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POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND REGULATIONS

Appointment of the Chair of the Board of Governors, Procedure Governing the

 

Notes: Approved by the Board of Governors: 1995/05/15; Date Effective: 1995/05/15; Revised and Approved  by the Board of Governors: 2008/12/02

Approval Authority: Board of Governors

Signature: "Marshall Cohen"

Preamble

Section 8 of the York University Act reads as follows:"The Board shall elect from its membership a chairman who shall hold office for a term of seven years and who shall be eligible for re-election for one further term."Article VII, section 6 of the By-Laws of the Board indicates:"The Board shall elect the Chair and Vice-Chair from among its external members."

A. Procedures for the Appointment of a Chair

  1. In September in the last year of the Chair's term, or as soon as possible where the position of Chair falls vacant for any reason, the Secretary of the Board shall inform members of the Board of the vacancy and of the procedures governing the appointment of a Chair and shall invite members to suggest the name(s) of those external members of the Board who should be considered for the position. This invitation will also request members to identify the qualities and attributes which the next Chair should possess given the anticipated requirements of the position in the years ahead.
  2. The retiring Chair together with the President and the Chair of the Governance and Human Resources Committee shall nominate for Board approval members of the Board to form a Selection Advisory Committee to propose the name of a new Chair.
  3. Members asked to serve on the Selection Advisory Committee shall not normally be eligible for consideration for the position of Chair of the Board.
  4. The comments and suggestions of Board members shall be reviewed by the Selection Advisory Committee and all such comments and suggestions shall be held in confidence. The Committee will meet individually with the retiring Chair and the President to obtain their views.
  5. The Selection Advisory Committee shall propose to an in camera session normally at the December meeting of the Board in the last year of the Chair's term, the name of an external member of the Board to be Chair. The member so proposed will be invited to be absent from the session. The Board will either confirm the individual proposed or invite the Committee to reconsider the matter and to propose another name.

 

 Associated Guideline 1:  Guideline on the Term of the Chair of the Board of Governors

Context

In accordance with the York Act, the Board “shall elect from its membership a chairman who shall hold office for a term of seven years and who shall be eligible for re-election for one further term.” Two successive Advisory Selection Committees expressed strong views that the seven year term prescribed by the York Act is neither ideal for succession planning nor for attracting potential nominees to the position.

 
Guideline
 
The practice of the Board will be that a nominee for the Chair will be offered a three-year term, which will not be extended except in extraordinary circumstances.
 

Associated Guideline 2:  Guideline on the Role and Appointment of the Vice-Chair(s) of the Board of Governors.

Context

In accordance with the York Act, the Board “shall elect the … Vice-Chair from among its external members [and] shall perform all duties of the Chair when the latter is unable by reason of absence or other cause to perform such duties and shall also have such other powers and duties, if any, as may be assigned from time to time to him/her by the Board.”
 
Guideline
 
There will be one ex-officio Vice-Chair of the board who will be the Chair of the Governance and Human Resources Committee or other such committee as determined from time to time by the Executive Committee. If so determined by the Executive Committee, a second ex-officio Vice-Chair may be appointed from among the Board Committee Chairs.   The Vice-Chair will not necessarily be the Chair-Elect of the Board.