Report: UTSC Campus Affairs Committee - September 11, 2019

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UTSC Council Chamber, Arts and Administration Building, Room AA160

 REPORT NUMBER 34 OF THE CAMPUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

To the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Council
University of Toronto Scarborough

Your Committee reports that it met on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 4:10 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Arts and Administration Building, with the following members present:

Present:
Tayyab Rashid (Chair),
Tarun Dewan (Vice-Chair), Wisdom Tettey (Vice-President and Principal, USTC), Maydianne Andrade, (Acting Vice-Principal, Academic and Dean), Andrew Arifuzzaman (Chief Administrative Officer), Desmond Pouyat, (Dean of Student Affairs), Janet Blakely, Keith Chen, Hanan Domloge, Obidimma Ezezika, Soaad Hossain, Ken Howard, Jubayer Jalal, Elaine Khoo, Sylvia Mittler, Naureen Nizam, Jack Parkinson, Andrew Tam             

Absent:
Olashile Adeyoyin
, Paul Kingston, Brenda Librecz, Tanya Mars, Alice Maurice, Jeffrey Miller, Ayesha Mir, Deena Yanofsky        

Non-voting Assessors:
Sheila John
, Helen Morissette, Nadia Rosemond

Secretariat:
Rena Prashad (Secretary), Emma Thacker


In attendance:
Tina Doyle (Director and Special Advisor to the Dean of Student Affairs on Campus-Wide Accessibility Issues), Marg Lacy (Senior Manager, Academic Advising & Career Centre), Erika Loney, (Manager, International Student Centre) Joshua Mitchell (Director, Real Estate), Varsha Patel (Assistant Dean, Student Success)


1. Chair’s Remarks

The Chair welcomed members and guests to the first Committee meeting of the 2019-20 governance year. He introduced himself and invited members to introduce themselves as well.

2. Orientation of Members

The Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary delivered an Orientation presentation[1] to the Committee. The presentation included the following key points:

  • The distinction and role of university administration and governance;
  • An overview of the unicameral system of governance at the University and the Governing Council and its Boards and Committees;
  • Committee membership composition and areas of responsibility;
  • Expectations of Committee members;
  • The role of Assessors and their priorities for the 2019-20 academic year;
  • Types of decisions made by the Committee
  • Guidelines on attendance at meetings; and
  • Meeting preparation, agendas, cover sheets, and the Diligent Boards governance portal.

3. Current Year UTSC Operating Budget, Presentation by Andrew Arifuzzaman, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)

The Chair invited Andrew Arifuzzaman, Chief Administrative Officer, to present the Current Year UTSC Operating Budget to the Committee. Mr. Arifuzzaman’s presentation[2] included the following content:

  • For 2019-20, the institutional balanced budget was $2.77B. Revenues were generated primarily by student fees and the largest expenses were costs related to compensation;
  • Since 2006-07, the changes in the sources of revenue have related to a smaller portion of provincial government support and increases in international tuition. Domestic tuition revenues remained relatively consistent up to the 2019-20 academic year owing to the Provincial government’s 10 percent reduction in tuition for Ontario students attending college or university;
  • At UTSC, the budget process began in the spring/summer with Planning and Priorities, which established specific operational and strategic priorities for the upcoming year. The developed plans and priorities would then be submitted to the Office of the Vice-President and Provost for the Academic Budget Review (ABR) in the Fall. The University Budget was approved and finalized in the Spring. UTSC’s priorities for the 2019-20 ABR included support for: Strategic Planning exercise, senior and equity hires, Indigeneity initiatives, renewable scholarships, centres of distinction (i.e. EaRTH District and GTA Rise), research, and capital plans; and
  • The campus had developed financial risk mitigating mechanisms, which included strategic enrolment management system, deferral of expenses, targeted support for start-up and faculty hires, expanded revenue sources, partnerships, and managing existing aging facilities and infrastructure.  

In response to a comment regarding strategic enrolment management as a tool to manage financial risk, Wisdom Tettey, Vice-President and Principal, commented that integrating strategic enrolment management positively impacted budget planning, including how to develop infrastructure, programs and services at UTSC.

A member asked whether UTSC had explored partnerships with the federal government. Mr. Arifuzzaman commented that faculty at UTSC were engaged with Tri-Council funding and had been successful. In addition, he remarked that the Toronto Pan-American Sports Centre (TPASC) was an example of how UTSC partnered with the City of Toronto and federal government to secure funding.
 

4. Reports of the Presidential Assessors

The Chair invited the Presidential Assessors to present their reports and updates to the Committee.

Desmond Pouyat, Dean of Student Affairs, invited colleagues from his portfolio to update the Committee on Student Orientation 2019.

Marg Lacy, Senior Manager, Academic Advising and Career Centre, remarked that the 2019-20 academic year marked the twentieth anniversary of the Get Started Program. She reported that pre-orientation began with the Program offering course selection modules, online chats, course selection blitz, and other foundational workshops. Ms Lacy explained that that through the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), funding was granted to the Academic Advising and Career Centre (AA&CC) to engage in a quality improvement study on UTSC’s academic student orientation program. The data suggested that participation in the Program was positively correlated with student retention and academic success, specifically for students who self-identified as first-generation or from low-income backgrounds.

Nadia Rosemond, Senior Manager, Student Life & International Experience, reported that the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) orientation ‘The Rising’ attracted over 700 participants. She also shared that Orientation included a successful UTSC Welcome Day showcasing the different Student Affairs departments, program and service offerings. Finally, Ms Rosemond reported that Student Housing and Residence Life moved in over 900 students in collaboration with SCSU and Radio Fwd.

The Chair commented on the research methodology used for the Get Started Program study and Varsha Patel, Assistant Dean, Student Success, remarked that propensity score matching and a regression analysis was conducted to examine relationships between high school grade point average (GPA) and cumulative GPA.
 

CONSENT AGENDA

On motion duly made, seconded and carried,

YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED,

THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that the item requiring approval (item 5) be approved.

5. Report of the Previous Meeting: Report 33–Monday, May 6, 2019

6. Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting

7. Date of the Next Meeting – Monday, October 28, 2019 at 4:10 p.m.

8. Other Business

A member asked whether supports and services were in place for students who were impacted by the changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Mr. Pouyat explained that he had raised the concern with the Registrar & Assistant Dean, Enrolment Management, who was aware of the challenges students faced due to the changes to OSAP. He encouraged Committee members and guests to refer students who were impacted by the changes to a Financial Aid Advisor in the Office of the Registrar who could work with them to find plausible solutions.

The Committee moved IN CAMERA

9. Capital Project: New Student Residence at the University of Toronto Scarborough - Further Revised Total Project Cost and Sources of Funding

On motion duly moved, seconded and carried

YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS,

THAT the Chief Administrative Officer’s recommendation regarding the New Student Residence at the University of Toronto Scarborough - Further Revised Total Project Cost and Sources of Funding, as outlined in the documentation dated September 9, 2019, be approved.

The Committee returned to Open Session.

The meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m.