REPORT NUMBER 39 OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA CAMPUS COUNCIL
To the Governing Council,
University of Toronto
Your Council reports that it met on January 29, 2020 at 4:10 p.m. in the Council Chambers, William G. Davis Building, University of Toronto Mississauga.
Present:
Mohan Matthen (Chair), Samra Zafar (Vice-Chair), Ian Orchard (Acting Vice-President & Principal), Sultan Akif, Hassaan Basit, Mitchell Bonney, Miguel Cabral, Ivana Di Millo, Imre Gams, Robert Gerlai, Joseph Leydon, Jay Nirula, Steven Short, Kayla Sousa, Laura Taylor, Xing Wei
Non-Voting Assessors: Amrita Daniere (Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean), Saher Fazilat (Chief Administrative Officer)
Regrets: Dario Di Censo Shelley Hawrychuk, Teresa Lobalsamo, Cesar Lozano, Lisa Petrelli, Ziyaad Vahed
In Attendance: Cheryl Regehr (Vice-President & Provost), Angela Lange (Vice-Dean, Faculty), Mark Overton (Dean of Student Affairs), Christine Capewell (Executive Director, Financial & Budget Services), Andrea Carter (Assistant Dean, Student Wellness, Support & Success), Brian Cunha (Assistant Director, Residence Life, Student Housing & Residence Life), Anne Gaiger (Assistant Director, Employer Relations & Marketing, Career Centre), Yuhong He (Chair, Department of Geography), Brian Hoppie (Acting Manager, Parking & Transportation), Brian Kennedy (Financial Manager, Student Housing & Residence Life), Erin Kraftcheck (Medical Director, Health & Counselling Centre), Ulrich Krull, Kristin Lovell (Director of Alumni Relations, Office of Advancement), Pascal Michelucci (Chair, Department of Language Studies), Kent Moore (Vice-Principal Research), Dale Mullings (Assistant Dean, Students & International Initiatives, Student Affairs), Chad Nuttall (Director, Student Housing & Residence Life), Anuar Rodrigues (Director, Academic Planning, Policy & Research), Kaveh Shahrooz (Director of Partnerships & Legal Counsel), Jessica Silver (Director, Student Engagement, Centre for Student Engagement), Jane Stirling (Executive Director, Communications), Veronica Vasquez (Acting Director, International Education Centre)
Secretariat: Cindy Ferencz Hammond (Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council), Alexandra Waters (Governance Coordinator, UTM)
1. Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members to the meeting and provided an elections update. He noted that the nominations for the Governing Council, including UTM governance bodies, closed on January 17, 2020. All positions on UTM governance bodies had been filled, with the exception of two part-time undergraduate student seats and one graduate student seat, which had been re-opened last week. The voting period would begin on Monday, February 3, 2020 for the following elections: Full-time Undergraduate Student constituency of the Campus Council, the Teaching Staff constituency of the Campus Affairs Committee, and the Administrative Staff constituencies for the Campus Council and the Campus Affairs Committee. For questions about the elections, he directed members to Ms Ferencz Hammond, Deputy Returning Officer of the Governing Council.
2. Enrolment Report
The Chair invited Ms Lorretta Neebar, Registrar & Director of Enrolment Management, to provide an overview of undergraduate enrolment statistics at UTM. Ms Neebar reported that the UTM undergraduate student population was approximately 15, 424 students, with a proportion of 26% international students. For 2019-20, overall enrolment targets had been achieved, with an incoming international student population at 29%. She discussed the countries of citizenship of the undergraduate student population, and noted that China, India and Pakistan were the countries with highest representation. Statistics demonstrated that in 2019-20, approximately 66% of incoming international students attended educational institutions in Canada prior to their attendance at UTM, which included high schools and other post-secondary institutions.
Ms Neebar stated that the number of entrance award recipients continued to rise, and in 2019, the scholarship award structure was revised such that the lowest qualifying admission range (88%-89.9%) was eliminated and the funds were redistributed to the remaining, higher admission ranges. She further added that a significant number of students eligible for renewable scholarships continued to be successful in achieving them. Lastly, Ms Neebar discussed the graduation rate and noted that Universities reported their graduate rates based on the six-year statistic, which was 67.3% at UTM. Ms Neebar noted that compared to other similar institutions in the Province of Ontario, UTM had a strong graduation rate.
