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MEMORANDUM

To: Members of Senate


From: Kevin Goldthorp, Vice-President (External)
Date: January 28, 2011
RE: Gift Acceptance Matter Tabled at January 21Meeting

At the January 21, 2011 meeting of Senate, the SCAPA information items report was accompanied by a
question from a SCAPA committee member regarding the appropriateness of accepting a gift to fund one of the
approved scholarships. I noted to Senate that under Board Policy 2.1, gift acceptance was a responsibility of the
Board of Governors, delegated to the Vice-President (External). I indicated, further, that the policy allows the
VP (External) to refer the acceptance of any gift to the Board for approval, through the Board’s Fund Raising
and Donor Relations Committee, when the Vice-President believes that is warranted. Given the concerns raised
about this particular donation, I noted that I would be exercising my discretion in this case and asking the Board
to consider the matter.

The Fund Raising & Donor Relations Committee of the Board and the Board of Governors met on January 27
and considered fully the matters tabled by SCAPA. Both bodies unanimously confirmed my recommendation
that the gift be accepted, with appreciation to the donor for supporting Western’s Ivey School of Business MBA
students.

Additionally, both the Committee and the Board reaffirmed a.) the importance of having a robust gift
acceptance review policy and process, b.) the importance of the University community having the assurance
that the policy and processes are consistently applied, and c.) the processes themselves, specifically:

 Board Policy 2.1 delegates to the Vice-President (External) the authority to accept philanthropic gifts on
behalf of the University;
 The review includes a gift-by -gift review of all donations of $25,000 or more, and all gifts associated
with a funding an academic award or naming a space, where the gift value is less than $25,000. All such
gifts and their terms are documented in a standard agreement that must be signed by the Donor, the
Vice-President (External), and the relevant academic or administrative unit head.
 Any gift agreement which has materially unusual terms or would commit the University to material
financial obligations must be referred to the Board for approval.
 If a member of the University community is uncomfortable with the University’s acceptance of any
specific gift, she or he should advise the VP (External), who will determine whether the gift presents a
potential material concern to the University’s reputation or well being, and will determine whether the
gift will be submitted to the Fund Raising & Donor Relations Committee and Board of Governors for
approval.

Importantly, the VP (External) will work to balance the many diverse perspectives of the broad University
community with the vital obligation to respect donors, recognizing the legitimate importance philanthropy plays
in achieving our mission, and the respect that should be given to those who support our work.

I would be pleased to answer any questions about this process when Senate next meets, or beforehand with any
member of Senate.

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