College of Electors
Constitution
I AUTHORITY
Pursuant to the provisions of The
University of Toronto Act, 1971, the Governing Council approved the
recommendations of the Directorate of the University of Toronto Alumni
Association (UTAA) of October 28th, 1971 to establish a College of Electors. The Governing Council, on June 20th, 1974 gave a continuing mandate to the College of Electors to elect the alumni members of the Governing Council and the
Chancellor.
II INTERPRETATION
1. In
this Constitution and in all other resolutions of the College of Electors of
the University of Toronto, unless the context otherwise requires, words and
expressions have the same meaning as defined in The University of Toronto
Act, 1971, as amended.
2. In
the event of conflict between any provision of this Constitution and the
provisions of The University of Toronto Act, 1971, as amended, the
provisions of the Act prevail.
III DUTIES
The College of Electors shall be responsible for the election of the Chancellor and the alumni members of the
Governing Council of the University of Toronto. It is essential that highly
competent individuals be elected as the Chancellor or alumni governors.
Consequently, the College must ensure that well-qualified persons are nominated
and elected. In considering the suitability of candidates, the College shall
be guided by the approved Governing Council statement on the Attributes of
Governors (see Appendix A). The College should satisfy itself that it is
electing candidates who, at the minimum, possess the characteristics specified
by the Governing Council as required of all external members of Governing
Council
and that the College's work contributes to the attainment of the diversity
objectives established by Governing Council for its own composition.
It is also essential that the College consult formally with
the Chair of the Governing Council and the President of the University and the
President of the Alumni Association on the general requirements for the
positions to be filled and also on the requirements most in need in any
particular year. When the Chair of the Governing Council indicates that
candidate(s) with one of the specific skills identified in the Attributes of
Governors statement
are highly desirable in a given year, the College shall exercise its best
efforts to identify and elect such individual(s).
IV COMPOSITION
1. There
shall be a College of Electors for the alumni of the University of Toronto.
2. The
College of Electors shall be created by the Governing Council and be composed
of members from the constituent alumni associations of the University of Toronto Alumni Association. (A constituent alumni association is defined as a
group of alumni of a college, faculty, school or other academic division of the
University which has authority to recommend the awarding of a degree or
post-secondary diploma or certificate.)
3. The
College of Electors shall be formed on the basis of a modified representation
by population
from each constituent alumni association. A constituent association shall be
entitled to elect a member or members to the College of Electors on the
following basis:
Number of
Alumni Number of Electors
Up to
15,000 1
Between
15,001 - 30,000 2
Between
30,001 - 45,000 3
Beyond
45,001 4
The
population figures of the constituent alumni association will be up-dated
annually on the basis of the official records of the University. Any change in
the number of seats on the College will be communicated to the pertinent
constituent association by the Secretary of the College of Electors immediately upon receipt of the up-dated figures.
4. Each
constituent association shall be represented by persons experienced in and
knowledgeable of University affairs, such as present or former members of an
association's executive committee.
5. Election
of the member(s) to the College of Electors will be carried out, as necessary,
at a regular meeting of each constituent association, duly publicized, and held
in accordance with its constitution.
6. Term
of office will be at the discretion of the constituent association but shall
not exceed four (4) consecutive years. The term shall commence on July 1st.
7. Following
the election and no later than each September, the constituent association
shall advise the Secretary of the College of Electors of its representative(s)
on the College.
8. The
Vice-President - University Governance of the University of Toronto Alumni Association shall be a member of the College of Electors and shall be its
Chair. The Chair shall take office as of July 1st.
9. There
shall be a Vice-Chair to be elected annually by the College from among the
members.
10. There
shall be an Executive Committee composed of the Chair of the College as Chair,
the Vice-Chair and three other members elected by and from among the members of
the College of Electors, whose duties shall be
(a)
to advise the Chair with respect to procedures employed from time to
time in the election of alumni governors or the Chancellor, and
(b)
to undertake duties as specified elsewhere in this Constitution or as
may be assigned from time to time by the College of Electors.
IV COMPOSITION
(cont’d)
11. There
shall be a permanent Secretary appointed by the Secretary of the Governing
Council, who will keep a record of the proceedings of the College and the
Executive Committee and perform such other duties as may from time to time be
assigned by the College or by the Chair thereof.
12. In
the event that a vacancy occurs in the College of Electors, such vacancy may be
filled by an appointee of the appropriate constituency executive for a term
expiring not later than the next regular meeting of the association. Following
such appointment, the constituent association shall, in writing, advise the
Secretary of the College of Electors of the new representative.
