Report Number 72 Of The Utsc Campus Council
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2026
To the Governing Council, University of Toronto,
Your Campus Council reports that it held a meeting in the UTSC Council Chamber, Arts & Administration Building on February 23, 2026 with the following members present:
PRESENT: Grace Westcott (Chair), Linda Johnston (Vice-President & Principal), Sharleen Ahmed, Syed Ahmed*, Daniel Bowyer, Brian Harrington*, Jason Glover, Brian Harrington, Paul Huyer, Mariana Jardim*, Elaine Khoo, Mandy Liao*, Gillian Mason, Sonja Nikkila, Faith Opoku Agyemang, Anisa Persaud*, Silma Roddau, Shennel Simpson*, Dorinda So, Rachel Sturge*, Hoorik Yeghiazarian
*Remote attendance
REGRETS: Aarthi Ashok (Vice-Chair), Irmi Huftless, Imran Khan, Sonja Nikkila
NON-VOTING ASSESSORS: Andrew Arifuzzaman, Karin Ruhlandt, Tim Tang
SECRETARIAT: Miranda Edwards (Secretary), Amanda Grant (Governance Coordinator)
IN ATTENDANCE: Jennifer Curry, Town DeSegrio, Karen Golham, Alison Mountz, Naureen Nizam, Tanya Poppleton, Mike Snowdon
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members and guests to the Cycle 3 meeting. -
Report of the Vice-President and Principal
Professor Linda Johnston, Vice-President and Principal invited Tanya Senk, the new Director of Indigenous House, to address the Council. Ms Senk introduced herself and thanked the Council for the warm welcome, stating she was looking forward to beginning her work and collaborating with Council members.
Professor Johnston shared highlights of Black History Month events that had taken place on campus. She also shared that a revised Operational Plan was underway, building on the foundation of the previous strategic plan, “Inspiring Inclusive Excellence.” A gap analysis was recently completed and new metrics would be integrated and shared with governance.
Professor Johnston emphasized that the Culture of Care initiative was at the heart of all campus functions and was now grounded in actions and embedded in portfolios across UTSC. She stated she was encouraged by how campus leaders and executives had implemented the Culture of Care values into their teams. A new dedicated webpage had been launched earlier this year and new content was being added and expanded. Episode Two of the “In Their Words” video series was currently in production. Professor Johnston thanked the Council for its support of this initiative and looked forward to sharing updates in the future. -
Annual Report: Office of the Vice-Principal Research & Innovation
Professor Alison Mountz, Vice-President, Research & Innovation, presented the annual report. She began by noting the remarkable growth of the UTSC research community. The theme of this year’s annual report was “Thrive” as a representative reflection of the community. In 2024-25, UTSC did well in competitions and grants, performing above average nationally and across the tri-campus. In 2023-24, total external funding secured was just under $20 million which increased in 2024-25 to just over $22 million. Tri-agency funding held steady year over year in constituting about 64% of this figure. Over the past five years, total research funding increased from approximately $14 million to approximately $23 million - an increase of about 59%. Growth in tenure-stream faculty increased about 20%.
Professor Mountz highlighted notable recent activities which supported the UTSC research community including the launch of a community of practice for research leaders, the arrival of Harvest Walls, and funded clusters of scholarly prominence. Her office was also actively supporting researchers in expanding ways of telling “research stories” on digital platforms, beyond traditional peer-reviewed journals and conferencing. “UTSC Engaged” was a new initiative focused on democratizing knowledge and finding new ways of bringing people together to collaborate on solving research problems. Professor Mountz encouraged members to read the full Annual Report, which was publicly available online, for further details. -
Institutional Operating Budget Report 2026-2027 and the Long Range Budget Guidelines 2026-27 to 2030-31
Professor Trevor Young, Vice-President and Provost and Mr. Mike Snowdon, Acting Assistant Vice-President, Planning and Budget, presented the 2026-27 Budget Report and the Long-Range Budget Guidelines 2026-27 to 2030-31, together with the proposed tuition fee schedules for publicly-funded and self-funded programs.
Professor Young presented a balance budget of $3.66B, which represented a 1.1% increase over the previous year. Professor Young reported that the University had sufficient operating reserves and strong credit rating. Total revenues were approximately $100M below the prior year's long-range projection, with the shortfall driven primarily by a recalibration of international enrolment targets in response to shifting federal policy on student visas and international student intake. Domestic undergraduate demand remained strong. Primary expenditures were staff compensation, which was consistent with prior years. Approximately $400 million was allocated for student financial support in 2026-27 Mr. Snowdon noted that the University’s financial aid programs vastly exceeded both the industry standard and provincial requirements.
Mr. Snowdon reported that the impacts of the recent announcement from the Ontario government regarding funding increases and changes to OSAP were still being assessed by his team.
The University was undertaking Project Catalyst, a cross-institutional initiative to streamline services, reduce costs and improve administrative processes.
Members discussed the positive impact of the University budget on the local Scarborough community, through staff salaries, student financial aid, local entrepreneurship and innovation. -
Compulsory Non-Academic Incidental Fees - SCSU UTSC Sports & Recreation Complex Levy
Tim Tang, Dean of Student Experience and Wellbeing, introduced the motion to recommend that the UTSC Sports and Recreation Complex Levy be raised by 4%. As background information, Dean Tang reminded members that the UTSC Sports and Recreation Complex Levy was established in 2010 following a student referendum to support the construction of a new sports complex. As part of that referendum, students voted to support an annual fee increase of 4% between 2014 and 2039 to fund the project’s costs.
