Acadia University Senate
Agenda
SENATE
AGENDA FOR 13 MARCH 2006
1 March 2006
Dear Member of
Senate:
I advise you
that a meeting of the Senate of Acadia University will occur at 4:00 p.m., Monday, 13 March 2006
in Room 132 of the Beveridge Arts Centre.
The AGENDA follows:
1) Minutes of the Meeting of 13 February 2006
2) Announcements and Communications
3) Business Arising from the Minutes
a) Ad hoc Committee on academic core of
Strategic Plan Report of 1 March 2006
(056-55-ASP) *
b) Research
& Graduate Studies - Proposed Restructuring of Senate R&GS Motion as the last
agenda
4) New Business
5) Other Business
Yours
sincerely,
Rosemary
Jotcham
Registrar
and Secretary of Senate
Items Carried Over/Tabled
- Ad hoc Committee on Students with
Learning Disabilities Report
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From the Senate ad hoc Committee to Review the Strategic Plan
It is moved that the Senate of Acadia University approve the
academic core of the Strategic Plan (version dated 1 March 2006) as attached
to the agenda for the
13 March 2006 meeting.
Page
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Strategic
Plan for Acadia University
Personalized Education
for a Complex World
(Academic
Core)
March 1, 2006
Introduction
Universities share with society the
intersecting challenges of an increasingly global culture and economy. Ethical challenges, developing technologies,
endangered environments, and changing views of employment and citizenship all
require a studied approach. Our increasingly complex world makes new kinds of
demands of nations, institutions, and individuals. Acadia University will lead Canada’s primarily undergraduate universities in preparing
students for success through innovation, flexibility, and rigour in learning. Acadia
graduates will be prepared to address the challenges facing society through
responsible, ethical, and global leadership. This strategic plan provides a
framework for continuing dialogue within the university community as Acadia
charts a course into the future.
Recognizing the need for the Acadia
community to participate in planning discussions, the Board of Governors and
the President and Vice-Chancellor commissioned a University-wide, comprehensive
strategic planning process in August 2004. This process culminated in the
development of a strong, flexible, and adaptable strategic plan by the end of
2005/06 academic year. The resulting strategic plan is bold, creative, and
firmly rooted in the Acadia’s traditions, values, and history. It will guide the
University’s future efforts to sustain and strengthen a learning community that
advances knowledge and prepares students to be lifelong learners and engaged,
competent citizens. As an integrated, University-wide strategic plan, it
identifies and promotes ways to use all of the University’s resources in the
education and preparation of the whole student. The plan emphasizes the unique
elements of an Acadia education, including a combination of key strengths
that have been developed at Acadia by generations of outstanding teachers and scholars.
It serves as a stimulus for ongoing discussion and as the foundation for
further planning by departments, Faculties, and the University community.
At the heart of both the process and
the final plan was to be the emergence of a renewed academic strategy.
Accordingly, the central focus of work in the first year (2004/2005) was on
academic planning. Other planning components addressed during the first year
both reflected and informed the evolving academic strategy: internationalization,
a revised and updated institutional research plan, and a technology plan.
During 2004/2005, Acadia’s senior administrative team also held specialized
sessions focused on the University’s enrolment management strategies and
methods and its finance and budgeting activities. The discussions held in those
sessions informed the strategic planning process as well. Beginning in the
summer of 2005, and in relation to the University’s core academic strategy, the
strategic planning process incorporated other planning components, including
Student Affairs (the organization and delivery of student life programmes and
services), campus and community learning environments, and student learning
outcomes.
Personalized
Education
There has been a consistent theme of
personalized education for the whole student woven through Acadia’s
history, traditions, and achievements. Such an education makes a broad and
positive change in a student’s approach to life.
As in the past, students continue to
experience their years at Acadia as an intellectual and developmental journey that
offers an opportunity to learn, grow, and discover in a supportive educational
environment. Acadia draws students into close learning relationships with
members of the faculty (including professors,
librarians, and instructors) and
professional staff, supports them in acquiring, creating, or applying
knowledge, and engages them with the world around them. It is this work of
transformation (not as a specific educational method or philosophy but as a
purpose and goal) that produces the unique outcomes of an Acadia
education. The University community has committed, and will continue to commit,
its best resources to this purpose and goal. The emphasis given to personalized
education in this strategic plan augments Acadia’s
historical and continuing commitment to a rigorous liberal education.
