University Elections

The Secretariat is responsible for conducting university-wide elections to fill vacant seats on the Board of Governors, Senate and Advisory Committees.

Elections are conducted in accordance with the Electoral Procedures of the Board of Governors and are held in instances where more than one nomination is received for a vacant position.

The Board of Governors

The Board is composed of 25 voting members and two non-voting observers. The members include: 

Voting members:
  • The Chancellor, ex officio
  • The President and Vice-Chancellor, ex officio
  • 12 members-at-large, from whom are appointed by the Board Chair and the two Board Vice-Chairs
  • 3 representatives of the McGill Alumni Association appointed by the Association
  • 2 representatives of Senate elected by Senate
  • 2 representatives of the academic staff elected by academic staff
  • 2 representatives of the administrative and support staff elected by administrative and support staff
  • 1 representative of the Students' Society of McGill (SSMU) University appointed by the SSMU
  • 1 representative of the Post-Graduate Students' Society (PGSS) appointed by the PGSS
Observers ("voice but no vote")
  • 1 representative of the McGill Association of Continuing Education Students (MACES) appointed by the MACES
  • 1 representative of the Macdonald Campus Students' Society (MCSS) appointed by MCSS

MANDATE OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Under the terms of the University's Royal Charter (1852) and as established by the Statutes of the University, the Board of Governors is the University's highest governing body, with general jurisdiction and final authority over the conduct of the affairs of the University. The Board has a stewardship mandate focused on overseeing and protecting the University’s assets, including its financial, property, and human resource assets, with a view to ensuring the long-term sustainability and well-being of the University. In discharging their duties, Board members are expected to exercise the duty of care and the duty of loyalty, which are the two primary fiduciary duties applicable to all Board members.

  1. Duty of Care: refers to the level of competence that is expected of a Board member, and is commonly expressed as the duty of care that an ordinary prudent person would exercise in a like position and under similar circumstances.
  2. Duty of Loyalty: refers to a standard of faithfulness applicable to Board members. A Board member must give undivided allegiance when making decisions affecting the University. This means, amongst other things, that a Board member cannot use information obtained as a member for personal gain, or reveal confidential information regarding the University, or act in a manner that is prejudicial to the best interests of the University.

Members of the Board of Governors must also comply with the Code of Ethics and Conduct for members of the Board of Governors of McGill University and Trustees of the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning (“Code of Ethics and Conduct”).

The Code of Ethics and Conduct establishes the following as the General Duties and Obligations of members during their term in office:

  1. carry out their functions with integrity, independence, and good faith, and shall act in the best interests of the University;
  2. act responsibly and fairly with the care, diligence, loyalty, and prudence of a reasonable individual;
  3. carry out their functions in such a way as to maintain confidence in the University;
  4. make every reasonable effort to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest;
  5. make a full disclosure of a real or perceived conflict of interest in writing as soon as they are aware of it and shall resolve it in the best interests of the University;
  6. respect the confidentiality of information received in the performance of their duties as well as the confidentiality of the deliberations in which they participate.

For examples of specific duties applicable to Board members, please consult the Code of Ethics and Conduct, available here.

The Board is supported by ten standing committees, which play a fundamental role in helping the Board fulfill its governance activities. All Board Committees report to and are accountable to the Board.

For more information about the Board, please contact edyta.rogowska [at] mcgill.ca (Ms. Edyta Rogowska), Secretary-General.

For more information about the elections process, please contact christine.chehade [at] mcgill.ca (Ms. Christine Chehadé), Chief Electoral Officer.

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