Report of the Operations/Agenda Committee

Senate Agenda - EXHIBIT I - December 5, 1997

FOR ACTION

1. Appointments Procedures

Recommended: That the following sections of Appointments Procedures be amended as shown:

C. RULES FOR THE OPERATION OF SELECTION COMMITTEES

7. All Selection Committees shall meet in camera and their deliberations shall be strictly confidential. Wherever possible, at least twelve months, but not longer than seventeen twenty months, prior to the end of any term of office the appropriate Selection Committee shall be established. The Committee will assume the incumbent to be a candidate unless the Selection Committee is informed otherwise.

D. STUDY LEAVE

10. The cost of a study leave will be borne by the Faculty (or other budget unit) in which the study leave eligibility was earned. Where this would place an undue burden on the budget of the Faculty, the Provost & Vice-President (Academic) may recommend to the Senate Subcommittee on Budget Affairs Committee on University Planning a special one-time allocation to assist in the financing of the leave.

K. DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES

Terms

The term for the Dean of Graduate Studies is seven five years, renewable. In the case of renewal of an appointment where the incumbent takes a Study Leave between the first and second term, the term of appointment will be six years.

L. DEANS OF OTHER FACULTIES

Terms

The term for Deans of other Faculties is seven five years, renewable. In the case of renewal of an appointment where the incumbent takes a Study Leave between the first and second term, the term of appointment will be six years.

Background:

C.7: Typically in the past, Selection Committees have been established in February -- eighteen months prior to the end of an administrative term that ends on June 30. Allowing the establishment of Selection Committees up to 20 months before the end of term will permit preliminary work -- such as identifying external reviewers and placing advertisements -- to be done before Christmas and this, in turn will mean that the Selection Committee can begin its detailed work in February or March.

D.10: The Senate Subcommittee on Budget Affairs (SUBA) was recently disbanded and its role taken over by its parent committee, SCUP.

K. and L. - Decanal Terms of Appointment: It is proposed to reduce the term of appointment of Deans from seven to five years. This is consistent with appointment terms of the President, Vice-Presidents, and Chairs of Departments.

2. Composition - University Council on Animal Care

Recommended: That the Senate-elected membership for the University Council on Animal Care be revised to read, "Four members, elected by Senate, two of whom are bioscientists and two of whom are not shall not be bioscientists, and none of whom are members of the Animal Use Subcommittee."

Background:

At its last meeting, the Nominating Committee raised the question of whether the original phrase, "two of whom shall not be bioscientists", should be interpreted as 'at least two of whom are not bioscientists' OR as 'two of whom are bioscientists and two of whom are not'. This revision clarifies the intent.

3. Convocation Dates - June 1999

Recommended: For all degrees except the MBA and MD, that Spring Convocation 1999 be scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, June 15 through Friday, June 18, 1999
All other Faculties (excluding the MBA and MD degrees)

Background:

Normally Spring Convocation would commence on June 8. However, on the basis of the ongoing review of the PeopleSoft Student Administration System software, the proposed implementation schedule which will commence in October 1998 and run through June 1999, and concern for processing delays which may occur during the first year of a major systems implementation, the Office of the Registrar recommends that Convocation begin later to provide an additional week to Faculties and Departments who will be using a completely new system of grade and progression adjudication for the first time.