On March 29, the President and I announced the launch of the Tri-Campus Review, under the theme identified in Towards 2030, “One University, Three Campuses.” The Tri-Campus Review is guided by a steering committee and built upon five pillars, each with its own working group. Each working group has tri-campus representation, will develop principles to guide future decision-making, and will propose changes to policy and procedure as appropriate.

Close consultation with divisions and academic units will be key to informing the efforts of these working groups. As a first step in the consultation process, we invite all academic administrators to complete an online questionnaire. This questionnaire gathers broad information about academic planning and academic change, as well as operational information about roles, structures, and processes in graduate units. Its purpose is to create a shared foundation of knowledge and data for the remainder of the consultation process and the work of each working group. The questionnaire can be completed by an academic or staff administrator closely familiar with the subject matter. Ideally, each academic unit would only respond to the questionnaire once. Where possible, the questionnaire should be completed before Friday, August 31.

This online questionnaire will be complemented by in-person meetings. I am pleased to announce that Professor Alan Bewell has accepted the role of Special Advisor, Tri-Campus Review, to the Vice-Provost, Graduate Research & Education and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. In this capacity, he and Vice-Provost, Academic Programs, Professor Susan McCahan, who Chairs the Academic Planning and Academic Change working group of the Tri-Campus Review, will begin meeting with Deans later this summer to discuss topics relevant to tri-campus cooperation. Professor Bewell will then meet separately with Graduate Chairs in the fall.

Consultation with academic units through the questionnaire and in-person meetings will be crucial to ensuring that the recommendations emerging from the Tri-Campus Review are informed by the views and expertise of colleagues from across the three campuses. Any questions about the questionnaire, the consultation process, or the Tri-Campus Review can be sent to provost@utoronto.ca.