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Measuring UBC Against Provincial Best Practice Guidelines
This web page is under development and currently being reviewed by the Governance Committee of the UBC Board of Governors. If you have any questions on this material please contact bog@unixg.ubc.ca.
The University Of British Columbia Status Summary
The Premier's Office of the Province of British Columbia has established good governance as a priority initiative for all public sector agencies, crown corporations and institutions in the Province. One product is the 2005 Best Practice Guidelines for Governing Boards Of British Columbia Public Sector Organizations (PDF), from the Board Resourcing and Development Office ("BRDO").
Governance has been broadly defined by the Province as the structures and processes by which organizations are directed, controlled and held to account.
Index
The tables which follow provide the Board Resource and Development Office (BRDO) guideline in the left-hand column, and UBC's information in the right-hand column.
- Part 1: Board Composition and Succession
- Part 2: Board Responsibilities
- Parts 3 & 4: Committees of the Board
- Parts 5 - 8: Board Positions
- Part 9: Code of Conduct
- Part 10: Orientation and Professional Development
- Part 11: Annual Assessment
- Part 12: Communications And Disclosure
Part 1: Board Composition and Succession
UBC Responsibility: VP External, Legal and Community Relations
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Describe the process to identify, assess, and recommend candidates for recommendation to the Province. |
Unlike most crown corporations, some of UBC's Board of Governors are appointed by the Province and some are elected by different bodies at UBC. See Composition and Appointments on the UBC Board of Governors site for more information. |
Disclose whether a committee identifies and recommends candidates, or describe the process to identify required competencies. |
For Provincial appointments, the Governance committee works with the BRDO, which in turn is responsible for administering the nomination and appointment processs. (See the BRDO Appointment Process). For the elected positions, the Registrar is responsible under the University Act (see Part 9) to conduct elections, which are administered through the department of Enrolment Services. The Alma Mater Society (AMS) administers student elections, as delegated by the Registrar. See Composition and Appointments on the UBC Board of Governors site for more information. |
Provide the names, appointment terms, and detailed biographies of Governors. |
See UBC Board of Governors site for biographies of Governors. |
Part 2: Board Responsibilities
UBC Responsibility: VP External, Legal and Community Relations
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Disclose the text of the Board's Charter, or describe how the Board delineates its roles and responsibilities. |
The Board's roles and responsibilities are delineated through the University Act, several UBC policies and a Board Manual. A consolidated board charter is under review by the Governance Committee. |
Parts 3 & 4: Committees of the Board
BRDO Guideline The BRDO Guidelines request that the members and terms of reference are disclosed for each committee, board task force and working group.
| UBC Information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | UBC Responsibility | Members | Terms of Reference | Task Force & Working Groups Terms of Reference |
Audit Committee |
There are no Task Forces or Working Groups (currently) |
|||
Executive Committee |
Board Chair |
There are no Task Forces or Working Groups (currently) |
||
Employee Relations Committee |
There are no Task Forces or Working Groups (currently) |
|||
Finance Committee |
There are no Task Forces or Working Groups (currently) |
|||
Governance Committee |
There are no Task Forces or Working Groups (currently) |
|||
Learning and Research Committee |
There are no Task Forces or Working Groups (currently) |
|||
Management and Compensation Committee |
Board Chair |
There are no Task Forces or Working Groups (currently) |
||
People, Community & International Committee |
||||
Property and Planning Committee |
VP Administration and Finance and VP External, Legal and Community Relations |
|||
Parts 5 - 8: Board Positions
UBC Responsibility: VP Administration and Finance and VP External, Legal and Community Relations
The Board Chair
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Disclose the text of the Chair’s position or describe how the board delineates the chair’s roles and responsibilities. |
The Board Chair's position is described under University Act legislation and statements of Board procedure (see Committees and Key Personnel - Board Chair on the Board of Governors site for more information). A consolidated statement is under review by the Governance Committee. |
Disclose how the Board maintains its working relationship with the responsible Minister. |
Within the context of UBC's academic autonomy in the province, the Board maintains its relationship with the Minister through the Board Chair, and regular annual and financial reporting from the President. For examples of reporting to the Minister, see UBC Finance: Accountability Planning and Reporting and UBC Annual Reports. |
Individual Directors (Governors)
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Disclose the Statement of Governor’s Role and Responsibilities, or explain how the Board makes clear its expectations for individual members. |
The Board makes clear its expectations for individual board members through the Board Manual and a set of Board Procedures, including orientation and good communications. |
Disclose minimum attendance expectations and attendance records. |
The statutory minimum attendance for meetings is 50% (see the University Act s.22). Attendance records are maintained through meeting minutes (minutes are available on the UBC Board of Governors site). |
