The first meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) for the 2015-16 academic year reviewed the university’s progress and performance last year and highlighted their goals for this year at the National Arts Centre on Sept. 29.
Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president Fahd Alhattab was in attendance, as well as Carleton’s two undergraduate representatives Mohammed El Koussy and David Andrews. The Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) also had a representative at the meeting, Russell Burgess.
The meeting was held off-campus due to a performance at the centre that included Carleton music students, which board members wanted to attend, according to Carleton president Roseann Runte.
Runte gave a summary of her State of the University address, describing the events, needs, and goals from the 2014-15 year.
The board also noted the June 2015 proposed changes to the bylaws excluding student union representatives from the board will now be reviewed by the governance committee and be returned to the board at a later date.
The board also discussed the university’s strategic plan, focusing on the fundraising campaign. Duncan Watt, vice president (finance and administration), said with donations totaling approximately $17 million, it was one of the university’s most successful fundraising years.
In a review of the university’s audited financial statements, Watt said the university’s surplus was about $19.6 million, mostly due to an increase in enrolment. According to the report, there was a 10 per cent reduction in the number of arts students and 15 per cent more science and engineering students, accounting for about $13 million of the surplus with their higher tuition. Watt said enrolment was higher than initially expected last year.
However, the university’s surplus may change in the coming years with changes to the funding model at the provincial level and a drop-in first-year enrolment.
“Undergraduate enrolment is the financial engine of the university,” Watt said. His motion to approve the financial audit was moved.
Board members also discussed the Strategic Integrated Plan. The main goals of the plan, presented to the board, are collaboration between students and faculty, leadership by Carleton toward innovation programs, and resilience to the hazards that university members and the world face.
