Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.29
Liaison Bonnie Dong
Submission Date Aug. 31, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

MacEwan University
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 3.00 Kalen Pilkington
Director of Sustainability
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1

Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Yes

Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
Yes

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
SAMU holds two sets of elections each year. In October, MacEwan students determine which 14 candidates will represent them as Student Councillors . The second election, in March, is to elect the Executive Committee, made up of a President and four Vice-Presidents. Combined, Councillors and Executive Committee make up the Students’ Council. Parvin Sedighi is president of SAMU. She is elected by the student body and serve's as a represenattive member on the Board of Governors. Elections are moderated each year by a Chief Returning Officer. The Chief Returning Officer is responsible for ensuring the operation of open, fair and impartial elections and referendums in accordance with SAMU bylaws and policy. Referendums and by-elections occur as needed.

Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
Yes

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
MSA is committed to enhancing the work environment and advocating the interests of its members while contributing to the success of the University. (October 23, 2003) The Non-Academic Staff Association was formed in the early 1980s with the purpose of having a body to promote aims/objectives of the Non-Academic Staff. The goals of that time are still present today. Following a majority vote of members at the Spring General Meeting on the 13th of June 2001, the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA) changed their name to the MacEwan Staff Association. On July 10, 2006 we became a certified union with our certification as a bargaining agent by the Alberta Labour Relations Board. MSA members’ jobs vary thoughout the MacEwan University – this includes administrators, clerical personnel, research analysts, education assistants, finance staff, customer service representatives, mailroom staff, cooks, child care workers, maintenance service workers, custodians, library staff, computer technicians, parking staff, electricians, plumbers, program advisors, graphic designers, marketing consultants, buyers, and event planners. MSA is a union controlled directly by our members who elect their executive. Under the direction of the executive, MSA staff manage the daily functions of the Union. There is one elected staff representative who is elected for a three year term and sits on the Board of Governors .

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
Yes

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which teaching and research faculty are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
The Grant MacEwan University Faculty Association exists to negotiate the terms and conditions of employment for our members, as well as ensure the proper application and interpretation of the Collective Agreement. We are legislated into existence under the legal authority of the Post Secondary Learning Act (PSLA), specifically Sections 85 and 86, and our members are designated by the Grant MacEwan University Board of Governors. Academic Governance Council (AGC) is MacEwan University's senior academic governance body. AG is responsible for academic standards, integrity, policy, programs as well as scholarship, research and creative activieis at MaEwan University. The AGC consists of faculty, dean's, departmental chairs, students and some senior administration. Academic Planning and Priorities Committee (APPC) acts as a reviewing and recommending body to AGC. All material goes to APPC before AGC. AGC consists of faculty, students, dean's and some members of senior administration. Board of Governors (BoG) is a corporation, as set out in the Alberta Post-Secondary Learning Act. As the senior authority for the University, the Board is accountable to the Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education and ultimately, the people of Alberta. The Board manages and operates the University within its approved mandate, establishing policies to govern the affairs of the University. On an annual basis, the Board submits a Comprehensive Institutional Plan and Audited Financial Statements to the Minister. There is a faculty member who is elected by his/her peers and serves as a full term, voting board member.

Part 2

Does the institution have written policies and procedures to identify and engage external stakeholders (i.e. local residents) in land use planning, capital investment projects, and other institutional decisions that affect the community?:
No

A copy of the written policies and procedures:
PA 3_Stakeholder Engagement_Example_SAMU Building and Building Business Case 2016.pdf

The policies and procedures:
MacEwan does not have a written policies to engage external stakeholders around the above mentioned activities. However, there is a strong university practice to consult with stakeholder for capital projects, long range and land use planning and operational and business processes (i.e. Campus Master Plan development, 105 Street surface parking lots, construction of Allard Hall, creation of new outdoor spaces in under-used areas along Columbia Ave etc.). In our planning documents (business cases), there is a requirement for consultation to be completed. Also, for land and property development, the City of Edmonton (COE)_has a requirement for consultation between the university and the neighbouring communities and property owners when progressing through the Development Permit process. The attachment contains an exemplary invitation letter for a public consultation session regarding the boulevard tree relocation and a business case including regulations on stakeholder engagement (section 4, pg. 10).

Does the institution have formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which community members representing the interests of the following stakeholder groups can regularly participate in institutional governance?:
Yes or No
Local government and/or educational organizations No
Private sector organizations No
Civil society (e.g. NGOs, NPOs) No

If yes to one or more of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which external stakeholders are engaged in institutional governance (including information about each stakeholder group selected above):
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://www.macewan.ca/wcm/ExecutiveandGovernance/BoardofGovernors/Role%20of%20the%20Board/ConceptofGovernance/index.htm

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
PART 1 Excerpt from Board of Governors Bylaw: 4.5 INTERNAL MEMBER(S) 4.5.1 In addition to meeting the obligations as a Member, the role of faculty, non-academic staff, and student member(s) is to bring their constituent perspective to Board deliberations. Faculty, non-academic staff, and student members are full members of the Board with all rights and responsibilities. They are eligible to vote on all issues, and as is the case with any individual Member, are expected to use discretion in cases of conflict of interest, whether real, perceived, or potential. Members utilize their own perspective as a faculty member, non-academic staff member, or student member, as the case may be to contribute to Board dialogue and decision-making. https://www.macewan.ca/wcm/ExecutiveandGovernance/BoardofGovernors/OperationoftheBoard/Bylaws/index.htm ________________________________________ PART 2: When public members on the Board of Governors are acting in the capacity of a board member, they bear a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of MacEwan University and not in the interests of their personal ‘background’. Responsible party for written policies and procedures to identify and engage external stakeholders: Stuart MacLean Associate Vice President - Facilities MacEwan University Rm. 10-600 10700-104 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5J2P2 (t): 780-497-5512 (e): macleanstu@macewan.ca

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