Senate Policies - Community Feedback and Engagement

Summary

In October 2024, the Senate Office in partnership with TMU Global, initiated a cyclical review of Policy 95: The Development and Approval of International Partnerships and International (and National) Mobility Programs as this Policy had not been fully reviewed since 2010.  The Responsible office(s) for this policy are the Provost and Vice President Academic, Vice President, Research and Innovation; and TMU Global.  

A Policy Review Committee was struck to review the current policy and make recommendations for improvement and clarity where needed.  The committee met several times over the following months and a full review of the policy was completed, resulting in a first draft, on December 18, 2024.   

The new first  (google doc) draft of Policy 95: International Institutional Partnerships and Collaborative Activities can be found here. (external link) 

Some key recommendations for policy changes that were identified by the committee include: 

• A change to the name of the policy that better reflects the scope and purpose of the policy.
• The responsible office will now be Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Global with oversight by the Assistant Vice President, International.  
• Formatting to align with the Senate approved policy framework for consistency with all TMU academic policies.  Policy is the "what" (as in what does this policy do?). Procedures are "how" it will be done. The existing content in Policy 95 has been arranged to be consistent with these principles.
• Broadened definitions 
• Values and Principles have been modified to align with the new TMU 2025-2030 Academic Plan.
• The addition of a Roles and Responsibilities section that provides guidance for implementation of International Partnerships and Collaborative Activities. 
• A new comprehensive Procedures section. 
• Signatories for International Institutional Agreements are now covered under the Execution of Contracts Policy.
  
  

Methods of Consultation 

The committee is now asking the Toronto Metropolitan University community to review and comment on the draft policy before January 31, 2025.  This will allow feedback to be reviewed and incorporated into a final draft of the Policy for Senate approval.

1. A list of 8 questions has been provided via Google form to help collect and incorporate community feedback.  Please access the Survey Form here.   (external link) 
2. Additional comments and feedback can also be provided by email to policyreview@torontomu.ca
3.  Town Halls have been scheduled for the following dates and times:

January 28th, 4:00 - 5:00 pm via Zoom

January 30th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm via Zoom

To register for participation in either of these town hall meetings, please access the link and register here (external link) 

The Committee would like to thank all members of the community for your participation and support in this Policy review process. 

Committee Members

Sara Berman (Chair), Director, TMU Global

Naomi Adelson, Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation

Crystal Kim, Legal Counsel, Office of General Counse, TMU (Outgoing) 

Rose Sandino, Director, Projects and Operations, Office of the Provost and Vice President, Academic 

Darren Finlay, Associate Director, Transnational Education Partnerships, TMU Global

Donna Bell, Secretary of Senate 

Victoria Madsen, Senate Policy and Appeals Secialist

Yvonne Leung, Global Partnerships Officer, TMU Global

Jessica Hupalo, Operations and Administrative Coordinator, TMU Global

Policy Review Committee

Sean Kheraj, Vice Provost , Academic  (Co-Chair) 

Allyson Miller, Director, Academic Integrity Office (Co-Chair)

Natalie Bulzan, Administration and Appeals Coordinator - Academic Integrity Office  

Catherine Ellis, Interim Chair, Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Arts

Eric Da Silva, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics (Designated Decision Maker DDM) 

Chris MacDonald, Interim Graduate Program Director, MBA,  Associate Professor Ted Rogers School of Management

Donna Bell, Secretary of Senate 

Graham Hudson, Interim Dean, Lincoln Alexander School of Law

Jason Lisi (Replacement to be determined)

Leslie Sinclair, Student Representative, Journalism, Yeates School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies  

Nancy Walton, Associate Dean, Student Affairs, Yeates School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Victoria Madsen, Senate Policy and Appeals Specialist

Kasha Visutskie, Academic Integrity Specialist, Academic Integrity Office 

Kateryna Metersky, Assistant Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing

Donatus Oguamanam,  Chair, Mechanical, Industrial and Mechatronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science

James Nadler, Associate Professor, Media Production & Chair (Interim), RTA School of Media, The Creative School

Justin Murgai, Student Representative, Chang School of Continuing Education

Linda Koechli, Interim Dean, G. Raymond Chang School  

Sophie Campbell, Student , Lincoln Alexander School of Law

Aisha Rehman, Student Representative, Undergraduate,