What We Heard
March 30, 2023 update: The original What We Heard report was published on February 16, 2023. An updated version of the report reflected feedback obtained from the U of A community, adding nuance and featured increased emphasis on key areas highlighted during the feedback sessions.
Over the 2022-23 academic year, the University of Alberta community engaged in a planning process to develop a new institutional strategic plan for 2023 and beyond. The strategic plan will articulate the collective ambition of the university, summarizing priorities and broad actions while still allowing the University of Alberta the flexibility to adapt and respond to significant emerging opportunities.
The University of Alberta’s strategic planning consultation process included key informant interviews with U of A community members, external stakeholders, community and industry, U of A staff and student roundtable sessions, student and staff surveys, U of A Board of Governors, GFC and Senior Leadership retreats and a joint GFC-Senate-Board of Governors session.
When there appeared to be enough consensus about the elements of the plan, an outline of the way forward was drawn. This report explains what had been learned so far and some ways in which a strategic plan could move things forward.
This report is not a draft of a strategic plan, but it is an important milestone on the way towards a new plan. It is a report that records the key findings from discussions that have taken place across the University of Alberta community. The purpose of the report is to capture the common threads of the numerous discussions that have taken place about the University of Alberta’s future and distill them into a common narrative.