Strategic Plan 2020-2025

We are pleased to present the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Strategic Plan for 2020-2025. This plan takes effect July 1, 2020 and builds on our previous plan to grow the Faculty by focusing our efforts on key activities that will positively affect our work, our communities and our people. Our Faculty vision has also evolved to a succinct but powerful statement that reminds all of us that the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine is here to enhance lives through rehabilitation.

The release of our new plan was rather fortuitous, as we completed the plan about a month before we were confronted with three significant challenges that will affect the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine for the near future. In early 2020, we were confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented budget cuts and the announcement of an overall reorganization of the university, both academically and administratively. Our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan will help us navigate through these challenges. For example, the pandemic has led to a pivoting of our academic programs to more of an online delivery system. It has also increased our commitment to the health and safety of our students, staff, faculty and those whom we serve. The budget cuts forced us to review our programs and services to ensure that everything we do aligns with our mission of creating knowledge, inspiring learning, and advancing the practice of rehabilitation to enhance health and participation.

While we have had to make difficult decisions regarding our satellite programs, centres and institutes, and ongoing operations, we will remain true to our core values and are confident that we can achieve the strategic initiatives detailed under our three main pillars: our work, our communities and our people.

Over the next year, the University of Alberta will undergo a massive restructure, including academic programs and service delivery. The goal of the academic restructuring is to reduce the number of faculties and minimize redundancy in the academic programs. The administrative reorganization will affect the delivery of student services, human resource and financial management, with the goal of improving efficiency and student support. In recognition of the dynamic and complex external environment, and the rate of change at the U of A, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Strategic Plan: 2020-2025 adopts a flexible and adaptable planning cycle. The plan will be revisited quarterly to report progress and make adjustments to strategies and initiatives as required.

Sincerely,

R.G. (Bob) Haennel, PhD, FACSM
Dean, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
University of Alberta