The success of an enterprise is always tied to the way it is managed. Successful management decisions lead to better governance, greater accountability, and overall efficiency of the business. The Executive team of the Management Undergraduate Society were well aware of these crucial attributes and entered their respective offices last May with the firm intention to bring the MUS to a whole new level of operational efficiency with the interest of all Desautels students at the very heart.
However, actions speak louder than words.
Today, we are proud to announce the result of over two hundred hours of work: the new MUS Constitution. Benchmarking ourselves against more than sixteen different student associations, we consulted with dozens of past MUS Executives and re-built the logical flow of the document in its entirety. A bigger, better and more efficient MUS awaits B.Com students after this referendum. We wish to outline five of the most important changes to the MUS governance so that you, the student body, understand the value of this new Constitution and make the right decision in the referendum.
1. Creation of the Vice President of Corporate Relations
As the MUS runs a budget of over $1 million a year with only $130,000 in student fees, corporate sponsorship is vital to the successful operations of the organization. The new Vice President of Corporate Relations, as part of the Executive Council, brings a whole new level of outreach to the corporate sponsorship program. Working with a full team acting as mentors to events directors, the MUS is moving towards a fully integrated and centralized sponsorship model. The VP CR will be a keen Bronfmanite with the success of the MUS at heart and the strong interpersonal skills of a true manager.
2. Creation of the Vice President of Conferences and Competitions
We, at the Management Undergraduate Society, are very excited to introduce the Vice President of Conferences & Competitions as the new spearhead of the MUS’s revamped case portfolio. This VP will be in charge of a new initiative to strengthen case coaching support for competition teams and to integrate the case portfolios by linking them to conferences and centralizing the recruitment process in March. This will lead to more competitive case teams, stronger support from external coaches, and better run conferences through a centralized portfolio. We hope B.Com students are as excited as we are by this fantastic change.
3. Creation of the MUS Council
The MUS wants to take its governance to the next level of transparency, efficiency and integration with its constituents by creating the new MUS Council. This governing body is the highest decision-making body for the policy and governance affairs of the MUS. It will be comprised of MUS Executives, Board of Director members, MUS Club representatives, Alumni from the MUS and even Faculty representatives. This improved level of governance will bring richness to the discussions brought to the table of the MUS Executives and will benefit MUS constituents through a tightly integrated decision-making body. Imagine the combined knowledge of all the above members in one room when making important fund allocation and strategic decisions.
4. A Revamped Board of Directors
Not only are we hoping to implement a Council, but are also drastically improving the Board of Directors of the MUS. The new Board will be leaner, driven, and entirely focused on improving governance to represent Desautels students better. With U0, U1, U2 and U3 representatives replacing faculty representatives, the Board will no longer restrict involvement of its members, effectively making these new positions complementary and very competitive. New Board members will be distinguished MUS members with a solid involvement curriculum that genuinely wish to devote time to the governance of the organization we love.
5. Increased Operational Efficiency
We spent countless hours fixing loopholes, improving clauses by adding depth to their coverage in extraordinary situations, and adding complementary clauses to multiple sections of the Constitution. The amount of work represents the combined knowledge of more than ten organizations and the work of over twenty MUS members. We are extremely proud of the results presented.
Our belief is that through better governance, the MUS can better serve its students and continue to maintain our well-established reputation as one of the most well-run student organization in Canada.
As Bronfman students, you now decide the direction the MUS will be taking in this referendum, for the best of your beloved organization.
On behalf of the whole Executive Council, Board of Directors, and MUS Portfolio members, we thank you for your continued support and trust in us.
Joël Taillefer
President | Management Undergraduate Society
Current Constitution: Link
New Constitution: Link
