As UBC passes the halfway point on its strategic plan, Shaping UBC’s Next Century, the time is right to revisit the plan and define the university’s specific priorities and actions for the next three to five years. The process included opportunities for members of the UBC community to provide their input beginning in the fall 2024.
On this page:
- Why refresh the Strategic Plan?
- Refresh objectives
- How we’re listening to the UBC community
- What we heard: Phase 1 engagement feedback
- Next steps
Why refresh the Strategic Plan?
Launched in 2018, Shaping UBC’s Next Century, was created with significant input from the UBC community. Through workshops, surveys and other vehicles, members of the UBC community provided their thoughts and ideas on the university’s vision, mission, values and goals. For more information on the strategic plan, including other plans and frameworks across the university, please visit https://strategicplan.ubc.ca/
Much of the work that went into developing the strategic plan remains vital and relevant today, though the environment for UBC, and for post-secondary institutions, has changed significantly. By revisiting and refreshing our strategic plan, we can celebrate and build upon our successes, apply lessons learned, adapt to a changing higher education and research landscape, and continue our trajectory of transformation, propelling UBC to even greater heights. Notwithstanding challenges, there is no question that the future is bright for UBC.
Refresh objectives
The intention of the refresh is not to replace our current strategic plan, but to define a series of priorities and actions for the next three to five years, largely focused on UBC’s academic and research mission. As such, the strategic plan refresh process will focus on four broad interrelated objectives:
- Envision what kind of university UBC strives to be over the next 25 years, to 2050.
- Define shorter-term priorities and actions over the next three to five years, especially with regards to our core academic and research mission.
- Establish metrics to track the university’s progress.
- Continue to mobilize and support the achievement of the goals of UBC’s existing institutional plans such as the Indigenous Strategic Plan, Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism (StEAR) Framework, as well as Faculty-level plans.
How we’re listening to the UBC community
In fall 2024, UBC initiated a two-phase engagement process across both campuses to help shape its refreshed strategic plan. Phase 1 (Fall 2024), focused on envisioning the kind of university UBC aims to become over the next 25 years. More than 1,600 participants contributed more than 5,900 data points. Engagement activities included:
- Workshops and meetings engaged UBC leadership, faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members.
- Pop-up events brought the conversation to various groups and spaces across both campuses.
- An online survey provided an accessible platform for all community members to contribute.
Throughout this engagement, we gathered input on the pressures shaping UBC’s trajectory and the university’s vision for the future. This feedback was carefully analyzed, and recurring themes were identified. These insights will shape the next phase of the strategic refresh.
What we heard: Phase 1 engagement feedback
Key pressures impacting higher education
Participants highlighted eight key pressures facing higher education, including: changing demographics; value proposition for higher education; increased costs; decreased funding; need to continue to embrace innovative ways of teaching and learning; artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and digital futures; globalization and geo-political uncertainty; and identity and belongingness during times of uncertainty and change. It is anticipated that these factors will influence UBC’s direction over the next 25 years.
25-year vision summary of themes
Through the engagement process, 16 core themes emerged that outline the aspirations for UBC in 2050. These themes reflect a broad, collective vision that will guide UBC’s evolution over the next 25 years, grounded in the values and concerns of the UBC community. For a concise overview of each theme, see the 25-Year Vision Summary of Themes.
Next steps
In the next phase of the project, we will work with the academic community to define the priorities and metrics for the next three to five years, together with specific initial actions. The community will be invited to comment on priorities later in the term. We are aiming to complete the final document by June 2025.
