4. Civic university with global impact

Our communities will benefit from strong partnerships and meaningful engagements with local impact through global reach


Dalhousie and our communities have co-evolved as partners for 200 years. At the dawn of our third century, we fully embrace our pivotal role as a civic university, invested in holistic social, intellectual, and technological partnerships designed to support our communities, province, and the region. Further, as stewards of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, we will leverage our global activities to deliver on our local commitments.

We will hold ourselves accountable for our twin civic and global commitments through a broad set of internal and external performance indicators such as STARS (sustainability) and THE impact rankings.

Actions:

1. Develop an “impact charter” for Dalhousie, dedicated to pursuing our global mission and ambitions through the lens of our responsibility to play a pivotal role in inclusive and diverse aspects of the economic and social well-being and development of our communities. This charter will parallel the ethos of our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in its scope and impact.

Upcoming Priorities

  • Preliminary research underway into civic universities, engaged universities, and approaches to impact charters
2. Foster partnership with the provincial government and private sector to engage in major development projects targeted to enhance educational, commercial, and employment opportunities for the people of our province.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Launch of Here We Code
  • Development of new primary health care initiative in partnership with NSH and the Province, to take on 3,500 additional patients
  • Renewed pilot funding for Dal Innovates and Lab2Market programming

Upcoming Priorities

  • Implementation of primary care innovation initiatives
  • Ongoing work with ACOA, I-Inc Partners and Mitacs to   scale research commercialization programming nationally
3. Dalhousie commits to deep and meaningful partnerships and relationships with Indigenous peoples across Canada, in particular to the Mi’kmaw Nation on whose territory Dalhousie’s campuses reside. Through the Indigenous Strategy, Dalhousie commits to improving access and success for Indigenous students, researchers, faculty and staff and ongoing transformation of higher education and research by, with, and for Indigenous peoples. Dalhousie’s partnerships and relationships with Indigenous communities in Mi’kma’ki will model respectful and meaningful engagement, including with the contemporary scholarship and wisdom of Mi’kmaw elders, knowledge holders, and scholars.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Developing draft profile for new Assistant Vice-Provost Indigenous Relations position in consultation with the Indigenous Advisory Council

Upcoming Priorities

  • Review and ongoing implementation of Dal's Indigenous Strategy
  • Developing further Indigenous Studies academic programming
  • Creating an external advisory body on Indigenous relations
4. Dalhousie recognizes the African Nova Scotian community as a distinct people with unique needs and talents. Through implementation of our African Nova Scotian Strategy, Dalhousie commits to creating safe, culturally-specific academic, research, social, intellectual and physical spaces to nourish and facilitate meaningful and safe integration both on our campuses and in our engagements with the broader African Nova Scotian community.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Development of a consistent definition of Black/African Nova Scotian for programmatic and other purposes, to be periodically reviewed
  • Developed and adopted an acknowledgement statement to be used at Dalhousie to recognize the African Nova Scotian presence and contributions to Nova Scotia
  • Developed a communications plan to support the African Nova Scotian Strategy and to engage internal and external stakeholders and partners
  • Received funding to develop a research ethics framework that reflects the needs and concerns of African Nova Scotians

Upcoming Priorities

  • Developing an implementation plan for the recommendations within the ANS Strategy
  • Increasing academic programming related to African Nova Scotian history and culture
5. Partner with governments to increase access to higher education for Nova Scotia’s diverse populations, with particular emphasis on Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian communities. Emphasize working with grassroots associations and local community leaders to better understand their perspectives and address their educational needs.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Launch of Millbrook First Nation partnership to expand access for students from local rural and Indigenous communities
  • Participation in provincial committee examining the increase of Black/African Nova Scotian students to post-secondary education
  • Dalhousie’s Promise Scholars program – created to recruit, retain, support, and graduate more Black and Indigenous students – expanded to include all business schools across Atlantic Canada
  • New pathway and cohort programs created in many Faculties to attract and support Indigenous and African Nova Scotian students
  • Successful completion of student-focused Food Security funding campaign

Upcoming Priorities

  • Review of scholarships and financial aid for equity-deserving groups, with specific focus on Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian students
  • Creation and approval of an Equity Admissions Framework
  • Resuming Awtiket Indigenous Youth Camp programming on the Agricultural Campus
6. Broaden and encourage public access to our university’s activities and facilities to foster a clearly visible connection between the university and the communities in which we reside.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Launch of DalOpen – online access to credit courses (degree/non-degree options)
  • Hands-on educational opportunities at the Agricultural Campus through community and school partnerships
  • Partnership with St. Joseph’s-Alexander McKay Elementary School to provide access to athletic and recreational facilities
  • Re-opening of Dal Arts Centre, including the new world-class Joseph Strug Concert Hall
  • Providing volunteer supports to manage Covid (e.g. Covid test processing, immunization clinics)
  • Establishment of Dal Insight Circles
  • Launch of Stanfield Conversation lecture series
  • Launch of the Dalhousie Community Experience Committee (DCEC) to bring together a network of community developers from across the university

Upcoming Priorities

  • Partnership with the North American Indigenous Games (July, 2023)
  • Exploring ways to take Dal programming out into the communities we serve
7. Leverage our international reach and connections to promote Nova Scotia and Canada internationally, help expand opportunities for local enterprises and organizations, and play a central role in attracting, educating, training, and retaining international students and immigrants to the province and the region.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Development of Dalhousie international strategy
  • Created opportunities for learning from and engagement with Dal researchers, faculty, alumni, and students through 6 Open Dialogue Live events, with over 2,000 views
  • Established new Manager, Global Communications & Marketing position
  • Resumed our English In Canada short-term study program for international students – a four-week program that combines language classes, a university elective course in English, and a robust sociocultural program

Upcoming Priorities

  • Developing and strengthening strategic international partnerships around the world
  • Supporting Province’s international recruitment of health professionals
  • Supporting student mobility for studying at Dalhousie or abroad
  • Fostering innovative international research and development initiatives
  • Recruiting students from around the world for more internationalized campuses
  • Establishing social media channels in China
  • Increasing Global Alumni Ambassadors – champions for Dalhousie, fellow alumni, and our student communities
  • Launching an Alumni to Alumni mentorship program, which will support international connections
  • Creating a Life After University Conference for new graduates, with specific sessions for international students seeking to remain in Nova Scotia/Canada
(L-R): Student with protective glasses, instructor speaking, student smiling, staff member wearing a Dalhousie mask

Our shared plan

Arts Centre addition under construction

5. A foundation for inclusion and distinction