Connection, Innovation, and Impact
Laurentian University has been a source of pride for Greater Sudbury and Northern Ontario since its founding. For more than 60 years, Laurentian has been a vital partner in the success of thousands of individual students, faculty, and staff, and the local and regional communities for which it was established. Laurentian has always been at its best when it has understood how interconnected it is with the communities that it serves and harnessed the resilience, creativity and diverse knowledge of its people to create and deliver excellent education and innovative research for the benefit of these communities.
I am pleased to introduce our new strategic plan, Laurentian’s Plan for Connection, Innovation and Impact. This plan sets out a positive path forward for Laurentian through a clear articulation of who we are, where we are going, and the shared priorities that will focus our actions to achieve our aspirations and ambitions.
This path forward emphasizes the importance of, and our dedication to, deepening our partnerships and fostering collaborations with our community in four priority areas: enhancing our student experience; energizing our academic and research mission; building up the communities we serve; and valuing and supporting the people who make up our Laurentian team.
These strategic priorities align with our vision to bring the power of Northern Ontario values, resilience, innovation, and Indigenous ways of knowing to the world. They are grounded in our mission to prepare the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow through an inclusive, intellectually curious and connected bilingual and tricultural learning community. They are guided by our values of community, integrity, student success, stewardship, and collaboration. I am excited about Laurentian’s future, and I hope you are too. I invite you to become an active participant in putting forth Laurentian’s Plan for Connection, Innovation and Impact for the benefit of our students, faculty, staff, and the communities that we serve.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sheila Embleton, FRSC, FRSA
Interim President and Vice-Chancellor, Laurentian University
Strategic Plan at a Glance
Vision
Bring the power of Northern Ontario values, resilience, innovation, and Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) ways of knowing to the world.
Our vision is defined by the resilience, ingenuity, and diversity of our region. Laurentian and its people will be recognized leaders in unlocking the potential of the diverse communities we represent and serve, and in making new discoveries through the convergence of traditional and contemporary knowledge and methods. The transformative impact of our people will go beyond our region to contribute to a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable world.
Northern Ontario...
- Values: Our ingenuity, self-sufficiency, and sense of community which encompasses a large francophone community.
- Resilience: Our ability to adapt and be agile in turning challenges into opportunities.
- Innovation: Our approach to education is founded in our natural surroundings, transformative learning experiences, and interdisciplinary collaborations.
- Indigenous: First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and communities. Indigenous ways of knowing: Our perspectives and understandings born out of Indigenous languages, ceremonies, practices, and relationships.
Mission
Prepare the leaders of tomorrow through an inclusive, intellectually curious and connected bilingual and tricultural learning community.
Our mission is to prepare the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow in a bilingual and tricultural environment that nurtures creativity and broadens understanding. We are committed to providing an inclusive academic environment that thrives on diversity and is enriched by bringing together different perspectives and ideas that spark curiosity and innovation. We are driven to continuously generate, explore and refine ideas that contribute to the wealth of human knowledge that will shape a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable world.
- Inclusive: A higher education environment enabled by a diverse faculty and staff that is accessible and welcoming to students from all walks of life.
- Intellectually Curious: Persistent generation and evolution of ideas in service to the advancement of knowledge.
- Bilingual and Tricultural: A unique linguistic and cultural environment that bridges understanding and inspires creativity.
Values
Laurentian University will be guided by these values in shaping the University’s culture, decision-making and accountability for results
- Community: We build long lasting connections with each other through caring, understanding and goodwill.
- Integrity: We are transparent, respectful, and accountable to each other.
- Student Success: We focus our academic and research missions on supporting the development of our students into bold thinkers and confident leaders.
- Stewardship: We value the land that sustains us, the knowledge that guides us, and the languages we use to convey our gratitude.
- Collaboration: We share, listen, and work together as a community to develop solutions to real world challenges.
Cultural Enablers
As Laurentian embarks on this new journey, our cultural enablers will play a pivotal role in our organization’s culture and will assist with the implementation of the strategic plan and achieving success. These enablers not only align with, but also enhance our objectives, creating an adaptive and focused environment that positions us to meet future challenges with resilience and strategic agility.
- Student Focus
Student success is the focus of setting and implementing priorities at all levels of the organization.
- Internal Strategic Alignment
All institutional, faculty, departmental, and research strategies are aligned and mutually supportive (and reinforcing).
- Service Culture
Laurentian’s people at all levels continuously build and live a service culture within and across all faculties, departments, and research centres and institutes.
- Well-being
Laurentian leadership and governance recognize and support the well-being of faculty, staff, and administration.
- Strong and Engaged Governance and Leadership
Governors and Laurentian leaders at all levels become deliberate and disciplined in building strong relationships that benefit the institution and secure its success.
- Productive Labour Relations
Labour leadership and management work to improve collegiality and shared purpose in advancing and growing the University.
- Community Involvement and Partnerships
Laurentian and its people at all levels become integral, active, and value-added members of the local, regional, Francophone and Indigenous communities that are part of its Northern vision and mission.
- Respect and Inclusion
We all create and celebrate an inclusive environment where all are welcome and difference is respected.
Strategic Planning Process
The journey to develop this Plan for Connection, Innovation and Impact included an in-depth analysis of the institution’s internal and external environment and extensive participation from Laurentian’s stakeholder community.
Over a seven-month period, more than 2,500 individuals shared their input and perspectives as part of the strategic planning process through:
- Three intensive strategic planning workshops
- Two town halls open to the entire Laurentian and broader communities
- Six interactive drop-in sessions held across campus to get first-hand input from students, staff, and faculty
- Five comprehensive online surveys that attracted participation from current and past Laurentian students, faculty, staff and partners from across North America
- 20 one-on-one interviews
- 25 focus groups
- 23 group interviews
- 76 written submissions
The development of this Strategic Plan would not have been possible without the outstanding contributions of all those who love and care deeply for Laurentian and its future.