25 Apr 06 - Marshall Cohen, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, wrote to YUFA President, Arthur Hilliker, to invite input from the Faculty Association in the form of an oral presentation regarding the choice of York's next president.  After consulting with the Executive Committee and more broadly with all YUFA members (via YUFA-M), Mr. Cohen's specific questions (presented in italics below) were addressed.  What follows was made available to the Presidential Search Committee on April 24, 2006.

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What are the key internal issues, challenges, and opportunities that will be facing York in the next decade?

The key internal issues are several. (1) The maintenance of collegial relations and effective communications between the Administration on one hand and all unions, student organizations, and academic bodies (including Faculty Councils and Senate) on the other in order to achieve the higher morale, greater productivity and increased harmony crucial to York’s future progress. (2) The provision of competitive and equitable salary and benefits to YUFA members in order to attract and retain excellent faculty members crucial to the future success of York University. (3) Appropriate and effective consultation with YUFA members and units and other concerned parties (including Senate) on all aspects of academic planning, especially new programs and academic restructuring. (4) Managing resource allocation so that academic programs receive the necessary level of support for them to be of high quality in a dynamic academic environment. (5) To engage with the York community in resolution of important equity issues; to work to ensure that there is fair representation of all

equity-seeking groups amongst students and faculty members and to review and support York’s administrative commitment to equity issues. (6) To foster the research activities of YUFA members through the provision of adequate resources and reduction in teaching load where appropriate. (7) To budget for and deal effectively with physical infrastructure concerns.

What are the key external issues, challenges, and opportunities that will be facing York in the next decade?

The key external issues are as follows. (1) To ensure that all available appropriate government funding support is obtained by maintenance of good communications with the provincial government. (2) To anticipate future developments in modes of government support in order to accommodate planning. (3) To ensure that any cooperative efforts with the private sector (e.g., biotechnology initiatives) further the long term academic goals of York University and the long term interests of faculty members and graduate students involved in such initiatives. Such initiatives must be ethical and in the public interest. (4) To ensure that York University programs be properly advertised and communicated to the public so as to facilitate optimal recruitment of high quality students. (5) To proactively support and advocate optimizing transportation of students, staff and faculty members to York University. (6) To develop a vision of a socially engaged, metropolitan university, which is prepared to work with the York University Faculty Association and other groups to initiate and support projects that enhance relations between York University and other communities, beginning with the community on our doorstep. 

What should the Committee seek in potential candidates for President in terms of:

• academic and professional qualifications

• administrative and management experience and abilities

• personal characteristics and style

• fit with York University.

(1) The President should have a doctoral level of education in an Arts, Fine Arts or Science discipline and have demonstrated administrative competence at York or another Canadian University. (2) The President should be dedicated to the fundamental goals of York University as spelled out in the legislation creating York and be committed to supporting established rules and procedures. (3) He/she should have a firm pro-active commitment to academic freedom as defined in the YUFA-York University Board of Governors Collective Agreement and will lead the University in collaboration with the professoriate. (4) Although not as crucial as a record of effective academic administrative experience, the President should ideally have an international scholarly reputation in his or her area of academic expertise. This will be important for leadership in raising the research profile of York University. In this regard it would be useful if the President had personal experience with federal grant councils and other research funding agencies. (5) It is expected that the President be able to work effectively within a unionized environment and to deal constructively with YUFA in a collegial manner it is imperative, therefore, that the President acquire familiarity with the YUFA-BOG Collective Agreement and responsibly oversee the relationship between the Administration and YUFA. (6) Although the President should not micromanage the University, it is important that he/she be a visible presence on campus and through personal contact achieves familiarity with all facets of the University. (7) Given the existence of Glendon College it would be an asset if the President were bilingual, although in our view this is not a requirement.

Based on the achievements of York University to date, what goals and aspirations do you have for the University over the next decade? What are your expectations of a President in working to achieve these goals?

We would like to see York prosper as a scholarly and educational institution and as a workplace for our members and others in the York Community. The President will be crucially important leader if this is to occur. The President must be a multifaceted individual interested in and active within all levels of the University community. He/she should be a person with an acute interest in the welfare and success of all University personnel.