University Secretary

Department: University Secretariat

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The University Secretary, as Secretary of the Board of Governors and Secretary of the Senate, is a seasoned and experienced member of the University leadership team and is the most senior advisor on governance issues within the university. The Secretary provides and oversees services to the Board and Senate and works with senior colleagues to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the University’s governance systems. He/ she is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the activities of the Board of Governors and of the Senate, and their committees, subcommittees, councils, boards, and student judicial hearing and appeal committees to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the university’s bicameral system of government. The University Secretary is also responsible for administration of freedom of information and privacy legislation at the University and is a delegated decision-making authority under the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). The University Secretary is responsible to the entire university community for the provision of timely, accurate, and objective information, advice, interpretation and application of policy and legislation as it relates to access to information and privacy or the University of Guelph Act (1964).

The general objectives of the position are:

• To promote a healthy and effective culture of governance and a focus on best practices in university governance
• Provide impartial advice on governance and policy issues to the President, Board Chair, Senate and Board Committee Chairs, and senior leaders of the University
• Ensure the President, Board Chair and executive leadership team are provided with credible and complete information about the work of the Secretariat and receive timely identification of risks, including reputational.
• Stay up-to-date on issues about governance and, as needed, develop governance policy alternatives for Board or Senate consideration
• Nurture a shared understanding of, and give advice on, the respective roles of the Board, the Senate, and the University’s senior leaders
• To be well-informed about and maintain university policies and procedures, provide authoritative advice on the interpretation of governance policies, identifying policy gaps, and assisting with drafting such policies and procedures.
• To be responsive to all legitimate requests for information, assistance and advice within the context of the resources of the Secretariat.
• As the Secretariat’s director, to manage the operations of the office and supervise and develop Secretariat staff.
• Proactively inform and engage the senior leadership team on processes and strategic considerations (including timelines) regarding the development of material for committees.

The Secretary reports administratively to the President & Vice-Chancellor of the university. Functionally, the Secretary is also accountable to the Chair of the Board of Governors. Supervision is on an informal basis, although contact is regular and often daily or weekly, and often involves matters of a sensitive nature.

In accordance with the University of Guelph Act, the university operates under a bicameral system of government comprising the Senate and the Board of Governors. The Board is responsible for the governance, conduct, management and control of the university and of its property and affairs. The Senate is responsible for setting the academic policies and priorities of the university.

The Board and Senate conduct their business through a network of standing committees, subcommittees, councils, and hearing and appeal committees which make recommendations to their parent body or the President, or where so authorized, act on behalf of the parent body.

The Secretary is a non-voting member of the Board of Governors and of the Senate and is an ex officio member of most of the standing and subcommittees of both bodies. The Secretary and Secretariat staff provide support to the committees and subcommittees as well as to the parent bodies. In addition, the Secretary supports the work of special committees such as the Presidential Selection and Review Committees and the Chancellor Selection Committee.

The Secretary assists the Board Chair and the Governance & Human Resources Committee of the Board in carrying out an annual performance review of the President.

The general responsibilities of the position fall into five categories of activity: organization, management, maintenance, prevention, and remedy.

1. Organization

• The Secretary is responsible for providing administrative and secretarial assistance to the Board, Senate, and their committees to ensure that decisions are appropriately and legally made. This includes preparation and distribution of agendas and documents, writing reports and minutes of meetings, and disseminating policy information and information about decisions taken by the governing bodies and their committees to the wider community. It also includes responsibility for proactively identifying, and proposing solutions to procedural issues.
• The Secretary is responsible for the conduct of the annual election of members of the Board and Senate from the faculty, student and administrative staff constituencies, for ensuring that committees are struck appropriately and in accordance with terms of reference, and for advising the Governance and Human Resources Committee of the Board with respect to upcoming vacancies in Board membership in the non-elected constituencies. The Secretary is the Chief Electoral Officer for all elections held under the auspices of the Secretariat.
• The Secretary is responsible for organizing the orientation and continuing education of members of governance bodies.
• Corporate responsibilities of the position include: support for the University’s student judicial services, and hearing and appeal committees dealing with student academic and non-academic conduct; administration of the University’s Corporations Information Act annual return; and administration of the University’s compliance with provincial and federal legislation related to governance matters, privacy and access to information. These responsibilities entail a close working relationship with the university’s General Counsel.

2. Management

• The Secretary has strong managerial experience and is responsible for the internal management of the Secretariat, including all human resource functions, setting objectives and priorities for the office, evaluating performance and awarding merit increases, and overseeing the daily flow of work.
• Allocate staff resources strategically and set a tone for a well-organized and professional staff. This requires a demonstrated leadership competency and success in building and developing effective teams and stakeholder relations in support of organizational needs. The Secretary must have a strong record of building and implementing a collegial, inclusive and highly collaborative workplace culture.

