Mandate
The Committee on Awards shall make recommendations and provide advice to Council on policy matters related to awards and scholarship. It will promote and celebrate outstanding performance and creative scholarship across the School. It will adjudicate student, faculty and staff awards as applicable.
This committee will propose policy for student, staff and faculty awards (creation, advertisement, nominations and selections) in the Lassonde School of Engineering; additionally, this committee will adjudicate School-wide awards. On behalf of the Lassonde School of Engineering, and in the context of promoting, recognizing and celebrating outstanding achievements in teaching, learning, service and research, the Committee shall be responsible for those aspects of awards, prizes and medals under the School’s jurisdiction.
Meeting Dates 2023-24
Awards Committee meetings take place on Wednesdays from 1:00pm – 3:00pm (typically the third Wednesday of the month).
Full Terms of Reference
The Committee on Awards shall make recommendations and provide advice to Council on policy matters related to awards and scholarship. It will promote and celebrate outstanding performance and creative scholarship across the School. It will adjudicate student, faculty and staff awards as applicable.
This committee will propose policy for student, staff and faculty awards (creation, advertisement, nominations and selections) in the Lassonde School of Engineering; additionally, this committee will adjudicate School-wide awards. On behalf of the Lassonde School of Engineering, and in the context of promoting, recognizing and celebrating outstanding achievements in teaching, learning, service and research, the Committee shall be responsible for those aspects of awards, prizes and medals under the School’s jurisdiction.
This committee will propose policy for student, staff and faculty awards (creation, advertisement, nominations and selections) in the Lassonde School of Engineering; additionally, this committee will adjudicate School-wide awards. On behalf of the Lassonde School of Engineering, and in the context of promoting, recognizing and celebrating outstanding achievements in teaching, learning, service and research, the Committee shall be responsible for those aspects of awards, prizes and medals under the School’s jurisdiction.
The Committee shall be responsible for:
2.1. Awards adjudicated or funded within the jurisdiction of the Lassonde School of Engineering and its constituent departments & committees. This includes:
2.1.1. Adjudicating School-level awards
2.1.2. Approving the creation, elimination or amendment of awards
2.1.3. Proposing the creation, elimination or amendment of faculty level awards within the Lassonde School of Engineering.
2.1.4. Maintaining a database that tracks all award details and recipients
2.1.5. Set up and maintain a system that provides confidence that quality requirements are being fulfilled, including:
2.1.5.1. Create an annual report of awards & status of awards
2.1.5.2. Creating templates to identify clear criteria for adjudication processes as per the donor intentions as well as criteria around EDI and the Ontario Human Rights Policy
2.1.5.3. Periodically review
2.2. Maintaining a repository of all awards including research, student, staff faculty and community partners, and incorporating the information that’s necessary for the annual report.
2.3. Receiving dossiers of award applicant materials and adjudicate as per instructions from other bodies (e.g. Governor General award)
2.4. Reporting to Faculty Council on the individual recipients of awards and on the nature, number, and disbursement of such awards.
2.4.1. Collate all results and report for Faculty Council annually
2.5. Promoting awareness within the Lassonde School of Engineering of awards, scholarships and bursaries. Liaise with Communications team to profile
2.6. Receiving requests for advice and responding to inquiries with respect to awards created or adjudicated by units or committees within the Lassonde School of Engineering.
2.7. Coordinating nominations for awards on behalf of the School.
2.8. The Committee shall review and approve their mandate on a yearly basis.
2.1. Awards adjudicated or funded within the jurisdiction of the Lassonde School of Engineering and its constituent departments & committees. This includes:
2.1.1. Adjudicating School-level awards
2.1.2. Approving the creation, elimination or amendment of awards
2.1.3. Proposing the creation, elimination or amendment of faculty level awards within the Lassonde School of Engineering.
2.1.4. Maintaining a database that tracks all award details and recipients
2.1.5. Set up and maintain a system that provides confidence that quality requirements are being fulfilled, including:
2.1.5.1. Create an annual report of awards & status of awards
2.1.5.2. Creating templates to identify clear criteria for adjudication processes as per the donor intentions as well as criteria around EDI and the Ontario Human Rights Policy
2.1.5.3. Periodically review
2.2. Maintaining a repository of all awards including research, student, staff faculty and community partners, and incorporating the information that’s necessary for the annual report.
