The University Act of British Columbia calls for the University to be led by a Chancellor. The following procedures describe the process by which the appointment or reappointment of the Chancellor of the University will be conducted by the Board of Governors.

2.1    As prescribed by section 11 of the University Act, the Board of Governors will appoint the Chancellor on nomination by the Alumni Association and after consultation with the Senate.

2.2    The Chancellor holds office for three years and after that until a successor is appointed. A retiring Chancellor is eligible for reappointment. A person may not hold the office of chancellor for more than six consecutive years in addition to the period of office held by the person as a result of having been appointed for the unexpired term of the person’s predecessor.

3.1    Notification of Vacancy

Approximately eighteen (18) months before the expiry of a Chancellor’s term, the President will notify the Senate, the Board of Governors and the Alumni Council of the impending vacancy. At the same time, the Board of Governors, in consultation with the Alumni Council and the Senate Committee on University Honours, will develop or review and update, as needed, the terms of reference and criteria for selection of the Chancellor.

3.2    Formation and Composition of the Selection Committee

Once the actions detailed in section 3.1 are complete, a joint committee of the Board of Governors, the Alumni Council and the Senate will be struck to seek and consider nominations.

The committee will be constituted as follows:

(a)    the Chair of the Board of Governors, who will chair the committee;
(b)    one order-in-council member of the Board of Governors appointed by the Chair of the Board of Governors;
(c)    the Co-Chair of the Alumni Council;
(d)    one member of the Alumni Council
(e)    the President of the University as Chair of Senate;
(f)    two members of the Senate, elected by the Senate, one of whom is an elected faculty member and the other an elected student.

The University Secretary or delegate will serve as secretary to the Committee, keeping minutes of decisions and actions only.

3.3    Reappointment Procedures

If the current Chancellor is eligible for and agreeable to reappointment, the joint committee will consider if they should be reappointed. If the recommendation is for reappointment, the Chancellor will be invited to stand for a second term, and the Alumni Council on behalf of SFU’s Alumni Association will nominate them for reappointment. In the event of a negative recommendation, the Chancellor would be informed and a selection process commenced.

3.4    Selection Process

3.4.1    The Selection Committee shall issue a call for nominations to the alumni, Senate, the Board of Governors and the University community at large.

3.4.2    The Committee shall:

(a)    consider nominees in confidence, recognizing the need for due diligence;
(b)    develop a shortlist and consult the Alumni Council about it in strict confidence;
(c)    identify a preferred candidate from amongst those candidates acceptable to the Alumni Council and approach them to ascertain willingness to serve. Should they decline to serve as Chancellor, the Committee would approach the next highest ranked candidate.

With the preferred candidate’s agreement in hand, the Alumni Council on behalf of SFU’s Alumni Association would recommend the appointment to the Board of Governors.

This Policy is administered under the authority of the Board of Governors.