| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 54.26 |
| Liaison | Stephanie MacPhee |
| Submission Date | Dec. 9, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)
PA-3: Participatory Governance
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 / 3.00 |
Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
Ryerson is currently in the process of determining the structure of an independent, representative government for full-time undergraduate and all graduate students at Ryerson University has begun. In early March 2020, Ryerson University’s full-time undergraduate and all graduate students had the opportunity to vote for the structure of their representative government. Due to COVID-19, the results are still being considered as of September 2020.
The institution’s students have elected representatives on the institution’s highest governing body. Ryerson University has a bi-cameral governance structure which means that there are two governing bodies working at the university, the Board of Governors and the Senate. These two bodies are closely intertwined through the budget process, but remain quite separate from each other in terms of decision-making.
The Board of Governors is responsible for the governance of the university; control of its property and revenues; the conduct of its business and affairs, except for matters assigned by the Act to Senate; powers specifically enumerated by the By-Laws of the University. The Board’s implied powers include institutional strategic planning, risk management, and financial management of the university. The Board of Governors is comprised of 24 Board Members including 3 student members elected by the students.
Ryerson’s Senate is responsible for maintaining, communicating, and implementing the
University’s policies related to academic matters. These include the content and quality of all programs and courses of study, the standards for admission to the University, and the qualifications for obtaining degrees, diplomas and certificates.
Senate is composed of ex-officio members as well as fifty-one (51) elected representatives which includes students.
Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
As previously stated, Ryerson University has a bi-cameral governance structure which means that there are two governing bodies working at the university, the Board of Governors and the Senate.
The Board of Governors is responsible for the governance of the university and is comprised of 24 Board Members including 2 administrative staff members elected by the staff. Annually, all administrative staff will have an opportunity to seek election to one of two positions on the Ryerson University Board of Governors stipulated as elected from administrative staff in accordance with the Act and General By-Laws of the University. The number of positions available in each constituency will vary from year to year.
Ryerson’s Senate is responsible for maintaining, communicating, and implementing the
University’s policies related to academic matters. Senate is composed of ex-officio members as well as fifty-one (51) elected representatives which includes staff.
Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
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:
Ryerson University has a bi-cameral governance structure which means that there are two governing bodies working at the university, the Board of Governors and the Senate. These two bodies are closely intertwined through the budget process, but remain quite separate from each other in terms of decision-making.
The Board of Governors is comprised of 24 Board Members including 3 faculty elected by the faculty. Annually, all teaching faculty will have an opportunity to seek election to those positions on the Ryerson University Board of Governors stipulated as
elected from teaching faculty in accordance with the Act and General By-Laws of the University. The number of positions available in each constituency will vary from year to year. Each constituency will elect a candidate from among themselves only.
Members of the University’s Senate include 52 elected representatives including university faculty. For Faculty, these shall be apportioned as follows:
1.1.1. Faculty Senators
1.1.1.1. At-Large faculty: There shall be faculty Senators elected at-large by and from all fulltime faculty, as defined above, in such number as to ensure that the total number of
elected faculty Senators equals thirty-three (33). Deans may not vote, nominate, or serve.
Chairs/Directors may vote but may not nominate or serve. There may be no more than
two at-large faculty Senators from any one Faculty unless there are insufficient candidates
from other Faculties to fill all at-large positions.
1.1.1.2. Faculty: There shall be three (3) faculty members elected from each Faculty consisting of three (3) or more Departments/Schools and one (1) faculty member elected from each Faculty consisting of less than three (3) Departments/Schools.
1.1.1.3. Chang School faculty: There shall be two (2) faculty Senators representing the Chang School who are full-time teaching faculty and who are teaching, or have taught, at least one course in the Chang School in the year preceding the election, or who serve on a
Chang School committee, or the Chang School Council.
1.1.1.4. Indigenous faculty: There shall be one (1) Indigenous faculty member elected by and
from those faculty who self-identify as Indigenous, to the Chief Electoral Officer/Secretary
of Senate. The Chief Electoral Officer/Secretary of Senate shall invite faculty (in a manner
specified In the Election Guidelines and Procedures) to notify that office regarding such
self-identification in order to produce a comprehensive list of voters as part of the
nomination process set out in Article 3.
AND: that the mechanism of electing an Indigenous Senator be reviewed prior to the next
election for this position.
1.1.1.5. Librarian: There shall be one (1) librarian Senator who is a member of the RFA, and
who is eligible to serve on Senate as defined by the Ryerson University Act. Such
member shall be elected by and from the University librarians.
1.1.1.6. Chairs/Directors: There shall be one (1) Chair/Director, elected from each of the
Faculties by and from the Chairs/Directors in that Faculty.
1.1.1.7. Ryerson Faculty Association (RFA): There shall be one (1) RFA Senator (who is a
faculty member as defined by Article 1.9) specifically elected to the position using such
procedures as are specified in the Bylaw(s) of the RFA.
Additionally, the Ryerson Faculty Association is the certified bargaining unit for tenure-track faculty, limited term faculty, librarians, and counsellors at Ryerson University. RFU is a member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).
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?:
A copy of the written policies and procedures:
The policies and procedures:
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 | Yes |
| Private sector organizations | No |
| Civil society (e.g. NGOs, NPOs) | No |
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):
The Board of Governors is responsible for the governance of the university; control of its property and revenues; the conduct of its business and affairs, except for matters assigned by the Act to Senate; powers specifically enumerated by the Ryerson University Act and the By-Laws of the University. The Board’s implied powers include institutional strategic planning, risk management, and financial management of the university.
Ryerson University's 24-member Board of Governors and includes 9 people appointed by the provincial government.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.