Report: UTM Campus Affairs Committee - September 11, 2025

To the UTM Campus Council,

University of Toronto Mississauga,

Your UTM Campus Affairs Committee reports that it held a meeting in the Council Chamber, Room 3130, W. G. Davis building on September 11, 2025, with the following members present:

PRESENT: Robert Gerlai (in the Chair), Alexandra Gillespie (Vice-President &Principal), William Gough (Interim Vice-Principal Academic & Dean), Deborah Brown (Chief Administrative Officer), Mark Overton (Dean of Student Affairs and Assistant Principal, Student Services), Emily Atkinson, Charleson Cao, Mairi Cowan, Adriana Grimaldi, Rosa Hong, Christina Kakaflikas, Samuel Kamalendran, Harleen Kaur, Marc Laflamme, Peter Landry, Carolyn Loos, Mai Lu, Rosalind Murray, Haze Schepmyer, Joanna Szurmak, Jada Thomas

REGRETS: Heather Anderson, Shakhriyor Bakhtiyorov, Alice Chan, Melissa Gniadek, Claudiu Gradinaru (Vice-Chair), Aaisha Mirzada, Ottavia Paluch, Kathleen Yu

NON-VOTING ASSESSORS: Luke Barber (Executive Director, Digital and Physical Infrastructure), Christine Esteban (Executive Director, Budget, Planning & Finance), Chad Nuttall (Assistant Dean of Students and International Initiatives), Tim Fricker (Acting Assistant Dean, Student Wellness, Support & Success)

SECRETARIAT: Cindy Ferencz-Hammond

IN ATTENDANCE: Rabeeya Amjad (Budget, Planning & Finance), (Vesela Angelova (Budget, Planning & Finance), Megan Evans (Assistant Director, Hospitality & Ancillary Services), April Forbes (Career Centre), Adam Fraser (Assistant Dean, OVPAD), Brian Ingoldsby (Office of the Vice-President & Principal), Renu Kanga Fonseca (Registrar and Assistant Dean, Enrolment Management), Antonia Lo (Budget, Planning & Finance), Leemor Margalit (Budget, Planning & Finance), Felicity Morgan (Director, Career Centre), Melissa Theodore (UTMSU), Veronica Vasquez (International Education Centre), Laura Walkling (Centre for Student Engagement)

OPEN SESSION

1. Chair’s Remarks
   
   The Chair welcomed members to the Committee’s first meeting and introduced the presidential assessors and noted that their role was to bring items of business forward for the consideration of the Committee. The Chair explained that the Committee would oversee matters that directly related to the quality of student and campus life and provided an overview of the difference between the role of governance and administration and talked about the roles and responsibilities of members.  He referred members to the FAQ for members document and presentation deck on the role of the Committee produced by the Secretariat, which was available in the governance portal.  He encouraged members to review both resources in preparing to carry out their roles effectively.
   
   Mark Overton, retiring at the end of September 2025, was honored for his 24-year tenure as UTM’s Dean of Student Affairs and Assistant Principal, Student Services (2001–2025), following roles as Acting Dean and Registrar at Erindale College (1996–2001). Both the Chair and the Vice-President & Principal offered personal remarks of thanks for his many years of outstanding service.
2. Presidential Assessors Portfolio Overview and Priorities for 2025-26
   
   The Committee received three reports from its assessors.
   
   Deborah Brown, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), provided a comprehensive overview of her portfolio, which encompassed budget planning and finance, hospitality and retail operations, facilities management and planning, and informational and instructional technology services. Her presentation was structured around three key areas: strategic plans, capital projects, and continuous improvement.
   
