CONNECTING WITH THE WORLD

OBJECTIVE

1.1 Increase the proportion of U of S students who engage in education abroad, enabling them to experience new places, cultures, languages and traditions.

ACTIONS

1. Support accessible, diverse college/school-level education abroad experiences that engage student academic interest:
   1. Leverage existing partnerships and programs to improve student participation.
   2. Identify and develop new partnerships and opportunities leading to programming that fits flexibly within degree requirements.
   3. Identify and develop new and existing partnerships and opportunities that engage Métis, First Nations and Inuit students.
      
      
2. Increase student awareness of the benefits of participation and opportunities in education abroad experiences:
   1. Provide high-impact opportunities for students to share their education abroad experiences.
   2. Explore mechanisms and opportunities for formal recognition of degree-based study abroad activity.
   3. Enhance marketing of the benefits of education abroad and available U of S opportunities.
      
      
3. Ensure financial, administrative and curricular infrastructure is in place to enable equitable student participation in international learning experiences:
   1. Ensure adequate administrative support resources are available in colleges and central units.
   2. Remove barriers (where possible) associated with program distribution and residency requirements.
   3. Streamline and expand transfer credit recognition, and create pre-approved pathways with partners as part of exchange and transfer/articulation agreements.
   4. Improve funding to address students’ financial barriers to participation in degree-credit study abroad.
   5. Develop strategies to retain students in the post-application period.

OBJECTIVE

1.2 Enhance international and cross-cultural perspectives in content and learning in the curriculum.

ACTIONS

4. Provide support to academic units and individual faculty to build international and cross-cultural content, associated learning outcomes and effective teaching strategies:
   1. Undertake program-based curriculum renewal efforts to maximize opportunities for strengthening international and cross-cultural content and learning outcomes.
   2. Identify and support individual faculty interests in this area.
      
      
5. Increase the number of international visiting faculty who engage with students in learning and research environments:
   1. Explore, develop and promote a robust approach to increased faculty-student interaction.
      
      
6. Build awareness of courses with international and cross-cultural content:
   1. Develop an inventory of current courses with international and cross-cultural content, including courses with international Indigenous perspectives.
   2. Identify these course offerings utilizing registration system attributes.
   3. Promote the value of taking courses with international and cross-cultural content.

OBJECTIVE

1.3 Optimize participation in co-curricular activities that are inclusive and foster intercultural understanding.

ACTIONS

7. Strengthen existing and create new extracurricular opportunities, characterized by involvement of both domestic and international students, which foster inclusion and intercultural understanding of Métis, First Nations and Inuit histories, cultures, and current realities, and an appreciation of their many contributions in local, provincial, national and international contexts:
   1. Provide financial, space, and human resources to university units (college/school or central), students and student groups to deliver extracurricular activities.
   2. Develop opportunities for institution-wide celebration.
      
      
8. Enhance awareness of opportunities that foster inclusivity and intercultural understanding:
   
   1. Create an inventory of student participation in U of S extracurricular activities of an international and/or intercultural nature.
   2. Improve mechanisms to promote extracurricular activities

OBJECTIVE

2.1 Grow the size and diversity of the U of S international student body.

ACTIONS

1. Build capacity and opportunity for increasing international undergraduate and graduate student degree-credit enrolment:
   1. Establish college-specific international student enrolment targets for undergraduate and graduate students that are aligned with the university’s strategic enrolment activities.
   2. Ensure student recruitment resources and initiatives are matched to available program capacity and enrolment priorities.
   3. Develop additional academic programming designed to attract different populations of international students including:
      • academic/English language bridging programs aligned with student demand;
      • targeted distance education programming; and
      • short-term summer and special interest programming.
   4. Explore the feasibility of new models to deliver U of S degree-level programming outside of Canada
      
      
2. Address barriers to attracting a diverse international student body:
   
   1. Implement a relationship management system to improve communication, enhance processes, and Increase efficiency for all stakeholders.
   2. Offer new targeted international student awards and work-study program funding in support of international enrolment goals, while sustaining current levels of scholarship funding.
      
      
3. Leverage external partnerships to support international recruitment priorities:
   
   1. Mobilize and maintain an active alumni network in key geographic regions where student recruitment opportunities are sought.
   2. Capitalize on government, business and industry partnerships and initiatives.
   3. Transform education agent management practices to align with enrolment priorities, and ensure consistency and quality of representation.

OBJECTIVE

2.2 Support the well-being and success of our international students.

ACTION

4. Build on existing and innovate new strategies and support systems to improve student completion rates, achieve and sustain high levels of satisfaction in learning and cultural experiences and create a sense of inclusion at the university and within our communities:
   1. Enhance academic and English language supports.
   2. Improve access to and quality of on-campus housing and enhance information about off-campus housing.
   3. Ensure adequate resources for academic and non-academic international student advising, and for supports to meet student needs and regulatory requirements.
   4. Facilitate engagement of all campus stakeholders in efforts that increase international student involvement and leadership in academic and non-academic aspects of university life.
   5. Strengthen existing and create new pathways for international students to connect with community-based settlement supports, and their own cultural and linguistic communities on- and off-campus.

OBJECTIVE

2.3 Increase the ability and confidence of faculty and staff to support international and intercultural engagement and activities.

ACTIONS

5. Design and recruit a faculty complement that reflects the diversity of our university community:
   1. Review and implement college/unit faculty complement plans, and recruitment, to ensure diversity is recognized.
      
