McGill.CA / ASAP 2012: Achieving Strategic Academic Priorities / ASAP 2012 Plan

ASAP 2012 Major Strategic Objectives

5.1  Transition from Strengths and Aspirations (2006) to ASAP 2012

This ASAP 2012 strategic academic planning document takes a comprehensive approach for responding to the changing external and internal environments in which McGill operates. In the context of broad goals and cross-cutting themes, ASAP 2012 proposes ten strategic objectives for ensuring that we realize our goals.

In the list below, the seven objectives presented in italics were identified in Strengths and Aspirations and to which we still strive, their updated versions are presented immediately after them in bold type.  There are also three new objectives also presented in bold that reflect additional priorities that have been identified for going forward from 2012.

5.2  Restated and modified objectives from Strengths and Aspirations (2006)

  1. Pursue an aggressive academic renewal plan for new faculty hiring → Achieve new directions in faculty recruitment, hiring, retention, career development and leadership
  2. Be a truly pan-Canadian and international university with a highly geographically diverse student population based on offering an enriched student life experience, appropriate program offerings and quality services for students → Emphasize innovative delivery of educational programs and appropriate levels of student aid to improve access to underrepresented population groups  
  3. Improve all aspects of the graduate studies environment → Ensure innovation in graduate students experience based on disciplinary and interdisciplinary research strengths and competitive funding
  4. Re-enforce foundational disciplines to insure that they can contribute significantly to inter-disciplinary developments → Develop and implement transformative research initiatives based on competitive advantage
  5. Support academic priorities by ensuring the highest quality service support for all areas → Develop a culture of “best practices” in support of academic endeavours
  6. Offer opportunities for professional development and growth and create a work environment to enhance productivity and job satisfaction for all personnel → Enhance career development and mobility opportunities for administrative and support staff
  7. Develop internal performance indicators and measure programs externally against peers → Implement new approaches to academic analytics, processes, tools and feedback loops

 5.3  Additional objectives for ASAP 2012-20172

  1. Provide service to Quebec, Canada and the global community by means of activities and international collaborations with measurable impact
  2. Ensure and embrace the diversity in origin and ideas among students, faculty, and staff with appropriate programs and services
  3. Attain pre-eminence in education for the professions in the 21st century by means of leadership initiatives.

1 The terminology used in strategic planning efforts varies considerably. The approach in this plan is to use major strategic objectives to document the primary ends of concern and proposed actions as the means with which to achieve those ends. The objectives and actions are developed to focus on people, educational experiences, research and innovation, and service to the local, national and global communities and are based in part on the principle dimensions of the university mission.
2These three objectives emerged from previous planning, including Strengths and Aspirations and the Principal’s Task Force on Diversity, Excellence and Community Engagement  but needed further exploration and development. They are “new” in the sense that they were not specific objectives in the 2006 planning document.
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