GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA APPROVED BY THE GOVERNANCE AND NOMINATING COMMITTEE ON NOVEMBER 3rd, 2010 Vice-President, Governance University of Ottawa To facilitate reading, the masculine gender is used indiscriminately in this document. P a g e | 1 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK ................................................................. 3 2. HISTORY ................................................................................................................................................................ 3 3. THE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................................ 4 3.1. OBJECTS AND PURPOSE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA ........................................................................................ 4 3.2. THE BICAMERAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE .............................................................................................................. 4 3.3. ADDITIONAL LEGAL AND STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS ................................................................................................. 5 3.4. HEAD OFFICE .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 3.5. FISCAL YEAR ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 4. THE CHANCELLOR ................................................................................................................................................. 5 5. THE SENATE .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 5.1. OFFICERS OF THE SENATE .......................................................................................................................................... 6 5.2. MEMBERS ................................................................................................................................................................... 6 5.3. SENATE COMMITTEES ................................................................................................................................................ 7 6. THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS ................................................................................................................................ 8 6.1. BOARD STRUCTURE .................................................................................................................................................... 8 6.2. OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS ................................................................................................................ 9 6.3. RESPONSIBILITIES AND FIDUCIARY DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS .......................................................... 10 6.3.1. RESPONSIBILITIES ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 6.3.2. FIDUCIARY DUTIES OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS..................................................... 12 6.4. BOARD COMMITTEES ............................................................................................................................................... 14 6.5. GOVERNORS EMERITUS ........................................................................................................................................... 17 7. THE PRESIDENT AND SENIOR ADMINISTRATION ................................................................................................ 17 7.1. THE PRESIDENT......................................................................................................................................................... 17 7.2. VICE-PRESIDENTS ..................................................................................................................................................... 18 7.3. DEANS OF THE FACULTIES AND THE CHIEF-LIBRARIAN ............................................................................................ 18 7.4. THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE ................................................................................................................................ 19 7.5. THE COUNCIL OF THE ADMINISTATION COMMITTEE, THE DEANS, AND THE CHIEF-LIBRARIAN ................................... 20 8. RECRUITMENT OF GOVERNORS .............................................................................................................................. 20 8.1. ORIENTATION AND TRAINING OF GOVERNORS .............................................................................................................. 20 University of Ottawa Governance Framework August 2012 P a g e | 2 8.2. SELF-ASSESSMENT .......................................................................................................................................................... 20 9. ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF MEETINGS.............................................................................................. 20 9.1. MEETINGS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 20 9.2.ANNUAL MEETING ........................................................................................................................................................... 21 9.3.POLICY ON VIDEO-RECORDING AND PICTURE-TAKING ................................................................................................... 21 9.4.COMMUNICATION AND DISCLOSURE .............................................................................................................................. 21 9.5.INFORMATION MANAGEMENT ....................................................................................................................................... 21 10. GLOSSARY OF TERMS ............................................................................................................................................ 22 10.1.KEY GOVERNANCE INSTRUMENTS ................................................................................................................................. 22 University of Ottawa Governance Framework August 2012 P a g e | 3 1. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK The University of Ottawa (“University”) is committed to exercising the authority vested in it in a way that reflects best governance practices and ensures its purpose and objectives are achieved. Governance is defined as “the processes and structures that an organization uses to direct and manage its general operations and program activities.”1 It includes “the structures, functions (responsibilities), processes (practices) and organizational traditions that the board of an organization uses to ensure accomplishment of the organizational mission. These determine how power is exercised, how decisions are taken, how stakeholders have their say and how decision-makers are held to account.”2 The purpose of this Policy is to describe the University’s governance structure as it has been established through legislation; common-law; by-laws and resolutions approved by the Board of Governors (“Board”) and the Senate; and organizational practices as they have evolved. 2. HISTORY The University of Ottawa, one of the oldest universities in Canada and the largest bilingual university in North America, is a research-intensive, non-denominational, international university. It was originally established in 1848 as the Roman Catholic College of Bytown by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church founded on January 25th, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest from Marseilles. It was first recognized by Pope Leo XII on February 17th, 1826. In 1861, the College of Bytown became the College of Ottawa. Through a Royal charter, it was elevated to university status, becoming the University of Ottawa in 1866. In 1889, the University of Ottawa was granted a pontifical charter by Pope Leo XIII, making the Archbishop of Ottawa its Chancellor. Initially a liberal arts college (men only prior to 1919), it has been teaching pure and applied sciences in both French and English since the 1880s. It has been conferring Bachelor’s degrees since 1872, Master’s Degrees since 1875, and Doctorates since 1888. On July 1st, 1965, the Ontario Legislature approved Bill 158, the University of Ottawa Act, making the university a non- denominational, provincially-funded institution. It reorganized the University as a corporation independent from any outside body, lay or religion. The civil and pontifical charters were kept by the newly-created Saint Paul University which is federated with the University of Ottawa. The Ecclesiastical, Pastoral, and Missiology fields of studies stayed under the administration of the Oblates while the University of Ottawa retained the civil faculties. The position of President was no longer reserved for an Oblate and the position of Chancellor was no longer reserved for the Archbishop of Ottawa. Saint Paul University is a Catholic Pontifical university federated with the University of Ottawa. It is located on Main Street in Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) and has been entrusted for more