大象传媒

Board membership and governance updates

This was the last Board meeting for undergraduate representative Emmanuel Adegboyega and faculty representative Daniel Leznoff. On behalf of the Board, I would once again like to thank Emmanuel and Daniel for their service to 大象传媒, and welcome undergraduate representative Sam Killawee and faculty representative Susan Erikson to the Board starting in June.

During this meeting, we also held internal Board elections for key positions. As a result of these elections, I was voted to continue in the role of chair of the Board effective June 27, 2025 to November 27, 2025 in order for my term as chair to align with the conclusion of my term as an Order-in-Council Board member. I am grateful for the trust of my fellow Board members as I continue in the role of chair for the remainder of my time on the Board.

I am also pleased to share that Carol Herbert, Order-in-Council member, was voted deputy chair of the Board effective June 27, 2025 to June 25, 2026. Thank you to Carol for taking on this additional responsibility and I look forward to working with her over the next few months.

Implementation of Board recommendations

During this meeting, we heard an update from University Secretary Margarita Fullerton regarding the implementation of recommendations resulting from a governance review the Board began in 2023.

To date, the Board Office is on-track to complete approximately 80% of the recommendations to improve Board effectiveness. Key initiatives include a revamped Board submission process to enhance the quality of materials, training portfolio leads, the development of an annual Board education and development plan and the establishment of an electronic voting process. These improvements have strengthened Board processes and practices, leading to more focused, informed and mission-aligned deliberations, as well as greater member engagement. Trust and collaboration with partners have deepened, resulting in stronger alignment and clearer shared governance. Additionally, standardized governance practices have improved consistency, accountability and institutional memory. Work to implement the remaining recommendations will continue over the summer. 

I would like to thank the Board Office for undertaking this work and continuing to support effective and efficient governance practices at 大象传媒, aligned with best practices and with university policies and procedures.

Reflections from CUGA

I recently attended the annual meeting of the Canadian University Boards Association (now renamed the Canadian University Governance Association) in Halifax, accompanied by Margarita Fullerton. It was good to connect with university board members from across the country and equally as interesting to hear what other university boards and executive teams are focused on.

Unsurprisingly, their focus is very similar to ours given geopolitical instability and global economic uncertainty. Top-of-mind issues include caps on international student enrolment, budget constraints, rising costs in deferred maintenance, leadership searches, diversifying revenue, board governance effectiveness (and board vulnerabilities), restructurings and engaging with stakeholders. At the core, purpose, mission and values underly all this work鈥攁s does protecting the academic mission.

We are all navigating change within our own contexts but with similar issues. I was grateful for the chance to connect with Board colleagues and look forward to future discussion and knowledge-sharing to ensure 大象传媒 is prepared for the many complex issues in front of us.

The next Board meeting will be held on June 26, 2025. Community members are invited to view the open session meeting in person or via Zoom by completing a . A full schedule of upcoming meetings is available on our website.

Sincerely,

Paula Martin
Chair, Board of Governors
大象传媒