The University community strives to
respond to student preferences, in the context of the best scholarly practices,
and meet their needs while they are enrolled at Acadia.
The University community considers each student to be an essential partner in
the discovery, learning, and application of knowledge. Current Acadia students benefit greatly
from the engagement and support of Acadia graduates. The University community involves alumni in
the on-going life of the university.
Vision,
Values, and Mission
Strategic planning provides an
opportunity for the Acadia community to engage in an on-going process of
reflection, review, and discussion to ensure that its vision, values, and
mission continue to respond to changing times and needs.
Acadia’s vision describes the scholarly community it wants
to create. Its values provide the foundation from which the University
community pursues that vision. Its mission follows from its vision and values.
Vision
The core
vision of Acadia University is to provide balanced, rigorous, distinguished, and
purposeful academic and co-curricular programmes that ensure a personalized
liberal education for undergraduate and graduate students that prepares them to
become leaders in a complex world.
Acadia
strives to achieve excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, services, and
community engagement and to use all of its resources responsibly when
implementing programmes that educate the whole student – mind, body, and
spirit, inside and outside the classroom. Acadia seeks to enroll well-prepared
students, invest in outstanding faculty and staff, and maintain strong relationships
with committed alumni, all of whom are encouraged to participate in the full
range of the intellectual and cultural life of the campus community.
Acadia aspires to create a deep appreciation of our natural
environment and an active commitment to sustainability among all members of the
campus community. The University community also aspires to prepare students to
understand and address complex social questions and concerns.
Acadia will continue to provide a distinctive
technology-rich educational environment in support of academic programmes,
information management, and student life.
To enrich the
campus community, Acadia seeks students, faculty, and staff from a diversity
of backgrounds, and works to ensure equal access to an Acadia
education.
Values
We at Acadia
believe in the primacy of the following overarching values: Excellence in Scholarship, A Close
Community, and Personal
Responsibility and Leadership. Acadia values:
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Excellence in Scholarship
·
excellence in teaching.
·
excellence in research.
·
the development
of distinguished academic programmes.
·
rigour and flexibility in learning.
·
the strength of academic disciplines. In
addition to their own merits, strong disciplines provide the scholarly
foundation to respond to and participate in the complex interdisciplinary
issues and questions that are raised in today’s society
·
the integration of research and teaching.
The University community values such integration in the delivery of the
curriculum and in the construction of a distinctive personalized education.
·
the innovative use of technology. Acadia
continues to be unique in supporting academic programmes with leading-edge
information technology.
·
a distinguished history and unique
academic heritage.
A Close Community
·
close engagement between students and members of the
faculty.
·
a distinguished and diverse faculty.
·
members of the staff, who are full contributing
partners in the University community
·
committed alumni and
strong traditions.
·
the education of the whole student, including
mind, body, and spirit. The University community embraces this commitment
and uses all of its resources in support of it.
·
sound and accessible academic advising and learning support services for Acadia’s
students.
·
a healthy, safe campus community.
·
engagement with the community. Acadia’s students, faculty, and staff recognize the
importance of including the community in planning and of working in partnership
with the community to address common problems.
·
cultural awareness, the celebration of diversity, affirmation
of human differences, and our common humanity.
Personal Responsibility and
Leadership
·
a strong,
consistent sense of social
consciousness, responsibility, equity, and ethics. Acadia’s students, faculty, and staff hold themselves to
high standards of personal and academic conduct.
·
the protection and sustainability of the environment.
·
a democratic and civil campus community where contrasting views are heard and respected.
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·
accountability
in the use and allocation of its
resources
·
social entrepreneurship and leadership. Acadia encourages students to seek opportunities for
thoughtful innovation and to explore new hypotheses and ways of solving
problems.
·
a global perspective. Acadia
supports international programmes and
recognizes the importance of preparing students to live and work in a diverse
global community.
