“I wish to thank all of the candidates for allowing their names to stand, and all Faculty and School council members who took the time to vote in this important election process,” said Jeff M. Leclerc, University Secretary.

On April 7, 2021, the University of Manitoba Senate approved the addition of five Indigenous Senators over and above any Indigenous Senators already serving on Senate for their respective Faculty and school councils.

This addition is intended to add Indigenous participation and voice in Senate governance and is not to preclude Indigenous Senators to continue to be elected by individual Faculty and School Councils as well.

Throughout her career, Anderson has advocated for a more robust curriculum in Indigenous health and changes in the admissions process that would support the successful recruitment of increased numbers of First Nations, Métis and Inuit students. She perceived that same gap in leadership across UM.

Anderson, who is Cree-Anishinaabe and grew up in the North End of Winnipeg, currently serves as Vice-Dean Indigenous Health, Social Justice and Anti-racism, in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. She first joined the university in 2007 and then in 2011 became head of the Section of First Nations, Metis and Inuit Health. From 2017 to 2020 she served as executive director, Indigenous academic affairs, Ongomiizwin-Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, at UM.

“In all of the different arenas that I work in, I have seen how important it is to have Indigenous people participating in decision-making at all levels of the institution,” says Anderson. 

Now she is one of five new Indigenous Senators to the membership of UM Senate, as announced in April 2022. The new positions are over and above any Indigenous Senators already serving on Senate as representatives for their respective faculty and school councils.

Anderson says that the development is “a great opportunity for the cohort of us to fully participate, and to bring our perspectives, experience, knowledge and connections into university governance. While this will be particularly beneficial to the university’s priorities around reconciliation and Indigenous achievement, it will be beneficial to all aspects of university work and life.”

Indigenous leadership at UM

In 2019, the Provost requested a review on UM’s needs for Indigenous senior leadership. A report was tabled with recommendations that would address the organizational and structural gaps or barriers that limited Indigenous engagement in leadership at UM.

Under the leadership of inaugural Vice-President (Indigenous) Dr. Catherine Cook beginning in 2020, six projects were identified to address organizational and structural gaps or barriers that cross all of the major UM portfolios, ensuring a shared responsibility to build on the decades of work started by Indigenous leaders and communities.

The recent senate reform addresses a key recommendation of the Indigenous Senior Leadership Report (2019), which highlights primary action areas including Executive and Senior Leadership, Programmatic Leadership, Faculty and Administrative Units, Campus Community and Governance and Administrative Infrastructure at UM.  

The Report’s recommendation 5, “Weave Us All Together—Governance and Administrative Infrastructure,” states that “Indigenous self-determination and leadership must be embedded within the governance structures of the university.” 

Cook says that she’s excited about the prospect of having greater Indigenous representation on UM Senate.

“It is important that we have Indigenous scholars and students participating in this work to bring Indigenous perspectives and experience to the decision-making specific to the academic issues of admissions, curriculum and scholarship at the University of Manitoba. This will support the goals of Indigenous students and scholars and the University overall.”

President Michael Benarroch says, “This step is significant in the ongoing development of a university-wide approach that advances the commitment to Indigenous engagement, promotes Reconciliation and helps address anti-Indigenous racism. 

“We are grateful for these individuals to serve in positions that will help to enhance UM’s executive and senior Indigenous leadership.”

The new Indigenous Senators

Elected for three-year terms for the period of June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2025 are: 

• Marcia Anderson, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences 
• Margaret Hart, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences 
• Jeremy Patzer, Faculty of Arts 

Elected for two-year terms for the period of June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2024 are: 

• Debra Beach Ducharme, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences 
• Melanie Morris, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
  
  

See more information on the Election of Indigenous Senators to the University of Manitoba Senate (2022) webpage (UM  Governance > Senate). 

Online voting will took place from March 1, 2022 to Monday, March 21, 2022.

