Posted on April 20: Board of Governors approves botanical atrium, endowed chairs, tuition fees

A botanical atrium at the front of the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery (MDCL) will enhance campus and five endowed chairs will recruit and retain outstanding scholars. These were just two of the items approved by McMaster's Board of Governors last week, during a special meeting in the Psychology Building.

Prior to a tour of the newly renovated facilities, the Board celebrated the significance of a $105-million donation from Michael G. DeGroote to McMaster, by approving the construction of an atrium that will be added to the front of MDCL. The atrium, to be constructed at the east of the front entrance, will include botanical features and a “floating meeting room” at the third-floor level.

“The atrium is spectacular,” said Board member Edward Minich. “It will really set off University Ave. and give the building a sense of an open, welcome area. It will open up the whole campus.”

The approximately $4-million “winter garden atrium” will be funded from the Michael G. DeGroote donation.

Endowed chairs in humanities and social sciences

McMaster's Board of Governors approved the establishment of five Senator William McMaster Chairs in Humanities and Social Sciences.

These prestigious endowed research chairs are expected to retain and recruit outstanding scholars to McMaster, said President Peter George to the Board of Governors.

The University will allocate $1 million from the Pension Surplus Fund as an endowment to fund each of the five chairs.

Medard DeGroote Chair in Medicine

The $105-million gift from Michael G. DeGroote is bearing more fruit. Some of the funds of this gift will support a Medard DeGroote Chair in Medicine. The Board of Governors approved the terms of reference for the chair that will reside in the DeGroote School of Medicine's Department of Medicine. The five-year chair will focus on internal medicine.

Frozen tuition fees

The Board of Governors approved 2004/05 tuition and miscellaneous fees. There will be no increase for domestic fees in regulated and deregulated programs, based on government legislation that all domestic tuition fees be frozen at 2003/04 levels. This legislation overrides the fee increases for 2004/05 previously approved by the Board of Governors in April 2000.

Contingent on Hamilton City Council's approval, The Hamilton Street Railway monthly bus pass fee will increase five per cent, to $68.25 from $65.

Construction project approval

McMaster's Physical Plant has developed a policy on who approves construction and maintenance projects on campus. The purpose of the policy is to set out the responsibilities and accountabilities associated with construction.

The policy states that all projects with a budget more than $5 million will be approved by the Board of Governors; projects between $1 million to $5 million will be approved by the Planning and Building Committee; those between $200,000 and $1 million will be approved by the President and vice-president administration; and those up to $200,000 will be approved by the director of physical plant.