Principal Woolf announces his priorities for 2014-2015
September 23, 2014
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At the beginning of each academic year it has been my practice to outline for the community, in broad strokes, the goals and priorities I intend to pursue over the course of the year. These goals are, unsurprisingly, aligned with the four strategic drivers identified in the Queen’s University Strategic Framework 2014-2019, a document that will guide the university’s decision making over the next five years.
As I commence my second term as Principal my overarching goal remains unchanged-- to advance Queen’s as a university that uniquely combines quality and intensity of research with excellence in undergraduate and graduate education. The strategic drivers – the student learning experience, research prominence, financial sustainability and internationalization – directly support the success of Queen’s as a balanced academy.
It should be noted that the framework builds on and is fully aligned with The Third Juncture, a 10-year vision for Queen’s that I wrote in 2012, as well as a number of other recent planning documents including the Academic Plan (2011), the Strategic Research Plan (2012), the Teaching and Learning Action Plan (2014), and the Campus Master Plan.
In this context, my senior administrative colleagues and I are committed to:
1. Strengthening the student learning experience
A transformative learning experience is central to the Queen’s identity and to our vision as a university. Our academic plan outlines the centrality of developing our students’ fundamental academic skills while also providing them with learning opportunities that will help prepare them for the future. Goals related to this priority include:
- Increasing the number of new opportunities for expanded credentials, as well as more opportunities for experiential and entrepreneurial learning, both on and off campus.
- Further integrating technology into the delivery of course content where it enables improved learning.
- Continuing to focus on strategies for teaching and learning based on student engagement and broad-based learning outcomes.
2. Strengthening our research prominence
Queen’s is recognized as one of Canada’s outstanding research institutions, but sustaining and enhancing our status means we must guide and support our research enterprise while resolutely pursuing funding. Goals related to this priority include:
- Maintaining success rates in applications for Tri-Council funding.
- Remaining among the country’s top three universities for faculty awards, honours and prizes, and election to major learned bodies such as the Royal Society of Canada.
- Supporting the development and engagement of Queen’s faculty members as set out in the Senate-approved Strategic Research Plan.
3. Ensuring financial sustainability
To support teaching and research into the future, we will need stable and diverse revenue streams, particularly as government funding, per student, continues to fall. Goals related to this priority include:
- Continuing strong revenue growth together with revenue diversification.
- Meeting our $60 million annual fund raising target as part of the Initiative Campaign, while focusing on its overall achievement by 2016.
- Pursuing long-term sustainability for our pension plan.
4. Raising our international profile
Two years ago I stated in The Third Juncture that as global competition among universities increases over the next decade, it will not be sufficient to be simply ‘known’ in one’s own country. Increasingly, the value of our students’ degrees will be tied to our international reputation, as will our ability to attract international students, who raise our profile and contribute a great deal to the academic environment. Goals related to this priority include:
- Moving forward on multi-year plans to increase undergraduate international enrolment.
- Maintaining our strong record in attracting international graduate students.
- Supporting growth in international collaborations and partnerships.
5. Promoting and developing talent
We will need to ensure that we are able to acquire, develop and retain top quality faculty and staff to thrive as an institution. Our talent management strategy, which I initiated last year, will provide a strategic approach to ensure we have the right leaders in place and in the wings as we advance our academic mission and work to secure financial sustainability. Goals related to this priority include:
- Continuing with succession planning efforts for academic and administrative leadership roles across the university.
- Developing a competency model that will be used to identify necessary competencies when hiring, and for leadership development and performance dialogue discussions.
- Refining our hiring practices.
- Promoting discussion among the Deans around faculty renewal.