Introduction: Welcome to University Governance

• Author: Cheryl Foy
• Pages: 1-3

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Welcome to University Governance

Governance constitutes the medium through which ideas are turned

into actions on campus. It is the way things happen and the way they

get done. Broadly dened, the concept of “governance” encompasses all

of the “structure and processes through which institutional participants

interact with and inuence each other and communicate with the larger

environment.”

is book is written for you if you are thinking of joining, or are already

a member of, the governing board of one of Canada’s more than  uni-

versities. It is also written to support university governance professionals

and will be of interest to members of government, consultants, lawyers,

mediators, arbitrators, and others who work closely with universities. is

is intended to be a practical rather than theoretical book — interesting and

engaging to those in university governance, those for whom the topic is

1 Mark G Edelstein, “Academic Governance: The Art of Herding Cats” in James Martin &

James E Samels, First Among Equals: The Role of the Chief Academic Ocer (Baltimore:

Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997) at 58.

2 Theresa Shanahan, Michelle Nilson & Li-Jeen Broshko, Handbook of Canadian Higher

Education Law (Kingston: School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, 2015) at 38.

There are 163 provincially “recognized” public and private universities (including theo-

logical schools) with degree-granting status authorized by a provincial government.