Michael Robertson [BA/98, MArch/04] is the incoming Chair of the University of Manitoba Board of Governors and a 2024 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service. Of Cree descent, he was the first Indigenous graduate from the Masters of Architecture program and has been a long-standing contributor to the university community. While completing his undergraduate degree, he held his first on-campus job in the student records office. He later served as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors, a member of the President’s Advisory Council, and Chair of the Faculty of Architecture’s Partners Program.

An award-winning architect and Principal of Robertson Design, Michael’s work spans Manitoba, Canada, and the U.S., with notable projects on campus, including Migizii Agamik (Bald Eagle Lodge) and the Desautels Concert Hall. His career is grounded in social impact, Indigenous inclusion, and community development. He has also served on the boards of United Way Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Housing and Homelessness Initiative, and BUILD Inc., a non-profit that helps people overcome barriers to employment.

Diane Roussin [BSW/96], the incoming Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors, is also a familiar face on our campus. Indeed, she is the face of our recent marketing campaign featuring alumni at the centre of positive change. Roussin is a “Bison at the Centre of Social Innovation.”

Roussin is Anishinaabe and a proud member of the Skownan First Nation who in 2018 received the Governor General’s Award for Outstanding Indigenous Leadership and in 2025 the King Charles III Coronation Medal. She is the Project Director of The Winnipeg Boldness Project, championing Indigenous-led solutions for families and communities. (She will speak about this and more at a live recording of the president’s award-winning podcast, What’s the Big Idea? on Nov. 13, 2025.) She has also served the boards of The Winnipeg Foundation, Winnipeg Art Gallery, and Animikii, an Indigenous technology company supporting sovereignty.

Robertson and Roussin share the belief that meaningful community engagement and leading from behind drive the most positive change.

“You can’t tackle complex issues without trust and connection,” Roussin once said. “When we prioritize relationships, it fosters interdependence—where every being and relationship matters—and creates space for honest and meaningful collaboration.”

The University of Manitoba is grateful to the dedicated volunteers who serve on the Board of Governors and its committees and congratulate Mr. Robertson and Ms. Roussin to these leadership role, and express appreciation to outgoing Chair and Vice-Chair Ms. Lynette Magnus and Mr. Kimber Osiowy for their tireless dedication to UM.

The announcement was made today by UM President and Vice-Chancellor, Michael Benarroch, at the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, State of the City luncheon.

The University’s Committee of Election – a joint session of the University’s Board of Governors and Senate – approved the unanimous recommendation of the Chancellor Search Committee that Dave Angus be elected as the next Chancellor for a three-year term. He will succeed the current Chancellor, Anne Mahon, who has served in this volunteer role with distinction since 2019.

“With decades of dedicated service to our province as a business leader, community builder, and advocate for Manitoba and its people, Dave Angus is exceptionally well-suited to serve as Chancellor of the University of Manitoba.  He brings a unique combination of experience, insight, and energy, and will work with both the University community and the broader public to promote and celebrate the University of Manitoba, helping to shape an even stronger university for the future,” says Lynette Magnus [BComm/91], Chair of the Board of Governors and Chair of the Chancellor Search Committee.

The Chancellor is the ceremonial head of the University, responsible for conferring all degrees and diplomas. The Chancellor Search Committee identified the capacity to serve as a strong ambassador for the University within the broader community and to contribute meaningfully to its governance as key criteria for selection.

“Through my involvement in the community, particularly the Chamber of Commerce, I saw how impactful the University of Manitoba is and developed a deep appreciation for its stature among universities across Canada, and internationally,” says Dave Angus. “There are so many layers to the impact of this university and if I can play a role in spreading that message and bringing people to the University through partnerships, then that’s a role I am honoured to play.”

Since graduating from the Asper School of Business in 1982, Angus has dedicated himself to strengthening Manitoba’s business community and supporting local organizations. His leadership excellence was recognized in 2012 when he was named Canada’s top chamber of commerce executive. Before becoming President of Johnston Group, a leading employee benefits company, Angus was President and CEO of The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce for 17 years.

A member of the Order of Manitoba, he volunteers extensively, sitting on the United Way Campaign Cabinet for eight of its annual drives and serving as campaign chair in 2020. He is Chair of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, a member of the museum’s Audit and Finance Committee, its Governance, Nominating, and Board Development Committee, and is actively involved in fundraising for the museum’s Digital Learning Centre project.

Through his involvement with the United Way, Angus is rallying local businesses in furthering their adoption of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, specifically Call to Action #92, which focuses on youth employment. He conceived and championed an Employer Consortium model that supports business-to-business learning, helping local employers learn from each other, scale up their efforts, and collectively respond to Call to Action #92.

