A product of our shared aspirations
Our Third Century Promise — or Si'st Kasqimtlnaqnipunqekl Teli L'wi'tmasimk in Mi’kmaq (pronunciation: See-st G-ahs-h-eem-dl-na-h-n-ee-boon-h-eg-l Deli L-weed-m-ah-simk) — is the product of our shared aspirations as a Dalhousie community, expressed through a comprehensive, engaging, and consultative planning process that spanned two years.
It signals Dalhousie’s long-term ambition while providing a clear, actionable strategy to guide us during the next five years. Future plans are expected to build on these priorities, just as our new plan seeks to build on its 2014-18 precursor, Inspiration and Impact, in which the opening sentence foreshadowed the long-term commitments we are now formalizing:
Engagement phases
To develop this plan, we sought to capture and reflect the goals and priorities of faculty, staff, students, and other valued members of our community through four distinct phases of engagement:
Emerging strategic themes
Individuals and groups from all parts of the university played a crucial role in the development of our plan.
Through each of the four phases of consultation and development, students, faculty, staff, internal offices and departments, and external organizations took the time to share their insights and perspectives.
Our Strategic Renewal: Report on Strategic Planning [PDF-265KB] outlines the planning process and the emerging strategic themes and priorities that helped inform the final phase of our strategic plan development.
As part of this planning process, eight strategic themes emerged that set the stage for detailed examination by self-study teams. Each self-study team was co-led by a faculty member and a staff member with team members from across the University, supported by subject-matter experts and executive champions (VPs). More than 150 Dalhousie faculty, staff, and students were self-study team members. Each team developed a thought paper for their respective theme, informed by cross-university consultation, evidence-based research, and expert input.
The eight emerging strategic themes were:
- The Future of Teaching and Learning [PDF-2.1MB]
- Research Future [PDF-1MB]
- Student Experience and Student Success [PDF-2.4MB]
- Campus Health and Wellbeing [PDF-2.8MB]
- Culture and Climate [PDF-785KB]
- Dal Purpose and Social Responsibility [PDF-4.7MB]
- Internationalization and Global Engagement [PDF-655KB]
- Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility [PDF-2.6MB]
