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Board of Governors / Meeting Agendas, Minutes + Reports / Archive / 2007 / February 1, 2007 Meeting Summary

February 1, 2007 Meeting Summary

OPEN SESSION

The Board welcomed Mr. Denie Bérubé, attending his first Board meeting since being appointed Acting Associate Vice-President, Financial Services.

A. Finance and Administration

  1. Donations: The Board noted donations to new and existing funds as follows:

MONTH

NEW FUNDS

EXISTING FUNDS

November 2006

------------

$543,943
October 2006

$2,000

$329,567
  1. The Board approved the appointment of Mr. Ken Thornton as a Trustee of the Administrative/Union Pension Plan, as the APSA representative, effective immediately through to November 30, 2009.

    2.  

  2. The Board noted for information the Financial Year-to-Date Position through December 31, 2006.

    3.  

  3. The Board approved revisions to the Investment Governance Policy B 10.09, effective immediately.

    4.  

  4. The Board noted for information revisions to the Investment Management Procedures Policy AD 3.15.

    5.  

  5. The Board approved revisions to the Signing Authorization resolutions, dated January 15, 2007, and authorized that they become a new Board Policy B 10.11, effective immediately.

    6.  

  6. The Board approved that cash transfers to the University from the SFU Community Trust can only be used to establish endowments.

    7.  

  7. The Board noted for information the February 2007 Interim Report on the Residence and Housing Management Plan.

 

B. Academic Operations

  1. The Board approved the following actions recommended by Senate:
  • the deletion of the Physics and Physiology Program in the Faculty of Science;
  • the Terms of Reference of the Community Trust Endowment Fund Chairs;
  • the creation of the Centre for Studies in Global Asset and Wealth Management.
  1. The Board received for information the 2005/2006 Centres and Institutes Annual Report.

    2.  

  2. The Board noted that five external reviews have taken place in the Departments of Geography, Biological Sciences, and Mathematics, in the Faculty of Business Administration and in the Integrated Studies Program.

    3.  

  3. The Board heard a brief update on the work of the Faculty Structure Task Force which has now entered Phase 2.

    4.  

  4. The Board approved a revision to Policy GP 35, Named Recognition of Buildings, Academic Endowments and Academic Units, effective immediately, to substitute the Senate Committee on University Priorities for the Senate Committee on University Honours in section 4.2.

C. Other

  1. The Board was informed that in mid December 2006, the Ministry of Advanced Education granted SFU $15 million as an allowance for inflationary costs associated with construction.

    2.  

  2. The Board learned of the Order-in-Council re-appointment of Daniel Pekarsky for a second term ending January 15, 2010, the election of Barry Macdonald to the Chair of the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations world-wide for a two-year term, and the naming of Bob Elton as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of B.C.

    3.  

  3. The Board heard a brief report from the Chair of the Audit Committee about the issues discussed at the Audit Committee meeting of December 15, 2006.

    4.  

  4. The Board heard from B. Macdonald, Chair of the Governance Committee, that no matters of concern have come to light following a review of Board members' annual Conflict of Interest Disclosure statements. He also reported that a Committee meeting will be called in March 2007 to review responses to the Board's bi-annual self-evaluation instrument, conducted in summer 2006.

    5.  

  5. The Board was informed about the successes of undergraduate student teams in the Faculty of Business Administration (FBA) that competed in the 2007 Jeux de Commerce Competition. The Board also learned that a team of undergraduate FBA and Engineering Science students, who placed second in the Enterprise Regional Competition, will go on to compete at the National level.

    6.  

  6. The Board heard that the Universitiy received valuable input from individuals and employee groups in response to the problems experienced during the severe January snow storm on Burnaby Mountain.  Additions to SFU's emergency plan and communications strategy are under development to address some of these issues.

    7.  

  7. The Board was informed that matching funds of just over $4 million have been confirmed from the BC Knowledge Development Fund for the ATLAS data analysis centre that is being housed at TRIUMF and led by Dr. Michel Vetterli, Physics.

CLOSED SESSION

A. Finance and Administration

  1. The Board received for information the draft minutes and reports of the Investment Advisory Committee meeting of December 12, 2006.

    2.  

  2. The Board approved entering into a contract with Best Facilities Services Ltd. for janitorial services for the SFU Burnaby and Surrey campuses, for one three-year term commencing April 1, 2007.  Two twelve-month extensions will be at the University's discretion.

    3.  

  3. The Board discussed SFU's third quarter confirmation to the Ministry of Advanced Education of the University's forecast budget amounts and assumptions for the period 2006/07 to 2009/10.

 

B. Academic Operations

  1. Faculty Appointments

The following academic appointments were approved and have been accepted:

  1.  
    1. Dr. Cedric Chauve, Associate Prof. with tenure, Mathematics, 1 Jan 07
    2. Dr. James Wakeling, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology, 1 Sep 07 - 31 Aug 11
    3. Mr. Karel Hrazdil, Instructor, Business Administration, 1 Aug 07 - 31 Aug 11
    4. Dr. André Gerolymatos, reappointed Chair in Hellenic Studies, 1 Sep 06-31 Aug 11
  1. Other

The Board approved an extension to August 31, 2010 of a modified appointment in the Department of English.

 

C. Other

  1. The Board received the President's Activity Report for November and December 2006.

    2.  

  2. The Board heard a brief update on the 2007/2008 budget process.

    3.  

  3. The Board heard a progress report on the Woodward's re-development project.

    4.  

  4. The Board was informed that the Canadian International Development Agency has approved that SFU will form the secretariat in the Office of International Development in Continuing Studies providing environmental policy development advice to senior members of the Chinese bureaucracy.

    5.  

  5. The outgoing Board Chair, Saida Rasul, thanked her Board colleagues for their assistance and co-operation during her two terms as Chair.

    6.  

  6. Other matters were discussed.

CONFIDENTIAL SESSION

  1. The Board elected Dr. Nancy McKinstry as Chair of the Board and Mr. Michael Francis as Deputy Chair of the Board for a 12-month period beginning February 1, 2007.

    2.  

  2. The Board authorized the Governance Committee of the Board to review the November 2000 report of the Presidential Search Committee and to recommend whether any revisions are required to the Presidential Search Policy B 10.06. The Vice-Chair of Senate, Dr. E. Schellenberg, will sit as an additional member on the Committee.  Any recommended revisions will require approval by both Senate and the Board of Governors.

    3.  

  3. the Board approved the appointment of Professor Judith Osborne as Vice-President, Legal Affairs, effective February 2, 2007.

The next Board of Governors Meeting will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 in Room 126 of the Halpern Centre, SFU Burnaby.

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