* Budget Committee members. Note: three faculty member representatives, one of whom shall be chair, to be elected.
The University Planning Committee shall consist of the Chancellor; the Chair of the Board of Governors (or delegate); the Vice-Chair(s) of the Board of Governors (or delegate); the President; the Provost, who shall be Chair; the Vice-President (Operations and Finance); the Vice-President, Research; the Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies; six faculty members, one from each Faculty, 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 Consultants to the University Planning Committee: the Associate Vice-President, Finance and Planning (Academic); the Assistant Vice-President/Chief Facilities Officer. 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; the Chair of Undergraduate Council; the Deputy Provost and the McMaster University Faculty Association President or delegate. The provisions of Section 12 of this by-law No. 1 shall apply to such observers. One-half of the membership, excluding the ex officio members, shall constitute a quorum.
The election of faculty, 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.
b) 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:
(i) review the Plan for the University annually, and recommend revisions to it as necessary, for approval by the Senate and the Board of Governors;
(ii) review, for recommendation to the Senate and the Board of Governors, 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;
(iii) review and receive annual planning reports as prescribed by the Provost from the Faculties, the School of Graduate Studies, the Deputy Provost, the Vice-Provost (Teaching & Learning), 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 of Governors for information;
(iv) review and receive annual planning reports as prescribed by the Vice-President (Operations and Finance) from those administrative and service units that report directly to the Vice-President (Operations and Finance), 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;
(v) 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 of Governors for information;
(vi) 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 of Governors, future fund-raising priorities and their relationship to the University Plan;
(vii) 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.;
(viii) review, for recommendation to the Senate and the Board of Governors, the annual report on the McMaster University Campus Master Plan, including any updates, amendments and elaborations; and
(ix) report to the Senate and the Board of Governors 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 McMaster University Act, 1976. All references to the Board-Senate Committee on Long-Range Planning in The McMaster University Act, 1976 shall be deemed henceforth to refer to its successor, the University Planning Committee.
All meetings of this Committee are in Closed Session.
Revised: December 13, 2023
The Budget Committee shall be a subcommittee of the University Planning Committee with membership drawn from the University Planning Committee as follows: the President, the Provost, the Vice-President (Operations and Finance), three faculty members (one of whom shall serve as Chair), one member of the non-teaching staff, one graduate student, one undergraduate student. The following individuals shall serve as Consultants to the Budget Committee: the Deputy Provost; the Associate Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer; the Associate Vice-President Finance & Planning (Academic); the Controller, Financial Affairs; the Budget Director, Budgeting Services.
(i) The Chair of the Budget Committee shall be elected annually by the University Planning Committee from among the faculty members on the University Planning Committee following nomination by the Chair of the University Planning Committee and a call for further nominations. The other two faculty members on the Budget Committee shall be selected subsequently by and from the six faculty members on the University Planning Committee for service commencing July 1 or immediately following a vacancy. The Chair may vote on all questions.
(ii) Two-thirds of the membership shall constitute a quorum. If more than two members are absent when a vote is taken on the final budget, the vote must be confirmed electronically.
The Budget Committee shall:
(i) review the budget framework prepared by the University administration in consultation with the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis, including any changes to the McMaster Budget Model; this framework (including the models and projections upon which it is based) will be provided to the Joint Administration / Faculty Association Committee to Consider University Financial Matters and to Discuss and Negotiate Matters Related to Terms and Conditions of Employment of Faculty (the Joint Committee) as will updates to the framework should these arise;
(ii) receive and respond to budget submissions from all Faculties, areas, and units;
(iii) make budget recommendations available to the University Planning Committee during development of the recommendations, for comment on whether those recommendations are congruent with the University Plan; deliver the final budget to the University Planning Committee in a timely fashion to ensure that it is in a position to make comments in advance of the budget being transmitted to other deliberative bodies;
(iv) make budget recommendations available to the University Senate for comment before they are transmitted by the President to the Planning and Resources Committee of the Board of Governors;
(v) deliver budget recommendations to the President of the University for transmittal to the Planning and Resources Committee of the Board of Governors. Any comments of the University Planning Committee and Senate shall be included in the material for the Board of Governors, along with the President’s own comments; and
(vi) hold all meetings of the Committee in Closed Session.
*Student members are selected from applicants for a one-year term (terms are renewable once)
**approved by the Committee annually
The Board of Governors By-Law No. 1, section 15, sub-section 5 (h) states:
The University Student Fees Committee shall be a sub-committee of the University Planning Committee with the following membership:
Ex Officio
Deputy Provost, who shall be Chair
Associate Vice-President, Students, who shall be Vice-Chair
Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, who shall be Vice-Chair
Associate Vice-President, Academic Planning and Finance
Executive Director, Education Services, Faculty of Health Sciences
Controller, Financial Affairs
University Registrar
Faculty Member
One Faculty Member at large
Student Members
Graduate Student Representative
Full-time Undergraduate Student Representative
Part-time Undergraduate Student Representative
*Student positions are one-year terms, renewable once
Consultants
Director, Finance and Administration, Student Affairs
Senior Associate Registrar and Graduate Secretary, School of Graduate Studies
Assistant Registrar, Government Aid Programs
Manager, Accounts Receivable, Financial Affairs
Two staff members from Financial Affairs, approved by the Committee annually
Two staff members from Institutional Research and Analysis, approved by the Committee annually
5 members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum.
The University Student Fees Committee shall:
(i) review and recommend all revisions to tuition including undergraduate and graduate degrees, diplomas, certificates and microcredentials, as well as supplementary fees to the Planning and Resources Committee. For revisions to new/existing tuition or miscellaneous fees, the University Student Fees Committee has the authority to approve reasonable requests, so as to not impede timeline requirements. These fees are eligible for publishing in marketing material with a note indicating that the fees are subject to approval by the Board of Governors;
(ii) establish timelines for the submission of all proposed tuition and miscellaneous fees to the University Student Fees Committee;
(iii) recommend policy guidelines to the Planning and Resources Committee for the purpose of
a) outlining services and materials for which fees can be charged;
b) charging fees for existing and new programs that are not funded through grants from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities;
(iv) ensure that all proposed changes to new and existing student fees are feasible, reasonable, conform to government regulations, including tax implications, and have been approved through appropriate processes within the University;
(v) ensure that proposed changes to student fees do not involve undue complications to calculate and administer; and