{"id":20886,"date":"2026-02-23T15:35:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T20:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/notes.math.ca\/article\/change-is-coming\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T11:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:26:08","slug":"change-is-coming","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/notes.math.ca\/en\/article\/change-is-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"Change is coming!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The CMS just celebrated its 80th<\/sup> anniversary \u2013 that\u2019s 80 wonderful years of supporting mathematical research and nurturing young mathematical talent in Canada.  In that time, the CMS has grown from a small group of volunteers to a significant non-profit organization, carrying out an expanding range of programs through the dedication of 8  permanent staff and countless volunteers from the mathematical community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growth brings challenges!  The internal governance structure of the CMS has remained largely the same over the decades:  our Board of Directors is responsible for everything from approving the budget, financial statements and new initiatives, to serving as a discussion forum for strategic planning and community concerns.  To address its ever-increasing responsibilities, the composition of the Board has gradually grown over the decades: it is now quite a behemoth, with some 29 members.  Moreover, the semi-annual meetings, already four hours long, are insufficient:  even with many routine matters dealt with by email, there is so much to cover that we rarely engage in strategic planning.  Even more concerning: in my experience as a long-standing member of the Board (since 2015), the number of additional virtual meetings that we need for emerging or urgent issues is increasing.  Each one is a struggle: finding an hour where we will have quorum can take three weeks (and it is impossible to have full participation), and sometimes discussion happens over email (which we all agree is a poor forum for subtle debate).<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above is a photo showing 128 of the 239 participants in the 1945 Canadian Mathematical Congress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"1965<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

1965 CMS Meeting at Laval University with Donald Coxeter sitting in the front row, and Ed Barbeau in the last row. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time for a comprehensive review.   In spring 2025, the Board of Directors approved the hiring of a Governance Consulting firm, Mongeon Consulting, to help us redesign our governance structure.  The objective is to allow us to become more nimble, more strategic and more efficient at focussing on what we, as the volunteers of this Society, want the CMS to achieve.  Important side products of the clean-up and modernization will be greater transparency and accountability, as roles become more clearly defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcel Mongeon started in June 2025 by observing our Board meeting in Quebec City.  He then sat down to talk individually with each member of the Board.  Since then, Mongeon Consulting has been working closely with our Governance Review Subcommittee (composed of dedicated volunteers Tim Alderson (VP Atlantic), David Oakden (Treasurer) and Kseniya Garaschuk (Director, Ontario)) to draft the terms of reference (called charters<\/em>) for a new structure.  Mongeon presented these drafts to the Board of Directors for discussion in February.  It\u2019s a huge undertaking!  The complex changes call for modifying dozens of documents, impacting everything from the by-laws to our elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a nutshell, the proposal is to split the current Board, along lines similar to a university: a smaller (9-11 person) Executive Board<\/em> responsible for the overall strategic and financial oversight of the CMS, and having more frequent regular meetings; and a larger (15 person) Mathematical Council<\/em>, operating under authority delegated from the Executive Board, responsible for setting guidelines, overseeing the committees that carry out the programs of the CMS, and liaising with the community.  Members of these new bodies (called Directors<\/em> and Councillors<\/em>, respectively) will receive training when they join, both to spell out their responsibilities and to give them the professional tools with which to carry them out effectively and in the best interests of the Society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of the Board, how will we, as members of the Society, feel the impact of these fundamental changes?  Aside from the new titles: at first, not much.  The eighteen committees and five editorial boards that carry out the work of the Society \u2013 everything from Education and Mathematical Competitions to Human Rights and Endowment Grants \u2013 will continue as before, reporting now to the appropriate new body (but with greater clarity on how their voice shapes decisions).  Similarly, the CMS office staff will continue to carry out the operational tasks that make it all happen, under the careful direction of our Executive Director (renamed CEO<\/em> to more accurately reflect their responsibilities).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the longer term, we will see the CMS become more nimble and responsive, with better streamlining of the decision process for members in director and councillor positions.  Important aspects such as risk management, strategic vision, and annual self-evaluation of effectiveness will be built into the governing structures, much as they are for any non-profit organization of this size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will also be new opportunities for volunteers to engage in precisely the kinds of roles they revel in.  For example, some of us are governance junkies.  (You know who you are: you know all the rules of your university and understand its byzantine organizational structure.)  Others are long-term visionaries, eager to think deeply and debate about the big issues, or passionate about particular aspects of what the CMS does.  Electing CMS community leaders in these areas to our new governing bodies will further strengthen our Society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The feedback from the members of the Board so far has been positive, and cautious.  We are learning about and providing feedback on the proposed new model, and each trying to identify potential pitfalls while at the same time understanding the benefits.  Change is hard!  It is vital to maintain continuity and awareness of our traditions at the same time as embracing the modernization to more professional structures that will free us from where we have become bogged down in the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the timeline and how can you find out more?  In the coming months, CMS members will receive a summary of the proposed changes to the by-laws, together with invitations to attend town hall meetings and to ask questions.  A full formal package of all changes is expected to be sent in time for consideration at the Annual General Meeting in Saint John this summer. If all goes well, the proposed timeline could have us, as a Society, voting to activate the new governance structure as soon as June 2026 (with carefully-scheduled implementation over the following year).   Your participation will set us on the path to thrive for the next 80 years!<\/p>\n\n\n

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