Board renewal underway

Appointments — Board
Concordia’s Board of Governors appointed three new members at its November 17 meeting. It is expected that a fourth appointment will be approved at the Board’s December meeting. Joelle Berdugo Adler, Tim Brodhead and Jacques Lyrette will represent the community at large until June 2013. The Board’s newly created Standing Committee on Governance and Ethics recommended all three candidates for appointment.

Appointments — Advancement and Alumni Relations
The Board also approved the appointment of Marie Claire Morin as Vice-President, Advancement and Alumni Relations, effective January 9, 2012, for an 18-month renewable term. Morin brings 25 years of fundraising experience to the position. President Frederick Lowy announced that Dominique McCaughey will continue to serve as Acting Vice-President of the sector in the interim, in addition to her new role as Associate Vice-President, Advancement and Alumni Relations.

International Students
Following a recommendation from President Lowy, the Board voted not to apply an increase in the forfaitaire (the per credit charge) for international students in the deregulated programs in the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) and the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science for the 2011-12 academic year. The Quebec Ministère de l’éducation, du loisir et du sport is currently reviewing the structure of the forfaitaire; however, Concordia has yet to receive direction for the current academic year. To this end, the university administration recommended not to apply an increase, noting that these students have experienced substantial increases during the last two years.

Financial Statements
The Board approved the financial statements for the fiscal year ending on April 30, 2011. These statements cover an 11-month period since the university changed its fiscal year, previously ending on May 31, to correspond with the government’s accounting practices.

Search Committees
The Board approved the profile of the ideal candidate for the new Dean of the JMSB. At the Board’s suggestion, Provost David Graham agreed to ask the search firm to include additional information in the position backgrounder that stressed the importance of sustainability for the Faculty, as demonstrated by the success of the David O’Brien Centre for Sustainable Enterprise.

The Board approved the composition of a special Board committee, which will review the short-listed candidates as presented by the President Search Committee in the spring of 2012. Members of this special committee are Rita Lc de Santis, Norman Hébert Jr., Peter Kruyt, Arvind Joshi, Marie-José Nadeau, Shimon Amir and Laura Beach. The committee’s composition is outlined in the university’s Rules and Procedures for Senior Administrative Appointments.

Senior Administration Evaluation Committees
As per the university’s policy, evaluation committees must be established for all senior administrators seeking a second term. The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science Robin Drew, Provost David Graham and University Librarian Gerald Beasley have all indicated they will seek second terms when their respective first terms end  June 30, 2013. To this end, the Board established evaluation committees for all three positions.

Graduate Student Association Motions
Graduate student representative Erik Chevrier presented three motions related to transparency at Board meetings. A motion to broadcast the open sessions of Board meetings was tabled pending study of the legal implications of these changes, and on best practices elsewhere. A motion to increase available seating for observers during Board meetings was defeated. A motion to add a 20-minute question period, to allow members of the university and the community to ask questions, was referred to the Board’s Executive Committee for review.

The next meeting of the Board is December 8, 2011.

Related links:
•  “Meet our new Board members” - NOW, November 28, 2011
•  “Advancement and Alumni Relations Senior Appointments” - NOW, November 18, 2011
•  Board of Governors
•  University policies on the evaluation and appointment of senior administrators