Second Revised Draft For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 The Second Integrated Planning Cycle:
Emerging Trends and Themes As of January 17, 2007 In 2002, the University of Saskatchewan charted a new course for its future. Through the President’s
Strategic Directions statement, Renewing the Dream, endorsed by the University’s governing bodies
(Council, Senate and Board of Governors), the University community adopted three critical values:
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International standards: the University of Saskatchewan will be known for its adherence to
international standards in all its activities.
Academic pre-eminence: the University of Saskatchewan will be known for its pre-eminence in
specific areas of creative academic programming and scholarship.
Sense of place: The University of Saskatchewan will be known for its connections to
Saskatchewan, Western Canada, the North, and the Great Plains environments of the world.
Four critical goals for the University were also accepted:
• Attract and retain outstanding faculty.
• Increase campus-wide commitment to research, scholarly and artistic work.
• Establish the University as a major presence in graduate education.
• Recruit and retain a diverse and academically promising body of students and prepare them
for success in the knowledge age.
As the primary Foundational Document, the Strategic Directions set the framework for the University’s
planning initiative by identifying its priority goals and values for the first decade of the 21st century.
The first Integrated Plan was approved by both Council and the Board of Governors in 2004. It
outlined an ambitious agenda for action with over 70 discrete initiatives. Many of the Plan’s
initiatives have already been brought forward for approval and/or implementation; some initiatives
are still actively being developed and a few have little likelihood of being achieved by April 2008.
Overall, by focusing energies and identifying immediate priorities, the first Plan achieved a
remarkable level of success given the short time frame and the substantial challenge we set for
ourselves.
We are now approaching our Second Planning Cycle, 2008/09 to 2011/12, and are at the early stages
of development of our Second Integrated Plan. At the outset, we confirm that a hallmark of our
Second Planning Cycle will be continuity -- with the Strategic Directions and Foundational Documents
and with the initiatives articulated in the First Integrated Plan. International standards, academic
pre-eminence, and sense of place will continue to guide our activities and we will continue to address
our four critical goals: faculty recruitment and retention; campus-wide research commitment;
graduate education; and undergraduate education.
As we embark on our Second Planning Cycle, we have learned from our first experience and we
expect to improve on it. Our first Plan was developed following receipt and review of college and
major administrative unit plans; for many, the Strategic Initiatives (Section B of the Plan) did not
directly link to those plans. To address this criticism, a set of themes -- areas of strategic focus-- has
been developed for the second Plan to assist colleges and units in orienting themselves to the task
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 2
from the outset. The themes represent a natural progression from the Strategic Directions and
Foundational Documents. They identify institutional imperatives which support and enhance the
general goals contained in these key planning documents and invite the colleges and major
administrative units to respond. They also provide examples of potential areas for development or
consideration, but are not explicitly directive, inviting colleges and units to address those
institutional imperatives which are, in their perception, most critical. A measure of how helpful the
themes have been to the college and unit planning process will be the extent to which they are
addressed in college and unit plans, anticipated by October 2007.
The Second Planning Cycle will also feature greater attention to measurement of progress and
comparisons with other universities. As we have moved ahead, so too have others. We cannot be
content or complacent; we must identify others to compare ourselves with. This is a clear trend
which we cannot ignore.
We begin the themes discussion with an overview of trends and risks in our immediate environment
that we believe will have the greatest impact as we look ahead to 2011/12.
Environmental Trends and Risks In the short time since the First Integrated Plan was approved, our immediate environment has
changed. The work required to achieve our priorities has revealed some inherent vulnerabilities,
while new faculty and new leaders have brought new ideas. Government has signaled its willingness
to introduce initiatives, including direct support to limit tuition growth. Beyond this, however, the
broader environment of higher education has also changed. The world has moved on; not far, but far
enough that we should ask ourselves what the effects of this change might be on our priorities and on
our next Plan.
The Strategic Directions carefully elaborated a strong list of challenges:
• The importance of responsiveness and flexibility given the rapidity of change within the
university environment.
• The increasingly diminishing distinction between the global and the local.
• The increasing importance of knowledge and its impact on provincial and national
economies.
• The pressures on university enrolments, particularly the need to address participation rates
of Aboriginal peoples.
• The competition for faculty in the first decade of the 21st century.
• The more targeted and strategic nature of government funding.
• The tendency towards increased differentiation between and among universities.
