Explore the actions that will help to guide our work through 2029.
Each action aligns with one of the five strategic directions, which are guided by our core commitments and grounded in the Faculty’s enduring values. The concentric layers of the strategic plan framework build on one another, reflecting an integrated approach that links vision to action.
Use the filters below to explore actions by strategic direction, commitment, and/or value, and see how they intersect across the plan.
Excel in research and creative practice | Academic Freedom | Integrity
Action 1.1.1: Advance the ethical conduct of research and promote responsible and rigorous research practices, including community-based research and emerging fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) by supporting and supporting guidelines on appropriate best practice
Goal 1: Promote innovation and research excellence
Excel in research and creative practice | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Curiosity
Action 1.1.2: Support funding applications and award nominations for research and creative practice by addressing gaps and leveraging underutilized federal and foundation funding and development opportunities
Goal 1: Promote innovation and research excellence
Excel in research and creative practice | Accessibility | Integrity
Action 1.1.3: Enhance and expand opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows to develop research skills
Goal 1: Promote innovation and research excellence
Excel in research and creative practice | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 1.1.4: Foster Faculty-wide conversations on the meaning of standards in research and creative practice in today's context, recognizing and embracing diverse approaches and knowledge systems
Goal 1: Promote innovation and research excellence
Excel in research and creative practice | Academic Freedom | Curiosity
Action 1.1.5: Celebrate and recognize research excellence by identifying and implementing initiatives to highlight student and faculty achievements
Goal 1: Promote innovation and research excellence
Excel in research and creative practice | Academic Freedom | Curiosity
Action 1.2.1: Foster Faculty-wide conversations on meaningful ways to recognize knowledge mobilization and public scholarship
Goal 2: Engage in knowledge exchange beyond the academy
Excel in research and creative practice | Accessibility | Curiosity
Action 1.2.2: Support researchers and community partners to enhance public engagement through the translation of research into publicly accessible and relevant forms of knowledge that will shape public policy, inform public debates, and contribute to solutions for complex societal issues
Goal 2: Engage in knowledge exchange beyond the academy
Excel in research and creative practice | Academic Freedom | Curiosity
Action 1.2.3: Promote community participation throughout the research lifecycle by identifying and implementing ways to meaningfully involve community members throughout the research process
Goal 2: Engage in knowledge exchange beyond the academy
Excel in research and creative practice | Innovation
Action 1.2.4: Establish a new award in recognition of public scholarship
Goal 2: Engage in knowledge exchange beyond the academy
Excel in research and creative practice | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Innovation
Action 1.3.1: Foster Faculty-wide conversations on meaningful ways to recognize the importance and value of equity-led and equity-based research
Goal 3: Champion equity-based research
Excel in research and creative practice | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Innovation
Action 1.3.2: Proactively identify and disseminate funding opportunities for historically and systemically marginalized groups, recognizing that equity work is a shared responsibility
Goal 3: Champion equity-based research
Excel in research and creative practice | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Collaboration
Action 1.3.3: Create opportunities for researchers from historically and systemically marginalized communities to connect, collaborate, and build a sense of community
Goal 3: Champion equity-based research
Excel in research and creative practice | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Innovation
Action 1.3.4: Establish a new award in recognition of equity-based and equity-led research
Goal 3: Champion equity-based research
Excel in research and creative practice | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Innovation
Action 1.4.1: Recognize and support the diversity of Indigenous research, including decolonization, reconciliation, Indigenous resurgence, community-identified priorities, data sovereignty, and Indigenous-led collaboration
Goal 4: Support Indigenous research
Excel in research and creative practice | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Integrity
Action 1.4.2: Support community-based and community-led research practices that incorporate robust ethical considerations and appropriate collaboration frameworks
