1995 Legislative Session: 4th Session, 35th Parliament
FIRST READING
The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.
HONOURABLE DAN MILLER
MINISTER OF SKILLS,
TRAINING AND LABOUR
Contents
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HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:
1 In this Act:
"academic council" means the academic council under section 15;
"board" means the board of governors of the university;
"chancellor" means the chancellor under section 11;
"convocation" means the convocation of the university;
"president" means the president of the university;
"professor" means an instructor or researcher employed at the university and recognized by the board as a professor for the purposes of this Act;
"program and research council" means the program and research council under section 14;
"registrar" means the registrar of the university;
"student" means a person who is enrolled in a credit course at the university;
"university" means the Royal Roads University established by this Act.
2 The purposes of the university are
(a) to offer certificate, diploma and degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels in solely the applied and professional fields,
(b) to provide continuing education in response to the needs of the local community, and
(c) to maintain teaching excellence and research activities that support the university's programs in response to the labour market needs of British Columbia.
3 (1) Royal Roads University is established as a corporation and is composed of the board and convocation.
(2) The university has the powers and capacity of a natural person of full capacity.
(3) The university is an agent of the Crown in right of the Province for the purpose of leasing land for use as a campus for the university.
(4) The university has the power to grant in its own name degrees and to award certificates and diplomas established in accordance with this Act.
(5) The Company Act and the Society Act do not apply to the university, but the Lieutenant Governor in Council may, by order, direct that the Company Act or the Society Act, or any provision of either, applies to the university.
(6) The employees of the Royal Roads University Society on the coming into force of this Act continue as employees of the university.
4 (1) The convocation of the university is established and is composed of
(a) the chancellor, who is chair of the convocation,
(b) the president,
(c) the members of the program and research council,
(d) the professors,
(e) graduates of the university, and
(f) persons whose names are added to the roll of the convocation by the board.
(2) Ten members of the convocation constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
(3) A meeting of the convocation may be held for the purposes of conferring degrees, including honorary degrees, for awarding diplomas and certificates of proficiency granted by the university and for additional purposes the board may specify.
(4) The registrar is the secretary of the convocation and must establish and keep the roll of the convocation up to date.
(5) The convocation may fix a fee to be paid by its members to defray the necessary expenses of the convocation.
(6) The board may make rules governing the procedure for the transaction of business by the convocation.
5 The board of governors of the university is composed of
(a) the president,
(b) a professor elected by the professors,
(c) up to 6 persons appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council,
(d) a student elected by the students,
(e) a person elected by the employees of the university who are not professors, and
(f) up to 2 persons, who are not employees of the university, appointed by the board.
6 (1) An appointed member of the board, other than the president, holds office for a term of up to 3 years as specified in the appointment.
(2) An elected member of the board, other than one elected by the students, holds office for a term of 3 years.
(3) A member of the board elected under section 5 (d) holds office for one year.
(4) Despite subsections (1) to (3), a member elected or appointed under section 5 (b), (c), (d), (e) or (f) continues in office until a successor is elected or appointed.
(5) The president continues as a member of the board for so long as the president continues in office.
7 (1) The Lieutenant Governor in Council at any time may remove from office a member of the board appointed under section 5 (c).
(2) The board at any time by a 2/3 majority of its members may remove from office a member of the board appointed under section 5 (f).
(3) Unless excused by resolution of the board, a member is deemed to have vacated the member's seat if the member has not attended at least 1/2 of the regular meetings of the board in a year.
8 (1) If a vacancy on the board arises because a term in office is not completed, the vacancy may be filled for the balance of the term in the same manner as for the original appointment or election.
(2) A vacancy on the board does not impair the authority of the remaining members of the board to act.
9 (1) The board must meet as often as is necessary to transact the business of the board, and in any event at least once every 3 months.
(2) Five members of the board constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
(3) The chair has the same right of voting as the other members of the board, and, in the case of an equality of votes for and against a motion, the question is resolved in the negative, and the chair must so declare.
10 The board has the duties and may exercise the powers of the board of governors or senate of a university under the University Act except those powers and duties given to the president by this Act.
11 (1) The chair of the board is the chancellor of the university.
(2) The president is the vice chancellor of the university.
