When the TRU Board of Governors holds its inaugural public meeting tomorrow, two TRU alumni will be sworn in as members of that new board.

This is the first time that alumni of the university will sit as members of the Board of Governors.

The two alumni members to be sworn in tomorrow are Brian Christianson and Karl deBruijn.

Brian Christianson, a university transfer student who completed two years at Cariboo College in 1983 before completing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Calgary and a Master of Architecture degree at Miami University, is now a managing principal at Stantec Consulting. He served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for four years, from 1994 to 1998.

Karl deBruijn, an inaugural member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, served from 1990 to 1998. He completed two years of university transfer before leaving Cariboo College for SFU in 1974 to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1976 he earned his Master of Education degree from Gonzaga University, and in 1995 was a recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award for Service to the University. Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services for School District 73.

When Thompson Rivers University was established March 31st, 2005, its governance structure changed through legislation from that of a university college. TRU now has the bi-cameral structure typical of universities.

Under the Thompson Rivers University Act, the Board is comprised of the Chancellor, the President, elected members, consisting of two faculty members, two students, and one non-faculty employee, and eight members appointed by the BC government, including two alumni association nominees.

For more information, please contact Josh Keller at 250-828-5008.

Attached: TRU Governance Structure backgrounder

Thompson Rivers University Governance Structure

When Thompson Rivers University was established March 31st, 2005, its governance structure changed through legislation from that of a university college. TRU now has the bi-cameral structure typical of universities.

As mandated by the Thompson Rivers University Act, decision-making is now split into two distinct areas: academic (including course quality, type, etc), under the purview of the University Council, and corporate (including matters of expenditures, facilities, finance, labour relations, etc), under the purview of the Board of Governors.

Because the operations of Thompson Rivers University include a division devoted to distance and on-line learning programs, the University’s academic governance structure also includes the Planning Council for Open Learning.

Academic Decisions-University Council: The newly formed University Council is an autonomous body that has power to deal with academic matters at the university including setting curriculum content and setting criteria for awarding certificates, diplomas and degrees. In addition, the Board must seek advice from the University Council before the Board develops policies in a number of important areas including the objectives of the University.

On University Council sit the Chancellor, President, VP Academic, Chief Librarian, Registrar, all deans, two faculty members representing each TRU school or faculty, an alumnus of the university, four students, two non-instructional employees, one administrator of the Open Learning Division, and four Open Learning teaching staff.

The University Council has a number of standing committees with their own terms of reference and meeting schedules. These committees include: Awards Committee; Academic Honesty Committee; Academic Policy & Regulations Committee (APRC); Appeals; Education Planning & Program Review Committee (EPPR); Library Advisory Committee; Research Ethics – Human Subjects Committee; Research Ethics – Animal Subjects Committee, and; Scholarly Activity Committee

Meetings of University Council take place on the fourth Monday of each month, with additional meetings from time to time.

Corporate Decisions-University Board: The Board of Governors has a legislated set of responsibilities for directing the affairs of the institution and setting policies in accordance with the Thompson Rivers University Act. In summary, the Board is responsible for the management, administration and control of the property, revenue, business, and affairs of the university except those vested in the University Council or the Planning Council for Open Learning.

The composition of the Board of Governors is described in the Thompson Rivers University Act. Under the Act, the Board is comprised of the Chancellor, the President, eight members appointed by the BC government, including two alumni association nominees, plus elected members, consisting of two faculty members, two students, and one non-faculty employee.

Board members appointed by government are eligible for re-appointment and elected members are eligible for re-election, but those members must not hold office for more than six consecutive years. The Governors’ varied backgrounds provide valuable contributions during Board deliberations. Board members bring the views of various constituencies to the Board, but there are no advocates for any one group. Decisions are made in the best interests of the University.

The Board of Governors has three committees: Finance & Audit; Facilities & Risk Management, and; Executive. Other ad-hoc committees may be established as required.

The Board committees meet regularly and report to the Board, which has public meetings five times a year.

Distance & On-line Education-Planning Council for Open Learning: TRU is unique in that its governance comprises a third body, the Planning Council for Open Learning, which has the power to set the admission requirements for courses and programs, and residency requirements for awarding credentials offered through the Open Learning Division. The Planning Council for Open Learning must report any resolutions it makes to the University Council.

The Planning Council for Open Learning is comprised of the TRU academic vice-president, who is its chair; presidential appointees, including two deans, two officers of the university, two persons nominated by the presidents of the public universities of BC, two persons nominated by the presidents of the BC public college sector, and up to two additional persons; plus elected members, including two faculty members, two members of Open Learning Division teaching staff, one Open Learning student, plus one alumni member.

For more information about TRU governance, go to About Governance, or call Maryanne Bower, Executive Assistant to the Board of Governors at (250) 828-5318 or by email.