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Appointment of Provostial Advisor on Recruitment, Enrolment, and Educational Space & Technology, and Associated Portfolio Changes (PDAD&C #76)

To: Principals, Deans, Academic Directors, and Chairs
From: Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President & Provost 
Date: May 28, 2020
Re: Appointment of Provostial Advisor on Recruitment, Enrolment, and Educational Space & Technology, and Associated Portfolio Changes (PDAD&C #76)

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Dwayne Benjamin as the Provostial Advisor on Recruitment, Enrolment, and Educational Space & Technology for a term of one year, starting July 1, 2020.  The Provostial Advisor will work to enhance coordination of enrolment-related activities across the University, champion a student-centric approach to enrolment activities, take a proactive role in engaging with divisional leaders, and continue to implement process and technology transformation that supports institutional and divisional goals.

Implementation of these goals will require the integration of enrolment-related operations that currently span several institutional portfolios. As a result, the following changes to portfolios will be made upon the appointment of Professor Benjamin to his Provostial Advisor role on July 1, 2020:

  • Enrolment Services, which currently reports to the Vice-Provost, Students, will be transferred to the new Provostial Advisor portfolio. Vice-Provost, Students Sandy Welsh will retain leadership of all other functions currently reporting into her portfolio. 
  • The classroom scheduling, accommodated testing service, and technology functions within Academic and Campus Events (ACE) will also report to the Provostial Advisor. The campus events function within ACE will be integrated into Ancillary Services within the Vice-President Operations portfolio. These units will be renamed following the July 1, 2020 implementation date.
  • Staff supporting the client services function within Students Accounts (in the office of the Chief Financial Officer) will be transferred and integrated into Enrolment Services, with the goal of creating a more streamlined experience for students.

Professor Benjamin has served as Vice Dean, Graduate Education in the Faculty of Arts & Science since September 2017. In that capacity, he oversees the budgetary and programmatic administration of graduate programs hosted in Arts & Science, including the management of domestic and international enrolment levels. Prior to his role as Vice Dean, Professor Benjamin was Chair of the Department of Economics (2015-2017), Associate Chair (Undergraduate, 2010-2017), and Associate Chair (Graduate, 2003-2006).

Professor Benjamin is a labour economist whose research has evolved to the broader economics of post-secondary education, where there have been strong complementarities with his administrative responsibilities, such as identifying determinants of success in undergraduate economics, and estimating the economic returns to graduate education in Canada and the United States. On the latter topic, he is completing service on the Canadian Council of Academies’ Expert Panel on the Labour Market Transition of PhD Graduates. He also recently served on the Provost’s Advisory Group on Faculty Gender Pay Equity.

Background on Enrolment Services Review

Last year an external review of Enrolment Services was conducted at the recommendation of Richard Levin, Executive Director, Enrolment Services & University Registrar. After receiving the reviewers’ report and recommendations, I appointed Professor Brenda McCabe as Provostial Advisor on Student Enrolment. Professor McCabe presented the findings of the external review to Principals & Deans in September 2019, and identified priorities for Enrolment Services and associated units at the University that included:

  • Modernizing the enrolment services landscape across the institution
  • Emphasizing a student-centric approach
  • Adapting the organizational structure
  • Aligning accountability, authority, and financial resources
  • Leveraging technology

Over the past year, Professor McCabe and Sally Garner, Senior Strategist, Operational Initiatives, have consulted widely in order to refine the reviewers’ recommendations, and have recommended the new organizational model for Enrolment Services and associated units that will be implemented as of July 1, 2020. 

I am grateful to Professor McCabe and Sally Garner for their leadership and guidance on these issues.  Please join me in welcoming Professor Benjamin to his new role as Provostial Advisor.