Governing Council: Call for Applications

Memorandum to: Governing Council
Academic Board
Business Board
University Affairs Board
Alumni Council of Presidents
Alumni Development Officers
College of Electors
President of the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students
Presidents of the Employee Unions
President of the Graduate Students’ Union
President of the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union
President of the University of Toronto Students’ Union
President of the University of Toronto Faculty Association
Principals, Deans, Academic Directors, and Chairs
Professional, Managerial, and Confidential Staff
Senior Development Officers
University of Toronto Alumni Association Board of Directors

From: Louis R. Charpentier, Secretary of the Governing Council

Date: March 14, 2012

Re: 2012 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - Members of Boards and Committees of the
Governing Council and the University Tribunal


Introduction

I am writing to ask for your assistance in identifying well-qualified individuals in the University community who would be interested in applying to serve as appointed non-Governing Council members on a Governing Council Board or Committee or on the University Tribunal. Administrative staff, alumni, teaching staff, and students – full-time undergraduate, part-time undergraduate, and graduate - are invited to apply. Applications are encouraged from a wide variety of individuals so that the diversity of the University may be reflected in the membership of Governing Council bodies.

Please note that the positions listed below are all unpaid; members of the Governing Council, its Boards and Committees, and the University Tribunal serve as volunteers.

Application for Membership

The 2012 online application form for membership is available on the website listed below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012App

Completed application forms must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4, 2012.

In general, successful applicants will be invited to serve for one-year terms from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013; successful applicants of the University Tribunal will be asked to serve two-year terms. Meetings of Governing Council Boards and Committees are not normally held in July and August. However, panels of the University Tribunal do meet over the summer. Please note that a member must resign if, at any time during his or her term, he or she ceases to be a member of the constituency in which he or she was appointed (i.e. administrative staff member, full-time undergraduate student, part-time undergraduate student, or graduate student). Students currently in their final year who expect to graduate in June, 2012 are not eligible to apply. Such students may wish to consider applying as alumni representatives in the 2013 application process. Non-degree students and those registered in the Toronto School of Theology are also ineligible to serve on Governing Council bodies.

Detailed information about Board and Committee membership and the appointment process is provided below.

Membership of the Boards and Committees of Governing Council

Websites containing comprehensive information about the Governing Council and its Boards and Committees are listed below. Prospective applicants are encouraged to browse through the sites in order to gain an understanding of the scope, responsibilities, and composition of the governance bodies. With the exception of the Elections Committee and the Executive Committee, all Boards and Committees of the Governing Council include non-members of the Governing Council.

Positions Available

The precise number of appointed seats available for each constituency varies from year to year, depending on the number of seats that are filled by members of the Governing Council. The numbers below are provided as estimates only.

Potential Vacancies for 2012-2013
Administrative Staff Alumni Students Teaching Staff
Academic Board 1-2 1-3 12 N/A
Business Board 0-1 0 0-1* 0-1*
University Affairs Board 3 0 5 0
University Tribunal 0 0 20 N/A
*Please see Item 2 below.

1. Academic Board:

Members are expected to attend all or almost all of the six meetings held per year.

12 students:
4 full-time undergraduates - Arts and Science
2 full-time undergraduates - professional faculties
3 part-time undergraduates
3 graduate students
1 to 2 administrative staff
1 to 3 alumni (who are not registered as students and who are not members of the administrative or teaching staff)
Further information about the Academic Board and its standing Committees is available from the website below.

http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Governing_Council/bac/ab.htm

Please note that elections for teaching staff and librarian seats on the Academic Board are conducted through a separate process.

2. Business Board
Members are expected to attend all or almost all of the seven or eight meetings held per year.

Although the Business Board Terms of Reference provides for up to 1 student, 1 teaching staff, and 1 administrative staff co-opted member, those seats are usually filled by members of the Governing Council. The administrative staff seat does become available from time to time.

Further information about the Business Board is available from the website below.

http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Governing_Council/bac/bb_1.htm

3. University Affairs Board

Members are expected to attend all or almost all of the six meetings held per year.

5 students
3 administrative staff

Further information about the University Affairs Board is available from the website below.

http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Governing_Council/bac/ua.htm

4. University Tribunal Hearing Panels

Members are expected to sit on at least three hearings per year.

20 students

The University Tribunal hears cases involving allegations of academic misconduct. A panel adjudicates each hearing at the Trial Division of the Tribunal. A Tribunal panel is composed of three people, consisting of a legally qualified Chair, one student member, and one faculty member. At the hearing, members of the panel will hear evidence and decide whether the University has proven that the student is guilty of the charges that have been laid against them. Panel members act as impartial adjudicators who weigh the evidence presented by the University and the student and/or his/her representative. If the panel finds the student guilty, it will then determine the appropriate penalty.

Further information about the Tribunal is available from the website below.

http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/AppealsDisciplineAndFacultyGrievances/acaddiscipline.htm

Selection Process and Criteria

Each of the three Boards has a Striking (Nominating) Committee that reviews the applications received and recommends appointments to the Board. The Striking Committee normally meets in mid-May and appointments are approved at the final meeting of the Board in June. In May, the Secretary of the University Tribunal will review the applications of students who have indicated an interest in serving on that body. From those submissions, suitable individuals will be selected to assist with Tribunal hearings.

As part of the selection process, Striking Committees consider the knowledge, skills, and experience of each applicant. The Committees will be guided by the Report of the Task Force on Governance, approved by the Governing Council on October 28, 2010, which is available from the website below.

http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Governing_Council/taskforce/reportTFOG.htm

Efforts are made to achieve an appropriate balance of continuity and renewal on the Boards or Committees, as well as representation from a variety of academic and administrative units, academic programs, the three campuses, and full-time and part-time undergraduate students and graduate students.

The criteria used by the Striking Committee for the selection of members include the following.
• Experience in governance of organizations or groups.
• Demonstrated involvement in and contribution to the University community.
• Demonstrated engagement in co-curricular or community activities.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise informed judgement.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate logically and persuasively at meetings.
• Demonstrated commitment to participate actively, to prepare thoroughly, and to attend regularly most scheduled meetings.

All members of the Boards and Committees of the Governing Council and the University Tribunal are subject to the same expectations as those of members of the Governing Council. The Expectations and Attributes of Governors and Key Principles of Ethical Conduct may be viewed from the website below.

http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Assets/Governing+Council+Digital+Assets/Task+Force+on+Governance/2010-2011+Documentation/Expectations+and+Attributes+of+Governors+and+Key+Principles+of+Ethical+Conduct.pdf

If you have any questions, please contact:
Office of the Governing Council,
Simcoe Hall, Room 106
University of Toronto
27 King’s College Circle
(phone) 416-978-6576
(fax) 416-978-8182
email governing.council@utoronto.ca
Thank you for your interest in participating in governance at the University of Toronto.