In response to a question about the calculation of qualifying averages for the admission of international students, Ms Neebar indicated that Enrolment Services established equivalencies by correlations with performance at UTM.
A member inquired whether there was data available on the number of years of attendance at the last institution before attending UTM. Ms Neebar stated that it depended on the applicant type, and the data would reflect the number of years an applicant attended an Ontario institution. The data was less consistent for those who attended institutions outside the Province. Ms Neebar explained that schoolboards actively recruited international students, and that the University worked closely with the Peel District School Board on international initiatives to help prepare international students for Canadian post-secondary education.
In response to a member’s question about the increased interest in the Humanities for the 2020-21 applicant pool, Ms Neebar stated the increased interest could possibly be attributed to the
interdisciplinary nature of many areas of study at UTM as well as exciting developments in the Humanities as a whole.
In response to a member’s question about program entry, Ms Neebar stated that as part of the Academic Plan, the University analyzed retention rates and how to best advise students. She noted that program plans had been developed for every program to assist with student advising.
3. Report of the Acting Vice-President & Principal
Professor Orchard began his report by addressing coronavirus misinformation that had circulated through the University Community, and urged members to consult formal resource sites as reliable sources of information, and additionally directed members to the University’s website, which addressed frequently asked questions about the coronavirus.
Next, Professor Orchard noted that international entrance scholarships would be created by tuition set-asides at all three campuses that would be renewable for three years. Data would be analyzed to identify if the scholarships attracted students from a more diverse set of countries.
Professor Orchard stated that the Maanjiwe nendamowinan Building received an International Interior Design Association Global Excellence Award. He noted that other buildings at UTM, including the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre and the Instructional Building, had also received the prestigious award, and noted that this level of excellence in facilities allowed the campus to recruit and retain high caliber students, faculty and staff.
Professor Orchard reported that the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) was asked by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to review digital learning initiatives in Ontario, and would specifically review the organizations Contact North and eCampusOntario. The HEQCO report recommended that government funding should be linked to goals and objectives set by the government for post-secondary institutions, and Professor Orchard noted that this may influence how Universities applied for funding.
4. Final Report of the Student Mental Health Task Force and Administrative Response
The Chair invited Professor Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President & Provost, to present. Professor Regehr presented an overview of the Administrative Response to the Final Report of the Student Mental Health Task Force (Report). Extensive consultations were conducted across the University community and feedback was received both on-line and in-person. The University had accepted all 21 recommendations of the Report and had already begun implementation of certain measures, such as the expansion of the 24/7 multilingual counseling service provided by My Student Support System (My SSP), which provided same-day telephone and online counseling services in 146 languages to all students as of December 2019.
A Mental Health Services Redesign Team had been created, which would over time, conduct a re-design of the University’s mental health services. The Redesign Team would be led by Professor Joseph Desloges, former Principal of Woodsworth College, and was mandated to focus on the following measures:
- Creation of an enhanced stepped-model of care;
- Enhanced coordination of services to ease students’ ability to navigate the system, with plans to hire one clinical director across all three campuses;
- Creation of integrated care pathways between campus-based services and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and other hospitals and agencies in the Toronto region;
- Providing enhanced clinical education programs in student mental health and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, including curriculum innovation, internships and group supervision.
- Creation of a new initiative focused on research excellence in youth and student mental health;
- Enhancement of physical spaces and facilities that provided student mental health services in order to improve their suitability and functionality on all three campuses, starting with the Health and Wellness Centre in the Koffler building on the St. George campus; and
- Undergraduate and graduate initiatives to enhance a culture of caring at the University.
Members commended the Administration on the comprehensive response to the Task Force report. A member inquired if the creation of a single point of access to mental health services at the University would reduce the paperwork involved in the intake process, as feedback in the Report indicated this was perceived as a barrier to students’ access to services. Professor Regehr stated that the redesign team had been assigned to specifically address this matter.
In response to a member’s question, Professor Regehr explained that a stepped model of care identified the nature of the student’s need and how to best address the issues presented. Students who presented with stress related to academic programming would receive a different form of care than students who presented with clinical depression and anxiety and other more serious mental health issues. She noted that when such differences were not triaged in a stepped-model of care, students self-defined their care needs and waitlists for services lengthened, thereby creating barriers to overall access.