Goal 4: Support Indigenous research
Excel in research and creative practice | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Innovation
Action 1.4.3: Create Faculty-wide forums led by Indigenous scholars, students and community members for knowledge sharing, with a focus on building on existing strengths, reducing barriers to Indigenous-led research, fostering relationships with Indigenous communities, and supporting Indigenous methodologies
Goal 4: Support Indigenous research
Excel in research and creative practice | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Innovation
Action 1.4.4: Establish a new award in recognition of Indigenous-based and Indigenous-led research
Goal 4: Support Indigenous research
Excel in research and creative practice | Academic Freedom | Curiosity
Action 1.5.1: Facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue, practice, and collaboration by supporting research centres, cultural units, and emerging partnerships
Goal 5: Cultivate interdisciplinary research
Excel in research and creative practice | Academic Freedom | Curiosity
Action 1.5.2: Support interdisciplinary research funding applications and share funding opportunities
Goal 5: Cultivate interdisciplinary research
Excel in research and creative practice | Curiosity
Action 1.5.3: Support faculty-led interdisciplinary research hubs by assisting in securing external partnerships and grants
Goal 5: Cultivate interdisciplinary research
Advance transformative education | Innovation
Action 2.1.1: Review the undergraduate degree outcomes as they relate to undergraduate research, experiential, digital, and other capstone learning opportunities
Goal 1: Support student outcomes through multiple forms of teaching and learning, encouraging creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, and real-world applications
Advance transformative education | Accessibility | Innovation
Action 2.1.2: Broaden how we measure student success to reflect the diverse teaching methods, learning environments, and curricular pathways of the Faculty of Arts and use these measures to inform new academic initiatives and student services
Goal 1: Support student outcomes through multiple forms of teaching and learning, encouraging creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, and real-world applications
Advance transformative education | Academic Freedom | Innovation
Action 2.1.3: Affirm and enhance Arts Instructional Support and Information Technology's mandate to support teaching innovation and collaborations that build on existing expertise and best practices
Goal 1: Support student outcomes through multiple forms of teaching and learning, encouraging creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, and real-world applications
Advance transformative education | Accessibility | Curiosity
Action 2.1.4: Seek the means to expand experiential learning and co-curricular opportunities, including Community-Engaged Learning, Arts Compass, Co-op, and Go Global
Goal 1: Support student outcomes through multiple forms of teaching and learning, encouraging creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, and real-world applications
Advance transformative education | Accessibility | Collaboration
Action 2.2.1: Review and assess interdisciplinary offerings and collaborations within and beyond the Faculty of Arts, identifying opportunities and barriers for interdisciplinary collaboration
Goal : Promote a culture of interdisciplinarity in teaching and learning within the Faculty of Arts and beyond
Advance transformative education | Academic Freedom | Curiosity
Action 2.2.2: Explore the development, sustainment, and promotion of interdisciplinary offerings within and beyond the Faculty of Arts by advocating for appropriate resource allocation and support to ensure their long-term viability
Goal 2: Promote a culture of interdisciplinarity in teaching and learning within the Faculty of Arts and beyond
Advance transformative education | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Integrity
Action 2.3.1: Work collaboratively with academic units to review and renew curricula regarding decolonization and Indigenous resurgence, recognizing existing efforts and seeking opportunities for further advancement
Goal 3: Deepen the ongoing work of Indigenous resurgence, decolonization, and reconciliation
Advance transformative education | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Integrity
Action 2.3.2: Enhance reciprocal and community-led learning opportunities and develop meaningful ways to recognize Musqueam community members as valued teachers, learners, and collaborators
Goal 3: Deepen the ongoing work of Indigenous resurgence, decolonization, and reconciliation
Advance transformative education | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Integrity
Action 2.3.3: Expand and enhance knowledge-sharing opportunities for faculty and staff to learn about Musqueam, Indigenous pedagogies, and British Columbian Indigenous priorities and histories