As we prepare for our Second Planning Cycle, we set out below, in greater detail, several trends
facing institutions of higher education in Canada, and, by implication, the University of
Saskatchewan. We also re-confirm some of the trends/challenges initially identified by the
President.
Some of the trends described below were initially described in two presentations by external experts
in October 2006 and are available at the Integrated Planning website:
http://www.usask.ca/vpacademic/integrated-planning/resources/cycle2/index.php. Others arose
from discussions with colleagues on campus, across Canada and internationally since the approval of
the First Integrated Plan in 2004. They are also informed by work undertaken by the Office of
Corporate Administration, specifically its Enterprise-Wide Risk Management Assessment Initiative.
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 1.
3
The competitive nature of higher education will accelerate in intensity as universities seek
to attract the best students and the most talented faculty in an era when both will be in
increasingly shorter supply. We daily witness, and participate in, substantial and progressively
innovative efforts to recruit students and faculty. The nature of the competition is already fierce:
it will only intensify as the new universities are announced in British Columbia and additional
seats become available in Alberta. Attracting the best means being competitive with universities
that have more resources to draw upon and established reputations for academic excellence. It
also means convincing those we wish to attract that we have the environment to support their
success. We can anticipate that the competition for funding from donors will also intensify given
the growing reliance of universities on funding from non-government sources to support even
basic needs. We also need to keep in mind that our world is shrinking; universities are
increasingly perceived and judged within an international context based on their global
programs, priorities, partners, and profile.
2. The demographic trends specific to Saskatchewan will become increasingly obvious and
therefore more urgent. As we all know, Saskatchewan has one of the oldest populations in
Canada. It also has one of the youngest: its Aboriginal population is booming, but universities
have limited experience with attracting Aboriginal students to a wide range of programs and in
retaining them once they arrive. The high school cohort which has traditionally participated in
university or post-secondary education has now reached its maximum growth for this decade,
while the proportion of Saskatchewan’s 15 -24 year olds attending school (of any kind) is
declining (from 57% to 51% since 2003). A continued downward projection is anticipated, partly
due to a booming economy in Western Canada and to the perceived cost of university education.
When coupled with the fact that Saskatchewan’s adult population is less likely than most to
return to higher education for career advancement, it is clear that our University’s future is
critically associated with our ability to attract Saskatchewan residents and to keep them in our
programs. We also urgently need to supplement our enrolments by attracting students from
other parts of Canada and other countries. To do so will mean creating some niche programs and
reconsidering existing programs to make them more attractive to students from other
jurisdictions. It will also mean substantial investment in strategic marketing and promotion in
Canada and beyond.
3. The potential for faculty shortages in key programs as we approach 2010 is significant.
Universities are not, and have not been, producing PhD-trained faculty in sufficient numbers to
replenish and populate positions which will come available as faculty retire. Some disciplines
such as commerce, medicine, pharmacy and engineering are increasingly experiencing difficulty
attracting faculty given competition from the private sector. The elimination of mandatory
retirement will provide some relief, but established human resource policies, including those that
are contained in collective agreements, will have to be reexamined.
4. The attraction of the booming provincial economies in western Canada and the inherent
pull of the trades, apprenticeships, and other industries will increase. For some this is the
beginning of the ‘new west’ and while all of the evidence available points to the long term
benefits of investing in a university education, it is difficult to argue with the direct and
immediate benefits of a substantial pay cheque especially to youth, primarily males, recently
graduated from high school. In Saskatchewan’s case, the attraction of the labour market is offset
by the ability of our neighbouring provinces (Alberta and British Columbia) to draw Universityage people out of the province towards their labour markets, making Saskatchewan’s economy
more vulnerable in the process.
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 4
5. The University of Saskatchewan will be increasingly acknowledged for its major role in
supporting provincial economic growth as well as providing scientific and cultural
leadership in the province and beyond. The University of Saskatchewan sits in the midst of
one of North America’s most successful science and innovation clusters and Innovation Place
continues to be the most successful university research park in the country. It is clear that the
biotechnology sector housed at Innovation Place was instrumental in provincial economic
growth in the late 1990s and the early years of this century. That pattern is accelerating as the
Canadian Light Source synchrotron has been established and as major installations at VIDO
(Intervac) are under development. As the primary driver of the ‘knowledge economy’ for
Saskatchewan, the University is well-positioned to contribute to the scientific, social and
cultural fabric of the province and beyond. It also has a social responsibility to ensure that it
models initiatives which support environmental and global sustainability as well as provide
cutting edge teaching and research programs which engage faculty, students and staff with
emerging global problems.
