Report: Agenda Committee - April 09, 2026

Report Number 322 Of The Agenda Committee

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2026

To the Academic Board,
University of Toronto,

Your Committee reports that it held a virtual meeting on April 9, 2026 with the following members present:

PRESENT: Donald Ainslie, (Chair), Laurent Bozec, (Vice-Chair), Nicholas Rule, (Vice-Provost, Academic Programs), Ankita Goyat, Walid Houry, Charles Jia, Sali Tagliamonte

REGRETS: Trevor Young, (Vice-President and Provost), Zoraida Beekhoo,

SECRETARIAT: Tracey Gameiro, Secretary, Agenda CommitteeF

IN ATTENDANCE: Meg Connell, Assistant Provost

The meeting was held in Closed Session

1. Chair’s Remarks
   
   The Chair welcomed members to the meeting, offering brief remarks.
2. Review of Academic Programs and Units

   1. Follow-Up Reports from Previous Reports
      
      The Committee received a summary report by Professor Walid Houry, Chair of the Committee on Academic Policy and Programs (AP&P) regarding three follow-up reports from previous reviews of academic programs and units that had been considered by AP&P at its meeting on March 31, 2026.  The following reports were received:

      1. Department of Art History, Faculty of Arts and Science

      2. Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Both follow-up reports highlighted proactive responses to prior reviews, with a focus on program improvement and ongoing monitoring.  Key themes included implementation of internal reviews and assessments, policy and curriculum enhancements, and efforts to strengthen academic environments. 

Professor Houry confirmed that AP&P was satisfied with the follow-up reports and determined that there were no specific issues of concern to be brought forward to the Academic Board.

There were no questions from members.

2. Semi-Annual Report on the Reviews of Academic Units and Programs
   
   The Chair of AP&P reported on the 11 decanal reviews and one Provostial review received by AP&P at its March 31, 2026 meeting.  A summary of the discussion was contained in the AP&P report.  The AP&P Chair noted that the reviews had been conducted appropriately and within policies.  Discussions primarily focused on program capacity, student support, and operational considerations such as staffing, resources, and program complexity.
   
   Common themes included attention to improving student experience and outcomes (e.g. time to completion, milestone tracking, and navigating program requirements), as well as efforts to enhance program structure, curriculum, and academic coherence.     
   
   The Chair of AP&P indicated that one follow-up report had been requested for the Faculty of Arts & Science Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies. 

   The Committee had a robust discussion regarding the consultation process for Reviews, particularly as it related to reviews of undergraduate programs.  The discussion referenced the Tri-campus review conducted between 2018-2021, which recognized that graduate chairs should be consulted when matters involving tri-campus workload, Teaching Assistant distribution and graduate student recruitment arose.  The Committee also discussed the process by which cognate unite were identified for consultations more generally.

3. Academic Board – Review and Approval of Agenda – April 16, 2026
   
   The Committee reviewed and approved the (draft) agenda for the Academic Board meeting scheduled for April 16, 2026.
4. Approval of the Report of the Previous Meeting
   
   Report 321 from the meeting of February 12, 2026 was approved.
5. Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
   
   There was no business arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting.
6. Date of the Next Meeting – May 19, 2026
   
   The Chair advised members that the Committee would meet next on May 19, 2026, from 2:10 to 3:10 p.m.
7. Other Business
   
   There were no items of other business.

The Committee moved IN CAMERA.

IN CAMERA AGENDA

8. Academic Administrative Appointments
   
   On a motion duly moved, seconded and carried,
   
   YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
   
   the following academic administrative appointments.

FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCE 

 
LESLIE DAN FACULTY OF PHARMACY 

ONTARIO INSTITUTE FOR STUDIES IN EDUCATION 

ROTMAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT  

 
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES  

 
TEMERTY FACULTY OF MEDICINE  

 
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA 

 **The Agenda Committee noted the Chair’s declaration of a potential perceived conflict of interest with respect to the academic administrative appointments for the Department for the Study of Religion, given that their spouse is the Department Manager and had served on the Search Committee. The Committee had no concerns and was comfortable with the Chair remaining in the meeting and participating in the discussion and vote.

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO SCARBOROUGH 

The meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

April 9, 2026