11:10 am – 12:00 pm EDT 

University people celebrate institutional autonomy though rarely with careful attention to its meaning. What does it mean in 2021? Is it constant over time or is it changing under increasing pressures and expectations from stakeholders and communities? Do we need to reassert its importance to our missions and rally to its defense? 

Peter MacKinnon, President Emeritus, University of Saskatchewan 

Harvey Weingarten, Principal of the School of Applied Health Sciences, Michener Institute; Former President and CEO, Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO); President Emeritus, University of Calgary 

Q&A Moderator: 

Claire Kennedy, Chair of the Governing Council, University of Toronto 

12:15 – 1:15 pm EDT 

In this facilitated conversation, three distinguished former university presidents/rectors share some of the challenges they faced related to institutional autonomy. What did they learn from these experiences? What roles can boards (and board chairs) play in protecting institutional autonomy in the face of what they view as inappropriate external interventions? 

Panelists: 

Guy Breton, former Rector Université de Montréal 

M. Elizabeth Cannon, President Emerita, University of Calgary 

David H. Turpin, President Emeritus, University of Alberta and President Emeritus, University of Victoria 

Facilitator: 

Glen Jones, Professor of Higher Education and Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto 

1:30 – 2:30 pm EDT 

What are appropriate ways in which Boards and Board members can advocate on behalf of their universities? How can Board Chairs appropriately support the President in government relations matters? 

Jean-Paul Boudreau, President and Vice-Chancellor, Mount Allison University 

Sophie D’Amours, Rector, Université Laval, and Chair, Universities Canada 

Steve Orsini, President and CEO, Council of Ontario Universities (COU) 

Jaime Watt, OCAD University, Chair, Board of Governors 

Facilitator: 

Claire Kennedy, Chair of the Governing Council, University of Toronto