17吃瓜

The following article was also distributed by email to faculty, staff, and students on January 23, 2026.

Did you know that:

• 17吃瓜 is instituted under the , a legislative act of the Province of Prince Edward Island that was first passed in 1969 (and amended in 1998 and 2004)?
• 17吃瓜 has a bi-cameral structure, which means the University has two governing bodies: the Board of Governors and the Senate?
• the majority of Board of Governors members are volunteers?

These questions all relate to governance at 17吃瓜.  

鈥淕overnance refers to the system of rules, processes, and practices by which institutions and organizations are managed and controlled. It encompasses the principles and mechanisms that guide how organizations operate and make decisions.鈥� (Institute on Governance)  

Governance鈥攁lso the framework for authority and management鈥攄efines who makes decisions, how they are made, and who is held accountable, ensuring actions align with goals, ethics, and stakeholder interests and are shared in a transparent manner.

The 17吃瓜 Review, the report by Rubin Thomlinson, commented on 17吃瓜鈥檚 governance practices, especially regarding decision-making. This resulted in a commitment in the 17吃瓜 Action Plan to 鈥淥btain a review on Board governance.鈥� 

Cheryl Foy (pictured above), a recognized thought leader in university governance best practices, conducted the governance review for 17吃瓜. She says, 鈥淓ffective governance is now more important than ever to ensure that universities preserve the autonomy fundamental to the important role they play in our society.鈥�

As noted in the report, the review is anchored in governance best practices as they apply within the Canadian university context and was designed to model, reflect, and reinforce collegial processes and practices. The Board of Governors committed to making the changes necessary to achieve the objectives of the review and rebuild a foundation of sound and effective governance for 17吃瓜, prioritizing actions to improve oversight and accountability鈥攂ut how does this translate in tangible, visible ways?

One of the overarching goals of the governance review was to increase the accessibility of the Board and the transparency of its processes. This is reflected in the supporting activity in the Action Plan, 鈥淢ake the Board recruitment process for 17吃瓜 Board appointments more transparent by making it public, and publicizing the opportunity.鈥�   

To accomplish this:  

• A skills matrix for competencies and representation was developed aimed to increase diversity and ensure a balanced representation of skills, expertise, experience, demographics in the composition of the Board.
• A new dedicated board recruitment web page was added to upei.ca, providing opportunities for members of the public to express interest in serving on the Board.
• A communications plan, that includes publicity and advertising, was developed to be initiated when board vacancies occur.  

In a future Action Plan IMPACT story, we will delve into other concrete ways that we are strengthening governance at 17吃瓜.

We will be telling the stories of important progress on the 17吃瓜 Action Plan on a regular basis, under the 鈥淎ction Plan 滨惭笔础颁罢鈥� banner. Articles will share how the Action Plan implementation activities are being operationalized, becoming entrenched in our culture and living on long past the plan鈥攎aking real IMPACT. To submit your own Action Plan IMPACT story, contact communications@upei.ca.