Edith Zorychta
Edith Zorychta was elected in November as a Senate Representative to the Board of Governors (BoG). Zorychta is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and currently sits on the McGill Senate.
She decided to run for the position following her colleagues’ encouragement at McGill, especially those who sit with her on Senate. In the past, Zorychta served as president of the McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT), and sat on committees dealing with equity issues, staff benefits, university governance, and academic regulations. Currently, she serves as Graduate Program Director for her department.
Zorychta pointed to her experience with both undergraduate and graduate students, and with her advocacy for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as assets that will assist her throughout her time on the BoG. UDL is an educational tool that helps create flexible learning environments, and that considers individual learning differences.
Zorychta said she thinks Mc- Gill’s harsh financial reality is the BoG’s greatest concern right now.
“McGill is always having to do more with less, but there is a limit to our capacity, and difficult decisions may have to be made regarding priorities,” she said.
Zorychta also believes that restricted space on campus is another significant issue, yet she questions the feasibility of the McGill campus expanding into the Royal Victoria Hospital area—a tentative opportunity that was discussed at the Jan. 23 Senate meeting.
“We … have ongoing problems with space constraints,” she said. “There are relatively few large classrooms, which can restrict student enrollment in some courses and create problems in scheduling examinations .… McGill could possibly obtain much needed space in the [Royal Victoria Hospital], but could we finance the renovations necessary to create research laboratories, offices, classrooms, [and] residence rooms?”
Zorychta hopes to promote openness and communication within McGill during her time on the BoG.
“McGill rests on transparency and trust,” she said.
Bryan Haynes
Bryan Haynes has also been elected to the BoG for a five-year term, which began Jan. 1, 2013. He serves as one of three Alumni Association Representatives. Haynes graduated from McGill with a BA in 1990 and a law degree in 1993.
“McGill is an institution that I care deeply about,” he said. “It is where I earned two degrees … and the tools of my trade. It is where I became an independent person. I have very fond memories as a student at McGill. I will forever feel indebted to McGill for what it has provided to me, and allowed me to become.”
He is now a partner at Bennett Jones, an international law firm. He is based in Calgary, where he is co-head of the firm’s corporate practice group. He deals more specifically with private mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and corporate reorganizations. Lexpert—a magazine that focuses on the business of law—named Haynes one of Canada’s top 40 lawyers under 40 in 2008.
“I have lived most of my life in Western Canada,” Haynes said. “This will allow me to offer another perspective on things—an ‘outside’ view of sorts.”
Haynes decided to run for the BoG after being nomiated by the McGill Alumni Assocation last spring.
“Being asked to stand for election to the Board of Governors is, in my view, the highest calling,” Haynes said. “It is an honour and a privilege bestowed on few and represents the ultimate opportunity to give back to one’s alma mater.
He said keeping McGill as one of the world’s top 20 universities is of great importance to the BoG.
“Maintaining and advancing McGill’s position and role as Canada’s top university and one of the world’s top 20 universities is a persistent challenge that must constantly be overcome,” he said.
