Loyalist’s Board of Governors elects new chair

By Gillian Martin

BELLEVILLE – The newly appointed chair of Loyalist College’s board of governors says balancing finances is one of his biggest priorities in the coming year.

Brian Smith was appointed at the board of governors’ June 12 meeting. Loyalist College’s 2014-15 budget was passed at the same meeting.

The budget includes planned revenues of $56.996 million and expenditures of $59.358 million.

“A key pillar of our budget is strategic enrolment management,” said Smith.

This means determining which programs attract the most applicants, allowing the college to optimize revenue while minimizing spending on less popular programs. It will work in conjunction with expenditure reduction and cost containment in order to balance costs and revenues in 2015-16, he said.

The board will also be looking at generating income through outside revenue, although Smith said he could not speak specifically to which programs this would entail.

These measures come in response to government cuts to college funding that are expected to commence in the coming school year, and the current three per cent cap on tuition-fee increases.

This is Smith’s first year as chair of the board of governors. The Belleville native has been on the board for the past five years, serving as chair of the finance, corporate services and governance committee, and as a member of the audit committee and the board bylaws and policies committee.

“I was born and raised in Belleville,” said Smith, who is a graduate of Loyalist’s business-administration program. He currently works as the director of emergency and long-term-care services in Napanee for Lennox and Addington County.

Returning vice-chair Scott Williams and experienced board member Bruce McLeod were appointed vice-chairs. Tamara Kleinschmidt is the board’s past chair.