Welcome back everyone for the start of the Spring Semester. I trust that the holiday season was rejuvenating as we jump into what promises to be a very busy schedule to begin the year.

As we turn the calendar to 2013, and look ahead, it is important we not lose sight of the fundamental principles that are important to the University of Lethbridge. Coaches in sport often tell their players to pay heed to the factors they can control, certainly attending to the opponent and other external factors but ultimately remembering what each player can bring to the contest. It may seem obvious, but by playing to a team's strengths and not losing sight of this strategy, a team is in the best position to be successful.

Working together as a cohesive team will move the University forward toward its strategic goals.

I believe that this analogy can be useful to us here at the University of Lethbridge, because it is easy to become distracted by the many unsettling circumstances occurring throughout the world. Whether it is the fiscal cliff situation in the United States, a predicted shrinking of the post-secondary demographic in coming years or budget concerns at the federal and provincial level, we as a University community will be at our best if we continue to focus on our strategic priorities and put our energies into what we do well.

If we maintain our emphasis on being committed to the student experience for our undergraduate and graduate students, if we continue to focus on growing as a comprehensive university, if we are committed to the further development of our First Nations Métis and Inuit student programming, if we push forward as a destination university while still creating an experience that makes the U of L the first choice for southern Albertans, then we will find success going forward.

Let's not forget about the successes we have achieved in the past year and in recent years. These gains that we have made as an institution reflect a commitment from every corner of campus to the fundamental priorities of the University, and regardless of the challenges we may face in the future, by staying true to our strategic directives, we will continue to make great strides locally, provincially, nationally and globally.

In the coming weeks I will be sitting down with the campus representatives who are working on the People Plan as it moves into its next stage of development. This is a very important plan because it speaks to the most basic of our principles here at the U of L, that our successes are achieved by supporting one another in our various roles within the institution. By creating an atmosphere where our people have the tools they need to perform at their best, we create a winning formula for the
U of L.

There is great opportunity ahead in 2013, and by focusing on the factors that have led to our successes, we will continue to prosper moving forward.

This story first appeared in the January 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.