As approved at the September 23, 1999, meeting of the Board of Governors. The "in camera" portion of the minutes have not been included herein. Copies of Appendices not included herein are available from the University Secretariat, Room 290, Stevenson-Lawson Building.
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. J. Adams, Mr. S. Adams, Mr. R. Bateman, Dr. J.V. Collins, Mr. J. Etherington, Mr. T.
Garrard, Mr. W. Gibson, Ms. S. Grindrod, Ms. R. Ivey Thom, Mr. D.J. McDougall, Dr. P.P.
Mercer, Dr. G. Moran, Prof. H. Murray, Mr. M. Rubinoff, Dr. J.L. Stokes, Mr. H. Taylor, Mr. T.
Vine, Ms. C .Weldon, Ms. L. Whittaker.
By Invitation: R. Archibald, J. Irwin, P. Moore, D. Palmer, D. Riddell, L. Tapp
The minutes of the meeting of May 27, 1999, were approved as circulated
Dr. Moran, in his capacity as Acting President, highlighted the Report of the President which dealt with the following issues: consequence of the Ontario election; increased cohort issues; and first-year admission data for 1999-2000. Details can be found in Appendix I.
Dr. Moran noted that the application and admissions data for the coming academic year is viewed as both optimistic and uncertain. The OAC student acceptance rate is better than estimated which is an indicator that 澳门六合彩开奖预测's reputation continues to attract highly qualified students. However the non-OAC acceptances are coming in more slowly than in the past. Final data will be presented when available.
On behalf of the Property & Finance Committee, it was moved by D. McDougall, seconded by
J. Collins,
That the Board of Governors approve the site for the sculpture by Doug Mitchell commissioned by the McIntosh Gallery Committee between the NCMRD and Talbot College, south of the paved pathway to University College, subject to approval by the Subcommittee on Capital Allocations (SUCA) and subject to oversight and approval by the Department of Physical Plant and Capital Planning.
Mr. Riddell provided an overview of the project, details of which can be found in Appendix II, Annex 1. The sculpture will be 24 feet in diameter and 12 feet high at the highest point.
The question was called and CARRIED.
It was moved by D. McDougall, seconded by W. Gibson,
That Policy 2.22 - Funding of Academic Chairs and Professorships - be amended as shown on Appendix I, Annex 2.
CARRIED
It was moved by D. McDougall, seconded by R. Bateman,
That the Board of Governors approve the establishment of The James D. Fleck Professorship in International Business detailed on page 2 of Appendix II.
CARRIED
It was moved by D. McDougall, seconded by J. Etherington,
That the Board of Governors approve the establishment of the Ivey Alumni Association/Toronto Faculty Fellowship in Business Leadership described on page 3 of Appendix II.
CARRIED
It was moved by D. McDougall, seconded by S. Grindrod,
That the Board of Governors approve the purchase of a Time-of-Flight Static Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer from Cameca for a price not to exceed $860,000 (Canadian).
CARRIED
In October 1998, the Board of Governors approved the commencement of the design of the new stadium (BG.98-217). The conceptual design, presented at the meeting using drawings and models, had been discussed with a wide spectrum of University and Community users and has been broadly accepted. The new stadium will have permanent seating for 8,000 spectators, with bleachers on both sides of the field. It will include an eight-lane all-weather track and a high-quality artificial turf. Field events such as pole vault and broad jump will take place in front of the bleachers while javelin, shot put and discus will be held in an area just outside the track. An ancillary building will house ticket booths, concessions, locker rooms, coach and referee rooms, washrooms and a lounge. The building and the bleachers will be wheelchair accessible. The plans will be submitted through the City of London public site plan approval process in early summer. Preliminary civil work will be completed this fall and the remaining work will start in Spring 2000, with completion in August 2000.
The preliminary unaudited financial results for 1998-99, detailed in Appendix II, Annex 3, Schedules 1 and 2, were provided for information.
Mr. Taylor observed that the over-expenditures for employee benefits and utilities relate to the fact that the information is not available when the budget is prepared. He asked if this situation could be corrected. Dr. Mercer stated that the information concerning employee benefits expenses is not available until after the budgetary baseline is established and that the rating on long-term disability premiums is based on experience. Regarding utility expenses, the price of natural gas on the stock market increased by 25%; as a result, the University may consider a different procurement policy
Commenting on the decreasing operating reserve, Dr. Mercer reminded members that the reserve is used to deal with pressures placed on the operating budget. He advised that the administration is committed to returning the operating reserve to the Board mandated level in the next round of budget planning.
Responding to questions about parking fees and reduced parking revenue, Dr. Mercer stated that the Chemistry parking lot was recently redesignated as "core parking" to address the high demand parking pressure. It is not an attempt to compensate for lost revenue due to the implementation of the student bus pass, as some would assert. Parking permit fees have not increased in the last few years and a 2% increase across the board on parking rates is proposed. A reduction in parking revenue was experienced and the amount allocated to the operating budget from Parking Services shrunk to $900,000 from $950,000 in one year. It is natural to conclude that the increase is imposed to bring revenues back up to the previous level; however, parking rates must be reasonably competitive in order to operate the ancillary responsibly. The Ministry of Revenue is currently auditing a Canadian university because their parking rates are so low that they are being investigated on the basis that what they are providing to their employees is a taxable benefit. He contended that 澳门六合彩开奖预测's parking rates are not out of line in comparison to other universities and therefore it is unfair to draw a connection between the parking rate increase and the lost parking revenue.
The Annual Ratio Report on Non-Endowed Funds, detailed in Appendix II, Annex 4, was provided for information.
Annex 5 to Appendix II contains the report of the Investment Committee.
