strategic Plan, Leadership in Learning, which was approved by the Senate and Board in the fall of 1995, as well as by Senate and Board resolutions which have been approved in the subsequent four years. The Strategic Plan contains a commitment by the President to report twice a year on the implementation of the Plan. There have now been seven such updates: February, June, and November of 1996, May and November of 1997, and May and November of 1998. To keep this statement of priorities brief, I will not repeat the extensive material contained in those update reports.

In setting out priorities for 1997-98, I use the same broad categories as last year: Setting Directions; Keeping Academic Priorities First; Ensuring Open Administration and Effective Communication; and Strengthening Ties with the External Community. Most of the specific priorities were also contained in last year's report: for example, faculty, staff, and student recruitment will undoubtedly be priorities throughout my term as President, although the specific actions taken in support of those priorities will vary from year to year. While I present these as presidential priorities, accomplishing them will require effort by all in our campus community, as well as determined leadership by Vice-Presidents, Deans, Chairs, and Directors.

1. Setting Directions: Leadership in Learning

· continuing the implementation of the Strategic Plan, with reports to Senate and Board twice each year on the status of the various recommendations

· integrating new priorities into the planning process, such as adjusting to Province-wide enrolment growth and the double cohort over the next decade, and maximizing the academic benefits of our ^{125th Anniversary Campaign} Anniversary Campaign

· maintaining flexibility in planning so the University can respond quickly to changes in the external environment and new opportunities, such as those afforded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund, and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research

· working with the Vice-Presidents to encourage Faculties and Support Units to engage in multi-year planning with explicit priorities

· working with the Vice-Presidents to maintain an environment in which they have the support necessary to carry out the priorities assigned to them

· leading a cohesive, mutually supportive PVP team, consisting of the President, four Vice-Presidents, and the Vice-Provost, who work together effectively to carry out the Strategic Plan and other University priorities

· building a sense of common purpose in difficult times among PVP, Deans, Chairs, Senior Directors, and faculty, staff and students

· encouraging strong, effective leadership in support of the Strategic Plan and other University priorities at all levels of Western's administration

2. Putting Academic Priorities First: Supporting Excellence in Teaching and Research

· strengthening our recruitment of undergraduate students and the quality of undergraduate education; continuing the upward trend in the average grades of entering students

· seeking broad, collegial participation in planning Western's response to enrolment growth, including the double cohort, over the next decade

· expanding student support to help students meet the costs of their education, while matching the form of support -- bursaries, loans, and employment opportunities -- to each student's circumstances

· working with Chairs, Deans, and the Faculty of Graduate Studies to improve graduate student recruitment and the quality of graduate education and supervision

· expanding student options with regard to four-year undergraduate programs and summer courses

· working with Faculties to strengthen long-established undergraduate programs at Western, and to meet changing student demand with innovative new programs

· ensuring that the new responsibility granted to the University to set tuition in selected programs is carried out in a responsible manner which is fair to students and increases the quality of programs

· maintaining strong, collegial, and mutually supportive relations with our faculty, staff, and student associations

· negotiating successful first agreements with UWOFA and UWOSA and continuing to make progress on key issues with PMA

· improving evaluation processes for staff and faculty so that we can better recognize superior performance

· improving development opportunities for our staff, so they can make their full contribution to the University at a time of restructuring and changing career patterns

· implementing the PeopleSoft project in a manner which supports our academic mission

· continuing with enrolment-contingent funding in a manner that encourages cross-Faculty teaching and links budgets to Faculty enrolments and teaching

· strengthening the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty

· recruiting new staff in support of our academic priorities

· improving our research performance by encouraging collaborative and multi-disciplinary research and providing start-up funding for new faculty and support for large and strategically important grant proposals

· successfully responding to the research opportunities in the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and Ontario's Research and Development Challenge Fund, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and similar agencies

· supporting the Research Park in its efforts to increase private sector involvement in the Park and to resolve its financial difficulties

· strengthening our academic ties with Fanshawe College and with universities and colleges across Ontario

· proceeding with the renovation of classroom and laboratory space, in support of our teaching and research

· protecting our academic future by increasing annual expenditure on deferred maintenance as set out in Leadership in Learning

3. Ensuring Open Administration and Effective Communication

· continuing to visit academic and support units on a regular basis, to meet our faculty and staff where they work and to learn firsthand of their aspirations

· working to ensure that individuals in the academic and support units understand that we in senior administration recognize that they alone can allow us to achieve our Mission of excellence

· developing performance indicators in order to discuss University progress toward specific goals with Board, Senate, and other groups

· celebrating Western's achievements in teaching and research, with such programs as the Pleva Awards and the Hellmuth Prizes

· meeting on regular occasions with the leadership of the faculty, staff, and student associations, to discuss strategic issues and promote mutual understanding

· maintaining an open approach to the budget process and selective decision-making during a period of severe fiscal restraint

· continuing to report to Senate and Board on a regular basis on the major issues facing Western

· holding open meetings on campus at appropriate times to discuss key issues and options at Western

· improving our communication, both internally and externally, with regard to Western's aspirations and the achievements of our faculty, staff, and students

4. Strengthening Ties with the External Community

· planning for the launch in 2000 of the 125th Anniversary Campaign Anniversary Campaign, with a target of $125 million in gifts and pledges raised on launch date, in a total Campaign of $270 million

· continuing the annual increase in the amount of new gifts and pledges, which was $27 million in 1997-98, $34 million in 1998-99, with a target of over $40 million in 1999-2000.

· seeking approval from Senate and Board for the Campaign's overall priorities and the campaign plans of the Faculties; making calls on donors in support of the Campaign

· building on the success of the OSOTF campaign to focus fundraising on the support of faculty and students

· building on our relations with alumni in Canada and abroad, and helping alumni take a greater role in such activities as student recruitment

· obtaining better information from alumni and the general community on their views of Western and using it to improve our academic programs and student recruitment

· exercising leadership on the provincial and national levels with regard to such issues as student support and loans, and the need for broadly based increases in operating funding and research support, as President of Western, past Chair of AUCC, and Chair of COU

· working with COU, MET, and the Province to ensure that quality improvement receives an equal weight with enrolment expansion in future public funding decisions

· making the case with the provincial and national governments of the importance of university teaching and research to our knowledge-based society

· expanding media coverage of Western's academic excellence and community involvement

· working with the Vice-Presidents Research and External to establish a better knowledge of Western among cabinet ministers in the provincial and federal governments

· building on our strong relationships with the city of London, the London Economic Development Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the members of City Council, and the Mayor in such areas as the Canada 2001 Summer Games and economic development in knowledge-based companies

· maintaining Western's traditional close ties with local and regional MPs and MPPs, and involving them on a regular basis in University projects and events

· establishing collaborative research projects with industry in the London area and world wide, and building on the Integrated Manufacturing Technologies Institute for further research collaboration at the Research Park