St. Mike’s 180: Three Strategic Priorities

St. Mike’s 180: Three Strategic Priorities

Image depicts a group of residence dons posing together in front of an outdoor archway on the St. Michael's campus

Strategic Priority 1: Cultivate a Connected and Supportive Community

Foster a diverse and engaged community that has the tools to succeed on and beyond campus and tackle the world’s most important challenges with compassion.

Goals / What we want to achieve

  1. Strengthen a campus community culture that is student focused, participatory and inclusive and where all students feel they belong.
  2. Respect and encourage diversity in all its forms.
  3. Prioritize the safety and the physical and mental health of our community members.
  4. Protect and enhance our physical spaces through sustainable measures to provide an accessible and welcoming campus home.
  5. Become a first-choice college within UofT.

How we will fulfill our commitment to social justice

  • Provide our community with ongoing opportunities to participate in local and global service activities and learning opportunities.
  • Support campus ministry, residential and educational co-curricular programming to incorporate social justice learning and skill-building.

Image depicts St. Michael's prof Alison More teaching students in the Shook Common Room

Strategic Priority 2: Champion a Transformative Educational Experience 

Provide students with a transformative educational experience that extends beyond the classroom and has lifelong value.

Goals / What we want to achieve

  1. Challenge and support our students with inclusive, responsive and dynamic learning opportunities, including opportunities for undergraduate research.
  2. Attract and retain diverse faculty that are recognized for their intellectual engagement with societal issues of the day.
  3. Amplify and augment our programs to extend their reach, relevance and impact.
  4. Foster a vibrant community of teachers, fellows, mentors and staff to support our students’ educational experience as active co-learners.
  5. Build, recognize and celebrate collaboration and partnerships.

How we will fulfill our commitment to social justice

  • Consistently incorporate the exploration of challenging issues into curricula in a way that prioritizes doing social good.
  • Continue to invest in and prioritize educational offerings, community partnerships and research opportunities, including ecotheology and other social justice oriented academic goals. Prioritize provision of educational offerings to groups traditionally unable to obtain a St. Michael’s quality education.

Image depicts the south facade of Brennan Hall on a sunny day

Strategic Priority 3: Steward a financially resilient, socially conscious and environmentally sustainable institution

Ensure a resilient and thriving institution that is led with transparency and integrity.

Goals / What we want to achieve

  1. Build financial resilience in service of our mission.
  2. Reduce our environmental footprint.
  3. Demonstrate leadership in transparency, accountability and governance.  
  4. Strengthen institutional and community partnerships to advance social justice.

How we will fulfill our commitment to social justice

  • Develop partnerships to guide us in implementation of recommendations outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 
  • Hold ourselves accountable to reducing our environmental footprint and work with members of our community to do the same.
  • Further develop and maintain existing community-focused, mutually-beneficial partnerships that advance the common good.