| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 80.17 |
| Liaison | Mike Wilson |
| Submission Date | May 5, 2020 |
University of Victoria
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
University of Victoria Strategic Framework: 2018-2023
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
The University of Victoria is deeply committed to contributing to a better future for people, places and the planet. This commitment is exemplified by the UVic Strategic Framework, the university’s highest guiding document designed to define UVic’s role in creating a strong, healthy future for its students and for local and global communities. The objective of the Strategic Framework is to serve as a guide to our future by setting out priorities and high-reaching goals in six key areas, with associated strategies that will help to realize them. It provides a structure for ongoing planning and serves as a reference for making strategic choices among the many possible initiatives that could move the university forward. The creation of a shared understanding of UVic’s goals and priorities allows for the coordination of efforts to achieve the maximum impact (see page 1).
The six overarching priorities outlined in the Framework are:
1. Cultivate an extraordinary academic environment
2. Advance research excellence and impact
3. Intensify dynamic learning
4. Foster respect and reconciliation
5. Promote sustainable futures
6. Engage locally and globally
There are five associated strategies for each of the six priority areas. This will provide guidance to staff and faculty in every academic and administrative area when undertaking planning activities over the coming years. It will inform the university’s planning, budget, and reporting tools and will be used as a lens by UVic leaders at every level to assess opportunities and activities in their areas. Of the five priorities, sustainability leadership and a commitment to future generations is outlined in Priority 5 below:
Priority 5 “Promote Sustainable Futures” (page 7)
The University of Victoria will be a global leader in environmental, social and institutional sustainability through our research, academic programs, campus operations, and the impact and influence of our students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Over the next five years, UVic will:
Strategy 5.1: Continue to build world-leading research and educational programs that contribute to sustainability on a global scale.
Strategy 5.2: Review and renew our approach to sustainability in every domain (research, education, community engagement and campus operations) to move toward a comprehensive and integrated approach.
Strategy 5.3: Renew and extend our commitment to campus development and operations that meet the highest standards of sustainability.
Strategy 5.4: Ensure that students have opportunities to engage with issues, principles and practices that support social and environmental sustainability, and to develop the knowledge and ethical orientation to contribute to a just, socially responsible and sustainable future.
Strategy 5.5: Ensure the financial sustainability of the university and our ability to pursue excellence by optimizing existing resources through careful planning, earning public support, attracting partnerships, and pursuing a revitalized program to grow and diversify resources through philanthropic and other means.
Through the guidance of the Strategic Framework, UVic will deliver on commitments made to its people, its partners, and local and global communities (see page 9).
The six overarching priorities outlined in the Framework are:
1. Cultivate an extraordinary academic environment
2. Advance research excellence and impact
3. Intensify dynamic learning
4. Foster respect and reconciliation
5. Promote sustainable futures
6. Engage locally and globally
There are five associated strategies for each of the six priority areas. This will provide guidance to staff and faculty in every academic and administrative area when undertaking planning activities over the coming years. It will inform the university’s planning, budget, and reporting tools and will be used as a lens by UVic leaders at every level to assess opportunities and activities in their areas. Of the five priorities, sustainability leadership and a commitment to future generations is outlined in Priority 5 below:
Priority 5 “Promote Sustainable Futures” (page 7)
The University of Victoria will be a global leader in environmental, social and institutional sustainability through our research, academic programs, campus operations, and the impact and influence of our students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Over the next five years, UVic will:
Strategy 5.1: Continue to build world-leading research and educational programs that contribute to sustainability on a global scale.
Strategy 5.2: Review and renew our approach to sustainability in every domain (research, education, community engagement and campus operations) to move toward a comprehensive and integrated approach.
Strategy 5.3: Renew and extend our commitment to campus development and operations that meet the highest standards of sustainability.
Strategy 5.4: Ensure that students have opportunities to engage with issues, principles and practices that support social and environmental sustainability, and to develop the knowledge and ethical orientation to contribute to a just, socially responsible and sustainable future.
Strategy 5.5: Ensure the financial sustainability of the university and our ability to pursue excellence by optimizing existing resources through careful planning, earning public support, attracting partnerships, and pursuing a revitalized program to grow and diversify resources through philanthropic and other means.
Through the guidance of the Strategic Framework, UVic will deliver on commitments made to its people, its partners, and local and global communities (see page 9).
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Coordination & Planning
Optional Fields
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
PA 2- Sustainability Planning
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Second Point of Distinction
Joint Degree Program in Canadian Common Law and Indigenous Legal Orders (JD/JID)
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
The University of Victoria Joint Degree Program in Canadian Common Law and Indigenous Legal Orders (JD/JID) is the first in the world of its kind. The four-year program accepted its first cohort in September of 2018, and will give graduates two professional degrees: Juris Doctor (JD) and Juris Indigenarum Doctor (JID). Students combine intensive study of Canadian Common Law with intensive engagement with Indigenous laws in order to develop a deep understanding of Indigenous law and governance. They will graduate with the academic qualifications to pursue a career in Canadian Common Law, and a strong sense of how to create and manage institutions functioning across both spheres.
The program was developed by two of Canada’s leading Indigenous scholars: John Borrows, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law, and Val Napoleon, Law Foundation Chari in Aboriginal Justice and Governance. The program was made possible by the relationships with the Songhees and Esquimalt peoples, on whose lands the University of Victoria is located, the W̱SÁNEĆ people, who have longstanding connections to the land, and Indigenous peoples from coast to coast to coast and around the world. Its development benefited from the strong support of faculty and staff throughout UVic Law and was assisted greatly by networks of Indigenous scholars in Canada and internationally.