13. In
the event that a member of the College of Electors is nominated for membership
on the Governing Council or for Chancellor, the member shall resign from the College of Electors or shall decline to stand for election.
V GENERAL
RULES AND REGULATIONS
1.
The College shall meet at the call of the Chair, the Vice-Chair or a
quorum of the College. One-half (1/2) of the membership of the College shall
constitute a quorum. The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the
Chair. The quorum for the Executive Committee shall be three members.
2. The
College shall meet at least two times during each academic year, as follows:
(a) Prior
to the opening of the nomination periods the College shall meet to
(i)
elect a Vice-Chair and members of the Executive Committee, as provided
in Section IV (9) and (10);
(ii)
review the procedures for the forthcoming election(s);
(iii) consult
with the senior officers of the University and the Alumni Association, as
provided in Section III; and
(iv) transact
any other business that may be required at that time.
(b) At
its second meeting, the College may interview candidates for alumni governor,
receive reports from bodies established by this Constitution or by the College
itself, and/or conduct election(s). The date for such meeting(s) shall be
established by the Chair of the College after consultations with the Executive
Committee.
3. Notice
of all meetings shall be given a minimum of fourteen (14) days in advance of
such meetings.
4. The
date for the continuation of a recessed meeting shall either be determined by a
quorum at such meeting, or called in accordance with the provisions of section
(1) and (3) above.
5. The
Secretary shall be responsible for notifying all members of meetings and for
distributing agendas.
6. Each
member of the College, including the Presiding Officer, is entitled to vote and
only members present may vote on any question. In the case of a tie, the
Presiding Officer is not entitled to a second deciding vote.
7.
Matters discussed by the College during any meeting or part of any
meeting held in camera are confidential unless the College agrees
otherwise in specific instances. All meetings will be open to the public
unless or until the Chair declares to the contrary following the passing of a
motion to that effect or when candidates are being discussed or interviewed.
VI ELECTION
OF THE ALUMNI MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL
A. Nominations
1.
Candidates for alumni members of the Governing Council shall be alumni
of the University of Toronto as defined by The University of Toronto Act, 1971, as amended. As required by the Act, they shall be Canadian
citizens.
2.
A call for nominations shall be placed on or before January 31st in
publications of the University of Toronto Department of Public Affairs, or its
successor, or in other media where appropriate, and in writing to the
presidents or other appropriate executives of constituent organizations.
Should the notice fail to appear in the publications of the Department of
Public Affairs, it shall be placed in appropriate newspapers.
3. Each
nomination must be in writing and signed by at least ten (10) alumni, none of
whom shall be current members of the College of Electors, giving faculty, year
of graduation or years of attendance, name on diploma (if different from name
on nomination form), address and telephone number of each nominator. A
nominator may nominate no more persons than there are positions vacant.
4. The
consent in writing of each candidate, indicated over the candidate's signature,
shall be obtained by the nominators.
5. A
biographical sketch of each candidate shall be obtained from the candidate or
prepared by the nominators and sent to the Secretary with the nomination and
consent.
6. The
Secretary shall have the candidate and the nominators verified by the Division
of University Advancement as being eligible University of Toronto alumni. The
Secretary shall rule upon the validity of nominations assisted by such legal
counsel or such other advice he or she may wish to employ.
7. The
deadline for close of nominations will be on or before February 28th.
8. Nominations
shall be confidential to the College.
9. An
appeal with respect to the validity of a nomination shall lie to the Executive
Committee of the College of Electors, any three of whom shall constitute a
quorum, assisted by such legal counsel it may wish to employ. The Executive
Committee shall appoint one of its members to act as secretary during the
appeal proceedings.
10. The
Secretary shall inform the candidate for election of the grounds for the
candidate's ineligibility by means of letter, commonly used electronic means of
communication, or telephone with subsequent written confirmation and the said
notice shall contain within it a date, time and place for the hearing if the
candidate desires to appeal, which appeal shall be heard by the Executive
Committee within five (5) working days of the date of the notice.
11. An
appeal to the Executive Committee shall not lie if the candidate does not
communicate by telephone, letter, or commonly used electronic means of
communication to the Secretary at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the
time set for the appeal in the notice his or her desire to have an appeal.
12. The
candidate, Secretary of the College, and any other interested persons may
present evidence to the Executive Committee as to the candidate's eligibility
to stand for election.
13. The
decision of the Executive Committee of the College of Electors on an appeal
shall be final.