Goal 3: Deepen the ongoing work of Indigenous resurgence, decolonization, and reconciliation
Advance transformative education | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 2.4.1: Assess ongoing classroom climate needs and challenges in the Faculty of Arts with a focus on inclusivity, cultural sensitivity, communicating across differences, and culturally informed teaching methods
Goal 4: Cultivate inclusive and culturally informed teaching and learning communities
Advance transformative education | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 2.4.2: Build capacity for inclusive teaching and learning, while reducing the disproportionate burden placed on junior, racialized, and marginalized faculty and staff in managing these topics
Goal 4: Cultivate inclusive and culturally informed teaching and learning communities
Advance transformative education | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 2.4.3: Raise awareness of existing knowledge sharing opportunities and develop complementary ones for faculty and staff to learn about equity
Goal 4: Cultivate inclusive and culturally informed teaching and learning communities
Engage communities for greater impact | Collaboration
Action 3.1.1: Develop a collective understanding of the value of a Faculty of Arts education and communicate a compelling narrative that articulates its value, depth, and relevance
Goal 1: Amplify the value of Faculty of Arts experience and education
Engage communities for greater impact | Accessibility | Innovation
Action 3.1.2: Showcase contributions from faculty and staff in cutting edge research, innovative and inclusive teaching, and transformative student learning experiences
Goal 1: Amplify the value of Faculty of Arts experience and education
Engage communities for greater impact | Innovation
Action 3.1.3: Develop a campaign to highlight post-graduation alumni success, emphasizing diverse career paths and the value of a Faculty of Arts education
Goal 1: Amplify the value of Faculty of Arts experience and education
Engage communities for greater impact
Action 3.1.4: Seek external funding for the Arts and Culture District to maximize opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, further integrate cultural units in the life of the university, and amplify their public impact as leading contributors to British Columbian, Canadian, and international cultural world
Goal 1: Amplify the value of Faculty of Arts experience and education
Engage communities for greater impact | Academic Freedom | Collaboration
Action 3.1.5: Foster collaboration and leverage strengths across Arts units to enhance collective impact including co-hosting public events, creating networks for sharing information and practices, and co-developing public-facing initiatives
Goal 1: Amplify the value of Faculty of Arts experience and education
Engage communities for greater impact | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Integrity
Action 3.2.1: Facilitate respectful face-to-face dialogue and collaboration with Musqueam and other local First Nation communities in Vancouver, ensuring that these engagements do not place an undue burden on the communities
Goal 2: Deepen long-term reciprocal relationships with communities beyond campus
Engage communities for greater impact | Academic Freedom | Collaboration
Action 3.2.2: Promote partnerships to foster connections between academic work and societal needs, including collaboration with racialized communities, both locally and more broadly across Canada and internationally
Goal 2: Deepen long-term reciprocal relationships with communities beyond campus
Engage communities for greater impact | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Integrity
Action 3.2.3: Meaningfully advance the recommendations outlined in the Musqueam Engagement Report, ensuring sustained progress and accountability
Goal 2: Deepen long-term reciprocal relationships with communities beyond campus
Engage communities for greater impact | Accessibility | Collaboration
Action 3.2.4: Highlight the impact of philanthropic contributions of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community to foster a culture of giving across the Faculty of Arts
Goal 2: Deepen long-term reciprocal relationships with communities beyond campus
Engage communities for greater impact | Integrity
Action 3.2.5: Develop a cohesive framework for reciprocal engagement by developing tailored toolkits, establishing clear processes to streamline and coordinate engagement across units, and reporting mechanisms to measure alumni and community engagement efforts
Goal 2: Deepen long-term reciprocal relationships with communities beyond campus
Engage communities for greater impact | Accessibility | Collaboration
Action 3.2.6: Establish a coordinated international strategy for the Faculty of Arts that addresses institutional partnerships, alumni engagement, student recruitment and other relevant opportunities, in alignment with the Faculty's overall values and commitments
Goal 2: Deepen long-term reciprocal relationships with communities beyond campus
