Ana Downes, the IGNITE representative quit her position as a board member on Humber Polytechnic’s Board of Governors. She is the ninth member to leave the 17-member board.
Downes’ resignation came shortly after Monday’s Academic and Student Affairs meeting.
A source who spoke to Et Cetera on conditions of confidentiality said the board was concerned about the college meddling in its governance and that the issue needed to be investigated.
According to a report by The Toronto Star, before more than half of Humber Polytechnic's Board of Governors resigned, the Ontario government initiated a third-party review of the college's governance and instructed members to maintain regular operations while pausing the president's performance review.
IGNITE in a statement yesterday evening supported Downes’ decision “The confidential nature of these meetings legally prohibits board members from sharing any details that led to the resignations; however, we know and trust in Ana’s decision-making skills and fully support her choice,” the statement said.
Ercole Perrone, CEO of IGNITE, said students remain the student union’s top priority.
“We are actively monitoring the situation, specifically its impact on our students. We immediately scheduled a meeting with President Ann Marie Vaughan for later this week to highlight these concerns and advocate for quick and appropriate resolution,” Perrone said.
The wave of resignations was officially announced last Friday at 9:32 p.m. through Humber Communiqué, the college’s employee newsletter. The announcement followed an executive and governance meeting on Jan. 16, according to the board’s meeting schedule.
Vaughan addressed the matter on Monday through her blog, AMViews, reassuring staff that Humber’s operations remain unaffected.
“Our current Board members, alongside Humber’s leadership team, are fully equipped to continue guiding the institution and advancing our strategic vision and mission. We remain committed to upholding principles of good governance,” Vaughan said.
Vaughan said there are two upcoming town halls for employees to discuss the budget and updates, including the latest enrolment data.
The town halls were announced last year because the sector is going through “unprecedented challenges.’’ It is unclear if the resignations will be addressed during the town halls.
The Lakeshore campus Town Hall for employees on Jan. 28, 2025, at 10 a.m. The details of invitations are yet to be announced.
The college is working to fill the vacant positions.
“We look forward to welcoming new Board members who will support Humber’s bold, ambitious vision, and will share another update once the recruitment process has been completed,” Vaughan said. “As we look to the future, we are reminded of the importance of adapting and leading in a rapidly changing world. With Building Brilliance, Humber has embraced a bold vision that challenges us to think big, to innovate, and to envision a brighter future, for everyone.’’
Among those who resigned include Chair Akela Peoples, serving on the board for over six years and Vice Chair Anne Trafford.
The other six who resigned are Pauline Larsen, John Breakey, Ali Ghassi, Earl Davis, Lekan Olawoye and Joseph Carnevale.
The remaining board members include Jacqueline Edwards, Rudy Dahdal, and Richard Rabba, who joined in fall 2023, along with Kristy Adams, Akanni Fredrick, Lisa Salem-Wiseman, and Vaughan.
The Board of Governors plays a critical role in managing budgets and risks, and supervising senior administration, including overseeing the hiring, reviewing performance and termination of a college president.
The college's media relations responded to Et Cetera questions saying the college is "in a brief transitional period" but is focused on maintaining the high-quality educational experience that our students deserve and expect. Humber is also in the process of appointing new board members.
‘’The buzzword is governance, but I think at the end of the day, this is really about transparency, like around transparency between senior admin and the board of governors and transparency from senior admin to the rest of the Humber community,’’ said Milos Vasic, the president of Humber’s faculty union OPSEU Local 562.
“And if it isn't a crisis of transparency, I mean, the only way to meet that challenge is with more transparency,” he said
He criticized the administration’s response as dismissive.
“Unfortunately, I don't think that senior admin at Humber has been living up to that because everything we've had up until now, since the weekend, is don't worry, everything's fine,” Vasic said.
But he said that message doesn't resonate with him,
No emails to the student body were sent about the situation.
