29 November 20061

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Highlights of the strategic “white paper”

1. Distinctivenessinquiry-based teaching and learning research-informed approach

2. Maintaining excellencedisciplinary strengths interdisciplinary work

3. Characterlocal nationalinternational

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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.

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1) 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

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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

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3) National and international character

• students

• staff

• alumni

• research, scholarship and teaching

• city, our province, our country

• global reach

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A series of “i’s”

• Identity

• International

• Inquiry-based

• Interdisciplinary

• Infrastructure

• Innovation

• Integrity

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The process: where it began

1. strategic planning

2. multi-year budgeting

3. alignment of resource allocations on a yearly basis: compacts

4. decanal consultations with their faculties

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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)

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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

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The process: where it’s going

• Presentation at Faculty councils– Science– Law– All other Faculty presentations planned

• Management Forum (29 November 2006)

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Objective V

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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