University of Regina announces strategic vision for the next decade

The U of R’s decade-long strategy focuses on shared responsibility, research recognition, and boosting international student numbers. Jacob Carr reports.

The University of Regina (U of R) announced its strategic vision for the next 10 years.

Their motto, “together we serve,” means service is not an individual act, but instead a shared institutional responsibility.

The plan, according to the U of R Board of Governors, has five priorities or goals within the next 10 years: learn, discover, build, put things right, and innovate.

These priorities focus on areas such as becoming one of the top universities in Canada in terms of teaching excellence and offering one of Canada’s most distinctive and transformative learning experiences.

“Aligning people, systems, and resources to strengthen collaboration across faculties, campuses and units and to create a more seamless experience for students, faculty and staff,” said Chair of the Board Adynea Russell.

According to U of R Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Aziz Douai, the “together, we put things right” priority involves advancing truth and reconciliation as a sustained university-wide commitment.

“It’s our collective responsibility not only to implement their calls to action of the truth and reconciliation commission, but also to make reconciliation a lived reality within the institution.”

University President and Vice Chancellor Jeff Keshen was asked about the plan to address the steep decline of international students the school has seen.

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He expressed his displeasure with the federal government’s policy on immigration reform, saying it has affected post-secondary institutions across the country, with the U of R seeing a decline of around 75 per cent of its international student enrolment in the last two years.

“Its required all areas of the institution to recalibrate, to reduce some of the surpluses. They had to hold off some hiring,” he said. “We’re hoping that the federal government has got the message from its own auditor general that the way that this has been implemented and the way that its impacted post-secondaries across Canada is simply not sustainable.”

According to Keshen, in the next 10 years, the university will look to continue to adapt to new innovations in technology and learning, such as the advancement of artificial intelligence.