With UTM principal and U of T VP Deep Saini’s first term to end in June, an advisory committee has been established to review priorities for the vice-president and principal and to consider Saini’s potential reappointment.

Originally appointed in 2010, Saini will complete his five-year term this June. The advisory committee will provide its recommendations to committee co-chairs U of T president Meric Gertler and vice-president and provost Cheryl Regehr.

Members of the advisory committee were first nominated following a call for nominations in November, and then selected by Gertler and Regehr.

According to U of T’s “Policy on Appointment of Academic Administrators”, teaching and administrative staff at UTM will be invited to suggest names for the position. The committee will then review the nominations along with suggestions from outside consultation and make its recommendation to the co-chairs.

Gertler and Regehr will report committee recommendations to the university’s Governing Council, which is responsible for producing the final decision on the appointment of U of T’s vice-president. The decision regarding the appointment of UTM’s principal will be made by the Agenda Committee, a commission under the Governing Council’s academic board.

Because Saini’s term is eligible for renewal, the advisory committee will also make recommendations on whether to reappoint Saini. If deliberations result in the decision to reject Saini’s reappointment, a search will be undertaken to appoint another individual to the role.

According to a memorandum circulated by the Office of the President, the advisory committee will also review “priorities that should be considered for the vice president and principal”.

The advisory committee includes 15 representatives from various positions on- and off-campus. Included on the committee are the chairs of UTM’s departments of geography and historical studies and chief librarian Ian Whyte. Other members of the committee include various professors from all three U of T campuses, the president of the UTM Alumni Association, and fourth-year undergraduate student Arjan Banerjee.

“I feel a sense of responsibility and hope that I will be a rational, aware, and representative voice for the undergraduate student population on the committee,” says Banerjee, a biology specialist and classics minor.

The full membership list of the advisory committee is available through the Office of the Vice President and Provost’s website.

Prior to the end of the fall term, students, staff, faculty, and other stakeholder groups were invited to participate in Saini’s review process through the submission of feedback to the advisory committee for consideration.

When asked to comment on his first term as principal and vice-president, and whether he would like to be reappointed for another term, a spokesperson for Saini informed The Medium that Saini would defer all comments until after the procedure is concluded.

Due to the confidential nature of the process, it is not yet known when deliberations will close and a decision regarding the next term will be made known to the public.

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