Enhancing Our Student Experience

Laurentian will be a university of choice for students through a focus on academic foundations, a strong sense of belonging and well-being, and a unique bilingual and tricultural experience.

This strategic direction was inspired by the following insights from the consultation and research process:

• Laurentian’s diverse student body, ranging from on-campus and mature students to those accustomed to virtual learning, shares a common goal: wanting to excel academically while enjoying vibrant experiences and building a sense of community.
   
• Laurentian, known for academic excellence and a tight-knit community, is seeking to enrich its campus culture and access to resources to strengthen its ability to recruit a diverse range of students locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
   
• Laurentian’s community, valuing its scenic, nature-connected campus as both an educational institution and a home, sees the importance of initiatives that enhance the campus for learning and living, including sharing in tricultural and bilingual experiences that make life at Laurentian unique.

To advance Connection, Innovation, and Impact in the student experience, Laurentian will:

Build Strong Foundations for Student Success and Well-being

• Foundations for Success: Through the Academic Plan, develop a comprehensive onboarding approach that supports students’ success and well-being in their academic journey, including courses that provide all students with the fundamentals they will need to be successful in a degree program.
• Extra-Curricular Experiences: Enhance Laurentian’s extra-curricular clubs and varsity and intramural athletics offerings to support student well-being.
• Elevate Bilingual and Tricultural Experiences: Integrate the bilingual and tricultural mandates into the Laurentian non-academic student experience and physical character.
• Strengthen Career Readiness: Enhance existing offerings aimed at equipping students with industry-relevant skills, practical experiences, and professional networking opportunities to ensure their successful transition into the workforce.

The Northern University of Choice

• Local and Indigenous Student Recruitment: Re-establish and further build relationships at the elementary and secondary levels with students, their families, school boards, and guidance counsellors to make Laurentian a first choice for pursuing a university education.
• Provincial & National Recruitment: Market the value of Laurentian’s tight-knit learning community and marquee academic and research programs to prospective students across Ontario and Canada.
• Strategic International Recruitment: Attract, recruit, and retain a diverse international student body, particularly from jurisdictions that are complementary to the bilingual and tricultural mandate.

Animate Laurentian’s Campus Environment

• Campus Masterplan: Refresh Laurentian’s long-term Campus Masterplan for the maintenance, renewal, preservation, and sustainable development of Laurentian’s academic, research, athletics, common space, and natural assets.

Through specific Indicative Progress Measures, including student impressions and enrollment metrics, Laurentian will support and measure the impact of the goals and initiatives for Enhancing Our Student Experience.