6. Pressure will continue to build for more on-line learning. The University of Phoenix,
Athabasca University, and MIT have led the way in delivery of on-line learning opportunities to
students. Already our students are accessing on-line courses at other universities to round out
their programs, to fill gaps in their education or to provide critical information in a more
accessible and user-friendly way. Athabasca University has the distinction of being Canada’s
fastest growing university providing ‘just in time’ delivery of educational programs at times and
schedules that are accessible to learners. We can anticipate that the trend towards on-line
learning will only increase as the technological advances of this century take hold and as the
‘millenials’ enter the academy.
7. Universities will be increasingly differentiated by their research profile and performance.
Increasingly the levels of funding associated with the Tri-Councils are used to identify and
position universities within the broad context of higher education. Universities have responded
by identifying areas of research strength or niche programs which build a unique presence for
them within the higher education research landscape. Risk increases as we count on Tri-Council
funding and on indirect costs of research funds to support essential programs and services.
While the University is now attracting over $100 million annually in research funding, we cannot
be complacent. Other universities are increasing their share of these resources and are
identifying areas of strategic focus to differentiate themselves from others.
8. Calls for greater transparency and accountability will increase and the regulatory
environment will tighten. Maclean’s and the Globe and Mail supplement on higher education
represent the tip of the iceberg. The pressure to explain and justify will accelerate over the next
several years. Adherence to regulatory requirements will continue to tax current resources, and
investments will be required to better assemble and make available information on performance.
9. Universities will be increasingly pressured to develop innovative teaching and research
programs that address issues of major concern to society. Throughout the centuries, society
has relied upon universities to advance knowledge and universities have done so. In recent years,
as accessibility to university education has increased, the boundaries of knowledge generation
have moved beyond the university. With the capacity of today’s technology, facts and
information are even more accessible than ever before. Universities need to remain relevant to
society by engaging in knowledge creation, knowledge translation, and knowledge dissemination
on issues of emerging importance to society. Although universities have responded with a wide
variety of new and innovative programs, primarily thematic and interdisciplinary, the trend is
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 5
likely to continue and increase as concerns about local, regional, and global issues such as
hunger/poverty, trade, national and international policies, and sustainability mount.
The trends identified above are not new, but failure to address them poses serious risks to the
University. Other risks also worthy of consideration include:
Security: Our world is increasingly a more dangerous place. This was most recently brought
home by the tragic events at Dawson College in Montreal in September 2006. Over the next
Planning Cycle, emergency preparedness, whether for pandemics, natural disasters, or human
attack, will be a persistent preoccupation.
Systems: Most aspects of the University’s activities are increasingly reliant on technology in
general and major systems in particular. System failure, encroachments from external sources,
and escalating operating costs for upgrading and replacement are all foreseeable challenges.
Funding Models: The Saskatchewan Universities Funding Mechanism (SUFM) was created
following the MacKay Report to ensure that the universities obtained their appropriate share of
funding from government. The extent to which government is moving towards a new funding
model is unclear but there are risks inherent in adopting any approach without deliberate and
due consideration of potential consequences.
Ability to reallocate resources: The Multi-Year Operating Budget Framework has provided the
opportunity to assign and reallocate resources within a four-year planning horizon. To do so
with confidence will require a means of assessing and aggregating the financial need of units
relative to the University’s strategic goals and ability to generate revenue. Failure to manage this
task will result in misallocation of resources.
Aboriginal Partnerships: The University has limited experience in developing partnerships with
Aboriginal communities. We know that such arrangements require dedication and substantial
time and that they are crucial to the success of any program designed to address the needs of
Aboriginal peoples.
Space: The beauty of the campus and the standards of building construction mask a significant
problem: our buildings are in need of repair. Many continue to house substantial health risks,
such as asbestos, and many present an accessibility challenge. Most require that we expend
substantial sums on renovations and upgrading to 21st century standards.
Leadership and Succession Planning: While leadership and succession planning is a key issue at all
levels within the University, more attention needs to be paid to the deliberate planning for
effective transitions as well as to build leadership expertise within colleges and units.
As we prepare for our Second Planning Cycle, these trends and risks will inform our planning.
Through the planning process, colleges and administrative units will have an opportunity to reflect
on how these challenges, and others, constrain and direct their activities over the next four years.