Engage communities for greater impact | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Integrity
Action 3.3.1: Ensure that members of historically and systemically marginalized communities are equitably involved in leading the implementation of the strategic plan, assessing progress of implementing EDI-based and Indigenous work
Goal 3: Address systemic barriers to engagement
Engage communities for greater impact | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 3.3.2: Conduct a comprehensive assessment with community members to identify barriers to engagement within the Faculty of Arts and develop and implement protocols for reporting systemic barriers
Goal 3: Address systemic barriers to engagement
Engage communities for greater impact | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 3.3.3: Explore models for offering appropriate recognition to individuals and groups facing systemic barriers who participate in consultations and co-create inclusive programs
Goal 3: Address systemic barriers to engagement
Engage communities for greater impact | Accessibility | Curiosity
Action 3.4.1: Establish and sustain Faculty of Arts communities of practice for staff and faculty working in similar roles, such as graduate advisors, chairs, communicators, administrators, curators, and professional staff in the cultural units, to foster collaboration and shared learning
Goal 4: Promote partnerships and collaboration within Arts and UBC
Engage communities for greater impact | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 3.4.2: Enhance engagement and community by actively listening to diverse voices, including members of historically and systemically marginalized groups within and outside the Faculty of Arts, and by creating a forum to share experiences and perspectives that will inform and improve institutional practices
Goal 4: Promote partnerships and collaboration within Arts and UBC
Engage communities for greater impact | Collaboration
Action 3.4.3: Develop centralized engagement resources and training for cross-disciplinary and cross-Faculty collaboration and partnerships, with a focus on public impact as a key area of collaboration
Goal 4: Promote partnerships and collaboration within Arts and UBC
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 4.1.1: Explore opportunities to provide career- and life-coaching support for students
Goal 1: Foster wellbeing, connectivity, equity, and belonging within the Faculty of Arts
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 4.1.2: Develop and implement initiatives and programs to cultivate a culture of wellbeing and work-life balance, foster connections and a sense of belonging, and build resilience among students, faculty, and staff.
Goal 1: Foster wellbeing, connectivity, equity, and belonging within the Faculty of Arts
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 4.1.3: Foster a supportive environment and expand opportunities for workplace learning, leadership development, career growth and mobility to enable the continued flourishing of staff, faculty, and students
Goal 1: Foster wellbeing, connectivity, equity, and belonging within the Faculty of Arts
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 4.1.4: Support embedding mental health literacy into student programs and curricula to promote student mental health and wellbeing
Goal 1: Foster wellbeing, connectivity, equity, and belonging within the Faculty of Arts
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 4.2.1: Establish a mechanism for tracking contributions to the University's Climate Action Plan 2030, including encouraging virtual alternatives for meetings and conferences and reductions in travel
Goal 2: Advance environmental sustainability knowledge and practice and lead globally in research, teaching and learning that addresses the climate emergency
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Curiosity
Action 4.2.2: Support, recognize, and showcase environmental work across research, teaching and learning, and engagement, highlighting the Faculty of Arts’ contribution to addressing climate emergency within UBC and beyond
Goal 2: Advance environmental sustainability knowledge and practice and lead globally in research, teaching and learning that addresses the climate emergency
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Innovation
Action 4.2.3: Collaborate with campus partners to enhance work-integrated learning programs connecting students to work, research, and teaching and learning opportunities in environmental action and climate justice
Goal 2: Advance environmental sustainability knowledge and practice and lead globally in research, teaching and learning that addresses the climate emergency
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 4.2.4: Promote the responsible use of technology in supporting sustainability, acknowledging both its environmental impact—such as the energy intensity of AI—and its potential to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and support climate-conscious decision-making
