Background
In 2018, the Faculty of Health began a collaborative process to ascertain and communicate our priorities for the coming years. This exercise culminated in a five-year Strategic Plan that spanned from 2020-25 and helped direct our research and teaching initiatives.
The plan was structured around four key Priorities: Meaningful education, Impactful research, Culture of health and well-being and Internal and external community engagement. It highlighted four signature commitments: a Faculty name change, Embracing Indigenous ways of knowing, Leading health- and technology-related initiatives on campus and Developing accessible life-long learning opportunities.
We held sessions with faculty members, staff and students to identify goals and objectives for each priority area, and a subsequent implementation plan was developed following the work of four committees dedicated to each of the plan’s priorities.
The process took approximately two years and afforded our community members an opportunity to reflect on and identify our goals and priorities as a group. We collectively developed a plan based on agreed-upon goals that would lead to impactful outcomes.
Assessment
Through our Implementation Plan’s tactical actions, we achieved several important outcomes, including a more refined sense of purpose and affirmation that our work impacts individuals, communities and society in tangible ways. Accomplishments that arose from the 2020-25 Strategic Plan include:
- We rebranded as the Faculty of Health. The name change process involved significant consultation and collaboration, leading to a better understanding of the Faculty’s curricula and research, both for internal and external audiences. It represents more accurately that we focus on fundamental, as well as applied research, and that our teaching and research disciplines range from the life sciences to the social sciences – this is, from cell to society.
- We engaged with the process of Indigenization, including the recruitment of an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, whose teachings and guidance have been instrumental in shaping our reconciliation efforts. We installed visual representations in public areas to show commitment, and dedicated an Indigenous Gathering Space for activities and to build community. The Faculty’s leadership in this area has been a model for the rest of campus to welcome an increasing number of Indigenous students.
- We enhanced our interdisciplinary research efforts with the introduction of new initiatives, such as the Health Research Hub and University of Waterloo Interdisciplinary Esports (UWIN Esports). Other interdisciplinary areas were revitalized during this time, such as the Network for Aging Research. These projects highlight a concerted effort to study and promote health across disciplines on campus and show their applicability beyond.
- We developed partnerships with new international institutions to provide on-campus educational opportunities and develop new pipelines for student recruitment. Our expertise in areas such as health sciences, health informatics and sport management is now being shared not only with Waterloo students, but around the world.
Transitioning to a strategic framework
In 2022, the University of Waterloo moved away from five-year plans and laid out a concept for Waterloo at 100, envisioning what the University will be known for in 2057. The plan highlights five ‘Global Futures:’ Societal, Health, Sustainable, Technological and Economic.
The Faculty of Health is perfectly aligned with Health Futures, but because of the nature of our disciplines, we also substantively overlap with Societal, Sustainable, Technological and Economic Futures. In fact, because of our multidisciplinary approach to health, most of our teaching and research is found at the intersection of several, if not all, of these Futures.
Survey results
Respondents to a survey distributed in fall 2024 to faculty members and staff largely supported continuing our vision and mission, and were evenly split on whether to keep distinct Faculty values or adopt three new University values. As it is possible to map our values onto the University’s, we propose keeping both sets of values.
Based on responses to an open-ended question, “What are the top three priorities for the Faculty going forward,” the Faculty is upholding our four priorities (Meaningful Education, Impactful Research, Culture of Health and Well-being and Community Engagement), and has identified some longer-term goals that will be achieved by short-term actions. We are also making explicit a differentiator: Our focus on prevention.
Our new strategic plan is a living document that will map onto Waterloo at 100 and guide our priorities and actions for the short- and longer-term. It will be revisited and updated in three years or amended during the University’s annual planning cycle if needed, taking into account changes in current projects, consultations and the wider campus and national and international context.