As we near the end of our five-year strategic plan, Vision 2010, it is time for us to take stock of our progress, to do a comprehensive inventory of the present situation, so that we may start thinking about what we want for the future, in five, ten and even twenty years. It is in the same spirit of complete transparency that Vision 2010 was conducted five years ago that we now seek to assess our progress to date.

Our strategic planning exercise began in January 2004 with an extensive internal consultation involving the entire University community: students, support staff, professors and administrative staff. Next, twelve roundtable forums provided a platform where the main issues that emerged from the consultation were discussed. The summary of the discussions then provided the backdrop for internal and external consultations. In 2005, the Senate adopted the University's vision, mission, values, directions and goals. Faculties and services then drafted their own strategic plans, accompanied by action plans, in keeping with the University-wide plan. The Board of Governors subsequently approved the final plan, including each of its elements (details of the consultation process and all related documents can be found here).

Since then, the University has made major investments. Today, more than 150 of over 200 initiatives that originally emerged, or those that have emerged since, have been implemented or are about to be implemented. Twenty or so other initiatives are being developed and should emerge over the next few months. Some thirty initiatives were cancelled or postponed, often due to a change in circumstances (a list of the main initiatives and an overview of the progress can be found here). Nevertheless, Vision 2010 is a work in progress, and what really matters is knowing whether we are getting close to reaching the eight goals we set for ourselves and whether our vision is emerging as planned, in keeping with our mission and values. This is what we must evaluate.

In 2005, we believed that we would have every reason to celebrate in 2010 if the vision we had created for our institution had allowed us to build and grow together and if all members of our community had everything they needed to reach their potential. The University of Ottawa is our heritage and it is our responsibility to pass on an even stronger institution to future generations. This is what we must look at.

Allan Rock
President and Vice-Chancellor