Academic Strategic Plan

This strategic plan positions the Faculty of Arts for changes to make our programs more customizable and to support our people for success. It helps us enrich the educational experiences we offer and support our students through extraordinary transformations.

Our graduates build a stronger society, shape a better world and create change for good.

Outcome highlights

Created New Programs and Certificates

Created new programs and certificates in response to student and industry demands

  • An MA (course-based) in History of Art, Design and Visual Culture 
  • BA in Modern Languages and Cultural Studies
  • An expanded BA in Criminology
  • MA (course-based) in Philosophy
  • MA in Policy Studies
  • BA in Media Studies
  • BFA in Drama (Production) with three second-level specializations:
    • Design
    • Stage Management
    • Technical Production
  • Certificate in Ethics; a Certificate in Applied Social Science Research 
  • Certificate in Archaeology
  • Minor in Business
  • Certificate in Language Documentation & Revitalization
  • Certificate in Sexuality Studies.

Welcomed Three New Canada Research Chair appointments

  • CRC (Tier 1, pending) in Black Studies (English and Film Studies)
  • CRC (Tier 1) in Feminism and Intersectionality (Political Science)
  • CRC (Tier 2) in Critical Disability Studies (Political Science)
  • A Canada 150 Chair in Gender and Informatics (Women’s and Gender Studies/Media and Technology Studies)

Increased Indigenous Student Population

  • Increased Indigenous student population in Arts to 317
    • 4.4% of Arts undergraduate students, the goal is 5%
  • BA in Criminology – approximately 9% of the 201 students in this program are Indigenous (Fall 2021)
  • BA in Environmental Studies - approximately 14% of the 42 students in this program (Fall 2021) are Indigenous

Induction of Four Faculty of Arts Researchers

Celebrated the induction of four Faculty of Arts researchers into the Royal Society of Canada.

Achieved a Higher Success Rate

Achieved a higher success rate (63% in the 2019 competition year) on SSHRC Insight Grants than the national average.

Awarded Four $2.5M Grants

Awarded four $2.5M SSHRC Partnership Grants with an Arts researcher as the lead PI, and currently hold over $4M in CFI JELF and Innovation Fund Grants.

Developed an Honors Direct-entry Strategy

Developed an Honors direct-entry strategy so that students can apply directly from high school, and in fall 2020 our first intake of the Honors Foundation Year yielded 14 students. In Fall 2021, we climbed up to 21 students registered in the Foundation Year and overall enrollment in the BA Honors increased from 217 in 2019, 310 in 2020, to 334 in 2021.

Built Training and Professional Development

Built out training and professional development into Arts Leadership Forum with EDI initiatives as a focus. & Launched Arts-wide meetings in 2021–2022 with Academic Teaching Staff (ATS) for community building and advocacy.

Building an Equitable and Just Faculty of Arts Community

Established through collaboration and consultation a set of priorities and goals, including concrete steps for action, to work toward building an equitable and just Faculty of Arts community and publicly launched the Equity, Racial Justice, and Indigenous Initiatives dashboard to track progress.