Nipissing University’s new strategic plan charts path for future generations

NORTH BAY (September 19, 2023) – Today, Nipissing University officially unveiled its new strategic plan during a launch event held on its North Bay campus. The plan, entitled “Pathways: Our Commitments to Water, Land, and People for the Next Seven Generations at Nipissing University”, is the culmination of an extensive engagement process with Nipissing’s campus and regional communities that began in Fall 2022.

The plan underscores the importance of Nipissing University’s unique qualities, while welcoming change that will help sustain the University for not only five years, but seven generations in the future. The document outlines six commitments that Nipissing will endeavour to uphold, as well as pathways for achieving them. The six commitments include: Fulfilling our Responsibility to Truth and Reconciliation; Nurturing our Relationship with Water, Land and Place; Embodying Harmony and Care; Inspiring Innovative Growth and Development; Building Sustainable Futures; and Celebrating Who We Are.

“This plan was the result of a highly collaborative process where we asked community members to share their thoughts, feelings, and aspirations about the University’s past, present, and future through focus groups, surveys, visioning exercises, and public meetings,” said Kevin Wamsley, President and Vice-Chancellor, Nipissing University. “The level of engagement we saw from all constituent groups is indicative of their shared passion for the success and future of Nipissing, and the important role it plays in their lives.”

Throughout the process, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee collaborated with the Nipissing University Indigenous Council on Education (NUICE) in the spirit of a Treaty relationship. NUICE is an advisory body and resource for Nipissing University and is comprised of representatives from various Indigenous communities. 

“The commitments set forth in this plan represent the many diverse voices of our communities,” said Wamsley. “Our path forward is clear, and, it is together. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to walk alongside Indigenous communities throughout this process, and for NUICE’s counsel, as we navigate our future together and work towards truth and reconciliation.”

“The over-riding objective of the university’s Indigenous Council on Education is to ensure that the students sent to study here by their families and communities enjoy a welcoming environment, inside and outside of their classrooms,” said Maurice Switzer, Chair, NUICE. “We were pleased to be involved in the strategic planning process, and look forward to its vision being actualized in the operational plan.”

A colourful, visual representation of the plan and an accompanying poem were jointly created by artists Tessa Pizzale, a second-year fine arts students at Nipissing University, and Carol Szabicot, a graphic designer with Nipissing University’s External Relations Department. The artwork greets visitors to the University as they step inside its front doors, serving as a reminder of Nipissing’s commitments and its ongoing journey to fulfill them.

Over the next year, the University will create an operational plan and academic plan, grounded in the principles of the strategic plan, that will ensure the University remains on course to realize its commitments.

To read the plan and learn more about the process of its development, visit: https://strategicplanning.nipissingu.ca/.

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Media Contact:
Carly Johnston
Communications Officer
Nipissing University
(705) 474-3450 ext. 4035
communications@nipissingu.ca