COLLEGE OF ELECTORS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2024
Minutes of the College of Electors meeting held on November 6, 2024 at 5:00 p.m., in the Council Chamber:
PRESENT: Jennifer Dolman, (UTAA) (Chair), Brad Beveridge (Vice-Chair), Pavel Abdur-Rahman, Jennifer Boucher, Daniel Bowyer, George Buldo, Sofiya Datsyuk, Michelle Davis, Eileen de Villa, David Drew, Althea Fernandes, Sandra Griffiths, Andrea Koop, Vito Labate, Nakia Lee-Foon, Idas Levato, David McKnight, Andria Minicucci, Asif Mohammed, Ashleigh Molloy, Frid Mughal, Eric Noble, Ennio Palombizio, Nick Pantaleo, Naraindra Prashad, Maina Rambali, Erin Rud-Thompson, Connie Sellors, Christophe Shammas, Rachel Shaw-Ng, Rohit Singla, Jane Speakman, Milomir Strbac, KimEija Taipaleenmaki, Irene Vrckovnik, Terese Weisberg, Steven Williams, Helen Wojcinski, Tom Woods,
REGRETS: Doris Chee, Jamie Philip, Jinzi Zheng
SECRETARIAT: Sheree Drummond, Acting Secretary, College of Electors, Megann Davidson, Governance Coordinator
IN ATTENDANCE: Anna Kennedy, Chair of Governing Council, Professor Meric Gertler, President, University of Toronto, Corwin Cambray, President, University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA) [all were in attendance for item 2]
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks and Orientation
The Chair welcomed members to the meeting. She advised members that Sheree Drummond, Secretary of the Governing Council would be serving as Secretary for the meeting. She also welcomed Ms Anna Kennedy, Chair of the Governing Council (GC), President Meric Gertler, and Mr. Corwin Cambray, President, University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA) who were in attendance to address the College on the desired skills and attributes for alumni governors for 2025.
THE COLLEGE MOVED IN CAMERA.
IN CAMERA SESSION
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Attributes and Requirements for Alumni Governors for 2025
The Chair advised members that there were three seats available as of July 1, 2025. She noted that the three incumbents (Indi Gopinathan, Scott MacKendrick, Eha Naylor) were eligible for re-election as they were each completing their first three-year term. She advised that the three incumbents had confirmed their intention to seek re-election.
She reminded members that per the College’s Constitution, the College was required to consult formally with the Chair of the GC, the President and the President of the UTAA on the general requirements for alumni governors, as well as the requirements in a particular year. There was also an obligation to take particular note of the Chair’s advice about the specific skills that were required in a given year. She noted that as part of this process the Chair of the GC, the President and the President of the UTAA had met with the COE Executive Committee on October 15, 2024, to provide some initial comments.
The Chair of the GC, the President and the UTAA President each shared their thoughts with the College on the general requirements for alumni governors. The Chair of the GC and the President also spoke about the contributions of the three incumbents.
Following an extensive discussion by members and based on the advice from the aforementioned guests, it was agreed that on the whole the desired attributes that had been identified for 2024 (below) continued to be applicable, but that there should also be some language added about ‘civility’ and ‘empathy’ as well as an ‘innovative mindset’. The Chair indicated that she would collaborate with the Secretary on drafting this additional language and then would consult with the Executive before finalizing.[1]
The attributes highlighted in the 2024 Call for Nominations for Alumni Governors were as follows:
Industry experience in:
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Risk management including reputational risk; financial services: audit, budget, investments
- Relevant fields such as real estate, capital projects, city building
- Working with various levels of government, and public/private partnerships
- International experience and/or exposure
Knowledge and skills in:
- Governance in complex organizations in a leadership role
- Consensus building, maintaining an open mindset, creativity, and adaptability to changing circumstances
- Human resources and/or senior leadership succession planning
- Mental health, as a critical factor in the well-being of university life and society
A robust volunteer service commitment demonstrated through:
- Active and passionate volunteer activity on behalf of the University
- Good knowledge of the University’s three campuses
- A strong community presence and networks
Have an interest in:
- Advocating for post-secondary education, internally and externally
- Shaping the student experience and promoting student success
- Championing the University as a preeminent teaching and research institution
- Alumni Governor Election Process
The Vice-Chair provided an overview of the Alumni Governor election process and indicated to members that at the January 21, 2025, meeting of the College members would consider the Nominating Committee for Alumni Governors’ (NC-AG) recommendations for the short list (i.e., the individuals that would be invited for an interview).
The Vice-Chair also reviewed the communications plan noting that it was similar to the previous year’s plan. He explained that in addition to promoting the call for nominations, this outreach would also serve to raise awareness of Governing Council, alumni governors, and the work of the College. - Election of the 2024-25 Nominating Committee for Alumni Governors
Dan Bowyer, Imran Khan, and Maina Rambali were elected to the 2024-2025 Nominating Committee for Alumni Governors (NC-AG) of the College of Electors.
THE COLLEGE RETURNED TO OPEN SESSION.
- Report of the Previous Meeting – October 7, 2024
The Chair advised that the Report of the Previous Meeting would come forward for approval at the next meeting of the College on January 21, 2025. - Business Arising from the Minutes of the Previous Meeting
The Chair noted that at the previous meeting a member had asked about the possibility of having speaking notes to use for reporting on the College’s activities at alumni association meetings. The Chair explained that the only record of meetings were the Reports, and that these could be used by members to assist in providing updates to their respective alumni associations. - Date of Next Meeting
The Chair reminded members that the next meeting would be held on January 21, 2025, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. - Other Business
A member inquired about the private tour of Hart House Soldiers’ Tower that had been offered to members earlier in the fall. An attendee remarked that it was a successful undertaking and hoped that there would be another tour offered for members in the spring. Another member suggested that a different approach should be considered with regard to the sign-up process for any future tours as there had been some confusion with the messaging for the tour in the fall.
[1] Secretary’s Note: Further to the direction from the College, ‘Shaping the student experience and promoting student success’ was subsequently revised to ‘Shaping the student experience and promoting student success with empathy, and in a way that promotes civility’ and ‘Consensus building, maintaining and open mindset, creativity, and adaptability to changing circumstances’ was revised to ‘and ‘Consensus building, maintaining and open and innovative mindset, creativity, and adaptability to changing circumstances’
The meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m.
January 13, 2025