Disclose the total remuneration paid to the Chair and each Governor for the preceding year. |
With the exception of student Board members, there is no compensation paid to Governors other than direct meeting expenses. In recognition of their Board service, students receive the David McLean Leadership Award for Student Members of the Board of Governors. |
President (and Chief Executive Officer)
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Disclose the text of the CEO's position description. |
Currently there is no consolidated position description; a candidate profile and other references including statutory requirements (see the University Act Part 11 at s.59) are under review as the basis for the development of a consolidated position description. |
Describe the annual assessment process for the CEO. |
The Management Resources and Compensation Committee is responsible for the annual assessment of the President of the University. See Management Resources and Compensation Committee terms of reference on the UBC Board of Governors site. |
Disclose the policy on Board meetings without management present. |
The UBC Board has adopted a practice of 'Board Reflections' at the end of each meeting. This meeting time is restricted to Governors. See Committees and Key Personnel - Board Reflections on the UBC Board of Governors site for a general description. |
Chancellor
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
|
The position of Chancellor is an additional senior governance position unique to universities, honoured by tradition and statutory obligation (see the University Act Part 5 at s.11). The Chancellor is a member of the Board and ex-officio member of all Board committees as well as a member of the Senates. |
Corporate Secretary
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Disclose the text of the corporate secretary's position description, or describe how the Board delineates the corporate secretary's roles and responsibilities. |
The traditional role of a corporate Board's secretary is played by several people in a University structure (see Committees and Key Personnel - Corporate Secretary on the Board of Governors site for more information). |
Part 9: Code of Conduct
UBC Responsibility: VP External and Legal Affairs
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Disclose whether there is a written Code of Conduct, for Governors, officers and employees, and if not, describe the steps taken to foster a culture of ethical business conduct. |
There is no consolidated Code of Conduct, but rather an integrated series of documents to establish and foster a culture of ethical conduct in business and all matters of the University.
In addition UBC works within the Provincial General Conduct Principles and Standards of Ethical Conduct for Public Appointees. |
If the Board has adopted a written code, disclose, (a) how to access a copy of the Code of Conduct, and (b) how the Board monitors compliance. |
a) See section above. b) The Board monitors compliance of many different conduct concerns as a function of its fiduciary and oversight responsibilities, such as conflicts of interest and scholarly integrity, and are included in the section above. The Conflicts of Interest Administrator is an appointee of the Board who is a lawyer independent of the University and the law firms retained by the University. |
Describe the process of disclosing real or potential conflicts of interest. |
See Policy #97: Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment (Employees) and Conflict of Interest Rules (Board of Governors). |
Disclose any waivers from provisions of the Code on an annual basis, with reasons. |
No waivers have been granted. |
Part 10: Orientation and Professional Development
UBC Responsibility: Chair, Governance Committee (e-mail bog@unixg.ubc.ca)
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Describe what measures the Board takes to orient new Governors regarding: i) the relationship and division of responsibilities between the Board and Government; ii) the role of the Board, its committees and Governors; and, iii) the mandate and operations of the organization. |
The board receives an annual orientation program at its Board retreat and retains external consultants to provide input on governance issues. Board orientation is currently under review by the Governance Committee. See Governance Committee terms of reference on the UBC Board of Governors site. |
Describe what measures the Board takes to provide members with ongoing education. If the Board does not provide ongoing educational opportunities, describe how the board ensures that its directors maintain the skills and knowledge necessary to meet their obligations as directors. |
Under the leadership of the President, Chair and Chancellor, the Board promotes a collegial exchange of information which includes mentoring of new members. A more formal Board education program is currently under review by the Governance Committee. See Governance Committee terms of reference on the UBC Board of Governors site. |
Part 11: Annual Assessment
UBC Responsibility: Chair, Governance Committee (e-mail bog@unixg.ubc.ca)
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Describe the assessment process that was used in the preceding year for the board, its committees and individual directors.If there were no formal assessment process for the board, its committees or individual directors, describe how the board satisfies itself about effective performance. |
The annual Board retreat is established as a two-day period for reflection and general assessment. See Committees and Key Personnel - Assessment and Evaluation on the UBC Board of Governors site for a general description. |
Part 12: Communications And Disclosure
UBC Responsibility: VP Administration and Finance, and VP External and Legal Affairs
| BRDO Guideline | UBC Information |
|---|---|
Describe the organization’s practice for reporting on financial and other affairs of the organization. |
UBC provides accessible and comprehensive reporting, including:
|