The search for the next President of York University will begin shortly. Please see more details HERE.    York’s presidential search procedures remain unchanged since 2005.

The Senate of the university has key roles in the search.

The York University Act (1965) states, “The Senate … has power a) to consult with the Board (of Governors) and to make recommendations as to the appointment of the Chancellor and the President……     13.(1) There shall be a President of the University who shall be appointed by the Board after consultation with the Senate….”      https://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/governance-documents/york-university-act-1965/

In a motion passed by a two-thirds majority at Senate’s 23 October 2025 meeting, Senators recommended an amendment to the 2005 presidential search procedures which would allow the top-ranked candidates to meet with Senate in a confidential closed session, if all of the top-ranked candidates agree to do so.  This could help Senate to meet its statutory obligation to consult and make recommendations to the Board as part of the presidential search, while also addressing the position that some top candidates might not want to participate in a  somewhat ‘open’ search. https://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/wp-content/uploads/sites/107/2025/12/senate-approved-minutes-20251023.pdf , pp. 4-5.

 However, the Board of Governors, at its meeting on December 1, in a closed session,  decided by “consensus not to move forward with proposed amendments” to the presidential search procedures  (https://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/wp-content/uploads/sites/107/2025/12/board-synopsis-20251201.pdf, p. 1).   At the December 11 Senate meeting, “some Senators questioned why the Senate motion, passed with a two-thirds majority, did not appear on the Board’s agenda and was not subject to an open vote. Senators expressed concerns that .. the rationale provided for the closed session decision appeared insufficient and did not consider Senate’s compromise proposal for the change to the Principles….  Concerns were expressed about the implications for trust between Senate and the Board, (and) …  respect for established governance procedures….   Some Senators suggested a formal request for reconsideration, however, the Chair (of Senate) indicated that she would express concerns back to the Board.”   (  https://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/wp-content/uploads/sites/107/2023/04/senate-approved-minutes-20251211.pdf , pp. 2-3).

The Senate Chair’s letter to the Board about this, shared on January 22 following the Senate meeting that day, asks for clarification of the Board’s process and reasons for its decision but not for an explanation of why, if any single candidate could nix the candidates’ Senate meeting, this provision would affect the quality of the candidate pool.  This question remains very important for Senators who have repeatedly stated their desire to fulfill Senate’s statutory responsibilities by engaging meaningfully, on the basis of full information, in the consultations and recommendations that are required parts of the presidential search.   Discussions among Senators continue on the Senate-D listserv.

Senate is now being asked to nominate five (5) faculty members and two (2) students (one undergraduate and one graduate student) to serve on the search committee, through a process leading to a ballot of Senators in late February-early March. The Senate’s faculty nominees on the Search Committee do not need to be members of Senate.

The form for faculty members to express personal interest or suggest another individual to be one of the five faculty members approved by the Senate to sit on the Search Committee can be found HERE.    According to YFile, Senate Executive is asking nominees to submit information that will help Senate Executive “construct a slate of candidates that reflects the University’s diversity.”   They have decided that the Senate slate will include:

• 1 nominee from among Liberal Arts and Professional Studies
• 1 nominee from a group comprising Science and Lassonde
• 1 nominee from a group comprising Osgoode, Schulich and Health
• 1 nominee from a group comprising Arts, Media, Performance and Design, Education, Environmental & Urban Change, Glendon and Librarians
• 1 nominee from an at-large full-time faculty member

Meanwhile, search committee members are required to have “a capacity and willingness to act as members of the community rather than ‘representatives’ of constituencies”.  https://www.yorku.ca/yfile/2026/01/21/senate-issues-call-for-presidential-search-committee-nominees/#:~:text=Senate%20Executive%20will%20construct%20a,deliberations%20in%20the%20strictest%20confidence.

YUFA members who are interested in the presidential search committee are welcome  to use the nomination form and to follow the discussion about this on the Senate-D listserv.