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle The Second Planning Cycle requires focus. We do not have the time, the resources or the energy to
pursue every legitimate aim. The themes outlined below have emerged from conversations involving
administrators, faculty, students, staff, and University Council. The themes continue to be a work in
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 6
progress since their utility will be borne out by the development of initiatives in colleges and units to
support them over the coming months. They do, however, represent a collective interpretation of
those issues which are central to our thinking as we embark on the development of the University’s
second Integrated Plan, and as such, should be considered as institutional imperatives, areas of focus
that advance and support our ability to achieve our goals as enunciated in the Strategic Directions and
the Foundational Documents.
A ‘theme’ is an area of strategic focus in which investment in a set of programmatic or administrative
activities will yield strong returns against the goals and values contained in the President’s Strategic
Directions statement and in the Foundational Documents. Investment does not mean merely the
allocation of new resources—that will likely be the least important sense in which investments will
be made. Investment here implies bending the institution’s current resources toward the identified
areas, working on academic programs and administrative procedures to advance their cause, and
devoting precious time to their realization. It means depriving other areas and initiatives of attention
and being prepared to concentrate institutional energy for an extended period on a limited range of
initiatives.
The themes incorporate the broad areas in which there appears to be strong consensus on the need
for action. They are intended to foster cross-college and unit collaboration as well as to support
decision-making as colleges and units put together their plans for the Second Planning Cycle.
Enhance the Student Experience
The Strategic Directions require us to ‘prepare our students for success in the knowledge age’ and to
make the University of Saskatchewan a ‘major presence in graduate education’. We have made
excellent progress to date, but results of recent surveys suggest that student satisfaction with some
aspects of their teaching and learning environment, and the broad learning experiences they obtain,
could be improved. For example, while we have a 100 year track record of offering relevant and
effective undergraduate degree programs to the people of Saskatchewan and beyond, the needs of 21st
century learners are not those of their predecessors. Best practices in student retention and
advancement indicate that student success and alumni development are substantially enhanced
when students have a strong affinity for their programs, when they participate in intramural and
competitive sports, when they are able to engage in arts or cultural events, clubs, and activities that
foster school spirit, when they are invited to participate in initiatives or challenged to address issues
of civic and societal responsibility. The First Planning Cycle has seen investments in academic
support services and scholarships for exceptional students. The Teaching and Learning Foundational
Document is anticipated to place substantial emphasis on teaching and learning initiatives of all
types for both undergraduate and graduate students. As we embark on our Second Planning Cycle,
emphasis is required in the following areas:
1.
Teaching and Learning in the Classroom. The quality of the student experience and student
success can be enhanced by improved opportunities for interaction, growth, and support for
teaching and mentoring both in and outside of the classroom. Students have told us, through
focus groups and institutional level surveys, that the quality of the teaching they receive is
inconsistent and that the teaching methodologies and practices utilized by faculty are uneven.
Graduate students tell us about their needs for support as they embark on their first
experiences as teachers. In this planning cycle, we will explore the feasibility of providing all
new faculty and graduate students with assistance in pedagogical instruction and mentoring to
ensure that good teaching habits and practices are established. Teaching portfolios that
systematically document achievements will be encouraged to assist in identifying cases for
teaching excellence. As part of unit reviews, we will consider the development of
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 7
departmental teaching evaluations to support and encourage a more even approach to
teaching. We will also ensure that teaching evaluations by students are conducted
systematically in all courses and programs offered by the University and that the results are
made available so that changes can be documented and reported.
2. Experiential Learning. Many colleges already provide out-of-class learning experiences that
are not only highly valued by students but are requirements for entry to practice in a number of
professions. Co-op education, traditionally defined, has found far fewer practitioners at the U
of S. The First Integrated Plan and the Outreach and Engagement Foundational Document
announced some initial steps in experiential learning, principally through the vehicle of
community service learning which provides students with opportunities to experience
community challenges and to work with community leaders to identify solutions that address
social conscience issues. The International Foundational Document encouraged the
development of international opportunities for students through exchange and study-abroad
programs. Recently government has expressed an interest in assisting in program development
that would alert students to opportunities to continue their careers in the province. By the end
of the Second Planning Cycle, more opportunities of all types should be provided to students to
engage in at least one experiential learning opportunity, on or off campus, or with global
educational partners, for credit towards their degree program.