   During her report, the CAO emphasized UTM’s sustainability efforts, highlighting progress on 102 strategic plan targets and a gold rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) framework, with goals to achieve platinum status. The Climate Positive Plan was a key focus, outlining strategies to consume, distribute, and produce energy more sustainably to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A notable initiative was Project Shift, whose goal was to modernize campus infrastructure by moving away from fossil fuels as the primary heating source and implementing deep energy retrofits across campus buildings. Speaking next on capital projects, the CAO updated members on extensive renovations to student residences and other spaces, such as the new student space in Spigel Hall.  Regarding major capital projects, she reported that the new student residence was scheduled to open in September 2026; construction was underway on Principal’s Road for the Pre-Engineered Building, slated for completion by July 2026; and that the proposal for the Central Utility Plant 2 would be submitted for governance consideration towards the end of the governance year.  She added that the Indigenous Build project centered on indigenous placemaking and placekeeping was in the proposal evaluation stage.  Speaking next to projects involving continuous improvement, the CAO noted that ancillary services saw significant upgrades, including renovations to the CCT garage and P4 and P8 parking garages over the summer.  Information technology improvements included refreshing 13 classrooms and one lab, alongside ongoing cybersecurity efforts with tri-campus partners. A linear asset management plan was completed to assess and plan for campus infrastructure like roads, sewers, electricity, and sidewalks, addressing deferred maintenance and sustainability.  Regarding financial planning, the CAO noted that a balanced five-year budget would be developed by December, and the campus operating budget would be brought to governance in cycle four.
   
   The CAO concluded with visual examples of completed projects, such as Spiegel Hall, renovated townhouse kitchens and lounges, the health and counseling center, and schematics for the new residence and pre-engineered building.  Members had no questions.
   
   Mark Overton, Dean of Student Affairs & Assistant Principal, Student Services presented the structure and priorities of the Student Affairs and Services portfolio, which focused on student development, wellness, and success outside academics. He emphasized collaboration with campus partners and highlighted key initiatives for the 2025-26 academic year.
   
   Speaking to key challenges and opportunities on the horizon for 2025-26, Mr. Overton spoke on the following topics:

• New 400-Bed Residence: Preparations were underway for its fall 2026 opening, a significant undertaking to expand housing capacity.
• Behavioral Support Awareness: Presentations were made available to educate departments on activating the comprehensive student support team for students exhibiting behavioral concerns.
• Career Work Program and Skills Accelerator: A 12-week career planning program (offered in-person and online) and a three-day intensive session during reading week were introduced. The Skills Accelerator connected students with employers to explore practical applications of skills, such as Python programming in industry settings.
• Multi-Purpose Rooms: Spiegel Hall was repurposed for events and meetings, replacing its former role as a cafeteria.
• Rec Zone Project: Plans were being developed to expand outdoor recreation fields and courts near the south field, pending governance approval.
• Access Programs: Initiatives like the SEE program for Black-identifying students and a summer program for Indigenous students from Peel Region were expanded to encourage post-secondary education.

In all of these projects, Mr. Overton emphasized the role of professional and student staff, as well as volunteers, in delivering services. Partnerships with areas including the registrar’s office, facilities, UTMSU, campus safety, library, and equity offices were critical to success.

In response to a member’s question about integration with academic portfolios, Mr. Overton highlighted cross-portfolio efforts, such as encouraging faculty-student interactions in informal settings (e.g., the recreation centre, orientation events), referrals to and from the Academic Skills Centre, and support for students in crisis through faculty and staff collaborations.

Professor William Gough, Interim Vice-Principal Academic and Dean (OVPAD) presented his portfolio and reflected on his first 10 months at UTM, outlined changes in the academic leadership team, discussed priorities for 2025-26, and provided an enrollment update.

He noted that work on the UTM Academic Plan, provisionally titled “Realizing Our Potential,” was underway, with three meanings: becoming aware of existing strengths, achieving aspirational goals, and creating tangible outcomes through inspired ideas. Professor Gough then introduced his academic leadership team, highlighting that Anna Korteweg was appointed as Associate Dean, Faculty, in January, to support with faculty recruitment and reviews, development, and mentoring.

Academic Priorities for 2025-2026 included the following:

• Advance work on academic plan, strategic enrolment plan, and faculty complement plan.
• Complete proposal for Indigenous studies program and/or EDU:B.
• Expand co-op internship program to include more placements and fields of study.
• Complete onboarding to Advocate by Symplicity case-management platform for academic integrity case resolutions.
• Develop more undergrad pathways into health professions including medicine, nursing, and occupational therapy.

Professor Gough reported that new programs on the horizon included a specialist in accounting and finance, UTM’s first locally administered PhD in media communications technology, an MFA in creative theater practice, and certificates for micro-credentialing. The OVPAD was also supporting eight external reviews in 2025-26.

