Terms of Reference

The University Planning Committee shall consist of the Chancellor; the Chair of the Board (or delegate); the Vice-Chair(s) of the Board (or delegate); the President; the Provost, who shall be Chair; the Vice-President (Operations and Finance); the Vice-President (Research); the Associate Vice-President and Dean of Graduate Studies; six faculty members, elected for staggered three-year terms; one Faculty Dean elected annually (by and from the six Faculty Deans); one non-teaching staff member, elected for a three-year term; one graduate student, elected for a two-year term; and one undergraduate student, elected for a two-year term. The following persons shall be Observers to the University Planning Committee: the Dean and Vice-President (Health Sciences) or delegate; the Vice-President (University Advancement); the Associate Vice-President (Students and Learning) and Dean of Students; and the Chair of Undergraduate Council. The provisions of Section 12 of this by-law No. 1 shall apply to such Observers. One-half of the membership, excluding ex officio members, shall constitute a quorum.

The election of faculty, non-teaching staff and student members to the University Planning Committee shall be conducted by the University Secretary and shall adhere to the Board of Governors Election By-Laws.

The University Planning Committee’s fundamental mandate is to coordinate academic and resource planning so that the Senate and the Board may be assured that any proposal presented for approval has academic merit that supports the mission of the University and that resources necessary for the implementation of any proposal have been appropriately assessed. In this context the University Planning Committee shall:

1. review the Plan for the University annually, and recommend revisions to it as necessary, for approval by the Senate and the Board;
2. review, for recommendation to the Senate and the Board, major initiatives (including those which are part of submissions to external agencies) that have significant resource implications, providing comment on how the proposals fit within the University Plan;
3. review and receive annual planning reports as prescribed by the Provost from the Faculties, the School of Graduate Studies, the Associate Vice-President (Academic), the Associate Vice-President (Student Affairs) and Dean of Students, the University Registrar, the University Librarian, and other units (as appropriate) that report directly to the Provost, providing comment on how the plans relate to overall University planning and current budgeting. Received plans are to be reported to the Senate and the Board for information;
4. review and receive annual planning reports as prescribed by the Vice-President (Administration) from those administrative and service units that report directly to the Vice-President (Administration), providing comment on how the plans relate to overall University planning and current budgeting. Received plans are to be reported to the Senate and the Board of Governors for information;
5. review and receive annually a report from the Vice-President (Research) on the major operations, institutes, and initiatives that receive significant support from the budget envelope of the Vice-President (Research ), and on the anticipated impact of new funding opportunities (from federal, provincial, or private agencies or businesses) as they arise. Received plans are to be reported to the Senate and the Board for information;
6. receive annually from the Vice-President (University Advancement) a report on advancement efforts of the previous year and review, for recommendation to the Senate and the Board, future fund-raising priorities and their relationship to the University Plan;
7. provide commentary, with reference to the University Plan and the McMaster University Campus Master Plan, to the relevant committee  of the Board of Governors on proposals for capital development and other expenditures that fall outside the annual budget (such as those encompassed by the Capital Renewals process). For all major projects, the University Planning Committee will be provided with a total impact analysis that assesses the ongoing costs of maintenance, utilities, etc.;
8. review, for recommendation to the Senate and the Board, the annual report on the McMaster University Campus Master Plan, including any updates, amendments and elaborations; and
9. report to the Senate and the Board any matters of concern formally identified as such by a majority of the Committee.

*    The University Planning Committee is a joint Board-Senate Committee and is the successor to the Board-Senate Committee on Academic Planning. It is also the successor to the Board-Senate Committee on Long-Range Planning named in the 1976 Act. All references to the Board-Senate Committee on Long-Range Planning in the 1976 Act shall be deemed henceforth to refer to its successor, the University Planning Committee.

All meetings of this Committee are in Closed Session.

• Last Revision – December 2020