3. Student Services. Entities like the bookstore, food services and the residences all require
fundamental rethinking based on a better appreciation of student needs and expectations. We
will need to begin by auditing the current services we provide and working with the USSU and
GSA to ensure that they match the changing needs of our student body. But, the student
experience extends beyond basic services towards other aspects of student life – athletics,
campus recreation and intramural sports, fine and performing arts, student politics and
organizations, community service and volunteer activities – as well as to services which
students can readily access – career advising, degree and graduation requirements, the Library,
and new services mandated by the First Integrated Plan (e.g. the University Learning Centre).
We will need to ensure that these activities are carefully examined and given appropriate
profile in recruitment and retention strategies.
4. E-Learning. Over the past several years the University has acquired a range of on-line courses
that enable students to access the institution at a distance and in time frames that extend
beyond the normal class schedule. Changes are required in our approach. Colleges and
departments must develop their own strategies organized around programs and they must
assist in achieving a higher overall level of on-line offerings. More courses are needed, but more
than anything else, colleges must develop strategies for on-line learning that assist rural and
remote students and meet the needs of full-time students who need more flexibility in program
delivery.
5. Technology. For this generation of students, technology is a given, a basic requirement and an
ongoing necessity. It enables everything they do at the University – academically, socially, and
recreationally. Technology needs to be used to provide choice, access and flexibility in learning
opportunities. We must continue to meet this challenge and provide the technologically
sophisticated environment our students have come to expect as part of their educational
experience.
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 8
Practice Effective Enrolment Management
The creation of an Enrolment Plan, after lengthy deliberation, launched the enrolment management
project at the University of Saskatchewan. Conceived as a planning process extending over time,
enrolment management requires much more refined attention to recruitment, retention and longterm loyalty. In the Second Planning Cycle we intend to focus on the following areas:
1.
International and Out of Province Recruitment. The Enrolment Plan called for an increase
of approximately 2000 undergraduate students by 2008, many of them to be recruited from out
of province. This goal has not been achieved; indeed we struggle to hold our own in an
environment of fewer 18-24 year olds. If we are to increase our numbers, even in the modest
manner outlined, we need to remove institutional barriers for non-Saskatchewan students,
allow for the easy transfer of credits, provide integrated language and academic programming,
and significantly increase the resources we currently devote to international and out of
province recruitment.
2. Retention. Our recent retention study, mandated by the First Integrated Plan, has revealed a
number of gaps in our capacity to ensure student success. Some of these are being addressed
with transition programs such as University 101, the Aboriginal First Year Experience Program,
and Royal West College. But successful transition is still a much more haphazard affair than it
should be and students do not experience integrated career and academic advising. Our first
year programming needs to be revised to ensure that students and those in their cohort find an
intellectually stimulating environment. At the graduate level, we need to put in place best
practices that will ensure that all students have the opportunity to complete their degrees in a
timely fashion.
3. Viable Enrolments. It is incumbent on all of us to make optimal use of the resources that we
have in managing our teaching responsibilities. Matching courses, to time slots and classrooms
is a constant challenge, but we must get much better at meeting it. Too many classrooms sit
empty at times of the day in which instructors are disinclined to offer classes. There are
mismatches between registrations and classroom size, and too many courses have low
enrolments. Management of enrolment means the careful construction of class sizes, judicious
utilization of space, and the removal of unnecessary obstacles to program completion.
4. Interdisciplinary and Multi-disciplinary Programs and Courses. Student interests and
career options are not confined by the traditional disciplinary boundaries. They extend beyond
these towards dynamic, flexible and innovative learning experiences and require substantial
institutional cooperation and innovation for delivery. In the First Planning Cycle, the
University adopted the concept of schools to draw upon the wide diversity of talent it
currently engages and to make it more available to students. In the Second Planning Cycle, the
University needs to do much more to ensure that it draws on its considerable talent pool by
creating interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary programs which are innovative and attractive
to students from both Saskatchewan and elsewhere. This will mean taking advantage of our
uniqueness, such as the particular array of health science programs we currently offer, to
develop programs which pique interest and attract students to Saskatchewan.
Accelerate Research Momentum
The Strategic Directions spoke to the need to identify research as an area of focus and within it to
identify areas of research strength, those in which a focused investment would garner for the
University national and international leadership. Since the President’s statement, the VicePresident Research has authored a Foundational Document and, with the assistance of the Council
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 9
Committee on Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work, has done a thorough assessment of the
landscape against which strategic investments might be made. The concept of engaged scholarship
[i.e., the partnership of university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private
sectors to enrich research and creative activity, enhance curriculum, address critical societal issues,
and prepare educated citizens] and the practical importance of knowledge transfer are themes that
are likely to influence the character of research in the next four years. For the Second Planning
Cycle, particular emphasis will be placed on:
1.