Mission
The following statement offers a
renewed understanding of the mission of the University:
The mission
of Acadia University is to provide a personalized and rigorous liberal
education; promote a robust and respectful scholarly community; and inspire a
diversity of students to become critical thinkers, lifelong learners, engaged
citizens, and responsible global leaders.
An
Acadia Education
Acadia’s history and heritage, current practice, and future
design are to provide a rigorous, distinctive Acadia education. Five distinguishing features of an Acadia
education are:
1. Personalized
attention to students as learners: The
focus of an Acadia education is on the learner. The size of the campus
community, the faculty’s focus on developing close educational relationships
with students, and integration of learning opportunities throughout the
University and community support Acadia’s ability to provide this personalized education.Acadia
provides academic advising and a learning environment in which information
technology connects faculty and students in a unique way. Acadia
also provides specific learning support systems and services (such as the
Vaughan Memorial Library, the Harriet Irving Botanical
Gardens,
and the new Learning Commons) and abundant opportunities for interactive learning.
2. Undergraduate
research: The undergraduate research experience
reflects the special relationship with faculty and students at Acadia;
relationships that can be at once challenging, mentoring, and supportive.
Undergraduate students are engaged at an early stage in meaningful research
activities that give greater depth to their educational experience. This
enhances a student’s capacity for critical thinking and analytical reasoning
while improving their understanding of research methods in the natural
sciences, health sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Students are also
provided opportunities for using advanced information technology as part of
their research experience.
3. Education of
the whole student: The integration of
intellectual and personal development at Acadia
creates a flexible but rigorous framework for the distinctive Acadia
education. Educating the whole student is not new at Acadia. The University community recognizes the
importance of integrating academic, social, and residential experiences in the
context of developing life-long learners.
This approach to education helps to ensure that students become active
partners in the learning experience.
4. A focus on
the environment and important social issues: Acadia’s
curriculum reflects a commitment to protecting and preserving our natural
environment. It considers and addresses the interdependency of society and
economic development, protecting biodiversity, and sustainability. Acadia’s
historical emphasis on social issues becomes part of every student’s
educational experience.
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5. Emphasis on
responsible, global citizenship:
Students at Acadia participate in a variety of forums and activities
aimed at creating a greater understanding of modern citizenship, ethical
decision making, accountability, and their current and future role in improving
society.
Strategic
Planning Themes
The entire community of Acadia University has participated in an open and inclusive
consultative process that led to the identification of eight major strategic
planning themes. In the Introduction
and the Appendix are general and
detailed descriptions of that process. The planning themes that emerged from
that work reflect Acadia’s vision, values, and mission. They emphasize the
centrality of the University’s academic work and its core role as a scholarly
community. Discussion of the themes continues to create opportunities for the Acadia
community to engage in ongoing, recursive dialogue and to build on its
traditional strengths.
The strategic planning themes are:
1.
Learning and Teaching
2.
Research
3.
Building Community
4.
Investing In People
5.
The Environment
6.
Internationalization
7.
Technology
8.
Accountability
In the sections that follow, we
explore each of these planning themes to begin framing strategies for Acadia’s
future.
Learning and Teaching
The strategic planning process
permitted the University community, and especially members of the faculty, to
consider key questions about the curriculum, academic requirements, majors,
courses, and pedagogy. Acadia affirms the importance
and necessity of curricular renewal on a regular basis. Reassessing and
updating the curriculum to respond to the changing needs of students and
society is an important responsibility of the faculty, and the University
community recognizes faculty members’ prerogatives in curriculum development
and revision.
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The following are opportunities for Acadia
to strengthen learning and teaching in the future:
·
Curricular renewal
must be at the top of the University community’s strategic priorities if Acadia
is to maintain its leadership and reputation among Canada’s primarily undergraduate institutions. Departments, Schools, and Faculties are encouraged
to undertake a thorough process of review of their undergraduate and graduate
curricula as soon as possible. Acadia will also develop library collections to support
curricular renewal. This review provides
a natural opportunity to build on the traditional strengths of the curricula
while making changes and enhancements that respond equally to students’ needs,
the University community’s commitments to a rigorous education, undergraduate
research, and personalized attention to students as learners.
