The potential of creating a superboard for post-secondary education in Alberta has led to five months of limbo for the chair's seat on the Medicine Hat College board of governors.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The potential of creating a superboard for post-secondary education in Alberta has led to five months of limbo for the chair’s seat on the Medicine Hat College board of governors.
Graham Kelly was appointed to the position in late 2017, and was set to have his term expire or be extended last October.
However, word of a change and new selection, typically announced by the Alberta government in “Orders in Council” notices, has never come.
Earlier this month however, Kelly’s name was removed from the college board’s website, and this week, 2020 appointee and former vice-chair Sarah MacKenzie is denoted as “interim chair.”
He told the News on Thursday the position likely won’t be filled until the Ministry of Advanced Education has a final decision on a governance model.
“They’re deciding which way that want to go,” Kelly told the News on Thursday, adding its his understanding that now board chairs would be named or renewed until a decision was made.
New appointments, like four made for Lethbridge College’s board on Thursday, are only until spring of 2022, rather than typical three- or four-year terms.
In January, CBC reported it had obtained a report on overhauling the post-secondary governance model, done by consulting company McKinsey and Company at a cost of $3.7 million.
Among other recommendations, it suggests creating three overarching boards to govern and align activities of large universities, technical schools and regional colleges, respectively.
Local boards would live on, but only provide input in an advisory role and to work on some local issues, like fundraising, community outreach and promotion.
Kelly said he is lukewarm on the idea.
“It has some merit in that MHC doesn’t have a heck of a lot in common with, say, the University of Alberta,” he said. “But local boards with authority is an important concept that should be retained.”
Along with Kelly’s position, the board has one other vacancy from an expired term, but has been essentially entirely remade since late 2019.
Over the last 18 months all positions had been replaced with new members assigned to four-year terms set to end in either the spring of fall of 2023.
Along with Mackenzie, current appointed members are local lawyer Luke Day, Shelley Beck (a former business instructor and assistant to MLA Drew Barnes), local investment adviser Kent Smith and Yusuf Mohammed, who works in human resources for local company EIWM Holdings.
They replace previous appointees Deborah Lloyd, an Indigenous rights advocate, defence research scientist Davin Carter, Kelly Garland, a union official with the Health Sciences Association, and Brooks-based immigration community worker Mohammed Idriss, who has not been replaced.
The board also includes representatives of teaching and non-academic staff, and two student representatives that often change on an annual basis.