(3) All degrees of the university are conferred by the chancellor.
12 (1) There must be a president of the university, who is its chief executive officer and who must generally supervise and direct the academic work of the university.
(2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), the president has power, in consultation with the academic council,
(a) to set academic and other qualifications for admission of students to the university, including the recognition of prior experience,
(b) to set conditions for examinations, including the qualifications that must be met in order to take examinations, and the manner in which examinations must be conducted and the results of examinations must be assessed and reported,
(c) within priorities established by the board, to set curriculum content for courses of study, instruction and educational programs,
(d) to award fellowships, scholarships, exhibitions, bursaries and prizes,
(e) to set terms for student withdrawal from courses, programs and the university,
(f) to set academic standards and standards for determining academic standing or grades,
(g) to set criteria for awarding certificates and diplomas and granting degrees, and
(h) to set criteria for recognition of academic excellence.
(3) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), the president has the power
(a) to recommend appointments, promotions and removal of professors, members of the administrative staff and officers and other employees of the university,
(b) to establish the committees the president considers necessary or advisable, and
(c) to deal with other matters delegated to the president by the board.
(4) The president may delegate a power under subsection (2) to the academic council.
(5) The president is a member of all standing committees of the board except the standing committee on appeals.
(6) Sections 57 to 59 of the University Act apply to the president.
13 (1) The registrar must keep the records of the university and perform the duties that the board may require.
(2) The registrar is the secretary of the convocation but has no right as secretary to vote.
14 (1) The program and research council consists of
(a) the president, who is its chair,
(b) the chair of the academic council, and
(c) other members appointed to the council by the board.
(2) At least 2/3 of the members of the program and research council must not be employees of the university.
(3) The program and research council advises the board on instructional program and research priorities, program objectives and desirable learning outcomes.
15 (1) Subject to subsection (4), the registrar, after consulting representative groups of professors, students and other employees of the university, must establish the size and composition of the academic council and the length of term that a member may serve on the academic council.
(2) Subject to subsection (4), the academic council consists of persons elected in a manner specified by the registrar to represent professors, students and other employees of the university.
(3) At least 1/2 of the members of the academic council, not counting members appointed under subsection (4), must be professors.
(4) The president may appoint one or 2 additional members to the academic council and set the length of term they are to serve and, if an appointment is made under this subsection, the size and composition of the academic council change accordingly.
(5) The role of the academic council is to consult with the president as described in section 12 and exercise the powers delegated to it under section 12 (4).
16 Sections 28.1, 30, 32, 46.1, 47, 49, 50, 54, 55 and 85 of the University Act apply to the university.
17 The university is not liable to taxation except to the extent that the Crown in right of the Province is liable.
18 (1) No action for damages because of anything done or omitted in good faith under this Act or the regulations,
(a) in the performance or purported performance of any duty, or
(b) in the exercise or purported exercise of any power,
may be brought against a member of the board, the academic council, the program and research council or a committee established by the board or against an officer or employee of the university.
(2) Subsection (1) does not absolve the university from vicarious liability for an act or omission for which it would be vicariously liable if this section were not in force.
19 Section 1 (1) of the College and Institute Act, R.S.B.C. 1979, c. 53, is amended by repealing the definition of "university" and substituting the following
"university" means
(a) The University of British Columbia continued under the University Act,
(b) the University of Victoria continued under the University Act,
(c) Simon Fraser University continued under the University Act,
(d) the open university established under the Open Learning Agency Act,
(e) the University of Northern British Columbia established under the University of Northern British Columbia Act, or
(f) Royal Roads University established under the Royal Roads University Act .
20 The Royal Roads Military College Degrees Act, S.B.C. 1975, c. 82, is repealed.
21 Section 82 of the University Act, R.S.B.C. 1979, c. 419, is amended by adding the following subsection:
(6) Despite subsection (2), the Royal Roads University established under the Royal Roads University Act may grant degrees in its own name in accordance with that Act.
22 Section 1 (1) of the University Foundations Act, S.B.C. 1987, c. 50, is amended by adding the following paragraph:
(e) Royal Roads University Foundation.
23 This Act comes into force by regulation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
This Act establishes the Royal Roads University to offer certificate, diploma, undergraduate and graduate programs in applied and professional fields.
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