2.3. Receiving dossiers of award applicant materials and adjudicate as per instructions from other bodies (e.g. Governor General award)
2.4. Reporting to Faculty Council on the individual recipients of awards and on the nature, number, and disbursement of such awards.
2.4.1. Collate all results and report for Faculty Council annually
2.5. Promoting awareness within the Lassonde School of Engineering of awards, scholarships and bursaries. Liaise with Communications team to profile
2.6. Receiving requests for advice and responding to inquiries with respect to awards created or adjudicated by units or committees within the Lassonde School of Engineering.
2.7. Coordinating nominations for awards on behalf of the School.
2.8. The Committee shall review and approve their mandate on a yearly basis.
The Lassonde School of Engineering is committed to create a community where students, faculty and staff feel welcome and valued, and a place and space for people to thrive in their various endeavors. This means creating policies, procedures, programs, events, and other interventions that work to eliminate barriers, and to establish and sustain the conditions that enable everyone to fully participate in our community. To reach this goal, the committee will support Lassonde’s learning journey to:
• Create a diverse, inclusive integrated teaching, learning and research environment.
• Empower diverse internal and external communities to organically grow by optimizing existing spaces and creating new ones with a culturally inclusive lens.
• Prioritize equitable outcomes by adopting a values-driven integrated approach to research, teaching & learning and operations.
• Cultivate an inclusive interdisciplinary community that brings the diverse perspectives required to envision and devise engineering and science solutions that address environmental, economic and social problems.
• Create a diverse, inclusive integrated teaching, learning and research environment.
• Empower diverse internal and external communities to organically grow by optimizing existing spaces and creating new ones with a culturally inclusive lens.
• Prioritize equitable outcomes by adopting a values-driven integrated approach to research, teaching & learning and operations.
• Cultivate an inclusive interdisciplinary community that brings the diverse perspectives required to envision and devise engineering and science solutions that address environmental, economic and social problems.
4.1. Membership
The membership of Awards shall be as follows:
4.2. Period of Appointments
Ex-Officio Members:
• Ex Officio members shall hold their position for the duration of their appointment in that role.
Faculty Members:
• Faculty members shall hold their position for a two-year rolling cycle. Each year, one-half of the membership turns over and will be replaced on a rotational basis by other faculty members.
Staff:
• Staff members elected and/or appointed as members shall typically serve for two-years, renewable.
Students
• The undergraduate and graduate students elected and/or appointed as members will serve for one-year, renewable.
Staggered Committee Membership Terms
• To avoid complete turnover of the committee membership at one time, and to maintain continuity in the running of the committee, the committee will aim for a staggered-term membership whereby only 50% of the committee membership is to be turned over each year, preventing more than one-half of the terms from expiring at the same time.
4.3. Elections/Nominations
Chair:
• The Chair of the Committee is selected by the voting members of the Committee for a two-year term.
Vice-Chair:
• The Vice-Chair of the Committee is selected by the voting members of the Committee for a one-year term, with the understanding that they will transition to Chair of the Committee.
EDI Champion:
• The committee shall select a member, other than the Chair, to take on the additional role of being the committee’s EDI Champion, beyond their normal membership tasks (see EDI Champion Role document)
Departmental Members:
• The faculty member designate for a department shall be chosen in accordance with each department’s procedures.
Staff:
• Staff members shall be elected through the process managed by the Executive Committee of Council and will include a call for nominees to committees.
Students:
• Student vacancies are filled via a centralized process which will be managed by the Executive Committee. The election process is conducted by the respective student bodies of the Lassonde undergraduate student government and Lassonde graduate student associations.
Alternates:
• An alternate should be identified for each committee member to attend committee meetings in cases when a
member cannot. Ideally, the alternate shall succeed the member in the following membership term.
4.4. Representation by Proxy
• Elected and ex-officio members may designate a substitute.
4.5. Resignation/Dismissal of Members
• Should an elected member resign from the committee, the Chair will endeavour to find a replacement. In the event a replacement cannot be found, a call will go out from the Executive Committee to solicit a replacement from Faculty Council.
• Any member may be dismissed for any of the following reasons: 1) missing three (3) consecutive meetings (except in cases of illness or other weighty grounds); and/or 2) for other cause for which the committee finds to be just.
