Students give bill to reduce U of W board a failing grade

The University of Winnipeg is gearing up for a governance shakeup that will shrink its board and ensure Indigenous voices are at the decision-making table.

The University of Winnipeg Amendment Act, introduced in the Manitoba legislature earlier this month, outlines sweeping changes to how the inner-city campus governs itself.

It aims to downsize the U of W’s board of regents from 36 seats to 21, adjust its makeup and mandate new bylaws be introduced to improve accountability.

“A smaller board will make sure that everyone’s having a meaningful experience as a volunteer,” board chair Michelle Pereira said.

Pereira noted U of W has one of the largest boards in the country. It’s rare for all members to be in attendance, given everyone’s busy schedules, she said.

Universities have a bicameral structure, which means they are governed by two branches. The senate is made up of faculty members who are in charge of academic-related matters while the board manages finances and strategic direction.

The University of Manitoba has 23 seats on its board of governors. Brandon University’s governing body has 17 positions. There are 15 on the Université de Saint-Boniface campus.

The size and makeup of U of W’s board reflects the unique role the United Church of Canada played in its founding colleges.

The Protestant church’s general council currently appoints 10 people to the 36-seat board.

The Manitoba government plans to reduce that number to three. Its new bill also cuts designated seats for alumni, from three to one, student union representatives, from four to two, and academics, from four to three.

The proposal fully eliminates spots reserved for support staff and a single seat for a senior academic administrator.

The faculty association is supportive of the changes, but union leaders representing support staff and students expressed disappointment.

“Students are the largest stakeholder. We aren’t just customers of the university. We’re at the core of its mission,” said Alan Saji Koshy, president of University of Winnipeg Students’ Association.

Saji Koshy represents about 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students at U of W.

It would be incredibly challenging to represent “the diversity of student experience,” ranging from part-timers to international learners, with only two seats, he said.

Among other changes, the province is proposing at least two of the 10 volunteers appointed by the government identify as Indigenous.

This is an “obvious step,” that needs to be taken, given the university’s commitments to furthering truth and reconciliation, said Peter Miller, president of the faculty association representing roughly 350 academic employees.

Miller said the board needs to be reflective of those who frequent it and the broader community that has an interest in its training and operations.

He also endorsed legislative change that would bolster bylaws, including formalizing rules to ensure there are annual performance reviews of the president, in Bill 29.

If the legislation is passed as is, the board will need to adopt protocols to regulate in-camera discussions and manage conflict-of-interest issues involving members.

“There’s legislation coming forward for all post-secondaries — U of W is just the first out of the gate,” Advanced Education Minister Renée Cable said.

Cable’s office began meeting with university and college stakeholders in 2024 to review governance policies and practices.

Modernizing boards is a priority to address the auditor general’s “scathing” 2020 report on oversight issues in the sector, the minister said.

Auditor General Tyson Shtykalo did a deep dive into post-secondary governance in response to concerns about an ex-president’s questionable spending practises at Red River College (now Red River College Polytechnic) in the lead up to her 2014 departure.

Shtykalo concluded there was “little to no relationship” between board chairs and the minister, boards were using in-camera sessions inappropriately and multiple schools were not doing regular evaluations of their top leaders.

He called on the province to provide institutions with more guidance, collaborate to establish protocols to address significant concerns, including allegations of wrongdoing, and review board appointments.

Changes at U of W are expected to come into effect this summer.

All current board members will be able to complete their terms, Cable said, noting the board will gradually shrink through attrition.

There are currently four vacancies.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca