The Next Step

To conduct our planning process for the coming years, several approaches are possible. After having answered the questions that have come to mind as we examine this report—questions about initiatives to implement, goals to reach, directions to take, vision to embrace, mission and values to be respected—we could:

• Conclude that we are fully satisfied with the work done to date and declare that Vision 2010 has been a success across the board. This would open the door to establishing new priorities by way of a full planning exercise, i.e. defining a new vision and setting new directions, goals and initiatives needed to achieve it.
• Take pride in the progress made to date but conclude that much remains to be done—that the overall results have been good, but that we still need to work on improving the student experience, on strengthening staff engagement or on improving our reputation, for example. This would mean fine tuning the current vision, directions and goals (though we may want to set a few priorities and focus on a few goals), as well as adding other initiatives.
• Conclude that Vision 2010 has not amounted to much, keep the same vision, directions and goals, but try to achieve them through a new set of initiatives—provided we still consider that the structure of the strategic plan is the right one and that it covers every facet critical to the University's continued development. Then again, if the current vision, directions and goals are no longer relevant, a full-scale planning exercise would have to take place.

The University community must now speak to this issue and make its views known. It is important to bear in mind that the University of Ottawa belongs to all of us, and it is, therefore, our collective duty to keep it thriving.