Changes to university’s administrative structure

I’m writing today to let you know of upcoming changes to the structure of the University that see the creation of Office of General Counsel and People and Culture; Office of Signature Learning Experiences; and an Institutional Commitments Unit. 

These changes create clearer accountabilities, simplify our administrative structure, and better deploy resources. They will improve our ability to deliver on commitments to mental health, global engagement, EDIA, and sustainability – and improve connectivity and responsiveness of administrative teams with the campus community.

This supports our commitment to Ahead of Tomorrow, our strategic plan, to making our processes clearer, simpler and better than any university.

Office of General Counsel and People and Culture

To better serve our community, our people functions (human resources; labour relations; protected disclosure; staff supporting HR within the current strategy offices) – will be combined into a single office.

This office will be led by our current General Counsel, Jacqueline Lacasse, who will also take on the role of Vice-President People and Culture, and our current AVP of Labour Relations Steve McCardy, who will take on leadership as AVP People and Culture.

Combining the teams will mean a more responsive organization with faster turnaround and more consistent work done on behalf of faculty and staff. It creates consistency in approaches, improves internal co-ordination and makes clear who’s responsible for the delivery of people initiatives.

This change creates capacity in the Office of the Vice-President Services and Operations, led by Mike Van Hee, to focus on improving services and enhancing tools, ultimately making it simpler and faster to set ideas in motion here than at any other university – a major focus of Ahead of Tomorrow. Facilities Development, Facilities Management, Information Technology, Environment, Health and Safety, Campus Security/Emergency Management and Process Excellence and Transformation will be within the VP Services and Operations portfolio.

Sumana Dasgupta, our current Associate Vice-President of Human Resources, will be leaving the university. Sumana has made many important contributions to UCalgary during her five years at the institution, including implementing key changes to the HR Service model and HR Partner role, navigating the complexities of COVID and a sustainable approach to remote working and implementing an annual People Report to the HR and Governance committee of the Board of Governors. I want to thank her and I hope you’ll join me in wishing her the best.

Office of Signature Learning Experiences

Units that enhance student experience (experiential learning; global learning; College for Discovery, Creativity and Innovation; entrepreneurial thinking) are being combined into an Office of Signature Learning Experiences.

This unit will be managed by a Senior Director that reports to the Deputy Provost, Robin Yates. Shared capacity in student advising, communications and administration will support the work of academic directors of Experiential Learning, Research Experiences, Global Learning, and Entrepreneurial Thinking.

This change will better allow us to consider signature learning experiences holistically, and in relation to each other. It provides for a more consistent experience for people accessing this learning expertise and – through pooling resources – means we can more consistently provide expertise and support across all signature learning experiences.

Institutional Commitments Unit

Units that support foundational commitments and institutional strategies (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Mental Health, Sustainability) are being combined into an Institutional Commitments Unit. There is no change to the Office of Indigenous Engagement.

Similar in structure to the Office of Signature Learning Experiences, the Institutional Commitments Unit will be managed by a Senior Director that reports directly to the Provost, Sandra Davidson. Shared capacity in planning, communications, events and administration will support the work of academic directors of each of these institutional commitments.

In addition to pooling resources, this change enables a co-ordinated planning cycle where foundational strategies and action plans can be created, renewed and reviewed in consideration of each other. It also better allows us to provide equitable resourcing to all our commitments and enhance engagement, events and outreach.

Andrew Szeto will continue as Academic Director for Mental Health and Wellbeing. Current Vice-Provost (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Malinda S. Smith will shift focus to research priorities as Associate Vice-President (Research - Equity, Diversity and Inclusion).

Joanne Perdue, the Current Associate-Vice President (Sustainability), is stepping down at the end of this year. Under Joanne’s long leadership tenure, the University has achieved many significant advancements and recognitions in sustainability. This includes an impressive top 5% global ranking for advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals for the last five years. We look forward to the new office continuing to build on the very strong foundation she leaves us and advancing UCalgary’s commitment to excellence, leadership and innovation in sustainability.

International Office

As mentioned above, support for global learning will move from the International Office to the Office of Signature Experiences. Global partnerships and international relations will be supported through a smaller team located in the Office of the President.

Buffy St-Amand, currently Director (Strategic Global Initiatives) will become Senior Director (International). This role will report to Kate Hamilton, Associate Vice-President (Strategy and Performance).

As we grow as a university and become more international in our outlook and ambitions, the work of international engagement needs to be embedded across the university. This change reflects that, and groups international functions with like functions – international learning with signature learning experiences, international recruitment with the Registrar’s Office, international student services with Student Experience and Support.

Previous Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (International) Janaka Ruwanpura’s term ended on March 31, 2024 and the position has been vacant since that time. Under this new model, that Vice-Provost position will not be re-filled. Janaka and the entire International team have created the conditions that allow this new approach and we look forward to building on their successes.

The changes announced today will take effect over the coming months and will be implemented by Jan. 1. Much of this is behind-the-scenes work that builds on a strong foundation. There is no change to our goals or how you access these functions, but we do hope that when fully implemented it will result in a clearer, simpler and better experience for all of us.

Thank you for everything you do for the university,

Ed McCauley 
President and Vice-Chancellor