      
6. Support international exchange and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff both at home and abroad:
   1. Offer professional development in diversity, inclusion and intercultural awareness to faculty and staff.
   2. Support exchange and international professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.

OBJECTIVE

3.1 Enhance our success as a world leader in research.

ACTIONS

1. Increase the number, diversity and impact of international research partnerships:
   1. Support new collaborative strategic research relationships with leading global institutions.
   2. Streamline data gathering and decision support tools to better enable identification of promising new partnerships, and the value of existing research partnerships.
   3. Establish an International Research Partnership Fund to facilitate strengthened research collaborations with existing partners.
   4. Establish a Global Innovation Fund to stimulate and support new research collaboration in priority regions.
   5. Fund ‘Global Signature Workshops’ for faculty and research trainees from partner institutions and the U of S to meet and address global challenges.
   6. Explore the establishment of innovative joint research facilities with high-level institutional partners.
   7. Promote innovation, solution development and applications arising from international research.
      
      
2. Strengthen supports to increase international research collaborations:
   
   1. Establish a campus-wide information repository of international research activity and opportunities.
   2. Develop professional development and peer mentoring for faculty and academic units to enable the establishment and the strengthening of international research linkages.
   3. Enhance international research services support available to faculty, centrally and in colleges and centres, to facilitate participation in international research activities.
   4. Establish a Global Ambassador Program to enhance collaboration in existing and emerging areas of research strength and innovation by supporting U of S researchers and their students to travel to global institutions and/or external faculty and experts to visit the U of S.
      
      
3. Attract leading international researchers to our university:
   
   1. Appoint high-profile International Research Chairs and faculty, jointly at both the U of S and a strategic partner institution.
   2. Establish International Visiting Professorships at the U of S.
   3. Engage alumni and our communities to support the establishment of U of S International Research Chairs.
      
      
4. Recognize and celebrate success in international research:
   
   1. Increase the number of Global Research Leadership Awards available to faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.
   2. Award additional Distinguished Professor designations to recognize notable international achievements.
   3. Develop a student certificate to recognize participation in international research.
   4. Establish an award acknowledging staff (including research scientists) achievement and participation in international activity.
   5. Recognize international research activity in faculty promotion and merit standards.

OBJECTIVE

3.2 Showcase understanding of U of S research capabilities, discoveries and achievements.

ACTION

5. Inform our local and global audiences of U of S research achievements and impact:
   1. Develop and implement a connected strategy to effectively share with the world the relevance and impact of U of S research.
   2. Encourage participation of U of S faculty, students and staff in international meetings, conferences and other related venues.

OBJECTIVE

4.1 Use our expertise to address global challenges and support the well-being of communities around the
world.

ACTIONS

1. Collaborate to share and build our knowledge, skills, tools, and technologies with communities around the world:
   1. Support conferences and encourage participation of our students, faculty and staff in international meetings and events that focus on the well-being of communities around the world.
   2. Encourage colleges and centres to incorporate international research participation and achievements in their community engagement activities.
   3. Establish a regular U of S ‘Supporting the Well-Being of Communities Around The World’ conference.
   4. Support and reward students, faculty and staff participation and leadership in international initiatives which support the health and well-being of communities around the world.
      
      
2. Increase awareness and communication that our university is addressing global challenges to support the wellbeing of all communities around the world:
   1. Increase awareness and communication regarding new knowledge and contributions of the U of S to enhancing the supply and sustainability of global water, energy and food supplies, and in promoting our health and protecting the environment.
   2. Increase awareness and communication regarding new knowledge and contributions of the U of S in enhancing the well-being of Indigenous communities that has been achieved through constructive and collaborative partnerships, research, projects and initiatives with those communities.
   3. Provide targeted funding to support U of S participation and leadership in international networks of Indigenous peoples.

OBJECTIVE

4.2 Engage in community service and outreach that stems from and is responsive to authentic and respectful conversations with international peoples and communities to support the welfare and quality of life.

ACTIONS

3. Develop and mentor graduates, faculty and staff with a practiced commitment to active international citizenship:
   1. Encourage and reward students, faculty and staff to offer their knowledge for the service of society, and to participate in and influence global conversations.
   2. Develop a campus-wide repository to inform our students, faculty and staff of global community service and development activities.
   3. Improve methods to track faculty and staff international travel, activities and contributions.
   4. Enable participation in global community service and outreach activities.
      
      
4. Enhance awareness of the University’s commitment to be a globally engaged and connected academic institution:
   1. a) By working together with international communities to publicize the University’s connectivity and engagement commitment, capabilities and achievements in internal and external communications.
      
      
5. Leverage our community of globally-minded alumni, partners and supporters in the university’s commitment to international people and communities:
   
   1. Develop and implement a strengthened international alumni engagement plan.
   2. Increase charitable giving participation with the U of S from international alumni.
   3. Build a repository of alumni, partner and external communities’ international expertise, networks and experiences; and utilize the expertise and learnings in U of S international activities.
   4. Establish international alumni mentoring experiences.
      
      
6. Promote and engage in distinct intercultural experiences and the cultural diversity of our community:
   
   1. Increase awareness of on- and off-campus cultural events such as International Food Fair, International Education Week, International Research Month, Folkfest and others.
   2. Work with our partners and external communities to explore the development of entities such as a ‘Newcomers’ Centre’ or an ‘International Visitors’ Centre’.