UTM releases draft strategic framework
UTM has released its first draft strategic framework, providing an overview of the priorities that will unify the campus’s existing plans and guide long-term decisions and investments.
Informed by more than 500 distinct conversations over the past 14 months, with input from members of the UTM community, the draft is the latest step toward developing UTM’s long-term vision for collective flourishing.
“We developed this draft with tremendous input from students, librarians, staff, faculty and community partners,” says Alexandra Gillespie, UTM’s Vice-President and Principal. “Now published online, the draft sets out a series of priorities to unify our campus’s existing plans and inform our collective decisions.”
The draft strategic framework builds on the momentum created by our existing plans and calls to action, both at UTM and U of T: the 2017 Academic Plan, the 2018 Final Report in Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the 2019 Final Report on Student Mental Health, the 2020 Sustainability Strategic Plan and the 2021 Report of the Anti-Black Racism Task Force—to name only a few. It consolidates these existing targets into a common narrative, providing focus that will strengthen consensus, inspire action and guide investment.
The framework is based on five priorities: inspiring academic creativity for student success, enabling impactful discovery in student and faculty research, developing inclusive spaces and sustainable operations, and embracing UTM’s location for connection, well-being and care. These actions revolve around UTM’s central commitment to truth, openness and reciprocity.
Over the fall semester, UTM will host additional forums to strengthen the draft.
“My colleagues and I will host many UTM conversations, intended to build on our reflection forums from May,” Gillespie says. “Where the May forums invited our community to share the values that matter most to them, the fall conversations will focus on bringing these values together: Do you identify with the priorities in the draft framework? Do you see your contributions reflected in its commitments? Does its narrative describe a campus of which you feel proud?
“These questions will guide our conversations in the spirit of continuous improvement, encouraging responses that will inform the framework’s updated versions.”
The framework, which represents a working draft, will remain accessible online to encourage widespread feedback from the community.
