Thursday, July 12, 2012

Presidential Search Committee Membership

MEMORANDUM TO:  Governing Council
                        Members of the Academic Board
                        Members of the Business Board
                        Members of the University Affairs Board
                        Members of the College of Electors
                        Principals, Deans, Academic Directors, and Chairs
                        Professionals, Managers, and Confidential Staff
                        President, UTFA
                        Presidents of Employee Unions
                        Presidents of APUS, GSU, UTSU (SAC), UTMSU and SCSU
                        President, University of Toronto Alumni Association

FROM:                   Richard B. Nunn, Chair of the Governing Council

DATE:                   June 26, 2012

RE:                     Presidential Search Committee Membership


At its meeting yesterday, the Governing Council approved the membership of the Presidential Search Committee pursuant to the Policy Respecting the Appointment of a President (1999).

At the outset, I would like to emphasize that the recommended membership respects the Policy in striving for broad representation of scholarly interests and internal University perspectives, as well as external insights.  In reaching our decision on the membership, our primary consideration was excellence.  As indicated in the selection guidelines and principles, the goal was to have Search Committee membership that reflects the excellence of the University and the excellence we will seek in a new President.  And, building on this excellence and representation, it will be the obligation of each member to think, first and foremost, of the University - in all its parts - as we proceed through the task before us.  In this context, I have also committed that our consultations will be as inclusive and comprehensive as we can make them, ensuring that all constituencies have an opportunity to share their views.

CANDIDATE POOL AND SCREENING

At the Executive Committee on Monday, June 11, we discussed a broad list of potential candidates for membership on the Presidential Search Committee.  I developed for the Committee's review this shortened list after a careful screening of the entire pool of nominees.  All potential candidates were assessed relative to the general selection guidelines outlined in the call for nominations of April 4, 2012, as well as the General Guidelines and Principles for Selection of a Presidential Search Committee and the Charter of Expectations of the Presidential Search Committee.  Copies of these documents, as well as the Policy are available on the Governing Council website at http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Page498.aspx .

During the Executive Committee meeting, members provided advice and comment on the potential candidates.  For the meeting, as required by the Policy, members of the Executive who were being considered for membership on the Committee were replaced by other members of their constituency for the discussion.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

As allowed under the Policy, I have appointed a lay member of the Council, Mr. David Wilson, to Chair the Committee.  A senior governor and, until the end of this month, Chair of the Business Board, Mr Wilson has served on the 2004 presidential search and has significant leadership roles (most recently the Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission) in his career.  He is well-equipped to lead the process we are now launching.  As a member of the Senior Appointments and Compensation Committee, he has provided valuable guidance and wisdom as we have undertook initial planning and preliminary groundwork for the search.  I will remain closely involved with the Committee throughout the coming months and look forward to working with Mr. Wilson and the Committee.

Its members will be:

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Ms Kim McLean,

ALUMNI
Ms Mary Jo Haddad
Mr. John Switzer
Ms Elizabeth Vosburgh

LGIC APPOINTEES TO THE GOVERNING COUNCIL Ms Judy Goldring Ms Jane Pepino

STUDENTS - Full-time Undergraduate
Mr. Jake Brockman

STUDENTS - Part-time Undergraduate
Ms Maina Rambali

STUDENTS - Graduate
Mr. Chirag Variawa

TEACHING STAFF
Professor Donald Ainslie
Professor Maydianne Andrade
Professor Paul Gooch
Professor Molly Shoichet
Professor Elizabeth Smyth


Of the proposed membership, Mr. Wilson, Ms Goldring, Ms Pepino, Professor Smyth, Mr. Switzer, Ms Vosburgh and Mr. Variawa are current members of the Governing Council.  Ms Rambali will begin a one-year term on Council on July 1, 2012.

The Secretary of the Governing Council, Mr. Louis Charpentier, will serve as Secretary to the Committee.


NEXT STEPS

The Search Committee will begin to work immediately.  Its initial tasks will include broad consultations on the position profile, a process that we expect to continue into the Fall.  As it proceeds with its work, the Search Committee will communicate regularly to the University community, whether we are seeking input or keeping you up to date on the milestones of the search.

I would like to thank all of you who provided advice and input in the process of selecting the Search Committee.  It has an important job ahead and the commitment that you have shown is extremely important to its success.  The Search Committee welcomes your comments at any time; they may be sent in confidence to presidentialsearch.gc@utoronto.ca


PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE, 2012

MEMBERSHIP

Chair

Mr. W. David Wilson, a commerce graduate of Victoria College, has served on the Governing Council for the past eight years, and has been Chair of the Business Board for the past two years, as well as a member of the Senior Appointments and Compensation Committee.  He also served on the 2004 Presidential Search Committee.  As Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission from 2005 to 2010, and as Vice-Chair of the Bank of Nova Scotia prior to that, he enjoys tremendous respect and profile in the broad external community, and, as he has done for the Governing Council, brings a private sector and provincial government perspective to the Search Committee.

