A Report of the Special Governance Commission (SGC) – October 27, 2016
Memorandum of Agreement on a Special Governance Commission – November 26, 2015
Update – April 2018
One of the recommendations made in the Special Governance Commission Report (October 27, 2016), was to create a “Standing Joint Committee of the Board and Senate on Governance” to oversee the implementation of the rest of the Commission’s recommendations. The Joint Committee was struck and populated at the beginning of the 2017/18 academic year. Made up of three faculty members, three Board members, and the NUSU President, the Committee is pleased to report that most of the recommendations of the Report have been either implemented or are in the process of implementation.
This year, the terms of reference for the Budget Advisory Committee were approved at Senate. Currently, the committee is working with the administration on the 2018/2019 budget.
“A statement on the importance of collegial governance” appeared as a notice of motion on the April Senate Agenda. If voted for at the May Senate, this statement will be added to the Senate Bylaws. A parallel process will see the statement included in the Board’s Bylaws.
Currently, the Joint Committee is preparing a report on unified Board/Senate hiring processes for Senior Administrators, which should be ready for review in the next few months.
There is an ongoing discussion of a “Joint Orientation” session that will include a Fall reception “meet and greet” that will allow Senators and Board members to socialize and better understand the work of each body.
It is hoped that this work has allowed Nipissing to become much more collegial and continue on that way.
Dr. David Tabachnick