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 third regular meeting on February 8, 2024. The full minutes of the meeting’s open session will be available following approval at the Board’s next meeting on April 25, 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.president [at] mcgill.ca.
Sincerely,
Deep Saini, President and Vice-Chancellor
Maryse Bertrand, Chair, McGill Board of Governors
Key Updates
Appointment of New Chancellor
The Board of Governors, on the recommendation of the Nominating, Governance, and Ethics (NGE) Committee, approved the appointment of Mr. Pierre Boivin as the twenty-first Chancellor of McGill University for a three-year term starting July 1, 2024 and ending June 30, 2027.
Mr. Boivin is a respected Canadian businessperson who has made significant contributions to the sports and entertainment industry, while also demonstrating a strong commitment to the community through philanthropy. Reflecting the values and mission of McGill, Mr. Boivin exemplifies the unwavering integrity and esteemed public stature required for the position of Chancellor. Read the full announcement here.
Mr. Boivin will succeed Chancellor John McCall MacBain, whose term will end on June 30, 2024. The McGill community expresses gratitude to Chancellor McCall MacBain for his three years of exemplary service and for being a dedicated ambassador for the University.
Other Key Updates
The Board was informed that the NGE Committee established a description for the role of Deputy Chancellor, a new position that was approved by the Board of Governors at its December 14, 2023 meeting. Through this position, the University will be able to strengthen support for key universities activities, including community relations, that form part of the Chancellor’s role.
On the recommendation of the Finance and Infrastructure Committee, the Board of Governors approved: (i) proceeding with the construction phase for the revamp and upgrade of Pollack Hall, and (ii) proceeding with the construction phase for the rehabilitation of the envelope of the Strathcona Music Building, and completing the design phase for the building’s window replacement and landscaping.
On the recommendation of Senate, the Board of Governors approved (i) revisions to the Regulation on Conflict of Interest, which are intended to render the reporting and review processes clearer and more efficient and (ii) revisions to the Policy on the Ethical Conduct of Research Involving Human Participants, which are intended to remove outdated processes, among other improvements.
The Board of Governors received as information the Report of the Committee on Sustainability and Social Responsibility (CSSR), which provided an overview of the Committee’s recent activities. The report also noted a human calculation error pertaining to the McGill Investment Pool’s (MIP) exposure to fossil fuel holdings in the Carbon Underground 200 (CU200).
Following the CSSRS’s review of McGill’s socially responsible investment commitments, which resulted in the Committee’s 2023 SRI Commitments, the original analysis indicated that direct investments in CU200 firms constituted 0.5% of the MIP assets on December 31, 2022, while indirect investments represented 0.4%. During a detailed review in January 2024, McGill’s Office of Investments discovered that direct CU200 holdings on December 31, 2022 had in fact constituted 1% of MIP holdings, with a further 0.7% in indirect holdings.
While this error is regrettable, it does not compromise the viability of McGill’s goal to divest completely from all direct investments in the CU200 by 2025.
The Board also received as information the Report of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, which included, among other items, an update on the development of McGill’s Accessibility Strategy (MAS), which aims to strengthen and promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities at McGill.
Finally, the Board of Governors was informed that the Audit and Risk Committee approved the External Audit Plan for the year ending April 30, 2024, as presented by the external auditors of Deloitte LLP.
President’s Remarks
President Saini shared remarks pertaining to a range of recent developments from across McGill’s campuses.
Government Relations
On February 5, President Saini and Pierre Matuszewski, Vice-Chair of McGill’s Board of Governors, met with Premier François Legault and Minister Pascale Déry to discuss further the revised tuition policy and francization program. In a frank discussion, the University reiterated the various ways in which the new policies will adversely impact McGill’s ability to fulfill its mission, as well as Quebec’s university network and economy more broadly.
The President also addressed the federal government’s cap on the number of new undergraduate international students admitted into Canada. Under this policy, each province and territory will be allocated a portion of the total amount of study permits, which will then be distributed across the universities and colleges. McGill continues to monitor the impacts of this policy closely.
On February 2, Eric Girard (BCom’89), Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for English-Speaking Quebecers visited the Desautels Faculty of Management for a fireside chat with President Saini. Students had the opportunity to learn more about Quebec’s economic priorities and policies, and to exchange directly with the Minister following the event.
External Relations
President Saini also shared updates from the latest U15 Meeting in Ottawa where he met with and heard presentations from David Cohen, United States Ambassador to Canada; François-Philippe Champagne, Minister, Innovation, Science and Industry; Simon Kennedy, Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development; and Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. The U15 meeting addressed a variety of topics including the importance of bolstering Canada’s research competitiveness as a means of national security.
The President also shared an overview of his first participation in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos from January 15-19, which was convened under the theme of “Rebuilding Trust.” While in Davos, the President moderated a panel on biodiversity and attended meetings of the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF) as the only Canadian university member. McGill looks forward to continuing to strengthen its productive relationship with the WEF.
Community Relations
On January 25, the McGill community held its second annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day and, on January 29, the University also hosted its seventh annual National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia. The commemoration of both days grows out of the commitments set forth in McGill’s Initiative Against Islamophobia and Antisemitism.
Throughout the month of February, McGill is celebrating Black History Month through a series of events held across its campuses, including a keynote lecture by Professor Melanie Newton of the University of Toronto.
The President also signaled the upcoming ninth edition of McGill24 on March 13 in support of numerous initiatives across the university and encouraged all members of the Board to continue to participate as in previous years.
Finally, the President highlighted that the McGill community raised $413,000 in support of Centraide of Greater Montreal; he thanked all members of the Board who generously contributed to the fundraising efforts, as well as Vice-Presidents Martha Crago and Anja Geitmann for their leadership of this year’s campaign.
Selected Kudos
- Five McGillians were named to the Order of Canada, including Dr. Raquel Zegarra del Carpio-O’Donovan, Professor of Radiology, Neurology and Neurosurgery.
- Three McGill-led initiatives made the Québec Science Top 10 list for 2023. The three projects address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as seawater quality, extreme climate change, and cancer treatments.
- McGill Governor Emerita Cynthia Price Verreault was appointed by The Hon. Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, as the next Chairperson of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax.
- Associate Provost Angela Campbell was appointed as Chairperson of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Management Advisory Board.
Reports and Presentations
The Board received the following reports and presentations.
- Report of the Nominating, Governance, and Ethics Committee
- Report of the Executive Committee
- Annual Report on the Investigation of Research Misconduct
- Report from Senate
- Report of the Committee on Sustainability and Social Responsibility (CSSR)
- Presentation on the Schulich School of Music by Dean Sean Ferguson