The first regular meeting of the Board of Governors for the 2019-20 year was held October 23, 2019, at the University of Guelph Arboretum and was chaired by Board Chair Shauneen Bruder. This marks the first regular Board of Governors meeting for Shauneen Bruder as Chair, Shauneen Bruder began her term as Chair of the Board of Governors on July 1, 2019.

The meeting began with a territorial acknowledgement offered by the Board Chair and a welcome to Board members, followed by oral remarks from the President in addition to the President’s Kudos Report [1].

Prior to the regular reports from the standing committees of the Board, the Board engaged in strategic discussion with Provost and Vice-President (Academic) on the upcoming Strategic Mandate Agreement 3.

As per the Board’s standard practice, the Chair of each standing committee of the Board provided an update on recent activities of their respective committees, bringing forward items for information or approval, as appropriate.

An update was provided on recent activities of the Audit & Risk Committee by the Committee Chair, Neil Parkinson. The Board of Governors approved the University of Guelph’s Audited Financial Statements for the year ending April 30, 2019.

An update was provided on recent activities of the Finance Committee by the Committee Chair, Nancy Brown Andison. The Board of Governors considered and approved a revised budget for the MacKinnon Building capital project, and received an update on responsible investing, following a report received by the Board at its meeting of June 21, 2019.

An update was provided on recent activities of the Governance & Human Resources Committee by the Committee Chair, Eleanor Fritz. The Board received the annual report on the University’s Freedom of Expression Policy Statement.

An update was provided on recent activities of the Pensions Committee by Board of Governors Vice-Chair Nancy Brown Andison. The Board of Governors authorized the University to continue with the next steps of implementing the University Pension Plan, Ontario. The Board also approved text amendments to the University’s Retirement Pension Plan.

A written update was provided on recent activities of the Physical Resources and Property Committee.

The complete open session meeting package is available on the University Secretariat website [2]. The official record of the meeting are the meeting minutes, which will be available following their approval at the next regularly scheduled Board Meeting, to be held on January 22, 2020.