·
Close engagement between students and faculty members will continue to be the distinctive signature of an Acadia
education. While small class sizes are not the only pathway to this goal, it is
essential that Acadia maintain a low ratio of students to faculty members
overall and in most undergraduate courses. To keep most undergraduate classes
reasonably small, Acadia will develop a long-term plan for optimizing
student/faculty ratios.
·
Acadia will ensure that new
or replacement faculty positions are assigned in areas of greatest need, as
defined by ongoing Department, Faculty, and University-wide planning.
·
To maintain close
teaching relationships between students and members of the faculty, Acadia
will build on its undergraduate research experience, and in particular the Honours Programmes in the various
disciplines.
·
The University
community will support, recognize, and
reward faculty through enhanced faculty professional development, an
increased availability of teaching resources, and new programmes through which
good teaching is identified and rewarded.
·
Acadia will create a Centre
for Curriculum, Learning, and Teaching, led by faculty, to coordinate
faculty support and support pedagogical excellence across the disciplines.
Faculty members are encouraged to adopt and evaluate pedagogical methods that
have demonstrated promise in enhancing student learning. To support excellence
in teaching, the University will continue to provide advanced technological
resources and sponsor periodic symposia and conferences on effective pedagogy.
·
The University
community will respond to calls for greater
flexibility in the curriculum by encouraging the Senate, the schools,
departments, and faculty members to reassess and consider revising current
major and minor course requirements (while maintaining appropriate academic and
accreditation standards) to give students more opportunities to take courses
outside the major and increase the capacity of academic departments to create
flexible work environments.
·
Acadia will encourage
interdisciplinary teaching, research, and scholarship and support
evaluation research to document the value of interdisciplinary approaches. Acadia's
small size can facilitate the development of unique opportunities for members
of the faculty to realize opportunities for working together that might not be easily
achieved at a larger institution.
·
Acadia will continue to support the integration of classroom and out-of-the-classroom learning experiences.
To achieve this goal, the University community will continue to develop the
facilities and programmes of the Learning Commons and the Library, and develop educational partnerships
among faculty members and Student Affairs professional staff.
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·
Acadia will continue to emphasize and support programmes and activities that incorporate
the fine and performing arts into the life of the campus.
·
The University
will continue to support and enhance lifelong
learning, distance learning and continuing education, and will more effectively integrate these
programmes with the core work of the academic sector.
·
The University
will continue its historically close relationship with the Divinity College,
which houses Acadia’s faculty of theology, and will explore opportunities
to provide greater access to courses in any of the Faculties for students from
the Divinity College, and to courses in the Divinity College for other Acadia students.
Research
Research is essential to scholarship
and teaching at Acadia. It is equally important at the undergraduate and
graduate levels. In the coming years, Acadia will
increase its support for and commitment to research excellence.
·
The University
community will continue to promote, encourage, and support unique, high quality
undergraduate research, especially
in its Honours Programmes, both to provide for the development of research
skills (including critical thinking and analysis) among students and to form a
systematic way of engaging students with faculty members.
·
Acadia will continue to encourage faculty research and to recognize and honor excellence in research.
Acadia will continue to support incoming faculty members in
the development of their research programmes.
·
Acadia will support collaborative,
interdisciplinary, and community-based research. Acadia
will seek links between campus research and the work of external organizations.
The Link project is one example of such an opportunity.
·
Acadia will use the forthcoming recommendations of the
revised Institutional Research Plan
to guide its specific future research agenda and priorities.
·
Acadia will continue to develop library and archival collections to support student and faculty
research.
·
The University
community will continue to compete for Canada
Research Chairs to lead scholarship and research.
·
Acadia will support the development and evaluation of centres to coordinate faculty research
within and across disciplines. At the same time, Acadia
will develop an overall policy to support and review the work of centres,
institutes, and off-campus research sites.
·
The University
community will continue to develop strong
programmes of graduate study and research.
Building Community
Acadia is proud of its long
history of collaborating with the community on mutually beneficial projects and
initiatives and of working with the community to solve common problems and to
take advantage of common opportunities. The University community cherishes
these relationships and recognizes the importance of the community in our success
as an institution. Building on this
strong tradition, Acadia will
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increase
its collaboration with the larger community for the benefit of students,
faculty, staff, alumni, local communities, and society as a whole.
