Verna's Newsletter
Sent via email, Verna's Newsletter provides valuable updates, reinforces the information needed to do your work successfully and connects you with the vital work going on across the university.
Latest Edition: December 2024
Message from the Provost and Vice-President Academic
As we near the end of the Fall term and we look towards a well-deserved winter break, I want to thank you for your work in 2024 through a short message. Every unit and individual within the Office of the Provost portfolios plays a key role in helping us advance our mission and goals. Your contributions have had an impact.
As I reflect on the last year and our accomplishments, I’m particularly proud of launching our inaugural in October. By focusing on creating connections, prioritizing health and well-being, enabling and empowering people and fostering outstanding leadership in an environment of shared responsibility, we can create a culture and environment where people can flourish and succeed. I’m looking forward to seeing how the goals and priority actions identified in the plan will take shape in 2025.
This time of year brings many special reasons for celebration. Whether you're enjoying time-honoured traditions or creating new ones, I wish you joy and good health through the season and new year.
I welcome your feedback on this newsletter. Please send any comments to provost@ualberta.ca.
Verna Yiu
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
Save the date! Integrated Action Plan Launch Event | Feb. 12
The Vice-Provost of Equity, Diversion and Inclusion, Carrie Smith, is delighted to announce the launch of Changing the Story: An Integrated Action Plan for Transforming Our Vibrant and Interconnected University Community. The action plan invites each of us to envision a brighter future for all, and take action. Mark your calendars and join us on Feb. 12 as we celebrate the launch of the plan and its important step towards co-creating a new university story.
This event will be offered both online and in person. RSVP to attend in-person. Details on how to attend virtually will be coming soon.
Interview with College Deans
As part of my ongoing vlog series, I recently interviewed the university’s three college deans and vice-provosts: Brenda Hemmelgarn, Health Sciences; Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell, Natural and Applied Sciences; and Marvin Washington, Social Sciences and Humanities.
The university’s colleges were established as part of a restructuring to a "one university" model. The helped inform the structure for the colleges, focusing on three main areas:
- Promoting interdisciplinarity in programs and research.
- Improving service delivery and economies of scale.
- Enhancing communication about the colleges' impact and opportunities.
We’re now at a point where we can reflect on the impact of the college model, including measuring service delivery and satisfaction. We’re also seeing the value-add of the colleges in their ability to foster engagement and collaboration across all faculties, including the development of new programs and initiatives.
Learn more about the colleges and the work they are accomplishing together in part one of this two-part series.
Featured Articles in Times Higher Education
‘If you can empower others to build connections, you can help build a thriving collaborative ecosystem’
For university administrators, part of the job is to help researchers do the cool stuff, without getting bogged down or intimidated by the forms, calendars and other paperwork, writes Marvin Washington, dean and vice-provost, Social Sciences and Humanities. In , he offers tips on how to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.
Principles of Indigenous leadership and self-care in the academy
Chris Anderson, Dean, Faculty of Native Studies, that Indigenous leadership requires resilience, humility and self-awareness. These 10 principles offer a guide to cultivating wellness and fostering a supportive community.
Reclaiming Open Access
Dale Askey, vice-provost and chief librarian, that it’s time to prioritize investments in open infrastructure to realize truly transformational open access.
Celebrating OVPA People
Shana Dion, assistant dean, First Nation, Métis and Inuit students, successfully defended her Master of Science (MSc) in Kinesiology on Dec.10 in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. The name of her MSc thesis was: "nitsiy: An exploration of the interconnection between nehiyaw Ceremonies ekwa physical activity".
Please join us in sending Shana warm congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment! It marks a significant milestone and is a testament to her dedication and hard work.
Previous Editions
Message from the Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
Welcome to the first edition of my bi-monthly newsletter. A key goal of mine as the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) is to ensure our portfolio and goals are aligned towards achieving the university’s vision and strategic plan.
Through this newsletter, I would like to build an interconnected community with staff in the academic portfolio, each of whom plays an important role in the academic mission of the university. My hope is that this email will provide you with valuable updates, reinforce the information you need to know to do your work successfully and connect you to each other and the important work going on across the university.
In our strategic plan, Shape: A Strategic Plan of Impact, the 海角社区 places people at the foundation of everything that we do. We strive to be a place where you can develop professionally and personally; where you are supported and can achieve your full potential. The same holds true for our recently launched Forward Together: The 海角社区 People Strategy 2024-2034, which sets out a path for the university to cultivate a vibrant and inclusive community where people at all levels of the organization can thrive. I was so pleased to see many of you at the launch of the People Strategy on October 22. You can learn more about how the strategy came together and how it will help us all make the 海角社区 a place where people can thrive and flourish.
I’m excited for the coming months when we’ll move towards the implementation phase of the People Strategy. We will also initiate the development of a set of institutional values – important work that was identified during consultations with the community. I’ll use this newsletter as a way to keep you updated on the strategy, including progress toward its four key themes, goals and priority actions.
I welcome your feedback on this newsletter. Please send any comments to provost@ualberta.ca.
Verna Yiu
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
EDI Action Plan community engagement invitation
The EDI Plan Steering Committee is pleased to release the draft action plan for consultation with the 海角社区 community. The members of the committee are looking for feedback on the multi-dimensional model that has been developed and the actions imagined, gathering from the extensive input received since November 2023.
Carrie Smith, the Vice-Provost (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) is offering two community engagement sessions on November 4 and 5 between 12 - 1 p.m. To register for one of these virtual sessions, fill out .
Those unable to attend the session are invited to provide written input .
Shape the Future Campaign
The 海角社区’s Shape the Future Campaign kicked off in early October, a university-side fundraising campaign for student success. Empowering students to achieve their potential is one of our primary goals. We aim to enhance the student experience from application and acceptance through to convocation and beyond. To do this successfully requires investments in three areas: campus spaces, experiential learning opportunities and through scholarships and bursaries. Taking steps to enhance an already positive student experience, informed by student data, is critical to delivering on the university’s promise in Shape to deliver “education with purpose,” where all students have exceptional experiences in “campus environments that support belonging, learning, wellness and personal growth.”
Further, this campaign is aligned with many of our commitments in Braiding Past, Present and Future, the Indigenous strategic plan, including reconciliation; Indigenous-centred policy and ways of knowing; recruitment and retention of Indigenous students; and safe and welcoming spaces.
Perhaps the deepest connection is to Igniting Purpose: The Student Experience Action Plan, which identified the high-impact areas where donors can make a difference — the three pillars of the campaign.
To learn more, visit .
Launch of the Integrated Enrolment Growth Plan (IEGP)
The university’s new Integrated Enrolment Growth Plan (IEGP) launched last week, the scale of which is unprecedented in Canadian post-secondary education. Following months of planning and collaboration, the IEGP aims to realize the vision outlined in Shape: A Strategic Plan of Impact 2023-2033 to grow enrolment by over 35 per cent within the next decade. Read more in The Quad.
Green and Gold Fridays
GREEN+GOLD Fridays are where we celebrate our 海角社区 school spirit and our vibrant community. I encourage everyone to wear their favourite green or gold t-shirt, hoodie, swag or even a lapel pin every Friday to show their spirit. I love my gold 海角社区 sweater. Wearing GREEN+GOLD and spreading school spirit throughout our campuses and communities impacts each and every one of us. It’s a powerful reminder that we all belong!