Trent University. Board of Governors

It was in 1957, through public discussion, that the people of Peterborough decided they wanted to establish a post-secondary educational institution in their city. The Mayor Colonel John Dewart set up a Committee on Higher Education which brought together many facets of the community to study such a possibility. The committee members represented business and industry, religion, education, and women's interests. On September 21, 1960, the committee became the Board of Directors of Trent College Limited. It was incorporated for the purposes of preliminary planning under the Companies Act. The elected body was comprised of C.K. Fraser as chairman; Dr. Donaldson Whyte, first vice-chairman; Rev. John Coughlan, second vice-chairman; Fred Chapman, treasurer; and Norman Crook, secretary. In May 1962, on the recommendation of the Provincial Government's Advisory Committee on University Affairs, the Government of Ontario announced its support for the founding of Trent University. An Act to incorporate Trent University was passed by the Legislature. The Act established a Board of Governors and the Senate of the University and conferred upon Trent the full and traditional powers and responsibilities of a University. The initial six members of the Board of Governors were C.K. Fraser, Dr. Donaldson Whyte, Rev. John Coughlan, Norman Crook, T.H.B. Symons, and Walter G. Ward. The number of board members was increased to 18 in 1963. The role of the Board of Governors was, and still is, to appoint and remove the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University; to appoint, promote, and remove deans, senior administrative officers and teaching staff, with the approval of the President and Vice-Chancellor; to fix the number, duties and salaries of the officers, clerks, employees, agents, and servants of the University; to appoint the executive committee as needed and to confer upon them the powers of the Board; and to make by-laws and regulations for the conduct of its affairs.