Goal 2: Advance environmental sustainability knowledge and practice and lead globally in research, teaching and learning that addresses the climate emergency
Generate sustainable futures | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Integrity
Action 4.3.1: Develop an annual strategic plan progress report to highlight key accomplishments and investments
Goal 3: Ensure sustainable financial practices are transparently aligned with Faculty of Arts values, commitments and strategic priorities
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion
Action 4.3.2: Develop and implement a multi-faceted data-driven marketing strategy to promote programs, attract, and retain prospective students, with attention to diversity and representation in recruitment
Goal 3: Ensure sustainable financial practices are transparently aligned with Faculty of Arts values, commitments and strategic priorities
Generate sustainable futures | Accessibility | Curiosity
Action 4.3.3: Expand academic credit and non-credit programs and increase flexibility in learning pathways, focusing on areas that address global and societal challenges, align with market demand, and contribute to long term financial sustainability
Goal 3: Ensure sustainable financial practices are transparently aligned with Faculty of Arts values, commitments and strategic priorities
Generate sustainable futures | Integrity
Action 4.3.4: Assess and continue optimizing administrative services, processes, and organizational structures to enhance strategic alignment and operational efficiency, including leveraging technology to improve processes and services
Goal 3: Ensure sustainable financial practices are transparently aligned with Faculty of Arts values, commitments and strategic priorities
Generate sustainable futures | Reconciliation & Indigenous Resurgence | Integrity
Action 4.3.5: Identify opportunities for sharing best practices across departments and optimizing curriculum, workload, and course delivery in alignment with the Faculty of Arts’ values
Goal 3: Ensure sustainable financial practices are transparently aligned with Faculty of Arts values, commitments and strategic priorities
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 4.4.1: Foster dialogue with UBC campus partners to explore and identify the most effective strategies for elevating disability inclusion
Goal 4: Enhance accessibility to support faculty, students and staff
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 4.4.2: Foster an environment of disability inclusion by recognizing efforts, reducing disability stigma, and actively seeking funding to advance accessibility
Goal 4: Enhance accessibility to support faculty, students and staff
Generate sustainable futures | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Innovation
Action 4.4.3: Proactively adopt workplace, teaching, learning, and research practices and modalities to improve accessibility, belonging, and flexibility
Goal 4: Enhance accessibility to support faculty, students and staff
Transform through digital empowerment | Innovation
Action 5.1.1: Establish an Advisory Committee with representation of students, faculty, and staff to guide the overall implementation of the Faculty of Arts’ digital strategy and resource allocation
Goal 1: Shape an ethical and empowered digital culture
Transform through digital empowerment | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Innovation
Action 5.1.2: Develop evidence-based ethical frameworks and guidelines, informed by Truth and Reconciliation, digital ecology, equity, wellbeing, and accessibility, to guide AI use, and employ minimal computing options and other sustainable digital practices
Goal 1: Shape an ethical and empowered digital culture
Transform through digital empowerment | Accessibility | Innovation
Action 5.1.3: Identify opportunities to support computational and digital projects with social impact that aligns with Faculty of Arts commitments, including strengthening the role of Arts in shaping public policy around digital technologies
Goal 1: Shape an ethical and empowered digital culture
Transform through digital empowerment | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 5.1.4: Ensure curricula, certificates, and specializations featuring digital scholarship encompass critical, ecological, and ethical perspectives by incorporating the history of technology, data, its relationship to society, and the role of human expertise in shaping these fields
Goal 1: Shape an ethical and empowered digital culture
Transform through digital empowerment | Collaboration
Action 5.2.1: Establish and strengthen partnerships for collaborative infrastructure initiatives within and outside of UBC and expand research support services and software
Goal 2: Develop an innovative, accessible, and sustainable digital infrastructure
Transform through digital empowerment | Accessibility | Innovation
