President's message

Dear colleagues,
 
As the University of Victoria prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, I am pleased to present our renewed Strategic Plan, A Vision for the Future — Building on Excellence. This plan has been approved by both the Senate and the Board of Governors at their January 2012 meetings.
 
Over the past year, the Planning and Priorities Committee led the planning process. The Committee assessed UVic’s achievements under the 2007 plan and analyzed the changing external environment. It also facilitated over 70 consultation and discussion sessions on and off campus. A draft plan was presented to the community last fall, and as a result this final version was prepared.
 
I am very grateful for the high level of engagement in the consultations and discussions and am pleased with the strong consensus that emerged.
 
Through this consensus, we confirmed the fundamental vision, mission and goals of our university and reaffirmed our commitment to the highest standards of excellence. Given the changes in the external environment and the successes we have achieved, the plan indicates that we must build on our strengths as a destination university and focus on the quality of the broader learning environment for our students, faculty and staff. In the ever more competitive environment and with growing fiscal constraints, there will be a need for greater flexibility and optimization of resources as well as renewed emphasis on engaging our community, locally, nationally and internationally. Achieving our goals will also require effectively communicating UVic’s distinctive characteristics and strengths.
 
I look forward to continuing to work together with all members of our university community to realize our vision and strengthen the University of Victoria’s position as a university of choice for outstanding students, faculty and staff from British Columbia, Canada and around the world.
 
Yours sincerely,

David H. Turpin, CM, PhD, FRSC
President and Vice-Chancellor
February 2012