Report: UTM Campus Affairs Committee - March 23, 2022

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Via Virtual Meeting room

 

REPORT NUMBER 52 OF THE CAMPUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

March 23, 2022
 

To the Campus Council, University of Toronto Mississauga,

Your Committee reports that it held a meeting on March 23, 2022 at 3:10 p.m. via a Virtual Meeting Room.

Present:
Robert Gerlai (Chair), Rafael Chiuzi (Vice-Chair), Alexandra Gillespie (Vice-President & Principal), Susan Senese (Interim Chief Administrative Officer), Mark Overton (Dean of Student Affairs), Nagham Abdalahad, Layana Alnabhan, Lee Bailey, Jenny Cui, Dario Di Censo, Melissa Gniadek, Claudiu Gradinaru, Adriana Grimaldi, Jessica Hanley, Shelley Hawrychuk, Yuhong He, Sam Hosn, Ashley Monks, Hans van Monsjou, Jay Nirula, James Parker, Jessica Silver, Fatima Yakubi

Non-Voting Assessors:
Luke Barber (Executive Director, I&ITS and FM&P), Andrea Carter (Assistant Dean, Student Wellness, Support & Success), Christine Esteban (Executive Director, Budget, planning & Finance)
Regrets: Diana Aldaz, Esther Baffour, Pinar Kahraman, Rhonda McEwen, Stephanie Santos, Evan Silva, Laura Taylor

In Attendance:
Lorretta Neebar (Registrar and Director of Enrolment Management), Veronica Vasquez (Director, International Education Centre)

Secretariat:
Cindy Ferencz Hammond (Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council)

  1. Chair’s Remarks

    The Chair welcomed members and guests to the meeting. He commented on the humanitarian crisis as a result of the war in Ukraine and expressed his sympathy with members of the UTM community affected by these events. He asked members to consider helping locally as well as globally and noted that he would direct members to the appropriate resources.
  2. Overview of the UTM Campus Operating Budget: 2022-23

    At the invitation of the Chair, Ms Christine Esteban, Executive Director, Financial & Budget Services, gave a presentation outlining considerations and projections for the 2022-23 UTM Campus Operating Budget. She began her presentation by referring members to the background materials which were made available on the governance portal, such as the Long-Range Budget Guidelines, the Annual Report on Student Financial Report 2020-21, and the Enrolment Report for 2021-22.
    During her presentation, she highlighted the following points:
    • As required, UTM prepared a balanced budget, while ensuring that all operating and capital spends supported the strategic framework and investments contributed to the strategic enrollment strategy.
    • UTM allocated the full amount of the gross expense budget allocated to UTM from U of T to individual UTM budgets.
    • For 2022-23, the total gross expense budget allocated to UTM was $358 million.
    • UTM’s initial expense budget was $366 million, therefore projected revenue growth does not adequately cover its costs and therefore 2022-23 capital plan has been reduced accordingly in order to present a balanced budget, of $358 million.
    • The 2022-23 undergraduate intake target was a total of 3,842 headcount of which 2,662 was domestic and 1,180 international students.
    • Compared to prior years, UTM was not growing its undergraduate intake target, nor was there a plan to change the domestic and international mix of intake.
    • The actual results varied in fall 2021 when international student enrollment exceeded target by approximately 430 in total.
    • Regarding the 2022-23 undergraduate enrolment, the target figure was a total of 15,454 headcount, split between 10,820 domestic and 4,634 international students.
    • Compared to last year's targets, undergraduate enrolment targets would be relatively flat, at a 1.7% projected increase.
    • Regarding the 2022-23 graduate enrolment, the target figure was a total of 539 headcount, split between 390 domestic and 149 international students.
    • Compared to last year's targets, there was a projected 5.3% increase in graduate enrolment
    • Key revenue assumptions for the budget included: intake targets to be met; tuition fees still frozen instead of the planned 3% increase, which results in an additional $2 million tuition revenue reduction; international tuition increase by 2% instead of the planned 4% increase, which results in an additional $4.6 million tuition revenue reduction.
    • Combined minimal enrollment growth and minimal tuition fee increases resulted in ongoing negative impact of flat revenues for at least the next five years.
    • The revenue side of the budget at $439 million already had a University Fund deduction of $59 million and was primarily made up of tuition at 68%, followed by operating grants of 13%, divisional revenue and reserves at 10%, with remainder made up of university funds allocation of 7%, other revenue, at 2%;
    • Further allocations of $54 million to university wide costs such as the university library system and the pension plan, and $27 million for student aid brought the budget to $358 million.
    • Expenditures from that amount were made up primarily of faculty and staff compensation at 60%, other expenses at 23%, which include equipment and other services, self funded student services at 6%, capital construction at 6% and infrastructure renewal, deferred maintenance and renovations at 5%.
    • In order to balance the budget, the 2022-23 capital plan was reduced accordingly from an initial plan of $29 million to $21 million, which would not impact current key capital projects, such as the planned F2 Site Build and site renovations, but it would delay future projects related to New Build.
    • Significant challenge of shortfall in the coming years totalling more than $8 million per year and increasing, which could not be addressed by only capital projects budget reductions.
    • To address these challenges, UTM established a Budget Planning Committee, to explore alternative approaches to address future budget challenges, including cost containment measures and delaying projects.
    • COVID-19 impacted the UTM budget with significant unplanned expenditures, mainly related to additional teaching costs such as TA support for dual delivery, emergency supports for students, and student awards, increased health and safety measures, and tools for online teaching and remote work.
    • The pandemic also significantly impacted UTM ancillary budgets, where the forecast included unrestricted deficit balances until 2024-25.
    • Key spending priorities in the budget focused on students, the faculty and staff complement mental health and well being and space.
    • Continued focus on retention and student academic success with additional staffing for two academic advising positions, one equity diversity and inclusion strategist, and two positions for campus safety.
    • To drive diversity and recruitment and help increase the percentage of students from a variety of citizenships, UTM to contribute a percentage of international tuition (4.5% in 2022-23) to international student scholarships. These contributions to rise to $17 million by 2023-24.
    • The current faculty search schedule included a total of 30 FTE’s, which were made up of 12 replacements and 18 growth positions.
    • UTM to continue to participate in the University of Toronto Diversity in Academic Hiring Fund and Indigenous Hiring Fund.
    • The staff complement hires in the budget included staff attached to the implementation of the Academic Plan, and facilities staff to maintain the new science building, and the planned F2 Site Build. There is also a very limited number of administrative staff positions approved for 2022-23.
    • Another key spending priority for UTM included investments in mental health and wellness which include the UTM Health & Counselling Centre and Accessibility Services.
    • A substantial portion of the budget was set aside for new buildings, renovations and maintenance. For 2022-23, there was a Capital budget of $21 million.
    • Capital construction projects included the new Science Building, the Student Services Commons, the planned F2 Site Build, Central Utilities Plant, Spigel Hall / Ancillary kitchen renovations, Davis Building teaching laboratory renovations (Phase 3), and a planned new residence.
    • Overall, UTM was in a tighter budget situation than in previous years, but was in good standing to meet its stated goals and planned capital projects and was committed to exploring alternative approaches to ensure that UTM continued to have a balanced budget.

