Perspective of the Provost:Science Faculty Council

Professor Anthony C. Masi

Provost

8 April 2008

Faculty of Science

What is distinctive about McGill: The “i’s”

• identity

• international

• inquiry-based

• interdisciplinary

• innovation

• infrastructure

2

3

General principles underlying McGill’s strategic planning activities

• planning– objective, flexible, and adaptive

• assumptions– realistic, sensitive to contexts

• goals– attainable and sustainable over several years

• allocations– coherent processes and transparent distributions

• results– measurable

• appropriate and agreed upon indicators• selected peer institutions

4

General principles (cont’d)

• academic priorities are the drivers

• resource allocations must be aligned with prioritised academic goals

– strategic statements: • The White Paper

• The Principal’s Task Force on Student Life and Learning and The Administrative Response

• The Master Plan

• Campaign McGill

– operational compacts (budgets and other resource allocations)

The White Paper

• P(U)F-RI-SC• strategic plan that builds on our strengths• integrative and iterative processes• inter-disciplinarity

– Neurosciences (including pain research)

– Environment

– Computation

– Public Policy (including health and social policy)

– Literature, Languages, and Culture

– Nano-technology

– Integrative systems biology (genomics and therapeutics)

5

The Principal’s Task Force on Student Life and Learning and The Administrative Response

• advising and mentoring

• resources for students – funding– space

• building a learning community

6

The Master Plan

• academic priorities

• sustainability

• protect the past and build for the future

7

Campaign McGill

• student experience

• academic renewal

• campus projects

8

Constraints on McGill

• several years of budget deficits– No cuts implemented until FY 2007-08– Reallocation of $9M– No reductions in Faculty or admin and support staff

• MELS requiring balanced budget in short term: 3 years

• new weighted student unit (WSU) grid under construction– no net gain or loss expected for McGill

9

Fiscal year 2008 (so far)

• on target for FY08 forecast deficit of $15.0M

• revenues and spending consistent with budgeted amounts – timing issue on MELS grant to be carried into FY09 – plan implemented to cut more expenses from now to end of FY08

• additional financial aid requirements are being met

• good early results for Campaign Mcgill– $380M on $750M target

• research funding results up $10M from last year at this time

10

FY 2008 – 2009 Reality

• Additional MELS funding– $112M additional funding for Quebec universities

– 12.5% expected for McGill ($14M)• $10M already included in preliminary budget

• MELS additional contribution – injection of $53M/year over next 5 years

• Targeted programs - details to be determined• McGill allocation projected at $6M• Expected confirmation in Fall 2008

11

Engaging the McGill community: solutions for FY 2009 (revenues)

1. manage enrolments a) targeted undergraduate areas

b) professional programs, (emphasis on Master’s)

c) graduate students: one net new thesis student per TT professor: roughly 400 of 1600 TT staff have 0 thesis students in 2007-2008

2. maximise research revenues a) maximise participation rates and amounts requested

b) increase ICR from federal and provincial agencies

c) get contracts and partnerships to generate revenue

3. secure philanthropic dollars in line with priorities

4. identify new sources of revenue

12

Engaging the McGill community: solutions for FY 2009 (expenditures)

1. contain salary mass and related costsa) retirements needed to align with projected revenues

b) slow-down in replacements

c) optimisation of support staff roles and responsibilities

2. improve program delivery a) eliminate, or not offer courses, where possible and when

action would have minimal effect on program quality

b) assign teaching workloads to permanent staff, reducing contract teaching and overload where possible

c) search hard for efficiencies in operations

13

Faculty of Science: Undergraduate Students Enrolment

• full-time B.Sc. program enrolment (3,384)– Faculty of Science departments: 1,729

• B.Sc.: 1,693• B.Sc./B.Ed.: 36

– Faculty of Medicine departments:1,655• Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology &

Immunology, or Physiology: 1,565• Pre-Medicine: 80• Pre-Dent: 10

• full-time B.A. & Sc. enrolment: 548– Science teaching approx. 55% (Fall 2006 & Winter 2007)

• full-time B.A. enrolment: 820 out of 5,440 in majors affiliated with Faculty of Science (Computer Science, Geography, Mathematics and Statistics, Psychology)

14

Faculty of Science Undergraduate Teaching (Fall 2006 – Winter 2007)

• FTE taught by Faculty of Science: 4,277 (excludes MSE)

• FTE taught to B.Sc. Students: 3,428

(includes B.Sc./B.Ed. And B.Sc. students in Faculty of Medicine departments, Faculty of Dentistry (Pre-Dent) and B.Sc. students affiliated with MSE)

15

Science Undergraduate Admissions:

fall 2003 – fall 2007

16

Faculty of Science: Graduate Enrolment

• full-time Master’s students (308)– full- time: 1– thesis full-time: 224– additional session: 83

• full-time Doctoral students (495)– thesis full-time: 334– additional session: 161

17

Science Master’s Admissions: fall 2003 – fall 2007

18

Science Doctoral Admissions: fall 2003 – fall 2007

19

Faculty of Science: 2007- 2008

• full time tenure-track– staff count 1 Feb 2008: 248

– target complement set 1 June 2007: 247.8

• non-tenure track– 99 full-time, 244 part-time

• Faculty of Science– Bachelor FTEs/TT: 17.2

– Master’s FTEs/TT: 0.9 (1.2)

– Doctoral FTEs/TT: 1.3 (2.0)

• average age of TT staff– Science: 49 years

– University: 51 years

20

Staffing

• 77 TT hires in last 5 (calendar) years – 27 retirements– 25 terminations/resignations– net gain of 25

21

Non Tenure-Track Task Force

• NTT task force underway – next presentation to Senate on 16 April

• highlights from 13 February Senate presentation– NTT staff are and will remain an important component of

academic staff and critical to achievement of McGill’s mission

– discontinue ‘part-time’ as way to identify NTT

– NTT academic classifications will be rationalized and simplified

22

Space

23

• Bio-engineering facility– No. 1 construction priority– proposal has been sent to Quebec (awaiting response)

• Several ventilation studies underway– Otto Mass top priority– establishing deferred maintenance plan for next 5 years

• Life Sciences building– coming online this summer– major budget approved last year; $500,00 over 2 years– emphasis on teaching labs

Campaign McGill (needs)

• goal for Faculty: $87,200,000– 15 Chairs ($3.0M each)– undergraduate student support ($17.9M)– graduate student support ($14.3 M)– program support ($5.5M)– faculty support ($3.5M)– lab renovations and upgrade ($1.0M)

• achieved $37M as of Dec 2007, of which $24M represents older non-priority items and commitments

24

Comments?

Questions?

Suggestions?

Criticisms?

Complaints?

25