·
An Institute for Civic
Engagement will be established, through which faculty, students, and staff
will work together on meaningful community/university projects that enhance
learning experiences through rigorous teaching and scholarship and provide
service to agencies, organizations, and the public. The activities of this
Institute will provide a framework for the consideration and discussion of our
shared roles and responsibilities as citizens.
·
Acadia will provide mechanisms for encouraging the
integration of academic programme goals
and community partnerships where appropriate. Acadia will help campus
educators develop both classroom and out-of-classroom learning opportunities
that place students in the community for educational purposes while addressing
community issues and concerns through research (including, especially,
undergraduate research), programmes, or services.
·
Through its distance
learning and continuing education programmes,
Acadia will continue to offer
high quality learning experiences to on- and off-campus learners in Wolfville
and beyond.
·
Acadia will continue to affirm and support volunteer service in the community by
students, faculty, and staff, and will recognize and highlight their community
contributions and achievements.
·
Acadia will continue to support its academic mission by
providing well-managed ancillary
services, such as the University’s bookstore, physical plant, and
facilities management. The University will ensure that the bookstore’s emphasis
is on texts, media, and other resources that can support and enrich students’
learning.
·
Acadia will develop beneficial inter-institutional partnerships with other post-secondary
institutions, including community colleges, both in Canada and internationally. The
goal in these partnerships will be to combine the strengths of the
participating institutions.
·
The University community will seek opportunities to collaborate with the community on projects and
activities of mutual interest that will support the learning environment,
enhance cultural programming, or provide better services for students, faculty,
staff, and the community we serve.
Investing in People
Throughout the strategic planning
process, the need, and the opportunity, to invest
in people (students, members of the faculty, members of the staff, alumni,
and citizens in the communities we serve) received clear emphasis and strong
endorsement. Acadia seeks to be a welcoming, civil, and affirming
community and to sustain a respectful, positive, and engaging human environment
that supports all of its members.
Students: From
recruitment to a lifetime as loyal alumni, students are Acadia’s
reason for being and the primary source of the motivation that inspires its
work. In the future, Acadia will:
·
Recruit and retain high quality students from Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada, other regions of Canada, the United States, and other countries according to carefully
constructed enrolment plans. The Senate of Acadia will continue to review its
admissions policies on a regular basis. During the coming five-year planning
period, Acadia expects total undergraduate enrollment to remain
stable, but recognizes the challenges to achieving that goal in today’s
increasingly competitive admissions environment. Acadia
will recruit high quality students who can contribute meaningfully to the
rigorous scholarly life of the campus community. Part of this recruiting effort
will
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·
include an increase in student scholarships.
·
Ensure continuing
access to an Acadia education for well-qualified students and prevent the
unwarranted withdrawal of students for financial reasons by increasing resources for financial aid to
students. To this end, the University community commits itself to raising
available funds for financial aid in proportion to future increases in tuition.
·
Provide comprehensive, personalized advising that
assists each student in designing a whole university experience, centred in the
curriculum and augmented through co-curricular and community-based experiences.
This advising is meant to prepare students for lifelong learning, leadership,
and engaged citizenship. This enhanced advising experience will provide
reference to academic requirements and course selection, and will provide
encouragement to each student to use all of the resources of Acadia
and the community to create a framework for personal, academic, and
occupational success. Members of the faculty will continue to be the primary
source of academic advising, but will be joined by administrators and student
affairs professionals in meeting students’ broader advising needs.
·
Offer an array of learning support services to promote
academic achievement and enrich learning. These services will include assessing
and improving students’ abilities in writing, information retrieval and
analysis, oral communication, study skills, numeracy, and technological
literacy. These learning support services will be offered through an
educational partnership structure that links faculty with professional staff
(in the Library, Acadia Institute for Teaching and Technology, Student
Affairs, etc.).
