Greg Harding, QC (Field Law) was the Chair of this panel on
governance. Panel participants were Carol Ryder (Board Chair,
Alberta College of Art and Design); Elizabeth (Liz) Watson, QC
(President and CEO, WATSON Inc.); and Robert Driesen (Assistant
Auditor General of Alberta).
Speaking to "Excellence in Board Governance", Carol
outlined Board and Committee roles and composition under the
Post-secondary Learning Act. She advocated for regular
meetings between the board chairs and individual board members as
well as the president. Relatedly, Liz advised that presidents
should be subject to an annual review process. It was highlighted
that feedback should be solicited from everyone (including board
members, deans, students, donors, etc.) and that it should be used
as an opportunity for the president to learn and become better
aligned with the institution.
Liz outlined what she sees as the top five underpinnings of good
governance: alignment among parties (including board members,
government, donors, etc.); clearly defined roles and
responsibilities; clear decision making processes; competent
leaders; and transparency and accountability. She also spoke to
developing governance trends anticipated to impact post-secondary
institutions.
Robert advocated for the adoption of a results analysis framework
by post-secondary institutions. In order to achieve results, he
identified three ingredients as being key: governance, oversight
and accountability - with oversight being the most important.
Robert also commented on the role of Office of the Auditor General
in relation to post-secondary institutions. For him, public
institutions aren't really that different than private ones. He
further explained that his role is to bridge the informational gap
that can exist between a board and management. Robert emphasized
that while "report cards" aren't usually
management's favourite thing, they provide a board with an easy
snapshot of an institution's performance.
With respect to having clearly defined roles and responsibilities,
the panel discussed how important it is that boards strike the
right balance between oversight and involvement ("noses in,
but fingers out") and spoke to how that balance can best be
accomplished.
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