Finally, Professor Gough provided a brief report on enrollment data.  As of September 2, 2025, UTM had 16,191 students, which was up slightly from the previous year. Domestic enrollment exceeded targets, offsetting a shortfall in international enrollment due to visa regulations, softened source country markets, and federal caps. Total intake was 4,275 students (up 36 from last year), with 11,916 returning students (down 32). Late registrations were expected by September 15, with final funding-related counts by November 1. It was also noted that graduate programs saw marginal increases, except for the paused MMPA (professional accounting) program, which was being retooled for relaunch.

Referring to an earlier question about integration with Student Affairs, Professor Gough emphasized a shared student-centric approach, with examples like faculty awareness of student crisis support, collaboration on accessibility services, and the important role of residence life in supporting international student recruitment and belonging.

3. UTM Orientation
   
   Mr. Nuttall, Assistant Dean of Students and International Initiatives, presented the reimagined UTM Orientation 2025, prompted by a 2023 cross-university decision to start classes on the Tuesday after Labour Day, reducing class-free orientation time. The goal of the redesign was to create a welcoming, inclusive program, informed by the Council for the Advancement of Standards, the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE), focus groups with students (e.g., international, commuters, students with disabilities), and benchmarking against 36 North American peers like Cornell and McMaster. Key findings showed 50% of incoming students knew no one at UTM, one-third were first-time university students in their families, and 70% lived off-campus, emphasizing the need for in-person connection opportunities.
   
   The new model shifted from content-heavy sessions to community-focused programming, and streamlining logistics under the Centre for Student Engagement with a single schedule and website. In 2024, over 2,600 students engaged in 120+ events across eight days, with positive feedback on customizable schedules. In 2025, 2,600 students participated in 130 events over seven days, including unique programming like a “Code Quest” scavenger hunt by the Statistics Modeling Association, engaging 100 students. The orientation program provided $56,000 to support student group activities, involved 152 groups in fairs, and piloted academic garden parties, attracting 700 students over three days.
   
   Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with plans to expand Orientation 2026 (September 4–11) by adding more events, departments, and volunteers. Ongoing assessments focused on student belonging, with findings to be shared later. Nuttall thanked the Center for Student Engagement, campus partners (e.g., facilities, IT, academic departments, UTMSU), and 158 volunteers for their contributions.
   
   Discussion following the presentation addressed BCSSE data access for departments and strategies to sustain student enthusiasm, with Mr. Nuttall noting strong ongoing engagement and plans for future events like career fairs to maintain momentum.
4. Calendar of Business, 2025-26
   
   The Chair reminded members that the Committee’s Calendar of Business, which represented the expected items of business for governance consideration for the year and noted that it would be updated regularly on the Committee’s website.

5. Reports of the Presidential Assessors
   
   Professor Gough spoke about UTM’s Research Opportunity Program (ROP), which provided undergraduate students in their second to fourth year of study with the opportunity to participate in for-credit research under the supervision of faculty members. In the most recent cycle, a total of 250 projects were submitted. Of these, 71 did not require financial support, while the remaining 179 were eligible for funding. Approximately 94 percent of the eligible projects—168 in total—received funding, with only a small number declined due to ineligible expenses or because faculty members had unspent funds from previous years. The funding envelope for the program remained steady at approximately $280,000 annually. However, Professor Gough noted that as the number of projects had increased over time, this resulted in a reduced allocation per project but allowed for broader student participation.
   
   He noted that while the program was competitive, as faculty were limited in the number of students they could supervise, it nonetheless provided transformative learning opportunities for undergraduates. Although provincial definitions of experiential learning did not include undergraduate research placements, UTM continued to support the program as a meaningful and integral component of the student academic experience.
   
   In closing, Professor Gough noted that a more detailed presentation on experiential learning, that included ROP and cooperative opportunities, would be brought back to governance at the next meeting.

CONSENT AGENDA

On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried

YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED

THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 6, report of the previous meeting, be approved.

6. Report of the Previous Meeting: Report Number 71 – May 7, 2025

7. Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
8. Date of the Next Meeting – October 16, 2025

9. Other Business
   
   There was no other business.
   
   A member noted that it seemed that UTM’s Wilson Pond appears as “Verina Pond” on Google Maps.  The Vice-President & Principal said that her office would investigate the matter.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m.

September 12, 2025