In response to a member’s question about stress caused by academic requirements and program demands, Professor Regehr stated that the matter would be considered by units across the University. Some specific areas of concern had already been identified and changes would be implemented to address the issue.
5. Update on the Tri-Campus Review
At the invitation of the Chair, Professor Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President & Provost, presented an overview of the Tri-Campus Review, which began in Spring 2018 and analyzed tri-campus relationships across five pillars: Administrative Structure, Academic Planning and Academic Change, Graduate Units, Student Services, and Budget Relationships. In her remarks, Professor Regehr shared highlights and recommendations from each Working Group.
Administrative Structure: Assessed the nature of senior leadership relationships across the University, their interactions, and changes that had occurred over time. Recommendations included clarification of senior leadership roles and responsibilities at UTM and UTSC through the creation of matrices to clarify matters of inherent and delegated authority. Further recommendations included clarification of terminology to better reflect tri-campus operations and increased collaboration of senior executives across institutional portfolios.
Academic Planning and Academic Change: Analyzed where duplication of programming was appropriate across the three campuses and where consolidation of resources would lead to an enhanced student academic experience. The group identified the need for enhanced coordination in discussions of academic issues, and recommended the establishment of tri-campus Deans’ groups in disciplinary areas where they did not exist.
Graduate Units: Analyzed how to enhance collaboration at the graduate level while promoting unique local identities across the three campuses and leveraging areas of strength for graduate education and research opportunities. The group noted the tri-campus graduate units differed greatly. Recommendations included the establishment of a process to formally identify and recognize tri-campus graduate units, to improve collaboration and communication, and to increase advice for tri-campus graduate operations.
Student Services: Assessed University-wide and campus-specific responsibilities for student services and international student experience. Recommendations included the establishment of a Tri-Campus Student Services Operations meeting that would: advise on funding for institutional priorities and services to students, review and ensure consistent practice for student fee approval processes, and review and assess changing modes of delivery.
Budget Relationships: Analyzed budget-related matters, costs and planning related to the three campuses. Recommendations included augmentation of the shared service budgeting processes, the creation of a new capital project management fee structure, increased transparency of graduate program revenues and expenses, and a revised governance pathway for the budget. Professor Regehr stated that the Steering Committee would write a final report based on the recommendations.
6. 2020-21 Operating Plans: UTM Service Ancillaries
The Chair informed members that the Committee considered operating plans for all UTM service ancillaries on an annual basis. These plans included a Management Report that described the proposed services and programs offered within the financial parameters of the University’s operating budget and financial policies set by the Business Board. The plan also included each ancillary’s annual operating budget, as well as changes to programs and levels of service, categories of users, accessibility, and compulsory or optional fees. Only the proposed budget for 2020-21 was presented for approval.
The Chair invited Saher Fazilat, Chief Administrative Officer, to present. Ms Fazilat reminded members of the University’s four financial objectives for service ancillaries: operate without subsidy; provide for capital renewal; maintain a 10% operating reserve; and, having achieved all of these objectives, contribute to the operating budget. Ms Fazilat noted that prior to being submitted to the CAC, a number of bodies were consulted and provided input with respect to the budgets, which included the review of Residence and Meal Plans, Food Services and Parking with their respective advisory committees. During her presentation, Ms Fazilat discussed the following:
Hospitality Services
- UTM was the first campus in Canada to earn the Silver Fair Trade Campus designation;
Lower than expected revenue was attributed to the delayed opening of the Davis Building Food Court, and the shortfall was partially made up through film bookings on campus; meal plan rates would increase by a weighted average of 3.6%, attributed to the forecasted Food Consumer Price Index (Food CPI) and the average cheque factor in calculating the minimum tax-exempt meal plan cost.
Student Housing & Residence Life
- The ancillary would contribute $2.5 million to the Construction Reserve in 2020-21 to build capital reserves for the down payment of a new residence, with a targeted opening date of 2024;
- Recommended increases to residence rates ranged from 1.85% to 5.0%;
- Mortgage-related expenses and renovation costs continued to be the primary factors that influenced the budget.
