UNIVERSITY COUNCIL
PLANNING AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
PRESENTED BY:
Jay Kalra, Chair
DATE OF MEETING:
June 18, 2009
SUBJECT:
Planning and Priorities Committee Annual Report to
Council
COUNCIL ACTION:
For information only
ATTACHMENTS:
Planning and Priorities Committee Annual Report for 2008/2009
Centres Subcommittee Annual Report for 2008/2009
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:
Jay Kalra, Chair
Terry Wotherspoon, Vice Chair
Ginger Appel
Jim Basinger
William Buschert
Bryan Bilokreli
Brent Cotter
David Dodds
Barrie Dubray
Richard Florizone
Peter Grant
Mary MacDonald
Jim Greer
Heather Magotiaux
Pauline Melis
Pat Renihan
Alison Renny
Robert Schultz
Karen Semchuk
Bing Si
Josie Steeves/Warren Kirkland
Colin Tennent
Andrew Van Kessel
Janice Victor/Nicholas Fraser
Sandra Calver, Secretary
REPORT TO COUNCIL
of the
PLANNING AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE FOR 2008/09
During the past year, the Planning and Priorities Committee held 24 regular committee
meetings. In addition, the Committee met jointly with the Research, Scholarly and
Artistic Work Committee and the International Activities Committee. The committee
was also represented on a number of joint and advisory committees, including the Capital
Equipment Start-up Fund Committee; CFI Advisory Committee; Indirect Costs Advisory
Committee; and Campus Advisory Board for Institutional Systems (CABIS); and a
number of ad hoc working groups and task forces. Although the committee is not
formally represented on the commitment teams and working groups associated with the
commitments of the Second Integrated Plan, committee members are active within these
groups on a volunteer basis.
As the Planning and Priorities Committee reports regularly to Council, the following is
intended as a brief summary of the committee’s activities. The Annual Report of the
Centres Subcommittee, as a standing subcommittee of the Planning and Priorities
Committee, is appended to this report.
Integrated Planning
The College Plans Review Committee of the college and administrative unit plans last
year was invaluable in informing the Planning and Priorities Committee’s consideration
of the implementation of the Second Integrated Plan and the expectations for college and
administrative units set by PCIP within the planning parameters.
The implementation of the Second Integrated Plan has occupied the committee on an
ongoing basis, with the committee focusing primarily on progress of the commitments to
Improve the Student Experience, Enhance the Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work
Profile, and the Quality and Accountability commitment. Consideration of the
performance measures to be included in the university’s Institutional Record has been an
important focus for the committee as the university’s defines those measures by which it
will determine is success relative to other institutions. Further consideration of the
commitment towards Working Together Across Institutional Boundaries and the
Financial, Capital, and People Resources strategies in support of the integrated plan are
planned in the coming year.
Strategic Planning
In keeping with its mandate to conduct and report to Council on university–wide
planning and review activities in consultation with the Provost and Vice-President
Academic, the Committee reviewed and provided comment on the following planning
documents:
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Teaching and Learning Foundational Document
Enrolment Action Plan
Report on the Assessment of Crisis Prevention and Response
Implementation Plan for the Foundational Document for International Activities
Vision 2057: University Land Use Planning Report
A Framework for Assessment: Beyond Systematic Program Review was presented by the
Planning and Priorities Committee to Council and adopted as the university’s new
framework for assessment
The committee also reviewed the draft Faculty Complement Plan Foundational
Document, which addresses issues related to faculty recruitment and retention, spousal
hires, merit compensation, and the possibility of differing standards and career
progressions within the university’s professoriate.
The committee continued to be kept apprised of the implementation of the university’s
information strategy and creation of the Information Strategy and Analytics Office, which
will integrate information management so that data can be provided in a more strategic
and meaningful way to users. This initiative is critical to the success of the Quality and
Accountability Commitment and the university’s Achievement Record.
Capital Planning
The Committee’s report on capital planning and major capital projects is presented
separately.
2009-10 Operating Budget
The Planning and Priorities Committee contributed towards the extensive discussions
regarding the 2009-10 Operating Budget in light of the global economic downturn and its
affect upon the university. The committee supports the deferral of the updating of the
university’s 2008-09 – 2011/12 Multi-Year Operating Budget Framework until the
financial situation shows greater signs of stability.
