Strategic Planning

Working in partnership with McMaster University’s Refining Directions, the Faculty of Science established six major initiatives for its strategic planning including:

  • Graduate Programs – Expansion Strategy
  • Undergraduate Programs Review
  • Undergraduate Elite Program Strategy
  • Innovation Park Development
  • Research – External Relations Strategies
  • Achieve Financial Stability

At the same time, a broad group of faculty and staff have worked with the Faculty’s administration to establish several specific directions and goals for the Faculty’s strategic plans. These have been incorporated into plans for each of the FSc departments, which are reviewed annually.

The strategic planning directions with their related goals are:

Enhance excellence, reputation, and outcomes by investment in people (faculty, staff, students, and community)
  • Recruit and retain the best faculty and staff
  • Adopt a clear expectation and commitment for faculty to achieve distinction in their fields of research and to develop into excellent educators and mentors
  • Increase, improve, and coordinate recruiting efforts and support to attract the best undergraduate, graduate students and post doctoral fellows
  • Provide the best possible physical and supportive environments for faculty, staff and students
  • Create, maintain and enhance professional development and training opportunities for faculty, staff, post doctoral fellows and graduate students
Enrich undergraduate and graduate educational programs by providing a solid and comprehensive intellectual foundation in Science and fostering personal growth and opportunity
  • Integrate knowledge creation, discovery, and research across all programs, aligned with our research strengths
  • Implement flexibility in admission requirements where appropriate
  • Optimize undergraduate programs and quality through developing innovative and collaborative approaches to learning and teaching
  • Promote greater interactivity, multidisciplinarity and student engagement in learning
  • Undertake joint initiatives with other faculties and institutions consistent with our vision and purpose
Promote a culture and expectation of research excellence, quality, and prominence across all sectors of the Faculty
  • Increase the amount and scope of extramural public and private sector research funding collectively and as individuals
  • Increase research productivity and quality in all sectors
  • Strengthen internal and external strategic research programs
  • Enhance technology, physical infrastructure, facilities, and support structures to ensure leading-edge research
  • Identify priority areas and emerging opportunities for strategic investments
Establish and maintain fiscal stability, sustainability, and accountability consistent with our purpose, vision and values
  • Achieve a balanced budget by 2010
  • Pursue new funding to support excellence in faculty, students and staff
  • Establish processes and procedures that ensure fiscal accountability, responsibility, and transparency
  • Establish resource allocation models aligned with strategic priorities and objectives
Create an enabling, cooperative, and collaborative faculty-wide environment
  • Develop a flexible, transparent, streamlined, and integrated administrative and operational infrastructure that supports all faculty activities
  • Recognize and reward contributions and excellence of our people
  • Promote the visibility and profile of Science
  • Enhance capabilities for fundraising, development, alumni relations, communication, and outreach