“Dave Angus is someone who leads by example,” says Benarroch. “He embodies an entrepreneurial spirit we want to impart into more students—this idea of looking at the challenges that surround us and saying, ‘OK, what can I do to solve this, and who else can help?’ He brings people together to make this community better. I’m excited for him to bring this passion to our campus and advise us on how we can engage and partner with even more people.”

Dave Angus has served our community in many roles, including: Past-chair and sitting member of the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation; Co-chair of the Board of the World Trade Centre Winnipeg; Co-chair of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council; board member of the Manitoba Museum; board member of Winnipeg’s Downtown Council; Canadian representative on the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives; Co-chair of the Council of International Trade; member of the City of Winnipeg’s Red Tape Commission; member of the Mayor’s Trade Council; Board Chair of the Prairie Theatre Exchange; and board member of the YM/YWCA.

The most significant recommendations include revisions to the allocation of the provincial grant and how subvention – or grants from the university to academic units – is used, providing more stability and predictability to unit budgets.

Another key recommendation is to revise the policy governing the carryover of unspent funds.

The implementation of these recommendations is being overseen by two committees, and will be included as units begin their 2025/26 budget planning process.

More stability for academic unit budgets

The budget model revision committee reviewed and advised on the proposed changes to the current budget model.

“Many of these changes focused on making academic unit budgets more stable from year to year,” says Diane Hiebert-Murphy, Provost and Vice-President Academic. “Smoothing fluctuations in the allocation of the provincial grant will reduce budget variability from year to year, providing greater predictability and more closely aligning the allocation of resources to academic units with how the university receives its funding.”

The changes include:

• Providing a base operating grant to each unit. This is a move away from allocating the provincial operating grant based on performance drivers such as enrollment and research expenditures. In future, the provincial operating grant – which makes up 55% of UM’s operating revenue – will form a base portion of an academic unit’s budget and will be adjusted annually to reflect changes in grant funding and domestic tuition rates.
• Reducing the tax on revenue that funded the subvention grants to other units.
• Simplifying the allocation of central costs to academic units, while maintaining academic unit oversight of support unit costs and priorities.
• Maintaining the allocation of tuition revenue to academic units based on enrollment, incenting units to maintain their enrollment at capped levels or grow, depending on the faculty.

Revising the carryover process

The carryover committee reviewed the recommendations from the budget review and advised on changes to the existing carryover-of-surplus process.

Currently, the carryover process allows faculties and units to retain 100% of any unspent funds in a year.

Given the increase in accumulated carryover funds at the faculty and unit levels, along with changes to the budget model aimed at smoothing year-over-year financial fluctuations for faculties, the committee recognized the need to revise the carryover process.

“The new carryover process will strike a balance by allowing faculties and units to proactively save for key initiatives and maintain reasonable reserves for unforeseen circumstances, while encouraging timely use of funds in support of the university’s mission.” says Naomi Andrew, Vice-President (Administration).

The revised process will cap unallocated carryover at 10% of a unit’s annual operating budget and define and monitor specific circumstances under which a unit can plan to save for multi-year expenditures or capital projects.

Any funds in excess of the cap will be pooled and allocated to support institutional priorities by the Provost based on input from an advisory committee made up of deans, faculty members and others.

These improvements to the budget model and the carryover process will be implemented as units begin their 2025/26 budget planning process.

Find out more about the university’s budget model and the budget cycle by visiting the budgeting website.

I am very pleased to share that the Board of Governors unanimously approved the re-appointment of President and Vice-Chancellor Michael Benarroch to a second five-year term, beginning July 1, 2025.

The re-appointment of Dr. Benarroch follows the completion of a comprehensive review by the Board’s Presidential Review Committee.  The Committee, representing students, staff, faculty, and independent Board members, sought and received widespread feedback from members of the UM and broader communities.  The Committee looked ahead at the opportunities and challenges facing the University and heard from President Benarroch on his vision for the University of Manitoba into the future.

The Board has full confidence in President Benarroch’s ability to lead our university in alignment with its new five-year strategic plan and in support of a university that will lead change for a better Manitoba.

President Benarroch has shown exceptional leadership throughout his first term. He successfully guided the University during the pandemic, always focused on ensuring the continuation of student learning, while maintaining safety for all. He has built an outstanding and cohesive leadership team and has placed a renewed focus on research and innovation, enabling greater success of UM faculty, staff, and students.  Under his guidance, UM is a leader in advancing Reconciliation and is home to the National Centre of Truth and Reconciliation. The work of the Anti-Racism Task Force and the President’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion provides a strong foundation for the University moving forward and fosters belonging, a UM core value.  President Benarroch champions the University of Manitoba and its members in the broader community, heightening external engagement and support. His energy and passion for the University of Manitoba are inspiring.

