Terms of Reference

Responsibilities

The Planning and Priorities Committee of University Council is responsible for:

  1. Recommending and reporting to Council on university wide planning and priorities initiatives and review activities in consultation with the President and Senior Administration.
  2. Undertaking the review and recommending to Council on:
    1. Academic plans & priorities for the university including teaching, learning and research, scholarly and artistic works.
    2. Community engagement plans & priorities.
    3. Matters referred to it from other committees.
    4. Establishment and disestablishment (including through amalgamation or separation) of any college, school, department, or any unit responsible for the administration of an academic program, with the advice of relevant committees of Council.
    5. Establishment and disestablishment (including through amalgamation or separation), reorganization, or review of any institute or centre at the university.
    6. Affiliation or federation with other educational institutions, or dissolution of such arrangements, in consultation with relevant committees of Council.
  3. Review the physical and budgetary plans for the university and make recommendations respecting those matters to the President or Board, such as:
    1. Main elements of the comprehensive budget.
    2. Budgetary implications of government funding requests.
    3. Operating and capital budgetary matters, including infrastructure and space allocation issues.
    4. Administrative structural changes and reorganizations.
  4. Designating individuals to act as representatives of the Committee on any other bodies, when requested, where such representation is deemed by the Committee to be beneficial.
  5. Balancing academic and fiscal concerns in forming its recommendations.
  6. Proactively supporting equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging as well as a commitment to transformative decolonization leading to reconciliation in all processes and matters coming before the Committee.

Membership

  • Eleven members of the General Academic Assembly, at least six of whom will be elected members of Council, normally one of whom will be Chair. At least one member from the General Academic Assembly with some expertise in financial analysis will be nominated.
  • One Dean appointed by Council
  • One undergraduate student appointed by the USSU
  • One graduate student appointed by the GSA
  • One Sessional Lecturer*

Ex Officio Members

  • Provost and Vice-President, Academic or designate
  • Vice-President, Administration and Chief Operating Officer or designate
  • Vice-President, Research or designate
  • Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement or designate
  • Chief Financial Officer, Office of the President (non-voting member)
  • President (non-voting member)
  • Chair of Council (non-voting member)

Resource Officers (Non-voting members)

  • Resource Officers are to be identified at the end of each academic cycle for the following year (May committee meetings) by the Committee, and in consultation with the Governance Office.

Committee Coordination

  • Governance Office
*If there is no immediate interest in the Sessional Lecturer position, it will remain vacant.

Voting Members

Name Nature of Appointment College or Unit Term on Committee
Christian Willenborg (Chair) University Council Agriculture and Bioresources July 1, 2023-June 30, 2026
Claire Card University Council WCVM July 1, 2023-June 30, 2026
Rainer Dick University Council Arts and Science July 1, 2025-June 30, 2028
Jay Kalra University Council Medicine July 1, 2023-June 30, 2026
Angela Lieverse (Vice-Chair) University Council Arts and Science July 1, 2024-June 30, 2027
Jaswant Singh University Council WCVM July 1, 2024-June 30, 2027
Kerry Mansell GAA Pharmacy and Nutrition September 26, 2024-June 30, 2027
Alexey Shevyakov GAA Arts and Science September 26, 2024-June 30, 2027
Volker Gerdts GAA WCVM/VIDO July 1, 2025-June 30, 2028
Stella Spreit GAA Arts and Science July 1, 2025-June 30, 2028
Venkatesh Meda GAA Engineering July 1, 2024-June 30, 2027
Brooke Milne Dean Arts and Science July 1, 2024-June 30, 2027
TBD Sessional Lecturer    
Vince Bruni-Bossio ex officio Acting Provost and Vice-President Academic
Terry Fonstad ex officio Designate for VP Research
Greg Fowler ex officio Vice-President, Administration & Chief Operating Officer
Angela Jaime ex officio Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement
Lindsay Gray Carlson Student appointee GSA (VP Finance & Operations) April 30, 2026
Owen Deis Student appointee USSU (VP Operations & Finance) April 30, 2026


Non-Voting Members

Name Nature of Appointment College or Unit
Vicki Squires ex officio University Council Chair
Dee Henne ex officio Chief Financial Officer


Committee Support
Danielle Rudulier

Meeting Quorum
40% of voting members with at least five members of the GAA as appointed by Council (University Council members are part of the GAA)

Meeting Schedule

Planning and Priorities Committee meets Wednesday's, 9:30am-12:00pm

2025-2026
  • September 10, 2025
  • September 24, 2025
  • October 8, 2025
  • October 29, 2025
  • November 19, 2025
  • December 3, 2025
  • December 17, 2025
  • January 7, 2026
  • January 21, 2026
  • February 4, 2026
  • March 4, 2026
  • March 18, 2026
  • April 1, 2026
  • April 15, 2026
  • April 29, 2026
  • May 13, 2026
  • May 27, 2026
  • June 10, 2026

 

Centres Subcommittee

Terms of Reference

The mandate of the PPC Standing Subcommittee on Centres is to:

  • Upon request, provide advice and feedback to existing and prospective centres
  • Support and monitor compliance with the Centres Policy and provide recommendations regarding revisions
  • Develop and maintain Centres Guidelines
  • Advise on the establishment, disestablishment, and reorganization of centres
  • Maintain a list of active centres
  • Report on and bring recommendations on these issues to PPC

Membership on this subcommittee is as follows:

  • Vice Chair of the Planning and Priorities Committee to serve as chair of the subcommittee.
  • Two additional members from the Planning and Priorities Committee.
  • One member from the Academic Programs Committee.
  • One member from the Research, Scholarly, and Artistic Work Committee.
  • Five centre directors.
  • One representative of the Office of the Provost.
  • One representative of the Office of the Vice-President Research.

Terms of centre directors on the subcommittee are for three years, rotating to ensure continuity of membership. Terms of the representatives of Council committees align with their terms on those committees. Quorum of the subcommittee is a majority of voting members.

The Governance Office provides committee coordination for the subcommittee.

Contact

Loading...