Research Achievement. Substantial improvements have been made in the level of
participation by faculty in the research enterprise. These must continue with a focus on
ensuring that the vast majority of faculty have an active research program in which they
engage graduate students. The goal, as the Strategic Directions suggested, is to improve the
research environment everywhere. This requires that we provide an environment that meets
their research demands, from library resources, to physical space, to technology.
2. Graduate Student Support. The Strategic Directions was adopted in 2002 when graduate
enrolment was falling and our status as a research institution was increasingly in doubt.
Significant progress has been made since then in the recruitment and support of graduate
students, particularly at the doctoral level. This improvement must continue as the demand
for new graduate programs increases and we become increasingly sensitized to the need to
take full advantage of the substantial investments that have been made in research
infrastructure.
3. Support for Research Centres. The University has a number of research centres whose
work has added significantly to our reputation. For example, VIDO and the Toxicology
Research Centre have spawned major facilities and installations to support leading edge
research and some academic programming. There is no substantial institutional
commitment in many research centres, particularly in terms of operating funds that would
secure on-going academic positions. To make better use of these institutional assets will
require the University to formalize its commitment, as expressed in the research “landscape”
document, to ensure appropriate governance arrangements are in place and to set aside
resources these centres can draw on for matching investments.
Foster an Engaged University
The Strategic Directions identified ‘sense of place’ as one of three critical values for the University and
as a way to connect to the University’s roots. The First Integrated Plan highlighted the
University’s plan to strengthen its commitment to the people of Saskatchewan through
organizational and programmatic changes which were premised on the concept of engagement and
it set forth a series of strategic initiatives in health, policy, environment, trade and business to focus
our efforts. Engagement, as defined in the Outreach and Engagement Foundational Document, is
the partnership of university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors
to enrich research and creative activity, enhance curriculum, address critical societal issues, and
prepare educated citizens. The University of Saskatchewan already has rich history and traditions,
but we need to do more. For the Second Planning Cycle, particular emphasis will be placed on:
1.
Engaged Learning. The full potential of a research engaged university is realized when
students experience discovery first hand. Engaged learning means encouraging students to
use research as a way to discover and create. While the University needs to feature existing
opportunities more prominently, it also needs to provide more opportunities for students to
actively participate in research and scholarship and to be exposed to other forms of engaged
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 10
teaching. By the end of the Second Planning Cycle, there should be many more opportunities
incorporated directly into curricular offerings at all levels of the University.
2. Engaged Scholarship. The Outreach and Engagement Foundational Document has
challenged us to think more broadly about how we involve community partners in problem
identification and solution, developing mutually beneficial partnerships. No university can
be an engaged institution without a thorough implementation of a program of knowledge
translation and exchange (KTE). As we look towards 2012, we anticipate more communitybased research partnerships addressing provincial, and by implication national, issues.
3. The University in the Provincial Economy. The First Planning Cycle introduced the
concept of entrepreneurship and suggested some modest ways in which entrepreneurship
education might be advanced. Since then the Colleges of Engineering, Arts and Science, and
Agriculture and Bioresources have moved to incorporate business education and
entrepreneurship into their programs. The University has a strong track record in the
creation of spin-off companies but it can do more in both research and commercialization to
support the provincial economy and is well positioned to take up a role as a key driver of the
provincial economy. In the Second Planning Cycle, we will need to identify other creative
ways to support economic growth in Saskatchewan. In so doing, we will better meet the
needs of our students and the pressing economic challenges facing the province.
4. The University in the Global Context. During the First Planning Cycle, the University
increased its investment in the internationalization of the student experience and the
building of international research partnerships. It also strengthened its capacity to generate
and manage high level relationships with other universities and other government agencies.
Still, compared with other institutions, investments in this realm are modest and so are our
achievements. Very few of our students seek international opportunities, our international
research and training efforts are focused in a handful of areas, and our capacity to recruit
international students is fragile. As a result, we are not able to take advantage of the benefits
that diversity can bring to a campus that is relatively isolated from major population flows.
In the Second Planning Cycle, we will need to ensure that the University is more alert to
global challenges and opportunities including partnering with the Province to attract human
capital to Saskatchewan.