·
Develop a campus culture that values and supports an Acadia education and reinforces the educational commitment the
University community makes to its students through:
o
A dynamic residence life programme that supports engaged
learning, academic achievement, intellectual development, and respectful
personal relationships
o
The advancement
of students’ health and wellness
through education, effective and responsive health and counseling services, and
opportunities to create a strong foundation for lifelong personal fitness
o
The encouragement
of community involvement and responsible citizenship
o
A recognition
of different learning styles and
cultural backgrounds
o
Campus activities
that encourage and develop leadership, support a sense of belonging and
community, and create learning opportunities outside the classroom
o
High quality facilities that support learning inside and outside the
classroom
o
A library and archives that support
study, research, and intellectual growth, and promotes a habit of critical
inquiry and a love of learning
o
The development
of community pride and school spirit through
intercollegiate competition in both intellectual and athletic endeavors
o
Support for the
development and sustenance of an entrepreneurial
spirit, which includes fostering creativity, educated risk-taking,
decision-making, and communications skills that may be utilized in business,
government, or elsewhere
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in society.
·
Continue Acadia’s
historical strength in and commitment to offering support for the spiritual growth and development of
students, as a vital element of the education of the whole person, through a
vibrant, enriching selection of activities.
Faculty: a
distinguished faculty is Acadia’s most vital asset. In the coming few years, Acadia
will:
·
Recognize and
reward the faculty as Acadia’s greatest asset through investments that make Acadia a preferred place to work and study; support
efforts to create and sustain enviable
work environments and arrangements that support a healthy balance of
personal, family, and professional commitments and activities.
·
Encourage the
recruitment and retention of an increasingly
culturally and demographically diverse faculty to enrich the hallmark Acadia
education, strengthen the curriculum, and increase the range and breadth of
academic experiences.
·
Augment faculty professional development programmes
and activities; provide enhanced orientation
programmes for new faculty members, and encourage members of the faculty to
identify, foster, and accept appropriate leadership roles on campus, in
professional and learned societies and organizations, and on the editorial
boards of professional journals.
·
Increase and
diversify the ways through which the University community recognizes,
acknowledges, publicizes, and rewards notable faculty achievements.
·
Encourage members
of the faculty to participate in service
that enhances Acadia’s campus and extended communities.
Staff: The
University would not operate, provide student services, or manage its
facilities, business affairs, and finances without its outstanding staff. To
address issues of concern identified by the staff during the strategic planning
process, Acadia will:
·
Recognize and
reward the contributions of staff to
the academic mission of the university.
·
Support efforts
among the staff to create and sustain enviable
work environments and arrangements that support a healthy balance of
personal, family, and professional commitments and activities.
·
Improve,
diversify, evaluate, and increase the number and frequency of professional development programmes for
staff members in all sectors, schools, departments, and units; provide enhanced orientation programmes for new
staff members.
·
Frequently and
routinely ask staff members for their
ideas, opinions, and suggestions. The University community will listen
carefully and incorporate the findings of these inquiries into continuous
improvement activities.
Alumni: The
University community will invest in and
support our strong alumni, creating more opportunities for alumni to foster
their tradition of support for excellence in education at Acadia;
the University community welcomes alumni as contributing members.
·
Acadia will emphasize the stewardship roles of alumni and work with them to develop and
maintain key relationships with the University and with local, regional, and
global communities.
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The Environment
Acadia’s commitment to appreciating, preserving, protecting,
and sustaining the natural environment is reflected in its facilities, academic
centres, research, and academic programmes. There is growing diversity and
strength in Acadia’s interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and
teaching activities related to ecological issues and concerns.
As part of its commitment to the
environment, Acadia also seeks to create an interpersonal, relational,
and community environment characterized by civility and mutual respect. It is
committed to a strong sense of connectedness and community on campus and to
maintaining an atmosphere of open discourse and a tone of mutual respect that
facilitates free speech and encourages the expression of a diversity of
viewpoints and ideas.
·
Acadia will ensure that graduates leave the University with
a strong awareness of environmental
issues and concerns.
·
The University
will review its administrative policies and
contracts regarding facilities and services to ensure sustainability.
·
Acadia will become a recognized centre for discussion of environmental issues.
·
The Arthur Irving Academy for the Environment will bring together scholars and teachers from many departments
and schools to consider environmental issues, strengthen teaching about the
environment, and address challenges of sustainability.