VI ELECTION
OF THE ALUMNI MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL (cont’d)
A. Nominations
(cont’d)
14. As
soon as possible after the close of nominations, the Secretary shall distribute
the validated nomination papers of all candidates who have been duly nominated
and have consented to stand. Biographies or sections thereof will not be
distributed, if statements contained therein, in the opinion of the Secretary,
in consultation with the Chairman, assisted by such legal counsel as he or she
may wish to employ, might render the University liable to a suit for libel.
B. Election
1. Candidates
may be invited to appear before the College, or a group of members of the
College, for personal interviews, as the College determines. The interviews
will be held in camera and discussed only with members of the College.
2. If
the full College conducts interviews, any member of the College of Electors who has not been present for all the interviews in their entirety shall not vote.
That member may, however, participate in discussion.
3. Election
shall be by secret ballot.
4. The
alumni governors shall be elected one at a time. All names will appear on the
ballot. To be elected, a candidate must receive the support of a majority of
those voting, abstentions included. If no one is elected on a particular
ballot, the candidate(s) with the fewest number of votes will be removed from
the ballot. Following the election of a candidate, all remaining names shall
be returned to the ballot.
5. The
candidates shall be informed by the Chair of the results of the election.
6. After
notifying the candidates, the Chair shall give in writing the names of
successful candidates to all candidates, to the Chair of the Governing Council,
the President, the Director of the Department of Public Affairs or its successor,
and to the President of the University of Toronto Alumni Association.
C. By-Elections
By-elections shall take place as necessary, under the rules
and regulations governing regular elections, except that the Chairman, in
consultation with the Executive Committee, may place in nomination names of
candidates remaining from the previous regular election without the candidate
or candidates undergoing re-nomination procedures, should they be willing to
stand.
VII ELECTION
OF A CHANCELLOR
A. Nominations
1. Candidates
for Chancellor shall be Canadian citizens, pursuant to The University of Toronto Act, 1971, as amended.
2. In
years when an election of the Chancellor is required, a call for nominations
shall be placed on or before January 31st in publications of the University of
Toronto Department of Public Affairs or its successor, or in other media where
appropriate, and sent in writing to the presidents of constituent alumni
associations.
VII ELECTION
OF A CHANCELLOR (cont’d)
A. Nominations (cont’d)
3. Nominations
shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the College of Electors and must be signed by a nominator and a seconder, who are
alumni of the University. Subject to VII (B) (3) below, nominations will be
held in confidence. Letters of support may be submitted and will form part of
the documentation placed before members of the College. Candidates for the
position may also be identified and nominated by the Search Committee. Such
nominations must have the support of at least two members of the Search
Committee who are alumni of the University.
4. Nominations
shall close on or before March 31st, as determined by the College.
B. Procedure
for Review of Nominations
1. In carrying out its
duties under Sections VII (B) (2) and (3) below, the Executive
Committee of the College shall co-opt the President of the University and the
Chair of the Governing Council as assessor members, and this group shall form
the Chancellor Search Committee.
2. The Chancellor Search
Committee shall prepare a Report on the nominations received for Chancellor,
including at least the following:
(a)
An analysis of the general requirements of the position of Chancellor,
any specific requirements appropriate for the incoming Chancellor and of the
qualities appropriate to the position. Particular attention shall be given to
the discussion of the position at the first meeting of the College.
(b)
One recommended candidate for Chancellor submitted, with supporting
documentation.
3. The
Chancellor Search Committee shall have the option to
(a) Obtain
or ask nominators to obtain biographical or other information about the
nominees.
(b) Meet
with individual nominees to discuss the nature of the position, and obtain
additional information that would be of assistance to the College.
4. Prior
to submitting the Report to the College, the Chancellor Search Committee shall
determine the willingness of the recommended candidate to stand as Chancellor.
5. At
least fourteen (14) days notice shall be given of a meeting of the College at
which the report of the Chancellor Search Committee is to be received and
discussed.
6. The
President and the Chair of the Governing Council will be invited to attend any
meeting of the College at which the work or report of the Chancellor Search
Committee is discussed.
7. After
receiving and discussing the report of the Chancellor Search Committee the
College shall either proceed to the election or direct the Chancellor Search
Committee to obtain additional information or to give further advice on individual
nominees. This may involve meetings with one or more nominees, which shall be
undertaken by the Committee on behalf of the College.
8. If
the report of the Chancellor Search Committee is returned to the Committee by
the College, the Committee shall meet within seven (7) days of the receipt of
its returned report. It shall submit a new report to the College that may
contain names previously suggested and/or additional names.