Administrative Staff

Ms Kim McLean, became the first Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Faculty of Arts and Science in January 2012, after serving as CAO at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) for twelve years.  She is a graduate of UTSC's Cooperative Program in Administration and has an MBA from the University of Toronto. Ms McLean also has had experience in the University's central administration, having served in the Office of the Vice-Provost, Planning and Budget, now part of the offices of the Vice-President and Provost and Vice-President University Operations.  As a senior staff member of UTSC and of the Faculty of Arts and Science, Ms McLean is well-known and widely respected within the University community.  She will bring to the Search Committee a broad and deep understanding of the University, its tri-campus nature and the challenges of future growth and development.

Alumni

Ms Mary Jo Haddad has been the President and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children since November 2004.  A graduate of the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Windsor, she also holds a Masters in Health Science from the University of Toronto.  Ms. Haddad is recognized for her innovative leadership and commitment to children's health, through a distinguished career in health care in Canada and the US. She holds a number of Board appointments including: Board Chair, MaRS Innovation and Chair, Provincial Council for Maternal Child Health (PCMCH).  In 2010, she was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada. Highly respected within the University's health sciences divisions, and among her fellow teaching hospital CEOs, Ms Haddad will bring to the Search Committee her extensive knowledge and valuable insights from the perspectives of the University's teaching hospitals and their research institutions.

Mr. John Switzer, a graduate of the University of Toronto Mississauga (B.A.) and York University (M.B.A.), is beginning his second three-year term on the Governing Council.  He has served as a member of the Business Board, the Audit Committee and the Implementation Committee responsible for the recommendations of the Task Force on Governance.  He has also served as Vice-Chair of the University Affairs Board and as the inaugural Chair of the Pension Committee.  In the coming year, he will chair the Business Board and serve as Vice-Chair of the Pension Committee.  As a Chartered Accountant, he held senior executive positions with a variety of organizations, including the Bank of Nova Scotia, National Trust and Ernst and Young, as well as senior volunteer positions with the United Church of Canada and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.  His ongoing active involvement with UTM will bring to the Search Committee an extensively-informed view of that campus, as will his leadership role as Chair of the Research, Innovation and Commercialization Centre (RICC) in Mississauga.

Ms Elizabeth Vosburgh, a graduate of the University of Toronto (B.A.) and McMaster University (M.B.A.), is completing the first year of her final three-year term on the Governing Council.  She has served as Chair of the University Affairs Board since 2009, and is also a member of the Business Board, the Senior Appointments and Compensation Committee, and the Implementation Committee responsible for the recommendations of the Task Force on Governance.  She served as Co-Chair of the Towards 2030 Task Force on Institutional Organization, and was Chair of the Victoria University Board of Regents from 1998 to 2001.  Ms Vosburgh will bring to the Search Committee a valuable depth of experience and perspective on the affairs of the University, informed by her extensive work on governance bodies at the University of Toronto and in Victoria University.

LGIC Appointees to the Governing Council

Ms Judy Goldring, a graduate of the University of Toronto (B.A.) and Queen's University (LL.B.), is entering the third year of her second three-year term, and will begin her second year as Vice-Chair of the Governing Council on July 1, 2012.  Ms Goldring is the Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of AGF Management Limited, and is responsible for the firm's Operations, Information Technology, Legal, Compliance and Human Resources at an enterprise-wide level.  She will bring to the Search Committee a solid knowledge of the University as well as a broad range of expertise on financial and investment matters relevant to the University. .

Ms Jane Pepino, an alumna of the University of Toronto where she pursued undergraduate studies, is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.B.) and the University of Texas (LL.M.).  In 2005, she has also been awarded an Honorary LLD from the Law Society of Upper Canada.  Ms Pepino is completing the first year of a three-year term on the Governing Council and serves on the Pension Committee and the Business Board.  She is a senior partner at Aird & Berlis LLP, and the founder of the firm's Municipal and Land Use Planning Group.  She has also been involved with a number of organizations and Boards, including Habitat for Humanity, The Bishop Strachan School, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and Women's College Hospital, where she is currently Chair of the Board.  As a well-known and highly respected member of the legal profession, with her extensive record of community service, Ms Pepino will bring to the Search Committee uniquely-informed insights and perspectives on matters relevant to the University and its future.

Students - Full-time Undergraduate

Mr. Jake Brockman is entering the fourth year of his degree program and is majoring in International Relations and English and minoring in Political Science.  He is an outstanding scholar and has been actively involved in leadership roles in co-curricular activities at Trinity College, the Faculty of Arts and Science, and Hart House.  In addition to his history of academic achievement, his accomplishments include completing a two-year term on the University Tribunal, advocating for the interests of commuting students at Trinity and serving as Co-Tournament Director of the 2012 North American Debate Championships at Hart House.   He will bring an important undergraduate student perspective to the Search Committee.

