By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer
SFU released their second “What’s Next” report on March 8. The 2023 report provides insight into what the SFU community can expect their faculties to be actively working on. This includes online discussions, and round table talks from the community to understand how the university can evolve to better serve its community.
Central topics SFU addressed included: embracing accountability for student learning, promoting and protecting the mental health and well-being of students, advancing social justice, inclusion, and climate action. Each topic included various action points to create a strategy that addresses those goals.
“We are living through a critical time in history. From a global pandemic and growing inequities to shifting geopolitics and the climate crisis, the challenges we face are complex and daunting,” said SFU president Joy Johnson in a statement announcing the report’s release.
The report highlights accountability as a key priority. It noted the strategies used to address challenges will “succeed through implementation.” Various working groups and appropriate resources will be introduced to ensure these issues are appropriately discussed. Implementation reflects the conversations occurring through the working groups aligning with “executive and governance processes.” However, no specific details were provided about said working groups.
To aid in establishing the action items in “What’s Next?” SFU identified four priorities: upholding Truth and Reconciliation, engaging in global challenges, making a difference for BC, and transforming the student experience, according to a statement provided by the SFU administration to The Peak.
Reconciliation is a primary subject of interest, and will be addressed under Chris (Syeta’xtn) Lewis, director of Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation, and president Johnson. The report stated its goal is to “strengthen Indigenous faculty and staff attraction and retention through targeted hires and permanent positions, embedding Indigenous knowledge systems and ways of knowing.” An Indigenous Strategic Plan is also in development and will be shared in time.
The report also touches on climate action relating to SFU’s progress with the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan released in September 2022. “SFU has already made significant progress toward reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, including announcing it will divest from fossil fuels,” the administration statement reported. “SFU cut greenhouse gases by more than 50 percent from 2007 levels in 2021, exceeding provincial interim targets and our own Race to Zero targets as well.”
Regarding their goal of making a difference for BC, the strategy describes a future medical school at SFU’s Surrey campus. “SFU is working closely with many partners, including First Nations Health Authority and Fraser Health Authority, to develop a medical school focused on educating community level specialists, including family physicians and being accountable to the province’s diverse communities it will serve,” the administration stated. SFU plans to begin student intake for the medical school in September 2026. It will “facilitate evidence-informed public dialogue that fosters pluralism and shared problem-solving across the province,” as featured in the report.
The last priority discussed in the report is transforming the SFU student experience. This priority aims to “break barriers, reduce biases, and create systems that promote student success, improve campus vibrancy, and create space for everyone to do their best work”. The strategy includes actively changing the curriculum and providing service enhancements for the changing needs of learners, including more information on “mental health, affordability, and flexibility.
“SFU will need to remain agile as the next months and years unfold, and this strategy serves as a vital compass to guide the university,” according to the “What’s Next” report.
For more information on the What’s Next report, visit their website at sfu.ca/about/sfu-strategy.html.