Action 5.2.2: Conduct a comprehensive assessment of existing digital resources, tools, infrastructure gaps, and support needs, and enhance and expand access to skilled developers, digital tools and resources such as servers, specialized software, and AI models
Goal 2: Develop an innovative, accessible and sustainable digital infrastructure
Transform through digital empowerment | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 5.2.3: Identify and reduce critical gaps to enhance digital accessibility, affordability, and wellbeing, prioritizing sustainability and equitable access to computational resources
Goal 2: Develop an innovative, accessible and sustainable digital infrastructure
Transform through digital empowerment | Innovation
Action 5.2.4: Explore the development and enhancement of digital maker spaces and showcase areas with upgradable infrastructure to foster community engagement, knowledge exchange, and co-learning
Goal 2: Develop an innovative, accessible and sustainable digital infrastructure
Transform through digital empowerment | Innovation
Action 5.2.5: Equip learning and study spaces with the technology needed for tech-intensive teaching and collaboration using a phased, targeted, and sustainability-informed approach
Goal 2: Develop an innovative, accessible and sustainable digital infrastructure
Transform through digital empowerment | Academic Freedom | Innovation
Action 5.3.1: Incentivize the development of academic programs and micro-credentials that integrate digital competencies within the Faculty of Arts and in collaboration with UBC partners
Goal 3: Foster digital literacy and technological competencies
Transform through digital empowerment | Academic Freedom | Innovation
Action 5.3.2: Create and expand opportunities for students to engage in project-based learning using digital applications to solve real-world problems
Goal 3: Foster digital literacy and technological competencies
Transform through digital empowerment | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 5.3.3: Support innovative curricula and pedagogy that apply digital methods, including multimodal outputs, natural language processing, machine/deep learning, archiving, image, text, data, and spatial analysis, while ensuring that digital literacy includes critical engagement with the ethical, social, and environmental dimensions of technology
Goal 3: Foster digital literacy and technological competencies
Transform through digital empowerment | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Integrity
Action 5.3.4: Work with units to update degree outcomes, revise programs and/or courses to negotiate/align with digital advancement, such as AI, encoding, analytics, data preservation, towards critical and responsible use of technology
Goal 3: Foster digital literacy and technological competencies
Transform through digital empowerment | Academic Freedom | Innovation
Action 5.4.1: Foster Faculty-wide conversations on ways to support digital integration and to evaluate and recognize diverse forms of research excellence in digital methods
Goal 4: Elevate research with advanced digital methods, modalities, and outputs
Transform through digital empowerment | Accessibility | Innovation
Action 5.4.2: Promote and support digital research funding opportunities
Goal 4: Elevate research with advanced digital methods, modalities, and outputs
Transform through digital empowerment | Accessibility | Innovation
Action 5.4.3: Promote available resources and accessible training to help faculty and students stay current with digital research advancements and integrate them into teaching and research
Goal 4: Elevate research with advanced digital methods, modalities, and outputs
Transform through digital empowerment | Justice, Equity & Inclusion | Innovation
Action 5.4.4: Enable participation and contributions from different fields and roles in developing digital initiatives, including in research and teaching
Goal 4: Elevate research with advanced digital methods, modalities, and outputs
Transform through digital empowerment | Innovation
Action 5.4.5: Attract funding and opportunities to create specialized expertise and roles that drive advancements in digital research and creative practice
Goal 4: Elevate research with advanced digital methods, modalities, and outputs
Transform through digital empowerment | Innovation
Action 5.5.1: Strengthen existing digital collaborations and knowledge-sharing opportunities, and develop new opportunities across the Faculty of Arts, UBC, and with external partners
Goal 5: Enable digital collaborations within Faculty of Arts and beyond
Transform through digital empowerment | Innovation
Action 5.5.2: Expand digital literacy programs and resources on-campus and beyond
Goal 5: Enable digital collaborations within FoA and beyond
Transform through digital empowerment | Justice, Equity & Inclusion
Action 5.5.3: Advocate for innovative grant structures and facilitate securing diverse funding sources to support the use of digital methods for social, environmental, and community good
Goal 5: Enable digital collaborations within FoA and beyond