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Highlights from the October 9, 2024 Board of Governors meeting

Office of the President and Vice-Chancellor | 25 Oct 2024
Board of Governors Highlights
Communications

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Dear members of the 平特五不中 Community,听听

It is our pleasure to provide you with an update on the recent activities of 平特五不中鈥檚 Board of Governors. You can learn more about the Board鈥檚 mandate and membership on its 听听

The Board of Governors held the first regular meeting on October 9, 2024. The full minutes of the meeting鈥檚 open session will be available following approval at the Board鈥檚 next meeting on December 12, 2024. In the meantime, we would like to share with you the meeting鈥檚 important discussions, decisions, and developments.听听

Thank you for your interest in the work of the Board of Governors. If you have any questions, ideas, or comments, please write mcgill.president [at] mcgill.ca.听听

Sincerely,听听

Deep Saini, President and Vice-Chancellor
Maryse Bertrand, Chair, 平特五不中 Board of Governors
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Key Updates

The Board of Governors, on the recommendation of the Nominating, Governance and Ethics (NGE) Committee, approved the appointment of Governor Emerita Cynthia Price Verreault as Deputy Chancellor of 平特五不中 for a two-year term, effective immediately and ending on December 31, 2026.听听

A new role approved by the Board in December 2023, the Deputy Chancellor will support the Chancellor and represent 平特五不中 with the highest level of integrity, providing strategic advice and support, and leveraging and broadening university relationships, among other functions.听听

Ms. Price Verreault was selected both for her longtime dedication to 平特五不中 and for her distinguished community leadership, notably in the healthcare, arts, and education sectors. Read the full announcement.听听

The Board of Governors, also on the recommendation of the NGE Committee, approved the following reappointments:

  • Mr. Fred Headon as a member-at-large of the Board of Governors of 平特五不中 for a four-year term, commencing July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2029. In addition to serving as a member of the Executive Committee, Mr. Headon will chair the Board鈥檚 Nominating, Governance and Ethics Committee for a three-year term, commencing July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2028.听听
  • Mr. Pierre Matuszewski as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors for a further one-year听term until June 30, 2027, to coincide with the end of his term on the Board, and with the understanding that he will also continue to serve as the Chair of the Finance and Infrastructure Committee and as Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board.听听
  • Ms. Maarika Paul as Vice-Chair of the Board for a further three-year term until June 30, 2028, to coincide with the end of her term on the Board and as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.

On the recommendation of the Audit and Risk Committee, the Board also approved: (i) the 2023-2024 Financial Report to the Board of Governors, which includes the external auditor鈥檚 report and Audited Financial Statements of The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning/平特五不中 for the year ended April 30, 2024, and (ii) the appointment of Deloitte as external auditors of the University for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2025.听听

The Board received an update from the Committee on Sustainability and Social Responsibility (CSSR) on the progress made regarding the mandate to explore divestment of the University endowment from direct investments in companies that derive a dominant portion of their direct revenues from the production of military weapons, regardless of the countries in which they operate. The Committee also provided an update on its review of the expression of concern received from members of the 平特五不中 community.听

On the recommendation of the President and Vice-Chancellor, the Board of Governors approved the revised By-laws of the McCord Stewart Museum, as approved by the Museum Board of Trustees on September 16, 2024. Among the amendments is a reduction in the number of Museum Board members from 27 to 22.听听

The Board also approved, on the recommendation of Senate, the appointment of Professor Andrew Kirk (Faculty of Engineering) as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Staff Grievances and Disciplinary Procedures for a term beginning September 1, 2024, and ending August 31, 2027. A notice of the annual Joint Board-Senate meeting was also presented for information; this year鈥檚 meeting, to be held on November 7, will provide an opportunity to discuss the transformational initiatives that will underpin the development of 平特五不中鈥檚 vision for 2050.听听

Per the recommendation of the NGE Committee, the Board of Governors also approved:

  • An amendment to article 2.6 of the University Statutes to allow for the alignment of the term of the Chair of the Board of Governors with their term as Member-at-large. The revised article reads: 鈥淭he Chair shall normally serve a term of up to four years. If the Chair鈥檚 term exceeds the maximum term limit for members-at-large, that limit shall be extended by number of years necessary to complete the full term as Chair.鈥澨�
  • Amendments to the Code of Ethics and Conduct for Members of the Board of Governors of 平特五不中 and Trustees of the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning. The amendments to the Code include housekeeping changes standardizing the听language and implementing updates that reflect current practices.

