I am a firm believer that times of great challenge inherently hold even greater potential for learning, growth and transformation. The current COVID-19 pandemic has made us look at the way we do things and ask ourselves if there is another, better, way to do it. We have had to be innovative and make difficult decisions, informed by a multitude of factors, on tighter timelines than we’ve been faced before. I have witnessed extraordinary leadership, collaboration, and flexibility and it has made me prouder than ever to be a part of the UFV community.
In my most recent blog post, I reminded students that this current moment will not define their education experience. Similarly, I want to assure you that this current moment does not define UFV. I’m reminded of a quote from author Rebecca Solnit that “inside the word ’emergency’ is ‘emerge’; from an emergency new things come forth.” As new cases of COVID-19 decline in BC, I encourage us all to celebrate how far we’ve come while reigniting the discussion of where we want to go. We have learned so much about ourselves and the world in these last few months, and it is a perfect time to use this knowledge and awareness to inform our long-term planning.
UFV’s integrated strategic planning process, led by Provost James Mandigo, is a vital step in our evolution as a university and a community. The resulting strategic plan will be our roadmap to the future, articulating our purpose and our goals, and will guide our decisions on where to focus our efforts and our resources. Earlier this week, I was invited to take part in facilitated conversations with senior administration around our strategic plan. The dialogue was invigorating and a testament to UFV’s unwavering commitment to our students, employees, and the people in our local communities and beyond. And because that conversation was so rich, the strategic planning working group has decided to schedule additional small group sessions to hear from more voices before holding the UFV-wide town hall events that were originally scheduled for the week of June 8.
I invite you to follow the progress of our integrated strategic plan on our website, where you can also sign up to be notified of the town hall dates, which will happen later in June.
These are uncertain times. Yet with challenges come opportunities. I look forward to seizing the opportunity to make UFV the best learning institution it can be. I hope you will join me on this journey.