Office of the Dean
PROPOSAL FOR CHANGES TO FGS FACULTY COUNCIL
MEMBERSHIP AND STURCTURE, RULES AND
PROCEDURES
INTRODUCTION
In an effort to ensure democratic processes and meaningful engagement of Faculty Council members,
FGS is proposing a change to the membership structure of Council, as well as a change to the method
through which Vice-Chairs and Chairs are selected. There changes are proposed in order to:
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align FGS Council with other Faculty Councils in terms of processes and procedures;
avoid duplication of representation; and
align Council membership categories with the current FGS mandate.
FGS Council has traditionally experienced very low participation rates. It is hoped that by refining
categories of membership, membership in Council will be seen as more valuable and impactful. It is also
hoped that by changing the processes around the selection of a Vice-Chair and Chair of Council, the
membership will have increased confidence in those positions.
ELECTION VS. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR
Currently, the Chair and Vice-Chair of Council are appointed by the Academic Planning and Policy
Committee on the recommendation of the Dean. Currently, FGS is the only Faculty Council at York whose
Chair is appointed by the Dean; in all other cases, Chairs are elected by the membership of the council.
FGS Council procedures state:
“The Chair of Council is appointed annually by the Academic Planning and Policy Committee on
recommendation of the Dean.”
“The Vice-Chair of Council is appointed annually by the Academic Planning and Policy
Committee on recommendation of the Dean.”
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Chair and Vice-Chair of Council be elected through the following
processes:
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Elections will be held annually for the Vice-Chair for a 1 year term, with the Vice-Chair
shifting to the position of Chair for a subsequent 1 year term.
Elections will be held for Chair in any year that the Vice-Chair is unable to fill the position.
All elections will be held on an annual basis as part of the general Council elections
processes.
Interim elections will be held as required should the term of the Chair and/or Vice-Chair
be interrupted for any reason.
All full time faculty members appointed to FGS may stand for election for Chair or ViceChair of Council.
As per the Structure, Rules and Procedures of FGS Council, the Chair and Vice-Chair of
Council will serve on Council committees and sub-committees as described.
Graduate Studies
PROPOSAL FOR CHANGES TO FGS MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE
FGS REPRESENTATIVES (3% of current membership)
Council currently includes 8 members from the FGS Dean’s Office including academic and non-academic
staff. This high number means that the Dean’s office is overrepresented on Council. This format is also
inconsistent with other Faculty Councils.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the category of “FGS Representatives” be amended to include academic
members (Dean and Associate Vice-President (Graduate), and Associate Deans) only. This
would remove the Executive Officer, Student Affairs Officer, Academic Affairs Officer, Secretary,
and Manager, Communications, Public Relations & Recruitment positions.
DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH PROFESSORS (19% of current membership)
This category of membership currently represents 19% of Council and there are 48 DRPs on Council at
present. A revision to this category is proposed for the following reasons:
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This category of membership exists because the Faculty of Graduate Studies administered the
appointment of DRPs for many years. This has not been the case since April 5, 2013 (as
approved by Senate).
All DRPs are appointed to FGS for life and are members of graduate programs that each have 2
or 3 representatives on Council.
Over the past 3 years, participation from this category of membership has been low. Only one
member from this category has attended a Council meeting one time between October 2012 and
June 2015. Inclusion of this category has therefore, not been an effective way to engage the
broader community in Faculty affairs.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that “Distinguished Research Professors” be removed as a category of
membership in FGS Council.
DIRECTORS OF RESEARCH CENTRES AND INSTITUTES (10% of current membership)
This category of membership currently represents 10% of Council membership and there are 28 directors
appointed to Council at present. A revision to this category is proposed for the following reasons:
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The FGS mandate does not include governance or oversight of ORUs or related administrative
processes.
ORU membership is composed of faculty and students based in graduate programs that each
have 2 or 3 representatives on Council.
Where graduate diplomas are anchored in ORUs, the diploma coordinator is a member of FGS
Council.
Over the past 3 years, participation from this category of membership has been low. Only six
members from this category have attended a Council meeting between October 2012 and June
2015. Inclusion of this category has therefore not been an effective way to engage the broader
research community in Faculty affairs.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that “Directors of Research Centres and Institutes” appoint 1 representative to
FGS Council annually.
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