·
Acadia will continue to explore and support innovative teaching about environmental
issues and concerns.
·
Acadia will continue to promote environmental research and scholarship.
·
The University
community will support students, faculty, and staff in their promotion of environmental awareness
and sound environmental policies.
Internationalization
The University community continues
to support rich cultural and ethnic diversity in its campus population. Acadia
now welcomes students from more than 60 countries who represent about one fifth
of the total student population in 2006.
Acadia will promote and utilize this strength in diversity
and take a broader view of internationalization to further enhance the learning
environment for all members of the Acadia community. The
presence of a large and diverse population of international students inspires,
stimulates, and enriches the Acadia community.
At Acadia,
internationalization has become, and will continue to be, a major focus of
work, teaching, and scholarship.
·
Acadia will continue to recruit, enroll, support, and
graduate students from a variety of
countries, and maintain on-going relationships with alumni around the
world.
·
The University community will further develop
programmes for quality language training
and will provide support for students for whom English is a second language. Acadia will also provide faculty and staff with greater access to professional
development opportunities to support English as a Second Language (ESL)
students.
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·
A Centre for Internationalization will be created at Acadia,
which will focus on coordinating and increasing the University community’s
capacity to support international education and activities.
·
The University
community will augment the services and
support it provides for international students and the assistance and
professional development it offers to Acadia faculty
and staff to enhance their ability to work with international students.
·
Acadia recognizes the importance of achieving an appropriate
balance in the proportions of Canadian and international students in courses,
majors, departments, and schools, and will develop
a long-term enrolment management strategy for international students that
optimizes their educational experience.
·
Acadia will encourage the Senate, schools, academic
departments, faculty, and professional staff to adopt a global perspective in the University community’s teaching and
learning activities.
Technology
Acadia is a recognized leader in applying technology to
teaching, learning, and research in higher education. Acadia
has created a unique, technology-rich learning environment that facilitates
learning across campus. Acadia will build on those strengths and strive to identify
new opportunities to use of educational technology in learning experiences of
all kinds.
·
Acadia will continue to provide laptop computers to all
students and members of the faculty, ensure easy access to the campus network,
and seek innovative ways to link leading-edge
technology with teaching, learning, research, and communication.
·
The University
will adapt and change its technology
strategies to fit emerging needs, contexts, challenges, and opportunities.
·
Acadia will continue to integrate,
invest in, and support its information technology systems to enhance both
academic and administrative activities.
·
Acadia will provide a technologically-rich framework for distance education programmes.
·
To the best of
its ability, the University will protect the integrity, continuity, and privacy of stored data and information
technology on campus.
·
The University
community will continue to support the development of educational research relating to the impact and influence of
technology.
Accountability
Acadia University recognizes the accountability
of its various constituents to the public, the Board of Governors, and the
University community. The University will maintain transparency through regular
reporting on all of its central activities.
·
The University community will continue to be a responsible steward of all its resources.
·
Acadia will identify,
gather, and allocate resources effectively in support of its mission and
consistent with the priorities of this strategic plan through its development and fund-
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raising efforts, consistent and effective advocacy for public
funds, and the careful creation
of responsible and
realistic short- and long-term operational and capital budgets.
·
The University will ensure that internal structures, processes, areas of responsibility, and levels of
accountability are clearly defined, documented, and understood.
·
Within its commitment to accountability, the University will
ensure that its budget development and
financial management processes are consistent with its vision at the
overall institutional level and within each sector, department, and unit.
·
The University community will provide annual updates on the progress of the Strategic Plan, including
accomplishments and modifications.
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Appendix 1: Principles
and Process of Strategic Planning at Acadia
Principles of transparency, inclusion,
consultation, and respect have guided the planning process. To achieve
transparency, the Office of Dr. Ralph
Nilson, Vice-President (Academic), developed a strategic planning Web site where
basic information about the process was posted, as were summaries of the
findings from various processes of data collection. All aspects of the process were
well publicized and all the data gathered has been available and easily
accessible. In order to make the process both open and consultative, Dr.
Nilson’s office provided periodic reports and delivered comprehensive Planning
Updates.