Students - Part-time Undergraduate

Ms Maina Rambali is completing the third year of a B. Comm. degree at the Joseph R. Rotman School of Management with an impressive record of academic success as a part-time undergraduate student.  She will begin a one-year term on the Governing Council on July 1, 2012.  Ms Rambali is the Controller of Harte Gold Corporation and the Accounting Manager of Global Atomic Fuels Corporation.  Her extensive co-curricular involvement at the University includes membership in the Rotman Commerce Students' Association, the Woodsworth College Students' Association, the Arts and Science Students' Union and the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students.  She also serves as the Finance Director of the University of Toronto Mature Students' Association.  Ms Rambali will bring to the Search Committee very beneficial perspectives on the part-time undergraduate student experience.

Students - Graduate

Mr. Chirag Variawa is a Ph.D. candidate (accelerated) in Industrial Engineering, after having received a B.A.Sc. in Materials Science Engineering from the University of Toronto in 2009.  He was acclaimed to a second one-year term on the Governing Council, effective July 1, 2012.  Mr. Variawa is a member of a number of professional engineering associations, and has been actively involved in co-curricular activities in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering where he has served in various leadership roles. He has also served on a number of search committees, including those for the Vice-President, Research, the Warden of Hart House and the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Officer.   In the coming year, Mr. Variawa will serve as Vice-Chair of the University Affairs Board and as a member of the Committee for Honorary Degrees.  He will bring a unique and broadly-based graduate student perspective to the Search Committee.

Teaching Staff

Professor Donald Ainslie, Principal of University College, holds an academic appointment in the Department of Philosophy.  He has been an outstanding teacher on both the UTM and St. George campuses and is one of the world's leading scholars on Hume and Enlightenment scepticism. From 2003-2011, he was Chair of the Philosophy Department in the Faculty of Arts and Science and the Tri-Campus Graduate Philosophy Department.  Widely respected by faculty, staff and students, he will bring to the Search Committee a deep understanding of the organizational complexity and diversity of the University community, as well as the perspectives of a highly accomplished scholar and a member of the University's leadership.

Professor Maydianne Andrade holds the Canada Research Chair in Integrative Behavioural Ecology and has an academic appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough.  She has a global reputation in her discipline, has an impressive publication record, and has a record as one of the University's leading teachers.  She has mentored scores of undergraduate students as they have engaged in the research enterprise and has inspired many graduate students.  Professor Andrade will bring to the Search Committee a well-developed understanding of the tri-campus nature of the University and a clear view of how university leadership works to nurture and build on the University's unique competitive advantages in advancing its academic vision through its three campuses.

Professor Paul Gooch, a member of the 2004 Presidential Search Committee, is President of Victoria University and holds academic appointments in the Department of Philosophy and the Centre for the Study of Religion.  He is a well-respected senior scholar and has held several academic administrative positions at the University, but is not currently an administrator in the University of Toronto. His previous roles include Chair of the Division of Humanities at the University of Toronto at Scarborough, Director of the Graduate Centre for Religious Studies, the positions of Associate Dean, Vice-Dean and Acting Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and Vice-Provost.  The highly successful "Vic One" program was introduced under his leadership at Victoria, and has served as a model for enhancing the first-year undergraduate Arts and Science student experience.  Professor Gooch will bring to the Search Committee unique insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by universities in general and the U of T in particular.

Professor Molly Shoichet holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Tissue Engineering and has academic appointments in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, the Department of Chemistry, and the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering. She has received a number of prestigious awards, including the Killam Research Fellowship, the NSERC Steacie Fellowship, and the Royal Society of Canada's Rutherford Memorial Award. She was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2011, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2008, which is considered the highest distinction awarded to a Canadian scientist.  In addition, Professor Shoichet was named to the Order of Ontario in 2011.  A member of the 2004 Presidential Search Committee, Professor Shoichet will bring to the Search Committee a rich understanding and knowledge of the University's research enterprise, particularly from the perspective of scientific work that spans a number of disciplines.

Professor Elizabeth Smyth is Vice-Dean, Programs in the School of Graduate Studies and holds academic appointments in the Departments of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning and Theory and Policy Studies in Education in OISE, and is a Fellow of St. Michael's College.  She is a highly respected scholar whose work spans the humanities, social sciences and professional education.  She is completing the first year of her second three-year term on the Governing Council, and has served on the Committee for Honorary Degrees, the Executive Committee and the University Affairs Board, as well as the Academic Board and the Committee on Academic Policy and Programs.  Professor Smyth has extensive experience in service to the University in a range of roles on bodies both internal and external to the University. She will bring to the Search Committee a uniquely well-informed perspective on graduate and professional education.

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