Fall is always such an invigorating time at the University and I'm excited to welcome everybody to campus to begin another academic year. Whether you are a new student, staff or faculty member, or are returning from a summer break, it's great to have the campus bustling with energy again.
As you make your way around the University, you'll no doubt notice many of the physical changes that have taken place over the summer as well as some of the ongoing projects that continue to reshape and redefine our culture.
Now in our 45th year, the University has grown and matured dramatically since its inception, and with a rapidly changing post-secondary landscape, must continue to evolve to meet the needs of our students and society as a whole.
In the spring, I released an Open Letter to the University community that began the discussion about the future direction of the U of L. It was a means to introduce some initial thoughts on our strategic goals and priorities and to bring forth questions related to our future direction. Now, it is time to hear from you.
What do you think about the future of the University of Lethbridge? What does it mean to you that we are Alberta's Destination University and how does that shape the work you do for the University today and in the future? What is your vision in terms of continuing to grow as a comprehensive university and how do you see the future structure of our university reflecting our academic and research aspirations?
I encourage you to take another look at the Open Letter (www.uleth.ca/president/presentations-communication) and to think of the themes introduced. There will be various opportunities for your feedback and your ideas will help shape the future direction of the University of Lethbridge.
The first such opportunity is the Sept. 27 Fiat Lux Address (3 to 4 p.m., University Theatre), which will be given by Provost & Vice-President (Academic), Dr. Andrew Hakin. The theme of his presentation is liberal education, how we now define it at the University of Lethbridge and what it means to us going forward.
This is an excellent opportunity to not only hear Dr. Hakin's interpretation, but it is a forum at which you can bring your ideas to the fore in an open discussion.
On Oct. 1 (8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., Students' Union Ballrooms), a Strategic Priorities Forum will present another opportunity for the University community to engage in the decision-making process. Born out of the President's Task Force on Budget Process, this forum is designed to create greater transparency around priority setting from senior leaders across the institution.
Look for further communication in the UWeekly newsletter, on campus web pages and on digital signage for times and locations of upcoming forums as these are a valuable opportunity to give a voice to your ideas – the people who make the University of Lethbridge such a wonderful and unique community.
This story first appeared in the September 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.