There will be fewer seats at future Lakehead University board of governor meetings.
Officials with the university’s board announced a reduction in board members and committees. The board reduced its 30 seats to 17 and committees from 11 to six. The reduction followed a recommendation that fewer members would improve efficiencies.
The board was formed in the 1960s and manages the university as well as strategic planning, capital investments and expansions.
Board chair Colin Bruce said the 13 board members will continue on the board until the end of their term. Afterwards only 17 members will be on the board. He said they will use a revised skills matrix to appoint new board members.
Bruce said the board’s size was too large with many members feeling disconnected and inputting little value in committees. The fewer seats and committees mean that board members will be able to act more quickly and provide input in a far boarder ways, he said.
“One of the things we have to do is be nimble,” Bruce said. “We have to able to move quickly on decisions and we have to make board members are engaged. That’s very hard to do with 30 board members."
Bruce said they looked at the private and and public sectors and noticed smaller was better. If every member were to talk for 30 seconds at each debate, the meetings would go on for days, he said.
“One of the dangers of having a 30 member board is you have 15 to 20 members who never get the chance to talk,” he said.
He added the bylaw doesn’t go into effect until next fall.
With Files from Thunder Bay Television
