Report: Agenda Committee - November 04, 2025

Report Number 319 Of The Agenda Committee

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

To the Academic Board,
University of Toronto,

Your Committee reports that it held a virtual meeting on November 4, 2025 with the following members present:

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

REGRETS:

SECRETARIAT: Tracey Gameiro, Secretary, Agenda Committee

IN ATTENDANCE: Meg Connell, Senior Writer and Special Projects Officer

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. Semi-Annual Report on the Reviews of Academic Units and Programs
      
      At the request of the Chair, Professor Walid Houry, Chair of the Committee on Academic Policy and Programs (AP&P), reported on the eight external reviews received by AP&P at its meeting on October 21, 2025; all of which were University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP) reviews commissioned by divisional Deans.  The reviews covered academic units across the Faculty of Arts & Science, University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), and University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), specifically:
      
      Faculty of Arts & Science:

• Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources
• Department of Statistical Sciences
• Digital Humanities program
• International Relations program
• Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies

UTM:

• Department of Management
• Department of Mathematical and Computational Science

UTSC:

• Department of Philosophy

Professor Houry noted that the Committee conducted a detailed examination of each review, and concluded that the review summaries were reflective of the evaluator’s findings and that the administrative responses were appropriate.  The Committee ‘s deliberations were documented in the AP&P report from that meeting, and no follow-up reports were deemed necessary.

Professor Nick Rule, Vice-Provost, Academic Programs, highlighted several strengths identified by the external reviewers, including the academic excellence and reputation of the programs, the quality of students, faculty engagement, the integration of theoretical and practical learning, and a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.  Reviewers also commended programs for fostering vibrant intellectual and social communities.

Suggestions for improvement included better coordination among related programs, enhanced mentorship and support structures, addressing enrolment challenges, expanding experiential and career development opportunities, and ensuring that diversity and accessibility were embedded in curriculum design, hiring practices, and student engagement.

The Agenda Committee discussion focused on the composition of external reviewer teams, including representatives from Canada and around the world,and on ensuring a robust  consultation process with cognate units during review site visits. There was a request for a detailed summary of the consultation process in the draft FARIPs provided to AP&P and AB. Professor Rule noted that Deans, as commissioning officers, determine the composition of review teams and develop site visit schedules for reviews conducted within their divisions, with consideration of multiple factors in these decisions.

3. Academic Board – Review and Approval of Agenda – November 13, 2025
   
   The Committee reviewed and approved the agenda for the November 13, 2025 Academic Board meeting.
4. Approval of the Report of the Previous Meeting
   
   Report 318 from the meeting of September 30, 2025 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 – December 9, 2025
   
   The Chair advised members that the Committee would meet next on December 9, 2025, 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  

 
JOHN H DANIELS FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE, AND DESIGN 

 
ONTARIO INSTITUTE FOR STUDIES IN EDUCATION  

TEMERTY FACULTY OF MEDICINE  

The meeting adjourned at 2:57 p.m.

November 4, 2025