Our values
We are committed to the principles of academic freedom in all areas of teaching and research, and remain dedicated to scholarly autonomy, intellectual integrity, and accountability. Through our teaching, research, and administration, we commit to discourse, dialogue, and language that is open, inclusive, and respectful.
Academic programs that attract and retain a diverse mix of outstanding students, scholars, researchers, and staff are at the core of our mission. We are a research-intensive university grounded in a legacy of discovery, academic excellence, and community service that defines our approach to teaching and learning.
Ongoing commitments to achieve inclusive excellence through continually championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) are integral to Dalhousie’s vision, mission, actions, culture, and how we interact with one another on a daily basis. These obligations extend to redressing historical and ongoing systemic inequalities among our citizenry.
We remain committed to facilitating and celebrating the success of our African Nova Scotian communities, and to reconciliation and continued work to build integrity in Dalhousie’s relationship with Canada’s First Peoples, especially the Mi’kmaq on whose lands we are privileged to share.
While affirming our commitment to a holistic approach to shape individuals with life-ready knowledge and skills, we will deliver on our learners’ interest in connecting their programs to rapidly evolving and emerging future career opportunities while making positive and impactful contributions to society.
We exist because of support from our communities. In turn, Dalhousie has an ongoing responsibility to engage, connect with, and support our communities. We are committed to being a strategic partner in promoting the economic development and social vitality of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic provinces through our actions, including creating and fostering growth opportunities through impactful and collaborative research, scholarship, and partnerships.
Befitting a civic university, these obligations extend to fostering the capacity to overcome structural challenges by reducing disparities the region has endured within Canada. Dalhousie will play a critical role in that journey as a citizen of Nova Scotia with an ongoing responsibility to engage, connect with, and support the local communities not as an elite institution separate from the daily affairs of our public, but as a member of our public.
Through our teaching, research, and service, we will expand understanding and adherence to the core principles of sustainability, advance knowledge about climate change, and help to catalyze evidence-based solutions (A Charter for Canadian Universities, June 2020).
We remain committed to supporting actions that are consistent with the Charter, and will continue our important work towards fulfilling the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
We will create work and learning environments grounded in respect and support, guided by a shared responsibility for equitable access and the well-being of our faculty, staff, and students.
