ST. JEROME’S UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2016-2021 Pantone Green: 343c Gold: 139c
CMYK Green: 98/0/72/61 Gold: 0/37/100/23
BUILDING ON TRADITION
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS 1865
- January, founded by Fr. Louis Funcken of the Congregation of the Resurrection - July, named College of St. Jerome
1959
Act proclaims the University of St. Jerome’s College
2000
December, the province granted the Consolidated Act of Incorporation for St. Jerome’s University, which established the current composition of the Board and officially changed the name to St. Jerome’s University
1866
the College of St. Jerome was granted an act of incorporation “for the education of youth in the usual branches of a Collegiate Education”
1960
June, Federation with the University of Waterloo was completed with the University of St. Jerome’s College being identified as the founding college of the University of Waterloo
2005
launched the Master of Catholic Thought, the first graduate studies program
1901
the first Board of Governors was established when a new act of incorporation changed the name to St. Jerome’s College
1962
A new College administration and academic building as well as a men’s residence were opened; the School Sisters of Notre Dame established a women’s residence (Notre Dame College) which existed at the institution until 1996
1947
affiliated with the University of Ottawa
1984
Board of Governors elected the first lay person to chair the Board
2014
- February, agreement was signed with the University of Waterloo to consolidate mathematics at the University of Waterloo - April, ground was broken on Campus Renewal 2015
2014-2016
Campus Re
newal
OUR MISSION St. Jerome’s University is a public Roman Catholic university federated with the University of Waterloo and historically associated with the educational vision of the Congregation of the Resurrection. We are committed to learning and academic excellence; the gospel values of love, truth, and justice; and the formation of leaders for the service of the community and the Church. In all of our activities and practices, St. Jerome’s University functions within the context of the Roman Catholic tradition and the principles of academic freedom.
OUR VISION At St. Jerome’s University we steward each student’s unique talents, nurture their ability to think critically, and inspire them to become life-long learners who seek knowledge and truth, act with compassion, and advocate for human dignity for all. We educate our students to become informed, courageous citizens who have the humility to work together for the common good and the courage to lead by example to build a more just society.
OUR COMMITMENTS OUR IDENTITY We distinguish ourselves locally, nationally and internationally as a pre-eminent Roman Catholic university rooted in the liberal arts and the principles of academic freedom.
OUR CATHOLICITY We embrace the gospel values of love, truth, and justice as exemplified by Jesus, to encourage the intellectual, spiritual, and social development of the whole person.
OUR RESEARCH We nurture an environment that values and supports open academic inquiry and discovery, excellence in scholarship, research, and creative activity, and the integration and dissemination of knowledge.
OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING We inspire a lifelong commitment to independent and discerning learning by cultivating an environment of research-inspired teaching, creating opportunities to integrate theory and practice beyond the classroom.
OUR CULTURE We foster a respectful, inclusive community that is centered on the wellbeing of our students and the promotion of the common good.
OUR FUTURE We build collaborative partnerships, programs, and development initiatives that engage us locally and globally, ensure our long-term future, and demonstrate our care for the world.
A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION AT ST. JEROME’S UNIVERSITY John Haughey, SJ, in his book Where Is Knowing Going? characterizes the distinguishing feature of a Catholic liberal arts education using the imagery of the stained glass window composed of many individual, coloured pieces of glass held together by an interconnected frame. At St. Jerome’s University the frame represents our vision, our mission, our history, and our traditions. Each piece of glass represents our shared commitments that grow out of our mission, history, and traditions, and links us to the work that we do. Each commitment is an integral part of the whole and it is the whole that has integrity. To understand and fully appreciate the whole created by a stained glass window, the parts must interact in a meaningful way: there must be transparency in each of the pieces so that the light can shine through the glass, illuminating the beauty and unity of the window as a whole. The light shining through represents our faith. At St. Jerome’s University this whole is reflected by our overarching commitment to educate the whole person, in the Catholic liberal arts tradition, reflecting our identity. Grounded in our Catholic Tradition we look to develop informed and courageous citizens, who reflect our catholicity. We are committed to actively nurturing our research environment to develop externally funded, recognized research programs to provide opportunities to create seekers of knowledge and truth. St. Jerome’s University has a distinguished teaching past, with many of our faculty recognized with teaching awards and as honorary professor emeritus. Our commitment to the integration of knowledge, research, and experiential learning in our teaching and learning allows us to inspire enthusiasm for learning and discovery not only in our students, but also in those with whom we interact. Centered on the wellbeing of our students through the promotion of the common good, we foster a vibrant and diverse community that is a hallmark of our culture. Our vision of our future is based on our ongoing commitment to build dynamic and collaborative partnerships. In all of our commitments we will demonstrate collegial and accountable leadership that is transparent so that each commitment illuminates the others to bring together the whole that is the mission of St. Jerome’s University.
HOW WE LIVE OUT OUR VALUES St. Jerome’s University
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d onstrate collegial an ea d acc nd ou trut nta h ble lea d
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Educate the whole person
H TY ICI ESEARC OL R TY ENTI R CATH UR D I R U O O OU
OUR CU
y
OU RT EAC H I NG LTURE AND L EARNING
OUR MISSION CATHOLIC INTELLECTUAL TRADITION
OUR FUTURE
CONGREGATION OF THE RESURRECTION
THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
Foster a vibrant and diver se comm unity
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D em
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DIOCESE OF HAMILTON
rs o eke te se Crea
OPEN ACADEMIC INQUIRY
OUR VISION
EDUCATING THE FUTURE
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Architect’s images of our brand new residence building