All PAC meetings should be structured to maximize participation and consultation with PAC members.
They are designed to gather meaningful input from members that inform program development and renewal, and create new career development opportunities for students and graduates.
While Seneca representatives will provide short program updates (ideally, in writing prior to the meeting using the PAC briefing note template) and offer context for agenda items, most of the meeting should be dedicated to gathering insights from members on industry trends and labour market needs.
PAC meetings should follow conventional meeting rules.
It is expected that PAC members will:
All recommendations made by a PAC must be worded in a formal motion, voted on by the PAC membership and recorded in the minutes. Voting can be completed electronically when appropriate. The outcome of an electronic vote should be noted in the corresponding minutes.
A motion and vote are also required to confirm a new PAC chair.
Quorum at any PAC meeting is represented through a clear majority of voting members (50 per cent plus one), including the PAC chair. At the beginning of a meeting, the PAC chair will confirm that quorum has been met.
Meetings may proceed without a quorum; however, votes cannot be taken. When quorum is not achieved at a meeting, it will not count toward the minimum requirement of two formal meetings per year.
There are at least two meetings each year. Typically, PACs meet once in the fall and once in the winter or early spring (March). Regular attendance and participation by members are expected.
If a member cannot attend a meeting, they must notify their Seneca representative.
If a member misses two consecutive meetings without notifying Seneca, the academic chair will communicate directly with the member to determine whether the individual is able to continue on the PAC.
Members who do not respond to communications from the academic chair after a reasonable number of attempts are deemed to have resigned, and Seneca will initiate the resignation process.
Designates may not attend meetings on behalf of a member.
The PAC chair will preside over all meetings with the support of the academic chair. In the absence of the PAC chair, the voting members present shall choose one of the PAC members to serve as chair.
Each PAC will elect a chair from the membership for a two-year term. A chair may stand for re-election once.
The chair provides leadership to the PAC. Their duties include:
Seneca faculty and staff attend PAC meetings in a non-voting resource capacity at the discretion of the academic and PAC chairs.
Their responsibilities at a PAC meeting are to:
Students may be invited to meetings on an ad-hoc basis. Similar to faculty and staff, students attend in a non-voting resource capacity to provide information and/or answer questions raised by PAC members.
The academic chair is responsible for establishing meeting agendas, in consultation with the PAC chair and using the PAC agenda template.
The agenda and meeting materials should be distributed to the PAC members in advance of the meeting.
Typically, the agenda includes:
Minutes of meetings will be taken by a Seneca employee using the PAC minutes template. Minutes do not need to record what was discussed in detail, but should be clear, concise and include a summary of major themes, points of discussion, goals achieved, action items, motions and votes.
Minutes will be reviewed and approved by both the academic and PAC chairs, and distributed within two weeks to PAC members, the dean and Seneca staff and students in attendance. Minutes will be filed by the program area and emailed to the Academic Quality team for record-keeping and for posting in the central PAC repository.
Minutes are considered to be confidential documents with the exception of when these documents are needed for academic planning and program-related submissions. Any document is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Meetings may be recorded for the purpose of compiling the minutes or for sharing with a PAC member or Seneca staff that was absent.
Recordings will be conducted in a manner that respects the privacy of others and the PAC chair will provide notice of the recording to all participants in advance of the recording.
Recordings will be deleted once they have been used for the intended purpose. Questions or concerns related to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information can be referred to the Seneca Privacy Office at privacyoffice@senecapolytechnic.ca or at 416.764.0400.
The academic chair is responsible for actioning requests and recommendations arising from PAC meetings.
Recommendations for minor changes to a program can be addressed during program review in accordance with the Academic Program Review and Modification Policy. Where appropriate, the academic chair will bring requests and/or recommendations to the attention of the dean or Vice- President Academic & International for resolution.
The academic chair will report back to the PAC on the outcome of recommendations and is encouraged to complete and provide the PAC with an annual report at the end of the each academic year.
Seneca’s Board of Governors will reimburse program areas for food and parking costs incurred for in-person PAC meetings.
Meals and parking will be reimbursed consistent with the amounts outlined in Seneca’s Travel and Expense Policy.
Program areas can submit an expense report or journal voucher through i3 using the Board’s responsibility centre (RC). Similarly, program areas can use the Board’s RC to request a guest code for parking on campus. Please contact the Board of Governors Office for assistance.
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