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Annual General Meeting

Each year, YURA holds an annual meeting of its members. While this is a constitutional requirement of our Association, the event has normally provided an opportunity for members to listen to a dynamic, sometimes provocative speaker; engage in a period of questions and answers with the speaker; enjoy a lunch with former York co-workers and colleagues; and participate in a business meeting of the Association.

The business of the AGM generally includes:

• Minutes of the previous year’s meeting
• Report of the Nominating Committee and affirmation of officers
• YURA finances
• York pension information
• Retiree benefits information
• Activities and events sponsored by YURA
• Student awards sponsored by YURA
• Other matters relevant to York University retirees

Photos from the 2023 Annual General Meeting

2024 YURA Annual General Meeting, to be held Friday, November 1

The AGM on Friday, November 1st will again be held in the Second Student Centre at the Keele campus.  The day’s activities will commence with morning coffee at 10:30 a.m. and our guest speaker at 11:00 a.m.  A luncheon will then be served followed by the Association’s business meeting in the early afternoon.  The AGM will again be held in hybrid format – both in person and broadcast via Zoom.  Full details with registration information will be posted on this website and circulated by e-mail to all registered YURA members closer to the date.

Guest Speaker, Dr. Glen A. Jones

Dr. Glen Jones

This year’s guest speaker will be Dr. Glen A. Jones, Professor of Higher Education, and former dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.  Dr. Jones holds the Ontario Research Chair in Postsecondary Education Policy and Measurement, and he is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Canadian and International Higher Education. 

Dr. Jones is the author of more than 150 papers in the field of higher education. His research and teaching interests focus on higher education policy, governance and academic work. His recent books include the second edition of Governance of Higher Education: Global Perspectives, Theories and Practices (with Ian Austin, Routledge, 2024), The Role of Governing Boards in Canadian Higher Education: Sociological Perspectives on the Form and Functioning of Boards (with Dominik Antonowicz, Routledge, 2023), Internationalization and
the Academic Profession: Comparative Perspectives
(with Alper Calikoglu and Yangson Kim, Springer, 2023), University Governance in Canada: Navigating Complexity (with Julia Eastman, Claude Trottier and Olivier Bégin-Caouette, McGill-Queen’s, 2022),  Universities and the Knowledge Society: The Nexus of National Systems of Innovation and Higher Education (with Timo Aarrevaara, Martin Finkelstein, and Jisun Jung, Springer, 2021), International Education as Public Policy in Canada (with Merli Tamtik and Roopa Desai Trilokekar, McGill-Queens, 2020), and Professorial Pathways: Academic Careers in a Global Perspective (with Martin Finkelstein, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019).

Dr. Jones is a past president of the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education and a former editor of the Canadian Journal of Higher Education. He received the Distinguished Research Award from the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education in 2001 and their Distinguished Member Award in 2011. He received an honorary degree from the University of Manitoba in 2018. He has won awards for his research from the Canadian Bureau on International Education and the Council on International Higher Education (ASHE) in the United States. He has held Visiting Professor appointments at the University of Hong Kong (2023), the University of the West Indies (Open Campus Barbados, 2015), Beijing Normal University (2014-2019), Fudan University (2007-2008) and he was an Erasmus Mundus Visiting Scholar at the University of Oslo (2008).

Glen Jones has held a range of administrative appointments including department chair and Dean (2015-2021) at OISE, University of Toronto and has received several awards for his contributions to academic leadership.  He is currently a member of the Alberta government Minister’s Advisory Committee on Higher Education and Skills.

REPORT ON THE 2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Click here for background reports and to view the slide show from the business meeting.

Recent AGM Guest Speakers

2023 AGM guest speaker,
Dr. Eileen de Villa,
Medical Officer of Health
for the City of Toronto

2022 AGM guest speaker,
Dr. Irvin Studin,
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
of Global Brief magazine;
President of Institute for
21st Century Questions
Photo of Dr. Brian Goldman, 2021 AGM guest speaker
2021 AGM guest speaker,
Dr. Brian Goldman,
veteran ER physician and an award-winning medical reporter.

Photo of Royson James, guest speaker at the 2020 AGM
2020 AGM guest speaker,
Royson James,
retired Toronto Star reporter
and columnist
2019 AGM guest speaker,
Anna Porter,
writer, publisher and founder of
Key Porter Books.
Photo courtesy Doug Forster
Photo of Doug Sanders, 2018 AGM guest speaker
2018 AGM guest speaker,
Doug Sanders,
author and Globe and Mail
International Affairs columnist.
Photo of Audrey Macklin, 2017 AGM guest speaker
2017 AGM guest speaker,
Audrey Macklin,
legal scholar, author and director of the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies at U. of T.
Image of David Crombie, 2016 AGM guest speaker
2016 AGM guest speaker,
David Crombie,
politician, professor and consultant; former Mayor of Toronto and federal MP.