The Joint Degree (JD/JID) Law Program directly responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action #50, which reads:
“In keeping with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal organizations, to fund the establishment of Indigenous law institutes for the development, use, and understanding of Indigenous law and access to justice in accordance with the unique cultures of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.”
Consultations with potential employers have made it clear that graduates of this program will be in great demand in Indigenous governance, non-Indigenous government agencies, law firms that work with Indigenous peoples and Indigenous lands, and business enterprises.
The program was developed by two of Canada’s leading Indigenous scholars: John Borrows, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law, and Val Napoleon, Law Foundation Chari in Aboriginal Justice and Governance. The program was made possible by the relationships with the Songhees and Esquimalt peoples, on whose lands the University of Victoria is located, the W̱SÁNEĆ people, who have longstanding connections to the land, and Indigenous peoples from coast to coast to coast and around the world. Its development benefited from the strong support of faculty and staff throughout UVic Law and was assisted greatly by networks of Indigenous scholars in Canada and internationally.
The Joint Degree (JD/JID) Law Program directly responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action #50, which reads:
“In keeping with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal organizations, to fund the establishment of Indigenous law institutes for the development, use, and understanding of Indigenous law and access to justice in accordance with the unique cultures of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.”
Consultations with potential employers have made it clear that graduates of this program will be in great demand in Indigenous governance, non-Indigenous government agencies, law firms that work with Indigenous peoples and Indigenous lands, and business enterprises.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Curriculum
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
Innovation 47 - A
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Third Point of Distinction
UVic Campus Cycling Plan
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
The UVic Campus Cycling Plan (CCP) exemplifies the university’s commitment to encouraging sustainable forms of transportation to, from and within campus. Released in January of 2019, the CCP is a ten-year plan created with the intention to guide the development of future cycling infrastructure on campus. It provides a comprehensive and coordinated approach to support cycling as a safe, enjoyable and convenient mode of transportation on campus for students, faculty, staff and visitors. The plan received the Canadian Institute of Planner’s 2019 Award for Planning Excellence Merit in the New and Emerging Planning Initiatives category, highlighting its innovation and significance.
The CCP was created based on extensive input from students, faculty, staff and visitors to the campus. To help guide the plan, five bicycle planning principles were developed based on input from the campus community. They are (see page i):
1. To create a campus where students, staff, faculty and visitors can safely ride their bicycles no matter where they are headed on campus.
2. To create a bicycle-friendly campus that will help achieve the transportation goals set out in the Campus Plan and the Sustainability Action Plan; notably, working towards increasing the use of transit, cycling, walking and carpooling to 70% of all trips to campus by increasing the cycling mode share to 10%
3. To work towards the development of an All Ages and Abilities (AAA) cycling network by creating new and enhanced cycling infrastructure on campus, including bicycle connections, bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities.
4. To plan cycling network and facility improvements in a way that supports a balanced and connected multi-modal transportation system.
5. To improve levels of safety and comfort for pedestrians and cyclists on shared pathways across campus
Based on these principles, four key strategies were identified to guide the implementation of the plan’s policy recommendations and cycling network improvements. Each of these strategies has an associated series of detailed actions to be taken in order to support their respective strategies. The four strategies are (see page 4):
1. Transportation Planning Priorities – Establish a decision tool to guide policy decisions and to prioritize the needs and safety of each group of road users on campus
2. Shared Space and Safety – Implement a shared space policy approach that promotes respectful active transportation etiquette and awareness in designated Shared Space areas
3. Cycling Network – Enhance the cycling network to improve safety and comfort for cyclists on campus in order to increase the cycling mode share to 10%
4. End-of-trip Facilities – Enhances end-of-trip facilities to improve the current level of service and support the demand that would result from a cycling mode share of 10%
The CCP has already begun implementation, with construction of various pathways, bike racks and shelters well underway.
The CCP was created based on extensive input from students, faculty, staff and visitors to the campus. To help guide the plan, five bicycle planning principles were developed based on input from the campus community. They are (see page i):
1. To create a campus where students, staff, faculty and visitors can safely ride their bicycles no matter where they are headed on campus.
2. To create a bicycle-friendly campus that will help achieve the transportation goals set out in the Campus Plan and the Sustainability Action Plan; notably, working towards increasing the use of transit, cycling, walking and carpooling to 70% of all trips to campus by increasing the cycling mode share to 10%
3. To work towards the development of an All Ages and Abilities (AAA) cycling network by creating new and enhanced cycling infrastructure on campus, including bicycle connections, bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities.
4. To plan cycling network and facility improvements in a way that supports a balanced and connected multi-modal transportation system.
5. To improve levels of safety and comfort for pedestrians and cyclists on shared pathways across campus
Based on these principles, four key strategies were identified to guide the implementation of the plan’s policy recommendations and cycling network improvements. Each of these strategies has an associated series of detailed actions to be taken in order to support their respective strategies. The four strategies are (see page 4):
1. Transportation Planning Priorities – Establish a decision tool to guide policy decisions and to prioritize the needs and safety of each group of road users on campus
2. Shared Space and Safety – Implement a shared space policy approach that promotes respectful active transportation etiquette and awareness in designated Shared Space areas
3. Cycling Network – Enhance the cycling network to improve safety and comfort for cyclists on campus in order to increase the cycling mode share to 10%
4. End-of-trip Facilities – Enhances end-of-trip facilities to improve the current level of service and support the demand that would result from a cycling mode share of 10%
The CCP has already begun implementation, with construction of various pathways, bike racks and shelters well underway.
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Air & Climate
Transportation
Coordination & Planning
Transportation
Coordination & Planning
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
IN 48 - B
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.