British Columbia Institute of Technology
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance

As the link between the Institute’s Senior Leadership and British Columbia’s government, the Board of Governors (highest governing body) interprets how BCIT implements provincial policies and priorities. The Board of Governors oversees the business interests, management, and long-term development of BCIT and is made up of a range of elected and appointed individuals, representing different interests in the institution, including students, academic staff and non-academic staff:

• one peer-elected academic staff member (3 year term)


• one peer-elected non-academic staff member (3 year term)


• two peer-elected students (1 year term)


• at least eight members appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, Province of British Columbia

There are also two non-voting Board members, the President of BCIT and the Chair of the Education Council. More information: https://www.bcit.ca/about/leadership-vision/governance/board/

BCIT’s Education Council (EdCo) focuses on academic matters, including policy setting, awards, academic standing and exams, and advises the Board of Governors on developing educational policies, programs or priorities. The Council consists of twenty members comprised of elected academic staff, non-academic staff and students, and appointed educational administrators all elected for terms of one or two years. More information: https://www.bcit.ca/about/leadership-vision/governance/education-council/

The British Columbia Institute of Technology Student Association (BCITSA) is a student service and advocacy organization at BCIT with a mandate to enhance student life. Their programs and services are designed to benefit and support all students. Students lead the organization and govern the affairs of the BCITSA. The Board of Directors is composed of 12 elected Student Executives and Student Councillors from each of the different Schools at BCIT and is responsible for overseeing the Student Association and advocating for students. Elected Student Executives represent and advocate for students on the Board of Governors and Education Council. More information: https://www.bcitsa.ca/

There are two unions representing the interests of academic and non-academic staff at BCIT:

1. The BCIT Faculty and Staff Association (FSA)


2. B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU)

The FSA and BCGEU both work to advance the employment interests of academic and non-academic staff and improve working conditions at BCIT through representation on committees, negotiation with BCIT and advocacy for their members. FSA membership is made up people drawn from across the Institute’s academic schools and from the many Departments that provide academic support. The BCGEU membership is also made up of academic staff and non-academic support staff. Employees have the opportunity to participate in governance of their union through election of members to their unions Board of Directors. The core work of each union is to bargain for good collective agreements every few years, ensuring fair wages and benefits, and keeping employees safe at work. The contractual agreements between BCIT and the unions are contained in three collective agreements which can be found at: https://www.bcit.ca/human-resources/employee-resources/policies-collective-agreements/

More information:

https://www.bcitfsa.ca/

 https://www.bcgeu.ca/