Elected for three-year terms for the period of June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2025 are:

• Marcia Anderson, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Margaret Hart, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Jeremy Patzer, Faculty of Arts

Elected for two-year terms for the period of June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2024 are:

• Debra Beach Ducharme, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Melanie Morris, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Jeff M. Leclerc, University Secretary, says, “I wish to thank all of the candidates for allowing their names to stand, and all Faculty and School council members who took the time to vote in this important election process.”

See more information on the Election of Indigenous Senators to the University of Manitoba Senate (2022) webpage (UM  Governance > Senate).

On April 7, 2021, the University of Manitoba Senate approved the addition of five Indigenous Senators to the membership of Senate over and above any Indigenous Senators already serving on Senate as representatives for their respective Faculty and School Councils. This addition is intended to add Indigenous participation in Senate governance and is not to preclude Indigenous Senators to continue to be elected by individual Faculty and School Councils as well.

(Please note that for the purposes of these elections, Indigenous means those individuals having historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies in Canada and their relatives across the border with the United States who regard themselves as part of the same nations–as adapted from the United Nations definition of Indigenous.)

For the first election only, the three nominees receiving the greatest number of votes will be elected for a 3-year term and the two nominees receiving the 4th and 5th number of votes respectively will be elected for a 2-year term. These terms will be from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2025 and May 31, 2024 respectively. This one-time process is to ensure that there is continuity and succession planning across Senate and is in accordance with Section 27(2) of The University of Manitoba Act.

The Nomination Form must be signed by 5 voting members of a Faculty or School council and by the nominee to signify their acceptance of the nomination, and returned electronically to the Office of the University Secretary by 12:00 noon on Friday, February 4, 2022.

If you have any questions or concerns or would like further information, feel free to contact Laura Orsak-Williams, Governance Systems Coordinator at Laura.Orsak@umanitoba.ca

Any faculty member or student who is interested in serving on a Senate committee is invited to complete and submit a Senate Committee Interest Form.

Please note that expressions of interest inform the work of the Committee in making nominations, but that submission of the form does not guarantee a nomination.

The Senate Committee Interest Form may be submitted at any time, however, in order to be considered at the next meeting of the Senate Committee on Nominations, the form must be received by April 12, 2019.

A Memo to Faculty and Students from the Chair of the Senate Committee on Nominations re:  Vacancies on Senate Committees (dated March 6, 2019), which provides a list of Senate committees with vacancies, the terms of reference for the committees, and the Senate Committee Interest Form, may be found on the University Governance website.

For more information, please contact:

Sandi Utsunomiya

Governance Systems Coordinator

Office of the University Secretary

Phone:  204-474-8174

Sandi.Utsunomiya@umanitoba.ca

This document lists all Senate and Board of Governors meetings, including special committee meetings.

This document lists all Senate and Board of Governors meetings, including special committee meetings.

The Fall Term Break will be comprised of the Thanksgiving weekend and the Thursday and Friday immediately preceding. No classes or tests will be scheduled during these days. The first Fall Term Break will occur on October 6-7, 2016, for most students. Some programs like education, dentistry and medicine were not able to accommodate the break due to their current curriculum schedule.

Student mental health is receiving increased attention at universities and colleges across Canada and one action that is believed to reduce student’s stress levels is to provide a break from classes and tests during the Fall Term.

“A fall break would mitigate some academic scheduling pressures and provide the opportunity for students to use the allotted time to find reprieve, recharge, meaningfully reconnect with family and friends, and reassess if needed, the current state of their mental health for the remainder of the semester,” writes Katie Kutryk, health and wellness educator at the U of M, in a letter of support for the Fall Term Break.

A review provided by UMSU in May 2015 found that 60% of schools in Canada offered some form of a Fall Break to their students. These breaks range in length from two to five days.

The Fall Term normally begins on a Thursday and ends on a Wednesday. To accommodate the two teaching days lost, the final week of the Fall Term will be extended to Friday.

The impact of the Fall Term Break will be reviewed annually for three years to determine its effect on instruction, lab activities and student outcomes.

The new 2016-2017 academic schedule will be available on the Registrar’s Office web page next week.

It lists all Senate and Board of Governors meetings, including special committee meetings.