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT Subject to Confirmation by the Executive Committee,
THAT, beginning in the Summer 2026 session, the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union fee be increased by $8.62 per session ($1.73 for part-time students) in the UTSC Sports & Recreation Complex Levy portion of the fee. -
Operating Plans and Fees: UTSC Office of Student Experience and Wellbeing
-
Advice from the Council on Student Services
-
Operating Plans and Fees: Office of Student Experience and Wellbeing
Dean Tang reported that compulsory non-academic fees were guided by a number of policies and protocols at the University. Dean Tang stated that the Office of Student Experience and Wellbeing provided multi-year planning and oversight, with themes for 2025-26 aligned with UTSC strategic and tri-campus goals. Dean Tang noted that the Council on Student Services (CSS) was heavily engaged in the planning process and that the themes and budgets were prepared with its input. The CSS identified five themes for 2025-26 including: 1) data-informed decision making through data analysis and evidence-based practices, 2) inclusive excellence being the cornerstone of the UTSC community and its student services, 3) prioritizing Healthy Campus and Culture of Care as core values, 4) enhancing experiential and international education supports, and 5) facilitating academic and career success by supporting student living and learning on and off campus. Dean Tang summarized the proposed increase that had been provided to Committee members and shared that the budget vote at CSS was passed unanimously.
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT Subject to Confirmation of the Executive Committee,
THAT the 2026-27 operating plans and budgets for the UTSC Student Experience and Wellbeing (including the Health & Wellness Centre, Athletics & Recreation, Student Services), as presented in the documentation from Mr. Tim Tang, Dean of Student Experience and Wellbeing, be approved; and
THAT the sessional Health & Wellness Service Fee for a UTSC-registered or UTSC-affiliated full-time student be increased to $105.40 per full-time student per session ($21.08 per part-time student per session); which represents a year over year increase of 11.30% ($10.70 for full-time student; $2.14 for part-time student); and
THAT the sessional Athletics and Recreation Fee for a UTSC-registered or UTSC-affiliated full-time student be increased to $143.17 per full-time student per session ($28.63 per part-time student per session); which represents an increase of 0.79% ($1.12 for full-time student; $0.22 for part-time student); and
THAT the sessional Student Services Fee for a UTSC-registered or UTSC-affiliated full-time student be increased to $226.74 per full-time student per session ($45.34 per part-time student per session); which represents a year over year increase of 4.13% ($8.99 for full-time student; $1.79 for part-time student).
-
-
Operating Plans: UTSC Service Ancillaries
Andrew Arifuzzaman, CAO, provided the Committee with an overview of the four UTSC Service Ancillaries: housing, conference and event services, food services, and parking. He noted that the ancillary budgets were self-funding and provided services to all internal users, as well as external users. He noted that overall ancillary operations were functioning well and showing positive net income. Significant work has been done to improve aging student housing over the past few years with more renovations planned for the future. The six-year Premium Townhouse Project was expected to begin work in 2026-27. Mr. Arifuzzaman reviewed the ways in which students are at the heart of consultations and survey feedback in reviewing campus services on an ongoing basis.
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the 2026-27 operating plans and budgets for the UTSC 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 presented in the Service Ancillary Report on Operating Plans dated January 15, 2026, be approved effective May 1, 2026. -
Reports of the Presidential Assessors
-
Prof. Karin Ruhlandt, Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean
Professor Karin Ruhlandt provided members with an overview of early application data. UTSC had seen an overall increase of about 5% in applications received, which compared well with UTM and the Faculty of Arts & Science (FAS), which had increases of 6% and 7% respectively. Over the prior two years, UTSC had seen a significant surge in application numbers but now appeared to be at the beginning of a plateau stage. There had so far been a decline in domestic applications of about 2% and an increase in international applications of about 14%. About 8% of applicants listed UTSC as their first choice of school. She noted that, in comparison, UTM and FAS were listed as the first choice of about 12% and 13% of their applicants, respectively. There was a notable 18% increase in applications to UTSC’s joint degree program with Centennial College. Professor Ruhlandt also remarked on the decreasing interest in computer science programs, which was likely a reflection of the decreasing number of entry-level jobs in that field caused by the rise of AI.
-
Tim Tang, Dean, Student Experience & Wellbeing
Dean Tang reported increased student demand in academic advising services, wellness services, international student support services and immigration advising. The Dean’s office introduced a new express service in academic advising for certain types of basic advising. The service proved to be very popular with positive feedback from follow-up surveys.
-
Andrew Arifuzzaman, CAO
Mr. Arifuzzaman reported that occupancy of Indigenous House was operational as of the prior week and the project was now categorized as meeting “substantial completion” with 97% of work completed. He commended his team’s hard work at successfully ironing out challenges with the project contractors and the City. Mr. Arifuzzaman also reported that UTSC was proceeding with financing plans for a student residence; next steps would be taken in Fall 2026.
-
CONSENT AGENDA
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 9 be approved.
-
Report of the Previous Meeting: Report Number 71 – November 21, 2025
The report of the previous meeting was approved. -
Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
There was no business arising from the report of the previous meeting. -
Reports for Information
The following reports were received for information: -
Date of Next Meeting – April 14, 2026
The Chair confirmed that the next meeting would take place on April 14, 2026. -
Question Period
Members had no questions. -
Other Business
There were no items of other business.
The meeting adjourned at 6:15 p.m.
March 13, 2026