Represent
Bring student perspectives into Board discussions, especially where a decision changes what students pay, how they learn or where they live.
About the role
I'm an undergraduate student representative on the University of Alberta Board of Governors. Here's what that means, what the Board decides, and where my role starts and stops.
What I do
Inform
Share the major agenda items, the decisions and my contributions in plain language, so students can see what the Board did.
Advocate
Escalate urgent or high-impact student concerns to the people who can act on them.
What the Board decides
The Board of Governors is the University's senior governing body. The conduct, management and control of the University and all its property are vested in it, under Alberta's Post-secondary Learning Act (opens in a new tab).
- People. It appoints the President, the deans, teaching staff and senior administrators. Senior appointments need the President's nomination.
- Money. It approves the University's budget and sets university course fees.
- Places. It approves new construction, maintains existing buildings and acquires property the University needs.
- Programs. It funds new faculties, departments and courses.
- Oversight. Seven standing committees do the detailed work first: audit and risk, finance and property, governance, human resources and compensation, investments, learning, research and student experience, and reputation and public affairs. See what each one does (opens in a new tab).
How governance fits together
Two bodies share authority within a collegial relationship, with senior authority resting with the Board.
- Board of GovernorsSenior institutional oversight: long-range planning, business affairs, finance, risk and major institutional decisions.Board of Governors (opens in a new tab)
- General Faculties Council (GFC)Responsible for the academic and student affairs of the University, subject to the Board's authority. Students sit on GFC too.General Faculties Council (opens in a new tab)
- President and senior administrationOperational leadership and day-to-day implementation of what the governing bodies decide.How the governance system works (opens in a new tab)
- Student Board representativesStudent members of the Board, nominated by the Students' Union for undergraduates and by the Graduate Students' Association for graduate students. I bring the undergraduate perspective to Board-level decisions.Current Board membership (opens in a new tab)
University Governance, led by the University Secretary, supports both the Board and GFC. The jurisdiction summary chart (opens in a new tab) shows which body decides what.
Between meetings
- Read the Board's materials and flag what affects students.
- Ask questions and speak to student impact when items come up in open session.
- Consult student associations and the other campuses: Augustana, Campus Saint-Jean, and groups such as the ISA and ISU.
- Report back after each meeting, including what I raised and how items were decided.
- Collect your feedback and take it to the right place. Urgent issues come first.
Where the role stops
It helps to know what I can and can't do.
- I'm one voice. The Board decides together. I can raise, question and advocate, but I can't decide on my own.
- Some business is confidential. Closed-session discussions and confidential materials stay private under the Board's principle documents and code of conduct (opens in a new tab). Where that limits what I can tell you, I'll say so.
- Academic rules belong to GFC. Matters like course and program requirements go through GFC and its committees. I can help point you to the right place.
- I can't resolve individual cases. Personal academic, discipline or accommodation cases need the relevant office or appeal process. I can still log the pattern if many students are affected.