On behalf of the Board of Governors, I wish to express our appreciation to President Benarroch for his authentic leadership and practical wisdom.  He acts with integrity and shows deep respect for all members of our UM and greater communities, actively seeking input from diverse voices and engaging to build positive relationships. Dr. Benarroch has an unwavering commitment to a successful University of Manitoba, its students, faculty, and staff, and to the meaningful and positive impact the University has on our province.  I look forward to these next five years and where his leadership will take us.

Sincerely,
Lynette Magnus, Chair
Board of Governors

We are excited to share MOMENTUM: Leading Change Together, University of Manitoba Draft Strategic Plan, 2024-2029. Informed by our community consultations, this draft plan is accompanied by an updated mission, vision, and core values, which has directed the Strategic Planning Committee in its work.

Before the Committee moves forward with presenting a final plan to Senate and the Board of Governors for approval, we invite you to read and share your thoughts and comments on this important document. This plan will guide our shared work over the next five years. We want to ensure that it resonates and that the diversity of voices and perspectives that strengthen our UM community are reflected in our plans to achieve our collective aspirations.

The draft plan is now available on the UM Strategic Plan Website and an online form is available to provide your thoughts. The form will be available until 4:00 on Wednesday December 13, 2023, and will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. The Committee will be presented with your feedback to inform the final plan.

Thank you for the time and energy you have given to help us reach this important milestone. We want to continue to hear from you and look forward to receiving your feedback.

Miigwech. Thank you.

Michael Benarroch,
President and Vice-Chancellor

Diane Hiebert-Murphy,
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

As the new budget model approached its fifth year, the UM community was invited to reflect on their experiences working within the redesigned model and offer feedback on UM’s annual budgeting processes in general. 

The review set out to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the model and whether it met stated goals: aligning resource management, planning, and allocation with the University’s mission and strategic priorities, enhancing collaboration among academic and central support units, incentivizing creativity, innovation and the pursuit of revenue opportunities, promoting fiscal understanding, and maintaining openness and transparency.

External consultants, Huron, examined the responses from the community’s feedback and presented a report on the key findings and possible next steps in improving how we allocate resources within the University to a broad-based Steering Committee.

“The report validated many strengths of the model, such as high transparency in the way revenue is allocated and that the model drivers are aligned with our mission and goals,” says Greg Smith, Vice-Provost (Academic Planning and Programs) and budget model steering committee co-lead. “We also heard that the annual budget process has improved, becoming clearer and more consistent. The report also identified areas where we can improve to better support UM’s academic and research mission; these recommendations will be carefully considered by the various sub-committees.”

Some of the recommendations include: 

• Create a pool of funds to support strategic and operational priorities including capital, one-time, and ongoing funding.
• Encourage use of funding in the current year through an improved carryover / provisions policy and the development of a clear and specific capital renewal fund.
• Improve budget predictability and stability for Faculties by removing the provincial grant allocation from the budget model distribution formula and simplifying the central cost pool allocations.

Over the next two years, several sub-committees will evaluate the recommendations and work to operationalize specific changes to the budget model and budgeting processes that ensure the overall financial health and success of the University.

“I want to thank everyone who participated in the consultation process and on the Steering Committee. Implementation of the recommendations from the review will enhance the University of Manitoba’s ability to meet our shared goals and strategic priorities,” says Diane Hiebert-Murphy, Provost and chair of the budget model steering committee. 

More information on our budget model and the budget cycle may be found on the budgeting website.

Cook [MD/87, MSc/03] is the first Indigenous recipient of this national award, which she will accept in September at a gala in Ottawa.

“It is such an honour to receive this award,” Cook said. “Work like this is never done alone, and I must stress that I do so on behalf of all the people who have worked so hard alongside me, those who have supported me, mentored me and been part of the teams that have made a difference over the years.”

Throughout her career spanning more than 35 years, Cook has worked with First Nations, Métis, Inuit, provincial, and federal governments, as well as community organizations, to champion the importance of health services for Indigenous Manitobans.

She has served on multiple professional associations, councils, committees, and boards as a highly respected advisor who advocates for Indigenous peoples’ health and in doing so, she has worn many hats: as provincial lead of Indigenous health at Shared Health Manitoba; as an associate professor of community health sciences; as head of Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing; as vice-dean of Indigenous Health; and today as vice-president (Indigenous) at UM.

