Governance, Planning & Priorities Committee

Delegated Authority from the Senate

The Committee has delegated authority from the Senate for:

• Approving renewals of existing partnership agreements;
• Approving minor changes to existing partnership agreements;
• Approving membership of the Standing Committees of the Senate;
• Approving the repeals of policies that fall under the remit of the Senate; and
• Reporting all its decisions to the Senate.

Responsibilities

The Governance, Planning and Priorities Committee is responsible for:

• In consultation with the Senate’s standing committees, facilitating the Senate’s process of establishing and approving its long-term goals and priorities within the context of the University’s strategic and operational planning related to educational policy;
• Monitoring the Senate's progress towards its long-term goals and priorities, with regular reports and updates from the standing committees;
• Advising the Senate on:
  • the educational goals, objectives, strategies, and priorities of the University, and proposed amendments thereto;
  • policies and strategic goals related to enrolment management and the admission of students;
  • the number of students that may be accommodated by the University and policies for enrolment management;
  • the establishment or discontinuance of faculties, schools, divisions and departments of the University;
• Advising the Senate on the establishment, suspension, or discontinuance of educational programs;
• In consultation with other relevant standing committees, reviewing and advising the Senate on the terms of affiliation, articulation and other contractual agreements with other post-secondary institutions and educational bodies;
• Reviewing and approving all internal review reports produced through the University’s quality assurance processes;
• Monitoring and providing updates to the Senate on provincially mandated quality assurance policies or initiatives, as appropriate;
• Receiving the annual reports from the Senate’s standing committees on their accomplishments;
• Providing recommendations and leadership for the execution of those decisions of the Senate that have not been referred to other standing committees of the Senate;
• Advising the Senate on:
  • matters of academic policy;
  • revising Senate policies and procedures; and
  • matters related to the Senate Bylaws, including with respect to the membership, procedures, structure and terms of reference of the Senate committees;
• Approving Senate appointments to the Senate standing committees and other University advisory committees or groups requiring representation from the Senate;
• Monitoring all Senate policies to ensure that they are reviewed within the frequency required in University Policy No. 1505, “Policy Development and Administration”;
• Ensuring that:
  • proposed Senate policies and procedures (and amendments thereto) are consistent with the mission, vision, and goals of the University;
  • the development, drafting, and amendment of Senate policies are undertaken by the University department(s) that is most knowledgeable about the issues addressed in the policy;
  • an appropriate level of consultation with relevant stakeholders has taken place prior to the development, drafting, and amendment of Senate policies; and
  • proposed Senate policies and procedures (and amendments thereto) submitted to the Committee for review are supported by documentation and have a sound basis (e.g., fulfilling legal or regulatory requirements, identifying, and managing risks, enhancing operational efficiency, etc.);
• Establishing such subcommittees as needed to fulfill their responsibilities and reporting mechanisms for these subcommittees; and
• Other duties as assigned by the Senate.

Committee Membership

The Committee meets on an as-needed basis, with a minimum of two meetings per year; meetings are usually closed. For any questions, please contact the Senate Secretariat at senate@ucanwest.ca.