Raising research funds, increasing enrolment and modernizing its campus are amongst the goals in Laurentian University's five-year strategic plan released Feb. 6.
The plan was developed through extensive consultations from community representatives, students, faculty, staff, alumni, members of the Leadership Group, and members of the board of directors.
“It is a bold and ambitious vision that will guide us over the next half decade, driving us forward to new levels as we continue to develop a culture that is inspiring, proactive, student-focused and supportive,” Laurentian president Dominic Giroux said in a news release.
The five-page document was recommended after a 10-month process by the university's Senate and unanimously approved by the board of governors in December.
Goals of the plan include:
* being among the top 25 per cent of Canadian universities in student satisfaction and student engagement;
* being known for its world-class expertise in nine specific fields including rural and northern children’s health, stressed watershed systems, and mining innovation and exploration;
* raising the total annual research dollars from $21.9 million in 2010—which was already in the top three in Canada for the last three years in its category—to $30 million;
* increasing full-time student enrolment from 7,200 (2011) to 8,300 while increasing the average entry grade from 80.8 per cent to 83 per cent;
* modernizing the Sudbury campus, including classrooms designed flexibly to accommodate diverse teaching-learning styles;
* increasing the proportion of international students from 6.1 per cent (2011) to 8 per cent;
* launching new programs in occupational health and safety, Indigenous relations, IT security/data centres and management, théâtre et littérature franco-ontariens, integrated approaches to environmental science and environmental studies, and northern policy;
* completing a Laurentian campus in downtown Barrie to serve 2,500 FTE students; and
* reintroducing men’s and women’s varsity hockey clubs.
“There will be a lot of work ahead to achieve these results, but we have already built a solid foundation and have a considerable amount of momentum,” said Michael Atkins, vice-chair of the Laurentian University board of governors, in the release. “Faculty and staff are actively working already towards some of these results, such as the new School of Architecture in downtown Sudbury and the establishment of the School of Mines. We will continue to engage with all of our communities as we strive to meet our goals.”
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