CONCLUSION
We hope we have captured the essence of participants’ ideas in the summaries for each of the
consultations. The dialogue between community opinion leaders and change agents and the University
proved to be a remarkable source of innovative and creative ideas. We promise to take these ideas and
communicate themwidely throughout the campus.
One overarching theme that has come through is the community’s belief in the vital role the University
currently plays, and is expected by all to play, in positioningWindsor and Essex County as a vibrant place to
live, with secure employment prospects and a quality of life that is socially just and culturally enriching.
The University of Windsor is already planning for the future by actively working to address several of the
community’s core areas of concern. Every three years, each university in Ontario establishes a
with theMinistry of Advanced Education and Skills Development outlining its distinctive
contributions to the post-secondary education sector and explaining its priorities, its aspirations, and how it
will build on its strengths to achieve its vision and help drive the Ministry’s system-wide objectives. This
publicly accessible document identifies the University’s existing institutional strengths, and supports the
current vision, mission, and mandate of the University. The University of Windsor’s framework places a
marked emphasis on community partnerships and external engagement. Your participation in this
Community Consultation series is one example of our institutional commitment to pursue and fulfill this
mandate.
The Community Consultations identified a number of significant opportunities and challenges for
postsecondary education inWindsor and Essex County and beyond. TheUniversity has already taken broad
steps to address many of these, and it is committed to expanding and enriching the leadership and
partnerships that speakmost fundamentally to the community’s core concerns and aspirations.
Researchand Innovation
As a comprehensive postsecondary institutionwith a formidable and diverse research base, the University of
Windsor conducts research directly linked to the needs of the region, bringing the world to our community
and the community to our world. As part of that diverse portfolio, members of the University community
engage in research and creative activity that addresses four principal “challenges”: sustainable industry;
understandingborders; viable, healthy, and safe communities; and healthyGreat Lakes.
To our students’ great benefit, the University is notably committed to nurturing and providing opportunity for
meaningful scholarly research at the undergraduate level:
• Our unique
program provides high-achieving applicants with the opportunity to
assist facultymembers onmeaningful research projects.
• The
gives budding researchers an excellent venue
to share their work with the academic community and participate in substantive dialogues around
research.
• The Office of Research Services awards
This granting
scheme is intended to broadly support any undergraduate-led inquiry or investigation that makes an
original intellectual or creative contribution toone of theUniversity’s academic disciplines.
•
and courses see students undertaking research across the border and around
theworld.
25
