Minutes. It Was Moved by Ms. Wright, Seconded by Ms. Ramsay

OPEN SESSION MINUTES
TRENT UNIVERSITY BOARD OF GOVERNORS
April 30, 2010

Present:Governors: D.L. Morton (Chair), K.M. Ramsay (Vice-Chair), C. Brunetti, J.E. Bush, M.A. Butt, R.D. Butterworth, B. Davies, S.E. Franklin, C. Fridgen, R.D. Graham, M. Leahy, S. Lupton, D. Lutchman, M.W. Mackey, H. McCue, M. Miskin, F. G. Sherratt, P.H. Southern, D.K. Thomas, S. Wallace, B.A. Wright; R.D. Zigrossi; Honorary Governors: J.D. de Pencier, L. Vernon; Vice-Presidents: C. McKinnon, D.F. O'Leary, J. Parker; Senate Visitors: H. Sarne, B. Saville; Administrative Directors: G. Brownscombe, M. Oliver, J. Wordley; L.G. Knox (Secretary); S. L. Bartsch (Recording Secretary)

Chair’s Remarks. The Chair welcomed honorary governors Len Vernon and John de Pencier, as well as the Senate visitors and TCSA President-elect Sheldon Willerton. He called attention to the invitations to Convocation and reminded members to hand in their completed surveys.

Minutes. It was moved by Ms. Wright, seconded by Ms. Ramsay:

That the Minutes of the Open Session of March 26, 2010 be approved. (Carried)

President’s Remarks. President Franklin reported on recent provincial government initiatives that could have implications for Trent, including a proposed reduction in the number of teachers graduating, a quality assurance process for new degrees, funding for new enrolment, ongoing discussions on pension solvency relief and the introduction of the Compensation Restraint Act. He noted a new federal pilot program on commercialization that would involve universities and small to medium-sized companies. The President observed that his series of campus visits had provided a unique perspective on the priorities of the University and the outstanding work being done by its staff, faculty and students. He reported that local school principals, school board directors and superintendents had been invited to attend a meeting on campus which would provide an opportunity for them to learn more about Trent and its programs.

Vision, Mission, Strategic Directions, Changing Academic Structures. President Franklin noted that it was now time to start tying together the four areas of review undertaken in his first year of office and to use these as the foundation for unit planning. He noted that the vision for the University that had emerged was values-based, reflected a theme of comprehensiveness, and was built out from the University’s powerful founding vision. The mission, which was expected to come forward for approval at the next Board meeting, would provide clarity on what needed to be done to fulfil this vision and the strategic directions would set out the main areas that Trent should focus on in the next five years. These priorities would include graduate education, partnerships, research, student engagement, teaching and learning and Trent in Oshawa. The President noted that the recommendations in the Report on Changing Academic Structures outlined the type of structure that would best serve the University’s academic goals and needs and indicated that he wished to proceed with some of the new academic leadership and with the School of Graduate Studies as set out in the report.

It was intended that the various review documents be approved by the end of June so that departments could move forward with their unit planning. The President provided a practical example to illustrate how unit-level planning would be guided by the University’s vision, mission and strategic directions, and how this could generate new ideas. He advised the Board that an integrated institutional plan would help the University follow a strategic course, manage uncertainty and respond to opportunities in a sustainable way.

Following questions and comments, it was moved by Ms. Wright, seconded by Ms. Southern:

THAT the Vision for TrentUniversity, as presented by the President (attached as Appendix A to the master copy of these Minutes), be approved. (Carried unanimously.)

It was moved by President Franklin, seconded by Mr. Butterworth:

THAT the recommendations contained in the Report from the Special Advisory Committee on Changing Academic Structures (attached as Appendix B to the master copy of these Minutes) be endorsed. (Carried unanimously.)

Members of the Board offered comments and suggestions on the draft Mission for Trent University and Strategic Directions for Trent University which were scheduled to be discussed by the Senate in May and come back to the Board for final approval in June. Members expressed particular interest in seeing financial sustainability as a standalone point in the mission statement.

Enrolment Update. Vice-President Parker provided a summary of the latest data on applications. He reported that as of the first week of April, applications to Trent from high school students (101s) had increased by 14.6% over the previous year, versus a 1.8% increase across the Ontario system. Applications from non-high school students (105s) were down by 1% system-wide, but Trent was showing an overall increase of 4.2% in this category. The number of 105 applications for the Oshawa campus was still behind the average for the previous three years. Overall, more offers had been accepted by students compared with this time last year, and the higher grade point averages of applicants boded well for the University’s future retention rate. Faculty and staff were continuing to work hard to convert applications into registrations. Over 1500 visitors were expected at the upcoming Open House.

Multi-Year Enrolment & Retention Plan. Vice-President Parker reviewed the highlights of the proposed enrolment and retention plan, noting that the graduate student numbers might have to be revisited in light of changing government policy on the funding of graduate students. He noted that the plan had been developed through consultation with many University committees populated by faculty and had been endorsed by Senate. Points raised in the Board’s discussion included the need for all faculty to be made aware of the University’s retention initiatives in order to be able to respond appropriately, and the importance of accountability, shared responsibility and metrics for measuring the success of the plan. President Franklin indicated that in 2010-11, enrolment management would come under the leadership of the new Vice-President (Academic) and Provost. It was moved by Ms. Bush, seconded by Mr. Butt:

That the Multi-Year Enrolment and Retention Plan 2010 to 2013, (attached as Appendix C to the master copy of these Minutes), be approved. (Carried.)

