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Cast your vote in the 2023 Board of Governors and Senate elections

June 10, 2023
2023 Board of Governors and Senate Alumni Elections

All eligible Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) alumni now have the opportunity to cast their vote for alumni candidates to represent them on university matters in the 2023 Board of Governors and Senate elections. Voting is open from June 13 to June 23, 2023.

TMU has a bi-cameral governance structure which means that there are two governing bodies working at the university, the Board of Governors (opens in new window)  and the Senate (opens in new window) . These two bodies are closely intertwined through the budget process, but remain quite separate from each other in terms of decision-making. The Senate governs all academic matters while The Board of Governors is responsible for the governance of the university. Each of these bodies have alumni representatives who are elected by their alumni peers in an annual election.

Candidates

Board of Governors

Read the candidate biographies and platform statements and vote for one candidate from the list to serve for the 2023-26 term.

Senate

Read the candidate biographies and platform statements and vote for two candidates on the list to serve for the 2023-25 term.

How to vote

Visit the Senate and Board of Governors Election Portal to cast your vote in this year’s elections. Eligible voters will have also received the link prior to the voting period.

Alumni access to the Elections Portal will require verification of your voter eligibility through a PIN to ensure secure logins. In order for eligible voters to receive a PIN, the Alumni Relations office must have your most current email address. If you regularly receive invitations to alumni events and/or The Toronto Met Connect, then Alumni Relations has your current email. If you don’t receive these types of communications (or you’re not sure), update your email address online or email aluminfo@torontomu.ca.

If eligible voters have not received an email invitation containing the voting link by June 14, 2023, please contact aluminfo@torontomu.ca.

FAQs

Prior to the voting period (June 13-22), eligible voters will be sent a voting link via email, which will allow them access to the Alumni Elections Portal. This portal requires verification through a PIN to ensure secure logins.

You will also be able to access the voting portal through both the Senate (opens in new window)  and the Board of Governors (opens in new window)  websites. 

A Personal Identification Number (PIN) is a unique identification number that gives eligible voters access to the voting portal. To login to the voting portal, alumni will enter their email address into the login prompt. Eligible alumni will receive a temporary PIN via email that is valid for 15 minutes from the time of request. Copy and paste the PIN from the email into the prompt on the voting portal to complete the login process. It's important to note that you can initiate the login process as many times as necessary.

Yes. The link to the voting portal is public and can be forwarded to other Alumni to encourage them to vote. Your login information including your registration PIN should not be shared with others.  

To vote in the Alumni election for the Senate or Board, you must meet both of the following criteria:

  1. You must have received one or more degree(s), diploma(s), or certificate(s) from Toronto Metropolitan University, Ryerson University or any of its predecessor institutions; and,
  2. You must not be registered as a student in a program or course of study that leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate of Toronto Metropolitan University.

It is possible to vote for the same candidate(s) who are running for both the Senate and the Board of Governors positions. However, it is important to be aware that candidates who have filed nominations for both are only eligible to serve on one of these governing bodies. In the event that a candidate is declared for both the Senate and the Board of Governors, they must withdraw from one and the seat will be awarded to the candidate who has received the next highest number of votes.

If your email address is up to date with the Alumni Office, first, check your spam folder for emails from "TMU Elections" as the emails can be filtered and held; and, second, if you don’t have an email in your spam folder, send an email to aluminfo@torontomu.ca and provide the following information:

  1. student number (if known);
  2. your first and last name at the time of graduation and listed on your degree, diploma or certificate
  3. the program or Faculty you graduated from;
  4. date of birth;
  5. year of graduation; and,
  6. degree, certificate or diploma received.

Eligible alumni who request a login PIN usually receive an email containing the PIN within 5 minutes. Various factors can affect delivery times. The elections portal allows for a new PIN email to be requested if the first one did not arrive within 10 minutes. In the meantime, please remember to check your spam or junk folders for emails from "TMU Elections". If you still are not receiving the PIN email, please contact Computing and Communications Services (CCS) (opens in new window)  at help@torontomu.ca. They can help troubleshoot PIN issues. Be please sure to copy returningofficer@torontomu.ca for the Board of Governors and/or dbell@torontomu.ca for Senate, whichever applies.

To share any such concerns related to a candidate please contact: 

Board of Governors
Jennifer Webster, Returning Officer
returningofficer@torontomu.ca

or

Senate
Donna Bell, Secretary of Senate (Chief Electoral Officer)
dbell@torontomu.ca

Alumni are the largest stakeholders at the university. They are able to share their perspectives as former students and also bring insight from their respective industries and fields. They are ambassadors for the university and can help: 

  • Build awareness of the value of public and private support for post-secondary education and universities.
  • Assist in connecting TMU’s community, programs and initiatives with outside representatives and resources.
  • Help to engage peers in the community with TMU’s programs and policies.
  • Share insights and perceptions on TMU’s experiences, academics and policies with other community leaders.
  • Expand knowledge of TMU’s plan and vision within their networks. 

Alumni have a unique perspective about TMU, and can vote for individuals who have the best interests of the university and its students in mind that align with your values and vision for the future.

The Board of Governors oversee strategic planning, risk management and the financial management of the university. The Board is responsible for the governance of the university; control of its property and revenues; the conduct of its business and affairs (except for those assigned to Senate); and powers outlined in the  (PDF file) Toronto Metropolitan University Act  (opens in new window) and the  (PDF file) By-Laws of the University (opens in new window) .

The Senate holds academic authority, and is responsible for maintaining, communicating and implementing institutional policies pertaining to: the content and quality of all programs and courses of study; the standards for admission to the university; and, the qualifications for obtaining degrees, diplomas and certificates. It establishes all academic policies and makes academic decisions based on these policies.