Parking Services
- Most of the parking permit rates will increase by 1.5% compared to prior year;
- Lot P9 would be re-designated to a premium lot and an increase of 15% to the permit price was proposed to allow for better demand management for parking spaces. It was noted that Lot P9 would lose 100 parking spaces during the construction of the Science Building;
- The CCT underground garage permit was also recommended to increase by 15% to be more in line with market comparators, to reflect higher maintenance costs of the lot and to allow for better demand management;
- The permit price for Lot P1 would increase by 3.0%, Lot P5 would remain constant and all other lot permits would increase by 1.5%;
- Pay & Display daily rates increased to $20 per day in the CCT lot, $17 per day in Lot P9, and $15 per day in all other surface lots;
- Future plans included construction of an underground parking garage under the proposed Arts, Culture and Technology (ACT) Building, for which construction was scheduled to begin in 2022-23.
In response to a question regarding how the underground garage could be repurposed, Ms Fazilat stated that the garage would be designed as one floor with ample height that would allow it to be remodelled for pedagogical purposes.
On motion duly made, seconded and carried
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
THAT, subject to confirmation by the Executive Committee,
THAT, the proposed 2020-21 Operating Plans and Budgets for the UTM Service Ancillaries, as summarized in Schedule 1, the service ancillary capital budgets as summarized in Schedule 5, and the rates and fees in Schedule 6, as recommended by Saher Fazilat, Chief Administrative Officer, in the proposal dated December 2, 2019, be approved, effective May 1, 2020.
7. Reports of the Presidential Assessors
- Update on the development of the 2020-21 Compulsory Non-Academic Incidental Fees (Student Services Fees): Mark Overton, Dean of Student Affairs
The Chair invited Mr. Mark Overton to provide an update. Mr. Overton provided members an overview to the approval process of Student Service Fees, which would be presented at the next meeting of the Committee. He indicated that, as per the 1996 Memorandum of Agreement between the University of Toronto, the Students’ Administrative Council, the Graduate Students’ Union, and The Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students for a Long-Term Protocol on the Increase or Introduction of Compulsory Non-tuition Related Fees (The Protocol), students provided input on an annual basis with respect to compulsory non-academic incidental fees. Mr. Overton indicated that fees pertaining to Recreation and Athletics, the campus shuttle service, Health Services, Career Services, and child and family care support, would be brought forward to the Campus Affairs Committee and the UTM Campus Council for consideration. Consultations were underway regarding services, programming and support, and finalized proposals would be presented at the next Committee meeting. Consultations for Health Services and Recreation & Athletics were completed and presented to the Quality Service to Students Council (QSS) for consideration. These proposals and accompanying advice from QSS would also be presented at the next meeting of the Council.
- Capital Projects Update
The Chair invited Ms Saher Fazilat, Chief Administrative Officer, to provide an update on capital projects. Ms Fazilat stated that the tender had closed for the Science Building and construction was scheduled to begin in March. Multiple bids had been received from architectural firms around the globe for the ACT Building, which was targeted to open in 2025. She discussed plans for a new 400-bed residence which was targeted to open in 2024, and additionally noted that the University would not move forward with construction of the Academic Annex as the bids received exceeded the budget. The old Temporary Food Court would be converted to a Student Services Commons, which would be a level 2 capital project for which a Project Planning Group would be convened shortly. Lastly, she noted that consultants had now been engaged on the Campus Master Plan and that she would update the Committee as plans on that project progressed.
CONSENT AGENDA
8. Report on UTM Capital Projects – as at November 30, 2019
9. Reports for Information
- Report 39 of the Agenda Committee (January 20. 2020)
- Report 38 of the Campus Affairs Committee (January 15, 2020)
- Report 35 of the Academic Affairs Committee (January 13, 2020)
10. Report of the Previous Meeting Report number 38, dated November 20, 2019, was approved.
11. Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
12. Date of the Next Meeting – Monday, March 9 at 4:10 p.m.
13. Question Period There were no questions.
14. Other Business There was no other business.
IN CAMERA SESSION
15. Capital Project: Science Building at the University of Toronto Mississauga – Revised Total Project Cost and Sources of Funding
On motion duly made, seconded and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED
THAT the recommendation regarding the Capital Project: Science Building – Revised Total Project Cost and Sources of Funding contained in the memorandum from Professor Ian Orchard, Acting Vice-President & Principal, dated January 22, 2020, be approved in principle.
The meeting adjourned at 5:55 p.m.
January 30, 2020