VII ELECTION
OF A CHANCELLOR (cont’d)
C. Election
1. The
election shall be by secret ballot.
2. To
be elected a candidate must receive support from a majority of those members
present and voting. (See Section VI (B) (4) for the voting procedures.)
3. The
Chair of the College of Electors and the President of the University shall ask
the successful candidate to serve. The Chair and the Secretary of the College
shall satisfy themselves that the successful candidate is a Canadian citizen.
4. The
name of the successful candidate shall be held in confidence until the Chair of
the College of Electors provides notification in writing to the nominators of
other candidates, the Chair of the Governing Council, the President, the
Director of the Department of Public Affairs or its successor, and to the
President of the University of Toronto Alumni Association that the candidate
has been elected.
VIII RE-ELECTION
OF A CHANCELLOR
A. Review
1.
No later than eight months prior to the end of his/her term, the
Chancellor will be informed by the Chair of the Governing Council and the Chair
of the College of Electors of the pending review process.
2.
A Chancellor Search Committee as described in Section VII (B) (1) shall
act as a Chancellor Review / Search Committee.
3.
A review of the position profile and an evaluation of the performance of
the incumbent Chancellor, using pre-defined parameters, will be conducted by
the President of the University, the Chair of the Governing Council, and the
Chair of the College of Electors prior to the Call for Nominations, and will be
reported in confidence to the incumbent Chancellor and to the Chancellor Review
/Search Committee.
B. Nomination
Process
1. The
nomination process for the re-election of the Chancellor will include, at a
minimum, the following:
·
a defined nomination period of at least four weeks, including a
specified deadline for the close of nominations;
·
a written nomination;
·
consent of nominee to stand for election;
·
a specified number of nominators;
·
biographical information for candidate
·
authority for the Chancellor Review/Search Committee to proceed
with a call for nominations without actively seeking other candidates, if the
review of the performance of the incumbent is positive, and if the incumbent is
willing to stand for re-election.
2. The
Chancellor Review/Search Committee shall prepare a report for the College
including at a minimum, the following:
·
summary of the review process and the resulting conclusions;
·
a recommendation for Chancellor with appropriate supporting
documentation.
VIII RE-ELECTION
OF A CHANCELLOR (cont’d)
C. Election
The Election will follow the
process described in Section VII C above, amended as necessary.
______________________________________________________
Revisions approved by University Affairs Board March 25,
2008
Revisions approved by Governing Council February 10, 2005
Minor revisions approved by Executive Committee March 7,
1994
Revisions approved by Governing Council December 17, 1992
Appendix A
University of Toronto - Attributes
of Governors
(1) Required characteristics. All external
persons elected/appointed to the Governing Council of the University of Toronto should have a breadth of vision, a record of personal accomplishment, and the personal
attributes and skills to rise to various leadership positions in Governing
Council.
More specifically, all external members must:
• have a genuine
interest in the welfare of the University of Toronto and in the fulfillment of
its mission to be an internationally significant research university with
undergraduate, graduate and professional programs of excellent quality;
• support
the basic principles which guide the University's pursuit of its mission:
-
respect for intellectual integrity, freedom of enquiry and rational discussion;
-
promotion of equity and justice within the University and recognition of the
diversity of the University community;
-
a collegial form of governance;
-
fiscal responsibility and accountability;
• be willing
to learn about the University's inner workings;
• be prepared
to invest the time required;
• be
known as persons of good judgement;
• meet
the statutory requirement of Canadian citizenship (unless repealed); and
• have broad
community interests.
(2) Diversity. It is desirable that the
Governing Council membership, as a whole, reflect the diversity of the
University's local, provincial and national communities; in addition, in the
selection of members, particular attention should be paid to gender balance
within the Governing Council and to equitable representation of those groups
traditionally underrepresented on university governing bodies, including
persons with disabilities, Aboriginals, francophones, and visible minorities.
The ability to represent a particular community or group, while highly
desirable, must also be accompanied by the possession of the general
characteristics listed above and by specific experience that is relevant to the
demands on a governing board of a complex professional organization.
(3) Specific skills. The specific required
skills vary from time to time, but the following are major skills which must be
present collectively in the Governing Council:
• broad
experience in public affairs;
• experience
in progressive business management;
• financial
and administrative experience sufficient to oversee the efficient use of public
and private funds;
• the
ability to build bridges with local, provincial and national communities:
• the
ability to assist in the achievement of specific short and medium term
University priorities;
• fund-raising
ability.
44755