Call for Recommendations on “Towards 2030” Task Force Areas of Focus and Nominations for Task Force Members
Preamble
In 2027 the University of Toronto will celebrate two hundred years of institutional success. Looking to and beyond our second centennial, how can we ensure that our institution reaches new levels of excellence? "Towards 2030" is an initiative launched to respond to that question.
This initiative has already begun to engage the University community and other interested individuals and groups in discussions about our long-term strategic directions. To focus discussion, a background document was released on June 12th, 2007 that sets out many of the key issues confronting the University (www.towards2030.utoronto.ca).
We have already received valuable feedback from many individuals and groups. The next stage of the process involves further consultation and focused deliberation. We shall rely heavily on the work of several Task Forces whose members will be drawn from among the diverse constituencies that make up our extended University community.
These Task Forces will solicit submissions, explore strategic options, and submit reports to the President setting out a range of preferred long-term objectives and strategies for attaining those objectives. Working with the Secretariat of the Governing Council, the Office of the President is now in the process of establishing the Task Forces and clarifying their mandates.
Invitation to Comment: Task Force Areas of Focus
Task Forces will not address immediate issues or delve into details of University operations but will take a long-term view of broad objectives and strategic options. The time-lines for the work of the Task Forces are therefore unapologetically short and their mandates cannot be granular. At the same time, it is fully expected that one or more Task Forces may identify within its mandate issues that require attention on a much shorter time-line. In such an instance, the Task Force may recommend that it be reconstituted to address those issues after submitting a report that is consistent with its broader long-term mandate.
Another consideration in framing Task Force mandates is the impracticality of launching and supporting a large number of different Task Forces on overlapping issues. Early feedback has encouraged the development of no more than a handful of Task Forces, with excellent cross-communication and coordination of their work.
Against that background, we invite suggestions and comments on potential Task Force mandates. (The background document at www.towards2030.utoronto.ca may be useful for respondents in thinking about Task Force mandates.)
Invitation to Nominate: Task Force Members
For practical reasons, Task Forces cannot become unwieldy in size. Experienced colleagues have suggested that we include no more than 9 committed volunteers on any Task Force. Nominees must be able to free up a meaningful number of hours each week for this work. The goal is to have Task Forces begin their deliberations by October 1st, 2007, and finalize their reports to the President early in 2008.
Task Force members are expected to be adjudicators, not advocates. Indeed, a very large number of groups could make defensible requests for a seat on any Task Force if we were to take an interest-based approach to membership. Representative and interest-based groups will, however, be invited to make submissions to Task Forces.
Task Force members should be drawn from a range of backgrounds, but share a university-wide perspective on issues and expertise in the areas of focus. More specifically, they will need to be capable of taking a long-term, fiduciary view of the issues under consideration. Among the individuals who are likely to have this perspective are past and present Governors from diverse internal and external constituencies, long-serving faculty and staff, and prominent alumni who have acquired relevant work and life experience.
Recommendation/Nomination Process
Both recommendations for Task Force areas of focus, and Task Force membership should be directed to: towards2030@utoronto.ca
-or-
Office of the President
Attention: Towards 2030 Secretariat
Room 206, Simcoe Hall
University of Toronto
Toronto ON M5S 1A1
Telephone: 416.978.4163
Fax: 416.971.1360
The deadline for comments on Task Force mandates or nominations of potential Task Force members is September 20th, 2007.
