Dear members of the McGill Community,
It is our pleasure to provide you with an update on the recent activities of McGill University’s Board of Governors. You can learn more about the Board’s mandate and membership on its website.
The Board of Governors held the second regular meeting on December 14, 2023. The full minutes of the meeting’s open session will be available following approval at the Board’s next meeting, on February 8, 2024. In the meantime, we would like to share with you the meeting’s important discussions, decisions, and developments.
Thank you for your interest in the work of the Board of Governors. If you have any questions, ideas, or comments, please write mcgill.principal [at] mcgill.ca.
Sincerely,
Deep Saini, President and Vice-Chancellor
Maryse Bertrand, Chair, McGill Board of Governors
Key Updates
Per the recommendation of the President and Vice-Chancellor, the Board approved the following senior leadership appointments and renewals. The full announcement is available online.
- The appointment of Professor Dominique Bérubé as Vice-President (Research and Innovation) of McGill University for a five-year term, commencing 1 July 2024 and ending 30 June 2029;
- The reappointment of Marc Weinstein as Vice-President (University Advancement) of McGill University for a further term, commencing July 1, 2024 and ending on June 30, 2031;
- The extension of Professor Christopher Manfredi’s appointment as Provost and Vice-President (Academic) by one year, from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. The Provost’s title has been adjusted to “Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic)” to reflect the senior nature of the position as the University’s chief academic and budget officer.
On the recommendation of the Committee on Sustainability and Social Responsibility, the Board of Governors approved a second phase of socially responsible investment commitments for the McGill Investment Pool (MIP), the University’s endowment fund. Among the series of commitments approved for implementation was the divestment from all direct holdings in fossil-fuel firms listed in the Carbon Underground 200 (CU200). Read more about McGill’s new socially responsible investment commitments.
The Board also received, for information, notice that the Committee on Sustainability and Social Responsibility (CSSR) completed its review of an expression of concern and submitted its report to the Board of Governors, for information.
In accordance with the Regulations Relating to the Employment of Tenure-Track and Tenured Academic Staff, the Board also approved the appointment of eight academic staff members to the rank of Full Professor.
The Board of Governors, on the recommendation of the Nominating, Governance and Ethics (NGE) Committee, approved the revised Board-Community Engagement model, which replaces and enhances the previous model through three key measures: i) the continued practice for thebog.mcgill [at] mcgill.ca ( Board) to receive correspondence and questions from community members; ii) an annual Board of Governors Open House meet and greet event; and (iii) an annual Governance 101 webinar.
Also on the recommendation of the NGE Committee, the Board of Governors approved the appointments of Board representatives to several Board and non-Board bodies including the (i) Committee on Sustainability and Social Responsibility; (ii) the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee; (iii) the Pension Administration Committee; and (iv) various Research Ethics Boards.
The Board of Governors also considered and approved the following three policy-related proposals:
- On the recommendation of Senate, the Board approved the repeal of the Policy on Research Centres, which will be replaced by the new Policy on Research Entities to meet the evolving needs for oversight of research entities.
- On the recommendation of the Committee on Sustainability and Social Responsibility, the Board approved the revisions to the Sustainability Policy to reflect the introduction of McGill’s Climate and Sustainability Strategy and to reinforce the sustainability considerations contained in McGill’s Strategic Academic Plan.
- On the recommendation of the Finance and Infrastructure Committee, the Board approved the revisions to the Procurement Policy. Under the Policy’s new title, Sustainable Procurement Policy, the revisions address a number of new considerations, including updated legislation and findings of annual reports produced by the Government of Quebec.
The Board received from the Finance and Infrastructure Committee the first of three presentations regarding the budget planning exercise for FY2025, which outlined the major considerations shaping the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, notably the adverse impacts of the Government of Quebec’s revised tuition policy.
Also from the Finance and Infrastructure Committee, the Board received an update on the implementation of the McGill University Master Plan, a dynamic framework that aims to guide the physical evolution of McGill University over the short, medium, and long term. The Board was also informed that the five-year review of the Master Plan will begin in 2024.
President’s Remarks
President Saini shared remarks pertaining to a range of recent developments from across McGill’s campuses.
Campus Climate
In the closed session, President Saini offered an update on McGill’s campus climate with regards to the ongoing war in the Middle East. He reemphasized the University’s stance that, while it is essential to give a wide berth of protection to the freedoms of expression, assembly, and opinion, the exercising of these freedoms is not unbridled and can cross a line. The President reiterated the University’s steadfast commitment to maintaining a peaceful and inclusive environment for all members of its community.
Government Relations
As announced on December 14, the revised tuition measures put forward by the Government of Quebec will entail: (i) A new objective for anglophone universities to have at least 80% of students from outside Quebec reach a level 5 (intermediate) proficiency in French by graduation. This will apply to students beginning their studies in Fall 2025; (ii) An increase in tuition fees to $12,000 for Canadian undergraduate students from outside Quebec. This will apply to students beginning their studies in fall 2024; (iii) A clawback of tuition paid by international students from most countries.
The President stressed that these measures are unrealistic and will have devastating effects on the Quebec economy and its university network. Compared to the same time last year, McGill has already seen a 20 per cent decline in applications from Canadian students outside Quebec. These measures will likely further deter both international and Canadian students from outside Quebec from pursuing their degrees at McGill. As a result, the financial impact will likely exceed the $94 million deficit that was previously estimated.
In closing, President Saini emphasized that McGill will continue to urge Premier Legault to reconsider these new measures in order to find a solution that will promote and protect the French language without harming the Quebec economy or its universities.
On November 22, McGill University hosted an Advocacy Day in Ottawa. Martha Crago, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Lesley Fellows, Vice-President (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences met with key stakeholders and reiterated McGill’s science and research priorities on the federal level.
President Saini also shared an update on a recent meeting of the Board of Directors of Universities Canada, for which he has served as Chair since October. The meeting covered diverse topics in higher education, including: the attraction, retention, and training of talent, investing in research and innovation, funding for graduate and post-graduate research, and enhancing support resources for student mental health.
Rankings
The President also shared some recent ranking news. McGill placed 31st out of more than 1,000 universities worldwide in the Times Higher Education Graduate Employability Ranking. The University also performed well in the QS Sustainability Ranking, placing 13th in the world out of almost 1,500 institutions and 5th in the Americas out of 342 institutions.
Selected Kudos
- The architectural firm Diamond Schmitt & Lemay Michaud won the Canadian Architectural Award of Excellence for their design of McGill’s New Vic Project.
- 16 McGill researchers have been included on the Highly Cited Researchers list by Clarivate, a group of researchers who are among the top 1% worldwide in the Web of Science index.
- Anne Xuan-Lan Nguyen, a recent McGill Medicine graduate and current Ophthalmology Resident in Toronto, is among the 11 students from across Canada to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship this year.
- Kudos to all members of the McGill community who have donated to this year’s Centraide Campaign. To date, McGill has raised $350,000 of its $425,000 goal. The online donation platform remains open until December 31.
Reports and Presentations
The Board received the following reports and presentations.
- Report of the Nominating, Governance, and Ethics Committee
- Report of the Executive Committee
- Report on the 2023 Joint Meeting of the Board of Governors and Senate
- Annual Report of the Committee on Staff Grievances and Disciplinary Procedures (2022-2023)
- Report from Senate
- Report of the Finance and Infrastructure Committee
- Report of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee
- Overview of the Faculty of Arts presented by Dean Lisa Shapiro