Strengths and Aspirations A white paper call to action regarding McGill University’s future

1. Strengths and AspirationsA white paper call to action regarding McGill University’s future Professor Anthony C. Masi Provost 2006 Management Forum Conference New Residence Hall Ballroom 29 November 2006

2. What is the difference between a Provost and a VP (Academic)? • Chief Academic Officers • VP Academic is “first among equals” • the Provost • is “second in command” of the University • has joint or shared responsibilities with the other VPs • takes responsible for preparing the University’s budget so that the • guarantees that academic priorities and resource allocations are: • aligned • balanced • coherent

3. Responsible for “Administering the Academy” • “job #1”: academic matters • relations with the Deans, Faculties, faculty members, and other academic positions • appointments, renewals, tenure, promotions • admissions and enrolment management • courses and teaching programs, teaching loads, class-sizes • student life and learning • disciplinary matters involving faculty and students • Libraries • teaching support • IST infrastructure • policies to guide our actions for any of the above

4. The Provost’s job expands… • the “budget” is now a planning document • planning and institutional analysis • academic personnel and academic management • budget office • new framework for alignment at McGill • HR functions (new AVP-HR, dual reporting) • financial and process auditing and performance indicators (ED-FS, dual reporting) • facilities development (new AVP-US, dual-reporting) • creating incentives and leveraging: strategic thinking and actions

5. Provost in the middle? • Governance: • Senate: dialogue and networks • Board: the academic/educational agenda • Provost is the “meat in the sandwich” • resource allocations • research directions • public policy • fund-raising priorities • academic hospital issues • Principal & VPs & Deans

6. Highlights of the strategic “white paper” Distinctiveness inquiry-based teaching and learning research-informed approach Maintaining excellence disciplinary strengths interdisciplinary work Character local national international

7. Overarching goals McGill will consistently rank among the top 20 publicly-funded, research-intensive universities worldwide; In selected areas our performance will unambiguously position the University among the world leaders; We will achieve this by implementing this plan over the next 5 years.

8. Distinctiveness Academic renewal recruitment retention retirement Undergraduate programs broadly maintain size growth targeted areas special value of professional programs Graduate education Professional degrees Non-thesis Master’s degrees Research degrees Master Ph.D. Postdoctoral education

9. 2) Excellence: interdisciplinary research and programs Neurosciences cognitive, biological, behavioural, pain Public Policy health and social policy Environment science and studies Computation, statistical interference and modelling Nanoscience nanotechnology and advanced materials Integrative systems biology stem cells, developmental, drug discovery Languages, literatures and cultures comparative

10. 3) National and international character students staff alumni research, scholarship and teaching city, our province, our country global reach

11. A series of “i’s” • Identity • International • Inquiry-based • Interdisciplinary • Infrastructure • Innovation • Integrity

12. The process: where it began • strategic planning • multi-year budgeting • alignment of resource allocations on a yearly basis: compacts • decanal consultations with their faculties

13. The process: where it has gone Version 1 Senate and Board Principal’s Task Force on Student Life and Learning MAUT Open Forum on Planning, Process and Outcomes Computer Users’ Committee Faculty of Science (chairs) Faculty of Arts (council)

14. The process: where it has gone Revised Governance: Board of Governors Senate Deans’ Retreat Faculties Director of Libraries Orientations New academic administrators New faculty P/VP Postings Office of the Provost web site

15. The process: where it’s going • Presentation at Faculty councils • Science • Law • All other Faculty presentations planned • Management Forum (29 November 2006)

16. Objective V • McGill will support its academic priorities by ensuring the highest quality service from all support areas.

17. Strategy V.1 • McGill will commit significant resources to improve its Library to make it competitive with the best in Canada, placing emphasis on information, service, and innovation.

18. Strategy V.2 • McGill will improve its information system and technology in support of the University’s strategic teaching, learning, and research efforts with the objective of providing the highest quality of service and the avoidance of costly duplication. • Several major projects will be undertaken immediately and others will be added as needed.

19. Strategy V.3 • McGill will immediately undertake a series of renovations to modernise existing laboratory, classroom and museum spaces, and integrate that thinking into its Master Plan for physical developments.

20. Objective VI • McGill will offer opportunities for professional development and growth and create a work environment conducive to enhanced productivity and improved job satisfaction for all support personnel.

21. Strategy VI.1 • McGill will work in a variety of ways to improve the working conditions and professional development opportunities of the support staff whose work makes possible the achievements of our professors and the success of our students.

22. Objective VII • McGill will develop internal performance indicators and measure progress externally against selected peer institutions and national and international ranking exercises with an aim of always being in the top tier of such exercises.

23. Strategy VII.1 • McGill will monitor its performance internally against agreed upon performance indicators for each Faculty and administrative unit and externally against chosen peer institutions in order to enhance our standing among the world’s publicly-funded research-intensive universities.

24. An evolving document comments received considered seriously substantive changes made refinements ongoing, but coming to and end administrative guidelines being used to align resource allocation to academic priorities annual operational “compacts” with Faculties, extending to administrative units functional space plan underlying the campuses’ Master Plan academic guidance for the comprehensive capital campaign administrative plan for resource allocations

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