Mr. Taylor asked why the Investment Committee remains confident that Templeton Investment will add value over its benchmark index when its recent performance was disappointing. Dr. Mercer stated that the Investment Committee's conclusion is based solely on Templeton's long term performance and that last year's performance is considered an aberration.
Annex 6 to Appendix II contains the report on new and revised scholarships, awards, and prizes that have been approved by the Property & Finance Committee on behalf of the Board of Governors.
The Board received the 1998-99 report on the Internal Audit function for the year ended April 30, 1999. Details of the report can be found in Appendix III, Annex 1.
The 1999-2000 Internal Audit Work Plan shown in Schedule 1 of Appendix III, Annex 1, approved by the Audit Committee, was provided for information.
The schedule for the review of the Audited Financial Statements for the year ended April 30, 1999, for UWO and associated companies is detailed in Appendix III.
The Board received for information the PeopleSoft Project Status Report detailed in Appendix III, Annex 2.
Responding to a concern that the costs associated with the PeopleSoft Project are not included in the report, the Chair asked that this information be contained in the next report from the Audit Committee.
The Year 2000 (Y2K) Update Report, detailed in Appendix III, Annex 3, was provided for information.
The report of the Vice-President (Administration) about the proposal to create a Risk Identification and Management Group (RIM), detailed in Appendix III, Annex 4, was provided for information.
Asked how the RIM will interact with the Board of Governors, Dr. Mercer stated that the Group will report to the Audit Committee and the Board every six months. The Coordinator of the RIM Group is Ms. S. Farnell, the Internal Auditor. Initially the group will be composed of individuals from the units that report to the Vice-President (Administration) as well as representatives from the PeopleSoft Resource Group and ITS. The second project will have broader representation. This proposal offers a new model of maximizing existing resources to ensure that the corporate University can meet its legal duty of care and exercise due diligence.
The Annual Report of the Department of Occupational Safety, together with a supplementary 1998 report on fire prevention, detailed in Appendix III, Annex 5, was provided for information. The Fire Data - 1998 - Annual Report may be obtained from the Secretary of the Board, on request.
The Senior Operations Committee advised the Board that Mr. David J. Thompson has been nominated for reappointment as one of the University's representatives to the Board of Directors of Foundation 澳门六合彩开奖预测 for a three-year term commencing September 1999.
The following new members have been appointed to the Ivey Advisory Board: Bill Anderson, Lorne Braithwaite, Ronald Charles, Kevin Francis, Bobbie Gaunt, Serge Gouin, Paul J. Hill, Jane M. Howell, James L. Hunter, Eva Lee Kwok, Louis Lagassé, Jon E. Love, Christine Magee, Pierre L. Morrissette, Madeleine Paquin, Robert J. Ritchie, Joseph C. Shlesinger, Paul Walters, Prem V. Watsa.
The Board was informed that the following members have resigned from the Ivey Advisory Board: Robert D. Brown, Brian P. Drummond, Bruce Galloway, Charles (Bud) B. Johnston, Brian F. MacNeill, Larry M. Pollock, Helen K. Sinclair, Nancy G. Thomson.
Dr. Carol Herbert, incoming Dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, has been appointed to serve as a representative of the University on the Joint Committee, starting September 1, 1999. She will replace Dr. R.Y. McMurtry whose term ends on June 30, 1999. The other University representatives on the Joint Committee are Dean Angelo Belcastro and Mr. W.W. Peel.
Professor R. Archibald, Chair of the Academic Staff Pension Board, and Mr. P. Moore, Chair of the Administrative Staff Pension Board, were present to respond to questions concerning the report of the pension boards, contained in Appendix V and attached "Pension Plans Report" for 1998. Professor Archibald presented an overview of the report, detailed in Appendix V. He highlighted his presentation with the use of slides copies of which are attached as Appendix 1 to these minutes.
Board members congratulated the Pension Boards and Pension staff for their production of a clear and easily understood Pension Plans Report.
Increasing tuition fees across all of 澳门六合彩开奖预测's undergraduate and graduate programs have given rise to concerns about student access, recruitment, financial aid, retention, and debt load upon graduation. The University strives to ensure that these increased tuition costs do not prevent academically qualified students from gaining entrance to 澳门六合彩开奖预测's programs or completing their studies because of limited financial resources. The Senate Committee on University Planning (SCUP) has established a Working Group on Student Financial Data to examine available information relevant to these issues and to report annually, through SCUP, to Senate and the Board of Governors. The information provided will contribute to the objective that in all financial matters affecting students at 澳门六合彩开奖预测, the University's policies are fair and reasonable.
Asked when the data will be available, Dr. Moran stated that conclusive data concerning access will not be available for sometime. A survey will be conducted this summer involving upper year students and incoming students and the results will be reported once the data are analyzed. Relevant information should be available in the coming year.
The Report on the 246th meeting of the Council of Ontario Universities, detailed in Appendix VI, Annex 1, was provided for information.
Asked about the tension that appears to be building between research-intensive universities and those regarded as more teaching oriented, Dr. Moran acknowledged that this is an area where the potential for a real split among the universities is greater than in almost any other because of the clear divergence of interests. Universities whose research-intensiveness is lower want the government funding related to the double cohort to be allocated to the direct cost of teaching, whereas the research intensive universities argue that funds must be allocated to support the full range of university activities because faculty hired to address increased enrolment are expected to engage in research activities, as well.
On behalf of the McIntosh Gallery Committee, Mr. Etherington extended an invitation to attend the official opening of the McIntosh Gallery on Saturday, June 26.
Signed by:
W.W. Peel, Chair
J.K. Van Fleet, Secretary