Environmental Scan
Institutional planning has to be done with due care for the environment in which institutions operate. The University of Alberta is subject to both internal and external forces, both positive and negative, that impact its ability to follow any one strategic direction or achieve its ambitions. Simply put, any institutional strategic plan must account for environmental drivers to ensure it is relevant, its goals are proximate, and that it reflects the needs and aspirations of internal and external participants.
An environmental scan is precisely used to provide such context. The environmental scan is not an exhaustive examination of all the options, permutations, and implications of what may impact the university’s academic ambitions, but rather is used to inform discussion during consultation about what the University of Alberta’s institutional strategic plan should and should not include and where the University of Alberta might be best positioned to make change.