STRATEGIC PLAN

GLOBALLY ENGAGED INNOVATION DRIVEN EXPERIENTIALLY FOCUSED COLLABORATIVE AND RESOURCEFUL

Culturally & Globally Engaged

Experientially Focused

Institutional Foundation: Collaborative and Resourceful

Creative, Innovative Entrepreneurial Thinking

Message from the President

Among Niagara College’s key strengths is a longstanding ability to anticipate changes and trends, and position our college – and our students – to succeed in a world marked by constant transformation. Our focus on student success is unwavering; our support for our community is strong; and our perspective is global and growing.

As post-secondary education faces its most significant shift in decades, we have leveraged these strengths in developing a strategic plan that leads us to success as we adapt to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Our plan provides a common purpose that will unite our college community in pursuit of our vision of enriching lives and fulfilling dreams, and our mission of providing outstanding applied education for a changing world.

As we move forward we will create a more culturally and globally engaged college, focused on inclusivity and engagement, more diverse in its enrolment and known for a broad range of programs that infuse new skills and competencies that align with our changing world.

As a leader in applied education, we will significantly enhance our model of experiential learning, leveraging our location, expanding our offerings and developing a broader range of opportunities for work-integrated learning.

We will apply creative, innovative and entrepreneurial thinking as we meet the evolving needs of students and employers alike, fostering the development of intangible skills in students while developing innovative programs to meet the needs of emerging and existing industry sectors.

All of this is built on an institutional foundation that defines our college and its approach: a collaborative and resourceful culture that values innovation and entrepreneurship in our programs and operations.

Like any effective strategic plan, ours was developed collaboratively, and reflects input, insight and ideas from all corners of our college community. For more than a year, we have consulted with faculty, staff, students and college partners to chart a course that will guide us for the next four years. I extend my sincere appreciation to all who have contributed to our strategic plan, and I look forward to working with all of you to pursue and achieve the goals and ambitions we have identified together.

Dan Patterson, PhD President

Message from the Chair of the Board of Governors

In 2017, Niagara College celebrates its half-century anniversary, marking 50 years of student success, local economic development and community engagement.

Along this journey, the College has achieved tremendous success, catapulting it and the region to new heights.

The College’s success has been and continues to be founded on its unwavering commitment to an unparalleled learner experience. That commitment, pioneered at Niagara College and reflected in our consistent ranking among the top tier of Ontario colleges for student satisfaction has differentiated it from competitors and collaborators alike and more importantly, driven every major advance that Niagara College has achieved.

The journey ahead, while driven by the core values that have made Niagara College so successful, is significantly different and marked by sector-wide disruption, driven in large measure by technological advances, new competition, evolving learner demands, financial constraint and changes in demographics.

The College’s future vision and critical path to success, embodied within Strategic Plan 2017 – 2021 sets forth a bold plan for change that responds to today’s context. More importantly, it creates the conditions necessary for institutional transformation that will outpace the disruption in the years ahead.

From my vantage point in an industry that has transformed its approach in the face of profound change, I feel that Niagara College’s strategic direction for 2017 to 2021 positions it to succeed by producing highly-qualified graduates who will fill the widening skills gap and drive economic growth at the local, regional and national level for the decade ahead.

At a time when economic growth is so tied to highly-skilled and adaptable workforces, the College’s forward looking vision and commitment to excellence will serve to further differentiate it from its peers across the postsecondary education sector.

On behalf of the Board of Governors, we congratulate Dr. Patterson and his team for creating a renewed strategic vision that captures the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation that has made Niagara College a Canadian success story.

Carolyne Watts Chair, Board of Governors