In response to a member’s question, Ms Esteban noted that currently, the budget assumed an inflation rate of 3%. Professor Gillespie added that the inflation rate was one of the topics that the newly formed Budget Planning Committee would be addressing. She further explained that the 2022-23 budget represented a period of slowed growth following a period of very sustained growth and that budgetary measures implemented would be communicated throughout UTM.

  1. Reports of the Presidential Assessors

The Chair invited Mr. Mark Overton, Assistant Principal Student Services and Dean of Student Affairs to introduce a report on how UTM was providing support during global crisis situations. He invited Lorretta Neebar, Registrar and Director of Enrolment Management and Veronica Vasquez, Director, International Education Centre (IEC) to provide a report on that topic and encouraged members to help identify students who had been impacted by crises and refer them to the services highlighted in the presentation.

The presentation by Ms Vasquez and Ms Neebar included the following highlights:

  • An overview of available supports was provided in the categories of mental health and counselling, financial support including emergency grants, bursaries and financial advising, academic advising through the Office of the Registrar and departments, immigration support through the IEC and individual and group outreach.
  • Since May 2021, the IEC, along with the Centre for Student Engagement has reached out to students affected by crises around the world on an individual basis.
  • Outreach efforts over the past twelve months were undertaken in 17 countries and the corresponding number of students reached was shown.
  • The process for outreach includes a regular environmental scan and targeted outreach to students with provision of helpful resources, advising appointments and referrals as needed.
  • Feedback from these students has been very positive.
  • For support or to identify areas of need, members were urged to contact the IEC, at international.utm@utoronto.ca.

CONSENT AGENDA

On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried

YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED

THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 5 - Report of the Previous Meeting, be approved.

  1. Report on Capital Projects – as at February 28, 2022
  2. Report of the Previous Meeting
    Report number 51, dated February 9, 2022, was approved.
  3. Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
  4. Date of Next Meeting – May 12, 2022 at 3:10 p.m.
    The Chair reminded members that the next meeting of the Committee would be held in-person, in the Council Chambers, Room 3130, W. G. Davis Building.
  5. Other Business

There was no other business.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:55 p.m.

March 28 , 2022