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Board of Governors / Meeting Agendas, Minutes + Reports / Archive / 2003 / September 25, 2003 Meeting Summary

September 25, 2003 Meeting Summary

OPEN SESSION

A. Finance and Administration

  1. Donations: the Board approved terms of reference and accepted donations to new funds, and accepted donations to existing funds, as follows:
    MONTH NEW FUNDS EXISTING FUNDS
    July, 2003 ---- $140,770.46
    August, 2003 $4,000 $866,255.20
  2. The Board of Governors received for information the Financial Year-To-Date Position as at July 31, 2003.
  3. The Board approved that the appointments of Professors Richard Harris and Andrey Pavlov as faculty representatives on the Academic Pension Plan Board of Trustees, and the appointment of Mr. Bill Rowe as a University representative on the Academic Pension Plan Board of Trustees, be amended to reflect a two-year term for the period July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2005.
  4. The Board received for information a summary prepared by Ms. A. Watt, Director, University Secretariat, of the main responsibilities of both Senate and the Board of Governors, and those responsibilities which are jointly shared.
  5. The Board received for discussion the proposed Bond Funds Allocation policy which is the first step in establishing stewardship over the use of the $150 million, 40 year, unsecured debenture issued by SFU in June 2003. The policy will set the criteria to be applied in assessing proposed bond-funded projects. The proposed policy will go to Senate in October and will come to the Board in November for final approval.
  6. The Board approved the Statement of Financial Information of the University for the year ended March 31, 2003.
  7. The Board approved the establishment of a working group, with student representation, to study and report to the Finance and Administration Committee the effects of the 2003 and 2003 tuition fee increases, differential tuition fees, and financial aid budget increases on accessibility. An interim report will come to the Board in November, and a final report will come to the January Board.

B. Academic Operations

  1. The Board approved the revised policy GP 26, Accessibility for Students with Disabilities, as set forth in Senate paper S.03-74, with an amendment to Section 4.5 concerning the appeals process.
  2. The Board approved the proposal for a revised Master’s of Pest Management Program in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science, as outlined in Senate paper S.03-76.

C. Other

  1. The Board was reminded that Convocation ceremonies are scheduled for October 2 and 3, 2003.
  2. The Board was introduced to Ms. Cathy Daminato, attending her first Board meeting as Vice-President, Advancement.
  3. The Board heard a brief overview of the changes and challenges facing SFU as the new academic year gets underway:
  • Construction of several major infrastructure projects has begun, including the 750 bed residence towers, the University’s Cornerstone Mixed Use building, and the UniverCity development.

  • The University has hired 63 new top-quality faculty members in the past year, including 7 Canada Research Chairs. The process of faculty renewal over the next decade promises to be an invigorating one for SFU.

  • The corollary of the continuing problem of inadequate funding and burgeoning demand is that entrance qualifications have dramatically increased. Over 60% of new undergraduate admissions have a GPA above 85%, and the numbers who have a GPA greater than 95% has more than doubled. Despite demand, enrolment management is on target this year, with new undergraduate admissions within 100 of the target of 18,400, an increase of 1.3%.

  • The burden of forecasts cuts to the operating grant is a major problem facing SFU. The President and Vice-Presidents will attend the annual general meeting of The University Presidents’ Council in Victoria for a discussion emphasizing the budget and strategic planning for universities, and the urgent need for improvements in both research capacity and accessibility. The $19 million cut in grant monies to BC universities next year will place enormous strain on budgets.

    d. The Board heard that on October 3, 2003, Board member P. Johnston will represent the Board and SFU Co operative Education at a pre-gala reception being hosted for the first time by the SFU Alumni Office and Co operative Education at the 4th Annual Canada Gala held by the Canada-America Society, Canadian universities and the Canadian Consulate General Seattle, for alumni living in the U.S. Pacific North West.

    e. The Board heard of the successful implementation of the U-Pass program, which is recording very high ridership.

    f. The Board heard that the workshops being held to discuss changes to the budget process seem to be well-received, and that the planning process is moving forward.

CLOSED SESSION

A. Finance and Administration

  1. The Board approved the Segal Graduate School of Business building renovation business case.

  2. The Board received for information the University’s response to the call by the City of Vancouver for an Expression of Interest for participation in the Woodward’s project.
  3. The Board received for information a summary transaction schedule report of the University’s successful unsecured debenture issue.

B. Academic Operations

  1. Faculty Appointments

    The following academic appointments were approved and have been accepted:

    Dr. Nils Bruin Assistant Professor Mathematics 01/Oct/03 – 31/Aug/07
    Dr. David Chariandy Assistant Professor English 01/May/03 – 31/Aug/08
    Dr. Brian Coffey Assistant Professor Earth Sciences 01/Jan/04 – 31/Aug/07
    Dr. Jeffrey Derksen Assistant Professor English 01/Sept/03 – 31/Aug/07
    Dr. A. Funda Ergun Assistant Professor Computing Science Rev. dates 01/Dec/03 – 31/Aug/07
    Dr. Ethel Gardner Assistant Professor Education 01/Sept/03 – 31/Aug/07
    Dr. Bonnie Gray Assistant Professor Engineering Science 01/Dec/03 – 31/Aug/07
    Dr. Ghassan Hamarneh Assistant Professor Computing Science 01/Sept/03 – 31/Aug/07
    Dr. Michael Hart Assistant Professor Biological Sciences 01/May/04 – 31/Aug/09
    Dr. Thomas Kuhn Instructor History Rev. dates 01/Jan/04 – 31/Aug/07
    Dr. Mario Liotti Associate Professor w/tenure Psychology 01/Sept/04
    Dr. Jiangchuan Liu Assistant Professor Computing Science 01/Jul/04– 31/Aug/08
    Dr. Laura Marks Associate Professor w/tenure Contemporary Arts 01/Jul/03
    Dr. Laura Marks Dena Wosk Professor in Art & Culture Contemporary Arts 01/Jul/03 – 31/Aug/08
    Dr. Karen Ruckman Assistant Professor Business Administration 01/May/04 – 31/Aug/08
    Dr. Jill Sheppard Assistant Professor Business Administration 01/Nov/03 – 31/Aug/07
    Dr. Glyn Williams-Jones Assistant Professor Earth Sciences 01/Sept/03 – 31/Aug/07
  2. Administrative Appointments
    Dr. Andrew Wister Director Gerontology 01/Sept/03 – 31/Aug/06
  3. Other
    The Board approved the promotion of Dr. Liljiana Trajkovic, Engineering Science, Faculty of Applied Sciences, from the rank of Associate Professor to the rank of Professor, effective September 1, 2003.

Confidential Session

  1. The Board approved the President’s Agenda for the academic year 2003/2004. The President’s Agenda will be on the Senate agenda in November 2003.
  2. The Board approved the Annual Performance Review recommendations for the Senior Executive Group.

The next Board of Governors Meeting will be held at 3 p.m. in Room 126 of the Halpern Centre, Burnaby Mountain Campus on November 27, 2003.

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Born in 1965, SFU has become Canada's leading comprehensive university with vibrant campuses in British Columbia's largest municipalities — Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey — and deep roots in partner communities throughout the province and around the world.