In its discussions, the committee focused on potential financial risks to the university and
the financial relationships between the key budgetary assumptions within the operating
budget, including tuition revenue, investment income, salaries and benefits, research
activity, utilities, and capital expenditures. The committee also provided its advice on
university priorities for expenditures within the university’s 2009/10 Operations Forecast
funding request from the province.
The 2009-10 Operations Forecast was submitted prior to the global financial crisis and
based upon the university’s budget development principles which advocate attaining
balanced budgets; setting ambitious, yet achievable assumptions, making realistic
requests of government; demonstrating cost competitiveness; and practicing effective
resource allocation. These principles continue to hold, with the budget measures taken to
address the approximately $10.0 million budgetary reduction in 2009/10, based upon
selective measures applied to units related to the university’s identified strategic priorities
and risks and the individual capacity and flexibility within units to absorb a funding
reduction.
With the discontinuation of the province’s tuition management strategy, the Planning and
Priorities Committee supports a review of undergraduate and graduate tuition and the
development of a multi-year tuition strategy as soon as possible.
Notices of Intent
In 2008-09, the Committee reviewed the notices of intent for the following programs:
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Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Post Specialization Certificate - Nurse Practitioner
Ph.D. in Epidemiology and M.Sc. and Ph.D. Programs in Biostatistics within the
School of Public Health
M.A. in Anthropology
M.F.A. in Creative Writing
Centres
The following centres were recommended to Council for approval:
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Centre for Strategic Financial Management (Type A)
Centre for the Advancement of Accounting Education (Type A)
Saskatchewan Centre of Excellence in Transportation and Infrastructure (Type A)
University Academic Administration
The following departmental name change was recommended to Council:
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Dept. of Industrial Relations and Organizational Behaviour to Human Resources
and Organizational Behaviour
It has been my pleasure to Chair the Committee this past year. I wish to extend my
thanks and acknowledgment of the contributions and commitment of all members, who
devoted many meeting hours in discussion of the university’s planning and budgetary
activities.
Jay Kalra, Chair
UNIVERSITY COUNCIL
CENTRES SUBCOMMITTEE
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
PRESENTED BY:
Jay Kalra, Chair
DATE OF MEETING:
June 18, 2009
SUBJECT:
Centres Subcommittee Annual Report
COUNCIL ACTION:
For information only
DISCUSSION SUMMARY:
The Centres Subcommittee is a standing subcommittee of the Planning and Priorities
Committee with representation from the Academic Programs Committee, Research,
Scholarly and Artistic Work Committee, the Vice-President Research, the Vice-President
Finance and Resources, the Provost and Vice-President Academic, and resource
personnel. The committee facilitates the creation of new centres, reviewing proposals for
centres under the university’s Centres Policy and recommending on their establishment to
the Planning and Priorities Committee. The subcommittee is also responsible for the
Guidelines for the Application for Centres.
The Centres Subcommittee met on six occasions in 2008-09 to review proposals for the
following Centres:
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Centre of Hydrology (Type B); proposal under revision
Centre for Strategic Financial Management (Type A); approved by Council
Centre for the Advancement of Accounting Education (Type A); approved by
Council
Saskatchewan Centre of Excellence in Transportation and Infrastructure (Type
A); submitted for Council approval
In addition, the Centres Subcommittee received regular updates on the university’s earlystage vision for a Centre of Nuclear Studies based upon three pillars—The Nuclear
Cycle; Scientific and Medical Foundations; and Environment and Society.
The Centres Subcommittee also approved the name change of the Centre for Distributed
Learning to the Centre for Discovery in Learning, to reflect the expanded mandate of the
centre to focus on all aspects of research of teaching and learning, including online
learning.
The Centres Subcommittee is represented on the Implementation Team on the
Management of Centres struck by the Office of the Vice-President Research to develop
guidelines for the assessment of and effective management of centres, related to
governance structures, financial viability, and resources.
The attached listing provides a comprehensive list of centres, units, and research groups
as of June 2009. If, in reviewing the list, any errors or omissions are found, please
contact Sandra Calver, Committee Secretary.
CENTRES SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:
Jay Kalra, Chair
Susan Blum
Barrie Dubray/Bryan Bilokreli
Karsten Liber
Rose Olfert
Lawrence Martz
Fred Remillard
Piya Sen
Terry Wotherspoon
Sandra Calver, Secretary
ATTACHMENTS:
Listing of Units, Centres, Divisions, Institutes, & Research Groups as of June, 2009
www/university_secretary/council/committees/planning_priorities/report_files/pdf/
PPJune200910.2centresreport2008-09.pdf