海角社区官网

鈥淪trengthening board governance through clear policies, role clarity and positive, supportive relationship-building between the president and chair is essential to restoring trust, improving collaboration and ensuring effective oversight,鈥� concluded the report鈥檚 author, Linda Franklin, former president of Colleges Ontario.

鈥淲hile these recommendations are driven by events at Humber College,” she wrote, “they have been written to support good governance throughout the college system.鈥�

Humber president Anne Marie Vaughan and former board chair Akela Peoples did not respond to requests for comment. provided a statement on Humber’s behalf.听

“I have been impressed by every facet of Humber and President Vaughan,” said Allison, adding that the college is reviewing the recommendations and will take听“appropriate action to build on the institution’s already strong foundational governance practices that President Vaughan introduced and implemented.”

But the question of what exactly happened behind closed doors to trigger an initial complaint to the Ontario government remains unanswered. Twenty-five pages of the report, containing details and names, were not provided due to reasons of confidentiality, said the government source.听

As the Star revealed earlier this year, the deputy minister of colleges and universities informed Humber鈥檚 board of governors on Dec. 10 of the province’s intent to initiate an independent review of governance practices at the 海角社区官网college. Concerns had been flagged by an 鈥渆xternal party鈥� whose name the government has refused to share.

Sources told the Star that board members had been trying to 鈥渆levate governance practices,鈥� but had allegedly met resistance from Vaughan.

Following a meeting between then-board chair Peoples, deputy minister David Wai and Vaughan in January, the ministry sent another letter. This time it specifically directed board members to continue normal operations but to refrain from proceeding with a performance review of the president, holding in-camera meetings, retaining any legal counsel or exchanging emails with staff.

Sources told the Star that board members felt their hands were tied and that they couldn鈥檛 do their jobs.

On Jan. 17, eight governors听鈥� half of the board, including the entire executive committee听鈥� tendered their resignations. A student representative quit days later.

In Peoples鈥檚 resignation letter, she said she 鈥渃ould no longer discharge her fiduciary duty to the corporation as an independent board member.鈥�

The Star contacted all former board members and most of the ones who remained. No one responded by deadline.听听

The president of Humber’s faculty union (OPSEU 562) characterized the report as being “exceptionally kind” to senior administration.听

“The recommendations bear out what employees have long felt: Humber is characterized by a culture of top-down control. Even though the recommendations try to carve out ‘spaces’ or parameters within which board members can act, ask questions and even dissent with the president, at the end of the day, the parameters bestow far more authority to the Office of the President,” said Milos Vasic.听

Each of Ontario鈥檚 24 publicly funded colleges is governed by an unpaid board of governors, which sets the strategic vision for each institution. The majority of members are external appointments (with up to four decided upon by the province) and the rest from within the college community, including the president. Humber鈥檚 board numbered 16 in January before the eight external members resigned.

As part of the investigation, all current governors and those who stepped down spoke with Franklin. Vaughan, the deputy minister, other college presidents and governance experts were also among those interviewed. Humber鈥檚 former chair declined to participate.

The recommendations included in 鈥淲hen Governance Fails: Humber College Fact Finding Report鈥� suggest a breakdown of trust and a need for increased transparency and accountability.听Franklin wrote that Humber “can reset its approach with the help of its new governance policies,” based on her recommendations, which include:

鈥� Training on managing conflict and having difficult conversations for all board members, and supplementary training for new chairs about their role and responsibilities;

鈥� Board policy should outline checks and balances for the role of the chair;

鈥� The president and chair should meet at the start of each chair鈥檚 tenure and agree on the parameters of their relationship, including the number and timing of meetings, who will attend the meetings and the scope of discussions;

鈥� Internal governors should be supported in learning about “how to speak their minds” given their challenging role as employees of the college or as a student at the college;

鈥� A board communication protocol should be developed that limits direct communication between individual board members and college staff and ensures inquires are channeled through the president鈥檚 office;

鈥� The president should develop a conflict resolution policy.

听鈥淲e expect the president and new board to review the recommendations and take appropriate action,” a government source said.

Humber currently has , including following the January resignations. The school, which rebranded itself as a polytechnic last year, has 66,078 students.