This award caps a distinguished career as she is set to retire from UM later this year.

“I have been fortunate to work alongside and learn from Dr. Cook throughout my tenure as President and I can confidently say she is unquestionably committed to public service. She is a changemaker who has inspired generations,” said Michael Benarroch, president and vice-chancellor at the University of Manitoba. “On behalf of our university community, I congratulate her on this great honour and thank her for her dedication to improving equity and access to health care delivery in this country.”

Cook grew up in a relatively isolated fishing community on an island in Lake Winnipeg and it was there she learned the value of working for others.

“You took care of people who needed help, did what you could for those around you. That was instilled in us very early as children—that we were to look out for each other,” Cook once told UM Today The Magazine.

She became one of the first Indigenous physicians trained in Manitoba and a pivotal moment in her career came when she was in a remote northern nursing stations and saw the disparity of service different peoples received. She knew then that these deeply embedded challenges would have to be addressed through public-health policy and health administration. So she worked hard to bring change and now her lifetime of work is being honoured by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

Cook has also brought systematic changes to UM’s ways of doing things since becoming the inaugural VP (Indigenous) in 2020. In her term, for instance, she helped usher in: the EleV program, which increases equity and access to post-secondary education across Manitoba; the Indigenous Content Requirement that increases students’ understanding of the place of Indigenous people in Manitoba’s and Canada’s history; the development of a Reconciliation Action Plan; and the Anti-Racism Task Force, on which she is a co-chair, just to name a few internal impacts.

She has mentored hundreds of fellow Indigenous health care professionals, and always encourages them to work collaboratively, because as she once said, “you may have the vision, but if you don’t know who to reach out to it’s kind of a little light burning slowly, waiting for someone to come along and help fan it.”

“Indigenous identity is complex due to centuries of colonialism and racism,” says Dr. Catherine Cook, Vice-President (Indigenous) of the University. “As universities and other institutions face cases of Indigenous identity fraud, the University recognizes the need to review how we support the declaration of Indigenous identity.”

On Tuesday, May 9, the UM community gathered while Dr. Cook outlined the recommendations and shared the findings of the engagement sessions – a year-long process that included consultation with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous governments and organizations, UM staff, students and faculty, community educators, social workers and individuals with barriers to documentation.

“We are sincerely grateful to all those who shared their time, knowledge and insights with us during the engagement process,” says President and Vice-Chancellor Michael Benarroch. “The University leadership team will continue to listen and learn and support the Indigenous community’s recommendations as we develop an Indigenous identity policy.”

Among the nine recommendations, the report proposes that the University appoint a Policy Development Committee consisting of First Nations, Métis Nation and Inuit community members and citizens working collaboratively with leadership from the UM community. The goal is to create a policy that is transparent, and that clearly states the process for verification of identity along with a process to review complaints of fraud.

“As we evolve together on the path of reconciliation, it is everyone’s responsibility to work in good ways to protect and uphold the integrity of Indigenous identity, both in academia and at the community level,” says Dr. Cook.

The full report, with all nine recommendations, can be found on the UM website. The Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous) encourages anyone interested in following the progress of the policy to visit the website.

“We are honoured to be recognized once again as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers for 2023,” says Naomi Andrew, Vice-President (Administration) at UM.

“Creating a positive workplace environment that supports employee fulfillment and wellness is a key priority for the University of Manitoba as we continue to advance post-secondary education in the province. This award is a testament to our ongoing commitment to providing outstanding employment and development opportunities for employees across our institution.”

To achieve the Manitoba’s Top Employers (2023) designation, employers are evaluated using eight criteria: workplace; work atmosphere and social; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement.

Reasons cited for UM’s designation as a Manitoba Top Employer (2023) include:

• Employee supports to adopt healthy lifestyles through an annual wellness week and subsidized memberships to the university’s fitness facilities;
• Supporting new moms with generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments (to 95 per cent of salary for 35 weeks) as well as providing parental leave top-ups for new dads and adoptive parents (to 95 per cent of salary for 18 weeks) along with on-site daycare for when new parents are ready to return to work;
• Helping employees continue their own education with tuition subsidies for courses both related and not directly related to their current position;
• Offering entry-level job opportunities for the next generation through summer employment, co-ops and paid internship opportunities.

In addition, UM has also been selected as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers (2023) for the seventh consecutive year. The Best Diversity Employer designation recognizes employers across Canada that have exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs.

“This Best Diversity Employer designation recognizes UM’s work to build an exceptional workplace through robust diversity and inclusiveness programs and initiatives,” says René Ouellette, Associate Vice-President (Human Resources) at UM.