Enhance Aboriginal Programming and Scholarship
The point has been made countless times: the future of the University of Saskatchewan lies in
ensuring that Métis and First Nations peoples see this University as theirs. That means developing
academic programs that embrace their experience, assisting students in overcoming cultural and
personal obstacles to success, working with the larger community to ensure that services and
programs are respectful of traditions, and forging new alliances that make the institution more
available to the broad Aboriginal community. It also means creating more visible symbols of
Aboriginal culture and hiring more Aboriginal faculty and staff. While we have made a substantial
commitment, we need to leverage what we are currently doing. In the Second Planning Cycle
particular attention is required in the following areas:
1.
Achievement and Support Programs. The Aboriginal Foundational Document placed
primary emphasis on ensuring that the University had available an appropriate array of
support programs for First Nations and Métis students to succeed. In the First Planning
Cycle, the University created the Aboriginal Achievement Model in partnership with First
Nations to provide improved support through closer ties to SESD and Arts and Science
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 11
advisors. The University also increased its commitment to improving the ability of students to
access careers in Engineering, the health sciences and the natural sciences. These efforts must
continue throughout the Second Planning Cycle. We need to place additional emphasis on
increasing the capacity of the College of Education to provide qualified math and science
instructors for predominantly Aboriginal classrooms.
2. Research Partnerships. Most faculty appreciate that the era of conducting research “on”
Aboriginal peoples is over. Now it is a matter of doing research “with” communities. This
means observing protocols and partnering in research projects. Conspicuous examples of this
kind of work exist on campus. By the end of the Second Planning Cycle there should be many
more.
3. Academic and Cultural Programs. Through the Aboriginal Foundational Document the
University identified several priority areas for advancing Aboriginal issues on campus,
including academic and cultural programming. While Aboriginal content in curriculum is
increasing, we need to ensure that more of our programs include opportunities for students to
gain a better understanding of Aboriginal people, traditions, and culture. Further, we need to
expand cultural program offerings ensuring that a greater proportion of the campus
community can participate.
4. Aboriginal Faculty and Staff. One measure of success in reaching our goal to be the preeminent University in Canada in Aboriginal education depends on our success in attracting
and retaining First Nations and Métis faculty and staff. The University has made some
progress but we should aim to achieve a more representative workforce by the end of the
Second Planning Cycle.
Champion Faculty Recruitment and Retention
The University of Saskatchewan has been fortunate in the faculty hired during the past decade. Our
recruitment efforts have been assisted by start-up packages for all faculty and much clearer tenure
and promotion expectations. Challenges still exist and will be augmented as we move to hire,
following retirement and attrition, over 300 faculty members by 2012. If we are to realize our Strategic
Directions goals of recruiting and retaining a highly qualified faculty complement, some changes will
be required.
1.
Recruitment. The First Integrated Plan mandated the development of faculty complement
plans to ensure that positions were allocated against college and University-wide priorities.
Involving the Deans at this critical stage has improved accountability within the hiring process
and underscored decanal authority in faculty recruitment, but other parts of the recruitment
process need to be reexamined. Our hiring processes often take too long and our compensation
structures are rigid. The inability of existing appointment categories to accommodate the
academic workforce required has been remarked upon in a host of settings. We need to ensure
that we make the best use of existing and new talent and that equity in workload is
maintained. This includes the mobilization of resources sufficient for the University and
colleges to sustain a variety of chairs. More effort needs to be made in the area of spousal
hiring because today’s job seekers often come as part of a two-person team. Departments will
need to be involved in endorsing the need for reciprocity where this is required and deans will
have to be flexible in their complement plans to allow the University to capture the talents of
academic partners.
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 12
2. Supporting a Successful Start. From the outset of a faculty member’s career, we need to
create a nurturing and respectful environment where colleagues feel welcomed, where they can
make a contribution, where they are mentored and provided guidance to be successful. We
need to ensure that our daily practices support our recruitment and retention goals. We need
to build new programs which support new faculty and assist them in launching a successful
career. We need to build on existing programs too, such as the start-up program to support
the research of new faculty inaugurated by the University in 2001. This program has been
invaluable particularly since research opportunities increasingly presume the existence of
matching grants to enhance their credibility and the likelihood of success. By the end of the
Second Planning Cycle, more support programs for new faculty should be in place to ensure
that we retain a competitive advantage with other Canadian universities. 3. Retention. The University was identified as one of Saskatchewan’s top ten employers in
2006. To maintain its designation as an employer of choice, the University needs to address a
host of issues, particularly those related to the work environment, the support of women in
career progression or in leadership roles, and cultural diversity of the faculty complement.
