On Sept. 27, McGill’s Board of Governors (BoG) convened for the first time this fall to discuss the university’s goals this academic year.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum opened the meeting with some remarks regarding enrollment strategies at the university.
“We got the year off to a good start,” Munroe-Blum said. “Our goal is to maintain the overall number of undergraduate students, but target some areas [like Macdonald Campus enrollment]. Then, in addition to maintaining the quality of our students, which is exceptional, [our focus will be] the proportion of graduate students to undergraduate students.”
According to the principal, around 25 per cent of the McGill student body are current graduate students. This ratio compares favourably to the average at other Canadian universities, where only 15 per cent of the student body is generally composed of graduate students, but is significantly lower than American universities, which often have 40 to 60 per cent in graduate school.
She added that it is difficult to determine whether there has been any significant change in graduate admissions this year, as graduate applications generally happen throughout the school year.
Munroe-Blum said McGill’s overall enrollment has increased by 2.6 per cent since last year. The geographical basis of the students has remained similar, with 55 per cent of students coming from Quebec, 25 per cent from the rest of Canada, and 20 per cent from other countries.
According to Munroe-Blum, McGill’s enrollment mix is just one of five core priorities outlined in the university’s Strategic Reframing Initiative. The other four are cost efficiency, performance enhancement, philanthropy, and transformative research and innovation.
She also stressed McGill’s commitment to pursue “technology-enabled, campus-based education,” saying that the administration is working to provide students with an applied experience wherever possible.
Jonathan Mooney, secretary-general of the Post-Graduate Students’ Society and one of two student representatives on the BoG, mentioned several topics that he hopes it will address this year. These include the potential establishment of fora that will allow the McGill community to engage with the governors.
“ I [also] think there should be a lot of discussion about the future of universities in Quebec and the role McGill and its students will play at the upcoming education summit,” Mooney said. “I think the governors will have a lot of insight and guidance for the university in approaching these crucial and far-reaching issues.”
Munroe-Blum also mentioned that the administration is considering several issues that arose from the previous academic year. McGill is looking to create an “open security approach” with a professional reception area in the James Administration Building, in order to improve student accessibility. According to Munroe-Blum, another issue is the adequacy of the McGill student disciplinary system, indicating that it is not a transparent procedure.
Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi, who ran an open forum series last year on the topic of free expression and peaceful assembly, will submit his report on his findings in mid-October. Munroe-Blum expressed hope that the administration can use his findings to create a permanent protocol—to replace the current provisional protocol—by the end of the year.
Munroe-Blum also drew the BoG’s attention to the numerous recognitions and awards McGill has recently received, including Professor Graham Bell’s appointment as president elect of the Royal Society of Canada, and the 14 prestigious Vanier scholarships award to McGill graduates.
Mooney said he was generally impressed by the BoG’s first session.
“Several of the most pressing and concerning questions I had planned to ask on a few issues were actually asked by other governors before I could ask them,” he said. “I think [this] shows how discerning and sharp the governors are.”