“As we continue implementing recommendations from the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Task Force Report, these values of equity, diversity and inclusion will remain at the centre of our strategic planning processes to ensure we best serve the needs of the UM and wider community.”

Reasons shared for UM’s selection as a Best Diversity Employer (2023) include:

• The establishment of UM’s first anti-racism task force to support the university’s EDI strategy and drive the implementation of the university’s commitment to the Scarborough Charter;
• The work of UM faculty EDI committees who meet regularly to further workplace inclusion and understand issues raised by faculty and staff in order to establish, communicate, promote and foster inclusion and diversity in the workplace;
• The creation of Gaa wii ji’i diyaang, a council of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples walking together creating a community through relationship building, education, advocacy and action.

“This acknowledgement of the work UM has done to date recognizes initial steps taken to address various forms of oppression and to promote equity,” says Tina Chen, Executive Lead, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

“We will continue to engage with the broader UM community to hear their input and to ensure UM is an inclusive and equitable employer for all.”

The Mediacorp Canada Inc. awards list can be viewed on the Canada’s Top 100 Employers website.

Dr. Catherine Cook has served the University of Manitoba as its inaugural Vice-President (Indigenous) since January 1, 2020 and in 2022, agreed to a one-year extension of her term. At that time, she signaled her intention to step down from this role and retire from the University at the conclusion of her term extension. Dr. Cook will conclude her time as Vice-President (Indigenous) later in 2023, in conjunction with the end of the search for the next Vice-President (Indigenous).

Dr. Cook’s contributions as Vice-President (Indigenous) have been exceptional and far-reaching. She conceptualized a portfolio that offers both strategic leadership of and support to the University’s overall Indigenous engagement and achievement, Reconciliation and anti-racism efforts, including to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. She successfully led a university-wide process to implement the recommendations of the Indigenous Senior Leadership Report, directly engaging over 60 members of the university community through six project teams to implement 31 priorities or commitments. Further, under her leadership, UM successfully advocated for an $85M federal investment in a permanent home for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation; developed a Reconciliation Action Plan for the University; secured a $16.1M gift from the Mastercard Foundation for EleV programs that support Indigenous student success in a range of innovative ways, designed in partnership with Indigenous communities, governments and organizations; pursued a consultative approach to assessing how UM supports the declaration of Indigenous identity; and co-chaired the Anti-Racism Task Force. These accomplishments are among Dr. Cook’s many significant contributions as Vice-President (Indigenous) and do not include her many notable contributions in her earlier roles as Vice-Dean (Indigenous) in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and as associate professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences. Taken together, Dr. Cook’s contributions are generational in impact, and have been pivotal in pursuing the University of Manitoba’s commitment to advance Reconciliation at all levels – in governance, leadership, and practice, and to be national leaders in this journey. 

With the end of Dr. Cook’s term nearing, the process to search for a new Vice-President (Indigenous) has begun. I have invited members of our internal and external communities to advise me on candidates for the role and on the position more generally. Joining me on the committee are:

From the Board of Governors:

• Diane Roussin, Project Director, The Winnipeg Boldness Project

From Community:

• Barbara Bruce, President, All My Relations Inc. (‌withdrew from committee May 15, 2023)
• Marti Ford, Consultant, Indigenous Education
• Ovide Mercredi, Strategic Advisor, Modern Clan

From the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation:

• Stephanie Scott, Executive Director

From Senate:

• Melanie Morris, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery and Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Jeremy Patzer, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology, Faculty of Arts

From Bannatyne Campus:

• Melanie MacKinnon, Head, Ongomiizwin Institute of Health and Healing

From Senior Leadership:

• Naomi Andrew, Vice-President (Administration) and Co-Chair, Anti-Racism Task Force

From Deans and Directors:

• Michael Yellow Bird, Dean, Faculty of Social Work

From Provost’s Council:

• Lisa O-Hara, Vice-Provost (Libraries) and University Librarian
• Tracey Peter, Vice-Provost (Academic Affairs)

From the Vice-President (Indigenous) Portfolio:

• Ruth Shead, Director, Engagement, Communications and EleV Partnership

From Students:

• Ishkode Catcheway, UMSU Indigenous Representative

I have engaged Leaders International, led by Laurie Sterritt, Managing Partner, to support this search. 

As part of its work, the Committee is seeking the views of our community on the ideal profile and candidate for a Vice-President (Indigenous) and would appreciate your input. Please click here to complete a brief questionnaire. Your confidential input is being requested by May 14.

I would like to thank you for your time and input into this important leadership appointment.

Thank you. Miigwetch.

-Michael