Compensation strategies will be developed to maintain a competitive advantage for our faculty
and start up programs will be strengthened where financial resources permit.
Build a High-Performance and Sustainable Organization
Faculty, students, and staff all take tremendous pride in the accomplishments of the University
of Saskatchewan over its first century and are committed to and passionate about maintaining its
pride of place within the higher education environment as the University embarks on its second
century. For many, this pride of place is synonymous with becoming a more environmentally
responsible organization, fulfilling our early commitments as witnessed by our signature to the
Talloires Declaration in 1990 and in the principle in the Campus Core Area Master Plan which
identified creating and sustaining an ‘environmentally responsible campus’ as a goal for the
University. Departmental, college, and University-level administrative units play a critical role in
the success of the University of Saskatchewan and in the success of its faculty and students.
Whether through the construction and maintenance of buildings, facilitation of financial
transactions, implementation of human resources programs and policies, support services for
students or researchers, the performance and efficiency of the administration directly influences
our University’s teaching and learning environment. Our commitment to international
standards, articulated in the Strategic Directions, implies an administration that measures itself by
these standards too. This does not mean creating a greater administrative edifice as much as it
does ensuring that the activities of administrative staff meet the critical needs of students and
faculty. In this Second Planning Cycle, administrative performance needs to advance in the
following areas:
1.
Service quality. To broadly improve the quality of all of our services, all administrative
units, in the colleges and elsewhere, will be obliged to establish high-level measures of
service and efficiency. These measures should be benchmarked against other universities
where possible, and improvement initiatives launched to address any serious gaps that
are identified. In parallel with this benchmarking work, all administrative units will
develop plans to improve the level of consultation and openness they have achieved and
secure feedback from stakeholders in all parts of the campus community.
2. Quality of Work Life. Creating a high-performance organization requires more than
benchmarks and measures; it also requires building an environment in which people feel
Themes for the Second Planning Cycle – Second Revised Draft – For Discussion at University Council – January 25, 2007 13
positive, energized, and valued, and where their individual priorities are generally
aligned with the goals of the organization. Building a high-performance work
environment requires continuing to improve our central HR processes, including
stronger performance feedback tools, clearer job profiles, more effective recruiting
processes, and leading-edge health and wellness programs. It also requires more
supportive work environments across the University, strengthened by employee surveys
and workplace assessments. It means paying attention to ensuring diversity through
recruitment and retention to achieve a representative workforce and investing in
leadership programming to provide students, staff and faculty with greater insight into
their own leadership abilities and a better sense of career possibilities.
3. Sustainability. We are all justifiably proud of the beauty of our campus. Its setting, its
architectural integrity and the quality of our buildings differentiate this institution from
the vast majority of universities our size, most of which have been obliged to compromise
in critical ways. Much more work is needed, however, to ensure that the broader and
deeper environment, the one beyond the architecture, is sustainable. Our record in areas
such as recycling, energy efficient buildings, and innovative practices is not among the
best. In the Second Planning Cycle, we will further demonstrate our dedication to
sustainability by increasing institutional commitment to education and awareness,
paying even more attention to the design and construction requirements of our
buildings, revisiting current transportation policies, and adopting best practices in areas
as diverse as green roofs and lighting fixtures. Working in partnership with other local
and provincial organizations, we will aim to become a sustainability champion and
further build a culture of environmental responsibility on campus by focusing on
practices that are economically viable and that reflect the social values of the campus
community.
4. Stewardship. A major role of much of the administration is to effectively and efficiently
steward our physical and financial assets, ensuring that they are deployed or leveraged in
the best way possible. To accomplish this, the central administration must take
responsibility for better delivery of major capital projects, improvement in financial
transparency and controls, the pursuit of new revenue opportunities, and an
improvement in the management of risk. All of these commitments are subject to the
benchmarking and performance measures that will apply in the rest of the organization.
Conclusion The Strategic Directions and Foundational Documents call for us to reach beyond the immediate needs
of our particular discipline, unit, or college and towards our collective future. The trends and themes
described above are intended to stimulate ideas and focus energies as we create our second
Integrated Plan. As the colleges and major administrative units develop their plans, it will become
clear whether these themes are in themselves sustainable as priorities for the University for the
Second Planning Cycle.
Drafted by:
Michael Atkinson, Provost and Vice-President Academic
Pauline Melis, Director of Institutional Planning