The membership of Awards shall be as follows:
| Title | # of Members | # of Votes |
| Ex-Officio Membership | – | – |
| Manager, Student Engagement (non-voting) | 1 | 0 |
| Lassonde Advancement Representative (non-voting) | 1 | 0 |
| Vice/Associate Dean (non-voting) | 1 | 0 |
| Assistant Dean, Students (or designate) | 1 | 1 |
| Librarian | 1 | 1 |
| Membership | – | – |
| 4 Faculty Members (1 from each department) | 4 | 4 |
| 2 Students (1 Undergraduate, 1 Graduate) | 2 | 2 |
| 1 Staff | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 12 | 9 |
4.2. Period of Appointments
Ex-Officio Members:
• Ex Officio members shall hold their position for the duration of their appointment in that role.
Faculty Members:
• Faculty members shall hold their position for a two-year rolling cycle. Each year, one-half of the membership turns over and will be replaced on a rotational basis by other faculty members.
Staff:
• Staff members elected and/or appointed as members shall typically serve for two-years, renewable.
Students
• The undergraduate and graduate students elected and/or appointed as members will serve for one-year, renewable.
Staggered Committee Membership Terms
• To avoid complete turnover of the committee membership at one time, and to maintain continuity in the running of the committee, the committee will aim for a staggered-term membership whereby only 50% of the committee membership is to be turned over each year, preventing more than one-half of the terms from expiring at the same time.
4.3. Elections/Nominations
Chair:
• The Chair of the Committee is selected by the voting members of the Committee for a two-year term.
Vice-Chair:
• The Vice-Chair of the Committee is selected by the voting members of the Committee for a one-year term, with the understanding that they will transition to Chair of the Committee.
EDI Champion:
• The committee shall select a member, other than the Chair, to take on the additional role of being the committee’s EDI Champion, beyond their normal membership tasks (see EDI Champion Role document)
Departmental Members:
• The faculty member designate for a department shall be chosen in accordance with each department’s procedures.
Staff:
• Staff members shall be elected through the process managed by the Executive Committee of Council and will include a call for nominees to committees.
Students:
• Student vacancies are filled via a centralized process which will be managed by the Executive Committee. The election process is conducted by the respective student bodies of the Lassonde undergraduate student government and Lassonde graduate student associations.
Alternates:
• An alternate should be identified for each committee member to attend committee meetings in cases when a
member cannot. Ideally, the alternate shall succeed the member in the following membership term.
4.4. Representation by Proxy
• Elected and ex-officio members may designate a substitute.
4.5. Resignation/Dismissal of Members
• Should an elected member resign from the committee, the Chair will endeavour to find a replacement. In the event a replacement cannot be found, a call will go out from the Executive Committee to solicit a replacement from Faculty Council.
• Any member may be dismissed for any of the following reasons: 1) missing three (3) consecutive meetings (except in cases of illness or other weighty grounds); and/or 2) for other cause for which the committee finds to be just.
5.1. Meetings and Protocols
• Normally, committee meetings will be held completely virtually via videoconference or in a hybrid/Hyflex (in-person + simultaneous videoconference) format.
• Meetings are open to members of the Lassonde community, subject to the availability of space
• When the committee considers matters relating to specific individuals or to other matters where confidentiality must be observed, the committee may, in the notice for a meeting, declare part of a meeting to be closed or in camera.
• When the committee meets in camera, only committee members may be present.
• The Lassonde Faculty Council has adopted “York University Rules of Senate” to guide and inform its governance structure and operations.
• This committee shall make its decisions based on a simple majority of those members present and voting at a duly constituted meeting
• Committee members will notify the Chair/Secretary if they will be absent from a meeting.
5.2. Chair
• The Chair of the Awards Committee is responsible for providing leadership to the committee in pursuit of its mandate. The Chair presides at all committee meetings, acts as the official spokesperson for the committee, and ensures that the committee operates in conformity with the rules enacted by Faculty Council and Senate.
• In the case of the absence or illness of the Chair, the committee may appoint one of the members of the committee to act as Chair pro tempore and for such period the member so appointed shall act as, and have all the powers of, the Chair.
5.3. Quorum
• Per Senate rules, the quorum shall consist of a majority of voting members.