2010-11 Operating Budget and Fees. The Chair of the Finance & Property Committee noted that the development of the coming year’s balanced budget had been a difficult task requiring University-wide participation to deal with the $4.3 million shortfall identified earlier in the year. The Committee had reviewed the budget in detail, felt that it was workable and was recommending it to the Board for approval. The Committee was also recommending that the Board approve the tuition fees for 2010-11, which included increases of 4-4.5%for most domestic students and increases in the 5-6% range for international students and new graduate students.

President Franklin indicated that the budget represented many months of work and expressed appreciation to Vice-Presidents O’Leary and McKinnon, the PPG group and to the Director of Financial Services and his team for their support. Vice-President O’Leary spoke about the major budget challenges facing the University this year (pension costs, new building costs, lack of inflation funding and increased expense) and characterized the budget as a balance between cuts and new investments. He told the Board that unlike the previous two years, no layoffs had been necessary to achieve a balanced budget although not all vacancies were being filled. Vice-President Parker emphasized that the enrolment assumptions were strongly data-based and would be critical to the success of the budget. Vice-President McKinnon discussed the implications of the budget for academic staffing and called attention to the decrease in the number of TUFA limited term appointments. She noted that overall, the University had been required to find budget reductions totalling almost 25% over the previous three years. Mr. Brownscombe reviewed the budget documents in detail and explained variances from the 2009-10 projection, the Government’s tuition fee policy and the reasons for reducing operating budget spending on scholarships in favour of more scholarship funding from endowments.

It was noted that the proposed ancillary and room & board fees except for the “board plan” portion of the meal plan schedule, which was yet to be approved, had gone through the student protocol approval process. The recommended student health fee was confirmed to be $10.27 and the proposed Convocation fee increase was corrected to read 7%.

Following questions and discussion, it was moved by Mr. Sherratt, seconded by Ms. Ramsay:

That the Tuition Fees for 2010-11* be approved;

That the Student Compulsory Ancillary and Room & Board Fees 2010-11, as amended,* be approved; and

That the 2010-11 Operating Budget* be approved. (Carried, with one opposed and one absention.)

(* Note: Appendix D attached to the master copy of these Minutes contains all three approved documents)

Cumulative Deficit. As recommended by the Finance & Property Committee, it was moved by Mr. Sherratt, seconded by Mr. Graham:

That the Administration resume annual contributions to the cumulative deficit (the current contribution is from budgetary surplus) in the Framework for Managing the Cumulative Deficit originally approved by the Board in September 2001; and

That the Finance & Property Committee review the deficit status annually, together with recommendation of the annual budget. (Carried.)

It was noted that in 2010-11 the deficit would be reduced by the amount of the operating surplus in the budget ($323,000).

Procurement Code of Ethics. As recommended by the Audit Committee, it was moved by Mr. Davies, seconded by Mr. Mackey:

That the Supply Chain Code of Ethics (Appendix E to the master copy of these Minutes) be approved; and

That the Supply Chain Code of Ethics be posted electronically on the University’s web site and distributed to all individuals involved in evaluation committees and other supply chain activities. (Carried.)

Delegation of Authority for Approval of Senior Appointments. The Vice-Chair, reporting on behalf of Ms. Burnham, noted that both the Executive and Nominating & Governance Committees had been involved in reviewing the Board’s approval process for the most senior administrative appointments (other than the President, who is appointed by the full Board). It was recommended that the Executive Committee approve the appointments of senior officers who report directly to the President, as well as their terms and conditions of employment. All other appointments would continue to be approved by the Human Resources Subcommittee. It was moved by Ms. Ramsay, seconded by Mr. McCue:

That Special Resolutions I.1 (Executive Committee Terms of Reference) and 1.6 (Human Resources Subcommittee Terms of Reference) be amended to delegate the Board’s authority for the appointment, promotion and termination of the Provost, Vice-Presidents and Board Secretary to the Executive Committee (as set out in Appendix F to the master copy of these Minutes), and that any decisions taken by the Executive Committee under this delegation of authority be reported to the Board of Governors in a timely manner; and

That Special Resolution I.1 be amended to add the word “Provost” and delete the word “Dean” from the list of exempt personnel for whom the Executive Committee must approve the terms and conditions of employment. (Carried.)

Presidential Performance Review and 2010-11 Objectives. The Vice-Chair and Chair of the Executive Committee invited Board members to provide their annual input to the Executive Committee on the President’s performance review and annual objectives for the coming year.

The meeting was adjourned.

Lon Knox
Secretary / David Morton
Chair
Susan Bartsch
Recording Secretary
Open Session Appendices:
A / Vision for TrentUniversity, as presented to the Board of Governors April 30, 2010
B / Report from the Special Advisory Committee on Changing Academic Structures, February 23, 2010
C / Multi-year Enrolment and Retention Plan 2010-2013, April 1, 2010
D / 2010-11 Operating Budget Package, including fees
E / Supply Chain Code of Ethics as presented to the Board April 30, 2010
F / Special Resolutions I.1 and I.6, as amended by the Board April 30, 2010

Board of Governors – Open Session MinutesPage 1 of 5