3. Maintenance

• The Secretary gives continuity to the work of the Board, Senate and their committees, providing members with historical information and interpretation of policies and practices.
• The Secretary is responsible for maintaining the official corporate governance records of the university: minutes, bylaws, rules of order, policies, and other documents, and for making those records publicly available as provided for by the Board and Senate rules.
• The Secretary is a resource centre for the university community for information on all matters within the jurisdiction of the Board and Senate.
• The Secretary is responsible for oversight of the University’s privacy management program, ensuring institutional accountability with regard to legislative obligations through appropriate policies, processes and training.

4. Prevention

• The Secretary has a responsibility for keeping a watchful eye on the flow of business through the governance structure to ensure that matters are dealt with expeditiously and in keeping with policies, practices and terms of reference established by the Board and Senate or by law, and to ensure that any procedural errors or issues are identified and dealt with. The consequences of procedural error can be serious as decisions made by Senate and Board are held up to public scrutiny and may be challenged in the courts. Failure to follow established patterns or uphold explicit procedures may result in loss of time and loss of credibility of the governing bodies.

5. Remedy

• The Secretary is consulted frequently by officers of the university, faculty, students, and staff or advice or rulings as to how actual or anticipated problems can be resolved. Solutions are often bound by interpreting and applying established policies and procedures or past procedures to the circumstances. When a problem is unique or is a signal of recurrent situations to come, the Secretary designs a procedure to ensure orderly resolution. Occasionally such procedures are of a magnitude to require presidential, Board, or Senate approval or to require consultation with general counsel.

Challenges of the Role:

• Dealing effectively in a complex environment. The Board and Senate, partly due to their different statutory responsibilities and partly because of their composition, have very different modes of operations. In addition, the terms of reference of the various committees of each run the gamut of university operations, both academic and administrative.
• Creative problem-solving. Although the Secretary must work within the framework of established policies and procedures of the two governing bodies, the position requires initiative and the ability to exercise judgment with minimal direction or advice from the president or the Chair of the Board, neither of whom is likely to be an expert in governance. The Secretary must frequently find ways to address conflict among the various constituencies on a range of issues such that the decision making of Senate, Board, and their committees is carried out in a collegial manner with the focus on the substance of the matter at hand rather than procedure.
• Maintaining neutrality and confidentiality. Senior administrators, deans, individual members of faculty, staff and the student body, Senators, and Governors, consult the Secretary about policies and procedures. It is important that the Secretary provide full information and impartial and judicious advice to any and all who requires it. Discussions are frequently on a confidential basis, and the Secretary must be vigilant to maintain the trust of the community.
• Coordinating multiple concurrent activities to ensure that the Board, Senate, and committees are adequately served. The work flow is quite uneven and there are often competing priorities - all of which must be served in a timely fashion.

Contacts:

• Internal contacts are extensive and varied. There is frequent contact with the president and the senior leadership team, the leadership of the Board of Governors, the university’s General Counsel, student leaders, deans, and members of Senate and Board.
• External contacts include outside legal counsel, university secretaries at other institutions, members of the general community, government officials, and - on occasion - members of the press.

Qualifications:

The Secretary must demonstrate competence in the following areas, and must encourage the development of these skills in members of the Secretariat staff:

• Significant experience (7-10 years) related to current governance practices and board management disciplines with a university or similar organization. Experience with bicameral and collegial governance is an asset.
• Significant recent, relevant leadership, team-building and managerial experience.
• Comprehensive understanding of the overall functional organization of the university, especially the role of the Board, the Senate and the Secretariat in this environment.
• Overall understanding of administrative law and the University’s corporate responsibilities and legislative obligations
• Awareness of the reputational and political issues that may affect the university and the ability to address issues by developing practical solutions that suitably mitigate risk.
• Ability to deal with confidential information in a mature and judicious way, ensuring that the integrity of the Secretariat and of the university as a whole is not compromised.
• Excellent business and political acumen, with the ability to manage challenging interpersonal interactions diplomatically and with empathy while maintaining objectivity and discretion.
• Ability to elicit the confidence and cooperation of the various groups - administrators, staff, faculty, students, alumni, and the community at large - that look to the Secretariat for assistance, information, and advice.
• Demonstrate initiative, creativity, agility and mature judgment in the performance of all duties.
• Ability to deal simultaneously with a multitude of diverse activities, generally under inflexible and critical time constraints. High capacity for work, and a willingness to go beyond a regular work schedule when required to meet deadlines.
• Ability to communicate ideas and information, both orally and in writing, in a clear concise fashion.
• Ability to provide sound judgement regarding high-stakes issues, and advise on critical decisions of consequence, often in a highly charged, time-sensitive environment.

Employee Type: Regular
Position Number: 10017001

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

Posting Date: 11/21/2024
Closing Date: 12/12/2024