The Board received as information from the NGE Committee an update on the implementation of the recommendations arising from the Report of the Special Project on Board Efficiency and Effectiveness. The Committee approved the implementation of Phase II of the Project, which proposes a systematic review of the policies and decisions that currently require Board approval or intervention, with the broader aim of enhancing efficiency and effectiveness.听听

The Board also received the 2023-2024 平特五不中 Endowment Fund Annual Report, which provides an overview of various features of the 平特五不中 Investment Pool for the University鈥檚 fiscal period ending April 30, 2024.听听

Finally, the Board received presentations from (i) Philippe Gervais, Vice-President (Communication and Institutional Relations) on the future directions of CIR and (ii) Dr. Lesley Fellows, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Vice-President (Health Affairs) on the activities, initiatives, and developments of the Outaouais Campus.
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President鈥檚 Remarks

President Saini provided remarks pertaining to a range of recent developments from across 平特五不中鈥檚 campuses as follows.

Enrolment

平特五不中鈥檚 latest enrolment is at 39,838 students (up from 39,316 last year), with the Faculties of Engineering, Management, and Science seeing the largest increases. The top five countries of citizenship among international students enrolled in credit-seeking programs are: China, U.S.A., France, India, and Iran, which is consistent with previous years.听听

For CEGEP students admitted into Bachelor鈥檚 programs, an increase of 5.2% was further noted, while new registrations from Canadian high schools outside of Quebec are up by 11%, despite a $3,000- tuition-increase for Canadian, non-Quebec resident students. The Canada Award, designed to offset this tuition increase in select programs, contributed to this result; a more sustainable, long-term replacement for the Award is in development.听听

The President also shared that, beginning in 2025, the Government of Canada is planning a further 10% reduction in international study permits, which would include master鈥檚 and doctoral students who were previously exempt in the initial cap. Given the potential impacts on 平特五不中's research excellence and financial stability, the University is engaging with Universities Canada and the U15 to advocate for the continuation of the graduate student exemption.
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Government Relations

Last August, the Government of Quebec announced its intention to reduce Quebec鈥檚 temporary immigration numbers through a six-month suspension of new requests and admissions to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The suspension would apply to jobs earning less than $57,000/year; postdoctoral fellows would, however, be unaffected.听听

In addition, the Government recently tabled Bill 74, which would restrict the amount of incoming international students based on factors, such as: the type of post-secondary institution and its location, the number of international students at the institution, and the program of study. 平特五不中 will be submitting a memoire to the National Assembly.
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Community Relations

The President shared reflections on some of the campus activities and events that he attended this fall, which have included a celebration of The Neuro鈥檚 90th anniversary and staff appreciation, as well as the launch of 平特五不中鈥檚 Indigenous Awareness Weeks.听听

He also expressed anticipation for 平特五不中鈥檚 annual Homecoming celebrations, which will take place from October 24-26 and included yesterday's comedy show by Sugar Sammy.

Rankings

The President also provided an update on 平特五不中鈥檚 latest performance in various international rankings:

  • Times Higher Education: Ranked 45th (up 4 spots).
  • Shanghai Academic Rankings: Ranked 74th (down from 70th), 3rd in Canada.
  • QS World Rankings: Ranked 29th (up 1 spot), top 13 in sustainability and top 24 in employability.

Selected Kudos

Finally, the President concluded his remarks by offering his congratulations to a selection of individuals in the 平特五不中 community for their recent achievements.

  • Sixteen 平特五不中 graduate students and four postdoctoral fellows earned Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Fellowships, respectively.
  • Professors Myrna Lashley and Dan Poenaru of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences were appointed to the Order of Canada.
  • Twelve 平特五不中 inductees to the Royal Society of Canada, including two new members to the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, and ten new Fellows.

The Board of Governors received the following reports:

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Keywords: 
Highlights from the October 9
2024 Board of Governors meeting
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