Governing Council met on May 13 to discuss key issues affecting U of T’s financial and operational health, including UTM’s budget and programming growth, the Defy Gravity fundraising campaign, and a new Indigenous verification framework. 

UTM growth

Kicking off the meeting on a positive note, UTM Vice President and Principal Alexandra Gillespie highlighted Mississauga’s campus growth and improving financial health. 

Despite largely flat revenues since 2019–2020, UTM’s budget grew 42 per cent across its 19 academic departments. Investment for the campus’s core academic mission saw a seven per cent year-over-year increase. 

Grant funding increased by 130 per cent, compared to six years ago, marking a record high for research funding at UTM. Student enrolment more than doubled and students participating in experiential learning reached a peak of 143 per cent within the same period. Notably, first-entry arts and science graduation rates rose more than four percentage points above the historical average, which was attributed to an 85 per cent increase in student financial aid, among other affordability efforts. 

With changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and grant funding taking place in the coming academic year, it will be critical to monitor the impacts on enrolment, graduation rates, and other material metrics not only at UTM but across all campuses. 

Defy Gravity campaign milestones

President Melanie Woodin shared some key milestones regarding U of T’s Defy Gravity initiative, the most ambitious philanthropic campaign in Canadian history, launched in late 2021. The campaign primarily aims to achieve two objectives: engaging nearly 225,000 alumni and raising $4 billion in donations. 

The campaign is currently $2.75 billion ahead of schedule. It aimed to raise $310 million for the current academic year, but surpassed this goal with $492 million, beating the highest fundraising year of 2021, which raised $445 million. Woodin said that the funds are “directed to student support,” adding, “It’s going to make a material difference on our campuses.” 

Given U of T’s substantial government funding, endowment, tuition revenue, and overall budget, the scale of fundraising may raise questions. In a 2022 University Affairs article, David Palmer, vice president of advancement at U of T, explains that “Government and tuition funding help to sustain U of T in its core activities, but gifts help in the pursuit of excellence and innovation that extends the impact of our research and teaching mission.” 

Indigenous substantiation

Shifting to policy, Senior Director of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives Shannon Simpson presented U of T’s new identity verification process for Indigenous students that will go into effect spring 2027. Students with a substantiated identity will have access to opportunities like scholarships, jobs, research funding, honoraria, recognition, and awards reserved for Indigenous students and faculty. This process will be non-voluntary, institution-wide, and proactive. 

The presentation established that identity fraud has always existed; in fact, the term “pretendian,” a non-Indigenous person claiming Indigenous ancestry, has been used in popular culture to describe these individuals for some time. During the question and answer segment of the presentation, Simpson indicated that this initiative was not necessarily made in response to an uptick in cases or any specific instances at U of T. Still, over the last decade, high-profile cases of Indigenous identity fraud gave the issue visibility, increasing the demand for a verification framework on campus. 

Simpson strongly emphasized the importance of consulting with Indigenous communities while the office established the verification process. Crucially, the communities determined what documents would be needed for identity verification. In the presentation, Simpson said, “We didn’t want it to ever feel like U of T was deciding who is Indigenous or not.” 

The substantiation process has slowly begun rolling out on an as-needed basis. So far, 42 students and 11 staff have gone through the process, with six individuals unable to substantiate their identities due to either incomplete applications or identifying with non-recognized and non-rights-bearing groups. 

The verification process will ensure that the sizable funds aiming to improve equity on campus, such as the Indigenous Tuition Initiative or Indigenous-specific employment opportunities, reach their intended communities. 

The Governing Council will meet again in June. The updates presented at this meeting reflect progress in campus financial health and equity frameworks. These developments will continue to be monitored by other governing bodies and likely revisited at future Governing Council sessions as initiatives like Indigenous verification and funding changes take place.