Illustration of people meeting, walking, cycling, and tossing a disc on North Campus Quad.

Community engagement is about relationships, reaching out and building authentic and mutually beneficial connections. The University of Alberta’s century-long history of community engagement is deeply rooted in the connections with the communities we serve.

As an important part of Alberta's economic and social fabric, the University of Alberta is committed to engaging, supporting, collaborating and co-creating more effectively with the many communities of which we are a part.

Bill Flanagan, President and Vice-Chancellor

President Bill Flanagan
(Photo: John Ulan)

Report to the Community

During the 2018-19 community engagement consultations, the University of Alberta heard that the community wanted to know more about the work the U of A carries out with the community and a report that provides a compilation of those stories. We are proud to present the Report to the Community for 2023-24, highlighting some of the best stories of the year. For more stories like these, please see the Stories from our Community below.


Previous Years

Report to the Community 2022-23


Report to the Community 2021-22

English cover of the Community Engagement Report to the Community

Community Engagement Consultation Plan

The Community Engagement Consultation Plan contains the results of the year-long consultation, along with initiatives and measures that we plan to undertake in order to put the community’s feedback directly into practice. This plan will support community engagement work over the coming years and aims to strengthen community engagement in its many forms across our campuses.

English cover of the community engagement consultation plan

The community engagement consultation was a year-long process starting in the fall of 2018.

The process consisted of 3 steps:

Development

link to pdf

An advisory committee representing various communities and voices helped create a public consultation process that would engage both internal and external stakeholders.

Implementation

link to pdf

250 organizations were invited and 1,500 respondents participated in the consultation, which included 83 facilitated sessions as well as ongoing opportunities for online feedback.

Analysis

link to pdf

Every response solicited during the consultation was collected, transcribed and organized in a database, yielding more than 11,000 lines of unique data.

What we heard

From more than 11,000 lines of unique data, we identified the most commonly heard pieces of information and tracked recurring themes from the responses. The top five themes heard from respondents form the foundation of this community engagement report and plan.


Theme #1:

Improve Accessibility


Theme #2:

Support and Strengthen Outreach


Theme #3:

Respond to Community Need


Theme #4:

Improve Communication


Theme #5:

Celebrate Successes

Next Steps

We have developed a three-year community engagement plan, with specific goals and deliverables identified for each year. This plan is also a living document so the goals and activities listed may evolve and change as the University of Alberta receives more input and continues to engage with our community.

See a breakdown of the next steps in the plan »

Stories from our community

UNIVERSITY NEWS
The Optimal Ad Mix Discovered
Research, Business
The Optimal Ad Mix Discovered
Video Spotlight: A stitch in time to fight fabric waste
Society and Culture
Video Spotlight: A stitch in time to fight fabric waste
Responsibility to inspire: Golden Bears receiver gives back to community
Society and Culture
Responsibility to inspire: Golden Bears receiver gives back to community
How the U of A became Canada’s top AI university
Science and Technology, Society and Culture, Research, Health And Wellness, Business
How the U of A became Canada’s top AI university
U of A solidifies Top 100 position in latest QS global rankings
Health And Wellness, Society and Culture, Science and Technology, Business
U of A solidifies Top 100 position in latest QS global rankings
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Passing the Mortar and Pestle
Society and Culture, Health And Wellness
Passing the Mortar and Pestle
Tips to Launch a Thriving Startup
Alumni Recommend
Tips to Launch a Thriving Startup
U of A ranked in global Top 10 for impact on sustainability
Science and Technology, Research, Health And Wellness, Society and Culture, Business
U of A ranked in global Top 10 for impact on sustainability
Research helps rural communities look to their dark skies for tourism potential
Business, Society and Culture, Research
Research helps rural communities look to their dark skies for tourism potential

See all Community Stories