In order to ensure that students,
faculty, and staff were included in the process, President Gottlieb formally
announced and launched the strategic planning effort in September 2004. The Office
of the Vice-President (Academic) implemented separate Web-based surveys of
students, faculty, and staff in November and December 2004. These surveys
garnered responses from 159 faculty members, 211 staff, and 755 students and
invited everyone, including Wolfville citizens, to participate in a community
planning day in April 2005. More than 215 people contributed to a developing
“conversation” about the strategic planning themes.
The process has been broadly consultative.
There were more than 50 meetings or planning sessions with more than 1,200 members
of the campus community, including the Board of Governors, Senate, Faculty
Councils, the Academic Sector Planning Committee, academic departments, members
of the faculty, members of the staff, current students, alumni, and community
citizens and representatives of local organizations. Dr. Nilson appointed an
Academic Advisory Group for Strategic Planning to advise his office and assist
in the information-gathering phase of the work. This group conducted, led, or
inspired more than 25 “Acadia Conversations”, which were consultative meetings
with a broad spectrum of participants. After the release of a draft version of
the academic strategy in September 2005, a second round of broad consultation
brought critiques, affirmations, and recommendations from individual members of
the faculty and staff, students, alumni, academic departments, whole faculties,
various administrative units, and the Acadia University Faculty Association
(AUFA). At each stage of the work, new information permitted the sharpening and
clarifying of the emerging planning themes, and, at every stage of the work,
the planning process has spawned and strengthened essential, ongoing
conversation in the University community about Acadia
and its future. Those discussions will continue in a recursive manner long
after the formal strategic planning process is concluded.
The strategic planning process has
emphasized respect for a diversity of viewpoints and for the extraordinary
efforts made in the past by faculty, staff, and students who have built the
strengths of today’s Acadia.
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Appendix 2
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Appendix
3
Existing
Mission Statement
Acadia
University is a primarily undergraduate institution providing a liberal
education based on the highest standards; a scholarly community that aims to
ensure a broadening life experience for its students, faculty, and staff.
This statement is supplemented by 16
supporting objectives:
1. To
attract students of demonstrated intellectual promise whose qualities of mind
and character will enable them to contribute to the community of scholarship
and to take full advantage of the University's curriculum.
2.
To provide a diverse cultural and intellectual environment by attracting
students from widely different cultural, geographic, ethnic and demographic
backgrounds.
3. To
ensure that the University will not discriminate on the basis of religion,
race, gender, culture or other form of discrimination deemed unacceptable by
the University community.
4. To
develop resources to ensure that deserving students are not discouraged from
attending Acadia University because of personal financial limitations.
5. To
attract, retain and recognize faculty and staff, diverse in their backgrounds,
committed to excellence in their contribution to the University.
6. To
offer academic programmes of such depth, breadth and rigor as to enable
students:
·
To identify and
solve significant problems
·
To develop an
understanding of the relevance of acquired knowledge
·
To enhance
curiosity and engender a desire for life-long learning
·
To become
creative, critical and independent thinkers.
7. To
ensure excellence in academic programmes through the integration and
encouragement of teaching, research and other forms of scholarly activity of the
highest standard.
8. To
provide for the personal development of students through academic, athletic,
cultural, social, organizational and spiritual opportunities.
9. To
instill in students a sense of responsibility to seek improvement in the
quality of life for all.
10.
To provide rigorous graduate programmes in selected areas where the University
possesses distinctive scholarly and physical resources.
11.
To maintain a lifelong relationship with graduates of the University.
12.
To create an environment that: maximizes the creative interaction of students,
faculty and staff; recognizes the contributions of all members of the community
within an atmosphere of mutual respect; imparts a sense of traditions and
quality of the university.
13.
To maintain the nature of a residential campus with emphasis on the quality of
that residence campus life.
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14.
To recognize the importance of the university to its surrounding community, to
promote community service in all areas of the University and to address
regional, national and international issues.
15.
To offer a selection of programmes so as to ensure quality and balance in the
University's offerings.
16.
To monitor continuously the University's success in attaining its mission, to
take corrective action where appropriate and to implement, guided by measures
of quality, initiatives in pursuit of these goals.