5.4. Timing and Frequency of Meetings
• Awards committee meets every third Wednesday of the month
• The committee may conduct additional meetings as warranted by committee business.
5.5. Standing Orders
• The conduct of the business of the meeting shall be subject to the “York University Rules of Senate”
5.6. Agenda, Administration, and Minutes
• The administration of the committee shall be taken up by the Secretary to the Committee.
• All Committee meeting agendas should be made available to the Lassonde community at least one week in advance of a committee meeting.
• Meeting minutes should be shared to the extent possible without breaching confidentiality.
• All records of the meetings, including the minutes, shall be retained in accordance with the Common Records Schedule (CRS) for Faculty Councils (ADG15) and Faculty Council Committees (ADG17) under York University’s Information, Privacy and Copyright Office.
• The Secretary to the Committee shall be responsible for ensuring correspondence and decisions made by the Committee are available to relevant people or bodies, including the membership of sub-committees and secretaries of relevant Faculty Councils.
5.7. Voting
• All members of the committee are voting members unless specifically indicated otherwise. Ex-officio and elected/appointed members have the same voting rights.
• Votes may be cast in person or by e-vote
–– Pursuant to the discretion of the Chair, members may be permitted to vote by means of an electronic communication (e-vote) which enables the votes to be gathered in a manner that permits their subsequent verification
• Normally, committee meetings will be held completely virtually via videoconference or in a hybrid/Hyflex (in-person + simultaneous videoconference) format.
• Meetings are open to members of the Lassonde community, subject to the availability of space
• When the committee considers matters relating to specific individuals or to other matters where confidentiality must be observed, the committee may, in the notice for a meeting, declare part of a meeting to be closed or in camera.
• When the committee meets in camera, only committee members may be present.
• The Lassonde Faculty Council has adopted “York University Rules of Senate” to guide and inform its governance structure and operations.
• This committee shall make its decisions based on a simple majority of those members present and voting at a duly constituted meeting
• Committee members will notify the Chair/Secretary if they will be absent from a meeting.
5.2. Chair
• The Chair of the Awards Committee is responsible for providing leadership to the committee in pursuit of its mandate. The Chair presides at all committee meetings, acts as the official spokesperson for the committee, and ensures that the committee operates in conformity with the rules enacted by Faculty Council and Senate.
• In the case of the absence or illness of the Chair, the committee may appoint one of the members of the committee to act as Chair pro tempore and for such period the member so appointed shall act as, and have all the powers of, the Chair.
5.3. Quorum
• Per Senate rules, the quorum shall consist of a majority of voting members.
5.4. Timing and Frequency of Meetings
• Awards committee meets every third Wednesday of the month
• The committee may conduct additional meetings as warranted by committee business.
5.5. Standing Orders
• The conduct of the business of the meeting shall be subject to the “York University Rules of Senate”
5.6. Agenda, Administration, and Minutes
• The administration of the committee shall be taken up by the Secretary to the Committee.
• All Committee meeting agendas should be made available to the Lassonde community at least one week in advance of a committee meeting.
• Meeting minutes should be shared to the extent possible without breaching confidentiality.
• All records of the meetings, including the minutes, shall be retained in accordance with the Common Records Schedule (CRS) for Faculty Councils (ADG15) and Faculty Council Committees (ADG17) under York University’s Information, Privacy and Copyright Office.
• The Secretary to the Committee shall be responsible for ensuring correspondence and decisions made by the Committee are available to relevant people or bodies, including the membership of sub-committees and secretaries of relevant Faculty Councils.
5.7. Voting
• All members of the committee are voting members unless specifically indicated otherwise. Ex-officio and elected/appointed members have the same voting rights.
• Votes may be cast in person or by e-vote
–– Pursuant to the discretion of the Chair, members may be permitted to vote by means of an electronic communication (e-vote) which enables the votes to be gathered in a manner that permits their subsequent verification
The committee is responsible for reporting to Faculty Council annually.
Version Number: Awards Committee V.3
Approved By: Faculty Council
Date: June 2023
Approved By: Faculty Council
Date: June 2023
*Click here for the PDF version
2023-24 Committee Members
Associate Dean
Assistant Dean, Students
EECS Faculty Rep
ESSE Faculty Rep
Librarian
Staff Representative
Undergraduate Student
Graduate Student
Committee Secretary
Lassonde Advancement Representative
