Our “reason for being,” or our mission, is a high-level statement defining why the University of Windsor exists. If I were to distill what I have heard in my consultations with people who care about the University of Windsor, I would describe its mission as:

Helping people make a better world through education, scholarship and engagement

Given our over-arching mission, what kind of a university do we aspire to be? How do we summarize what is distinctly important to us, and what we are pursuing so that our broad mission is fulfilled in our own unique way? From all that I have heard in consultations over the past year, I believe that this is what we are trying to create:

The University of Windsor will be a progressive student-centred University, where the social, technological and environmental challenges of a world in transition are foundational to the education we provide, the research we do, and the creative endeavours we pursue.

Many people have said that the University of Windsor needs to be very clear about the principles that it believes in, and that should underpin all that we do. The following are principles that have been expressed by many people, and that the University of Windsor should embrace in its new Strategic Plan:

• UWindsor is committed to the highest intellectual standards.
• UWindsor is committed to the highest standards of human rights and freedoms.
• UWindsor is committed to civility and respect for others.
• UWindsor is committed to decision-making through consultation wherever possible.
• UWindsor will strive to have the student experience on our campus be a central consideration in decision-making.
• UWindsor will make decisions as necessary using empirical data and benchmarking against other universiies.
• UWindsor will be a responsible steward of people, culture and the environment.
• UWindsor will apply research and teaching to issues of importance to the world.

The new Strategic Plan should identify no more than five or six over-arching priorities for the University of Windsor. Once these are agreed upon, the next step will be to list actions that we can do in pursuit of each of them. This web survey will help us identify what those five or six over-arching priorities should be.

From my consultations over the past year on campus, with alumni, and with community, the following five goals summarize what I have heard and reflect what is important to many people:

• Provide an exceptional and supportive undergraduate experience that emphasizes independent learning, interdisciplinary opportunities, flexibility in degree completion pathways and successful year to year transition
• Be a more research-intensive university with graduate programs that build on academic strengths and professional expertise
• Recruit and retain the best faculty and staff
• Engage the community in partnerships that will strengthen the economy, quality of life and well-being of the Windsor-Essex region
• Promote international engagement through curriculum development, student recruitment, student and faculty exchanges, and partnerships that complement our teaching and research strengths

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your relationship to the University of Windsor, to help us to classify your responses.