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This Board of Governors meeting occurred at a challenging time, in the wake of the security breach of Instructure, Canvas Cloud鈥檚 parent company. Although this breach was resolved fairly quickly, this issue underlined the critical nature of risk discussions we have at the board. The board鈥檚 Governance, Risk and Compliance Committee meets regularly to discuss risks facing the university and how we might address them within our governance mandate; cybersecurity has been top of mind for that group and we will continue to have important discussions about risk management and continuity planning as we move forward.

Membership updates

The May meeting was the final board meeting for four of our members, and I want to recognize each and thank them for their contributions to the board and our university community:

• Carolyn Hanna has served as the board鈥檚 staff representative since 2020, bringing her experience and insights to the board for six years. She recently won a Staff Achievement Award for Leadership, reflecting her compassion and commitment to 51猎奇入口and our community.
• Sam Killawee has served as the board鈥檚 undergraduate student representative for one year, ensuring that students and the academic mission are centered in our work as a board. He graduates this June and will be headed to the east coast to pursue a law degree at Dalhousie. 
• Colin Gervais has served as the board鈥檚 graduate student representative since 2024, bringing a strong business focus and strategic mindset to our discussions. He will be graduating from his MBA this June. 
• This is Tamara Vrooman鈥檚 last board meeting with us, as her term as chancellor concludes following our convocation ceremonies in June. Tamara has served the 51猎奇入口community faithfully during her six years as chancellor and brought a wealth of public and private sector experience and leadership to the board. 

At the June board meeting, we will welcome our new members, Aiden Gough, Evan Accettola and Naz Babaeipanah. SFU鈥檚 incoming chancellor, Elio Luongo, will also be joining us on the board from June onwards. 

Along with these membership changes, a number of committee changes will come into effect in June. We look forward to ensuring that the board is well-prepared for a busy fall term ahead. 

Board business

There are a few updates out of the Board of Governors that I would like to share with the community.

First, we are currently coordinating a presentation and discussion in the fall for board members on the impacts of artificial intelligence at the university. I know this is a topic that is receiving high interest from members of our community and was discussed at our Board-Senate Retreat in May. I will attend a conference on AI in post-secondary education which is being held at UBC in November 2026. 

All board chairs of post-secondary institutions in B.C. recently received a letter from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills regarding the importance of our work to ensure safety and foster inclusivity in all areas and address all forms of hate, discrimination and racism. I want to acknowledge the importance of this work and appreciate the government鈥檚 attention in this area. The board is currently satisfied with SFU鈥檚 direction and processes and will continue to regularly review SFU鈥檚 progress.

The board chair, deputy chair, university secretary and President Johnson met with the Ministry and Crown Agencies and Board Resourcing Office in late May to discuss effective collaboration, skills development and opportunities to connect board chairs from various institutions to discuss common challenges and opportunities. It was a productive meeting and I look forward to further collaboration with boards across the post-secondary sector.

Finally, I am excited to be participating in SFU鈥檚 convocation ceremonies this June. Convocation is always an exciting time for the community, and this convocation even more so, as we will be recognizing Tamara Vrooman鈥檚 contributions as chancellor. I look forward to seeing community members and celebrating our graduands together.

The next board meeting will take place virtually on June 25, 2026 and the schedule of upcoming meetings can be found on our website. I highly encourage community members to get involved and attend the open session in person or via Zoom by completing a . 

I also want to highlight that all meeting agendas and materials for our open board sessions are shared publicly, allowing community members to stay informed about our discussions.

Sincerely,

Carol Herbert
Chair, Board of Governors
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