York VPs offer an update on the Institutional Integrated Resource Plan (IIRP)

students in vari hall

Vice-President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton and Vice-President Finance and Administration Gary Brewer are pleased to provide an update to the community on the Institutional Integrated Resource Plan (IIRP) and to issue a call for participation in institutional working groups emerging from the IIRP.

In September, we reported on consultations over the summer with regard to key initiatives identified in the draft Institutional Integrated Resource Plan (IIRP) and invited all members of the York community to participate in a forum sponsored by the Academic Policy, Planning & Research Committee (APPRC), focusing on the IIRP. The forum was well attended by faculty, staff and students from across the University, and it stimulated a lively exchange of ideas about the directions and processes described in the document. Taking into account input from all of these consultations, an updated draft IIRP was submitted to the University Senate on Sept. 24. We are very pleased to report that the IIRP was endorsed by Senate and we are now moving forward to advance the initiatives it sets out.

As a reminder, the IIRP is an operational document that identifies pan-University initiatives in six priority areas that have the potential to advance quality and financial sustainability, and complement local-level activities in achieving the commitments outlined in York’s White Paper and University Academic Plan 2010-15. Those six areas are:

  • quality teaching and learning;
  • high-quality academic programs;
  • high-quality, affordable administrative services;
  • optimal academic organizational structures;
  • student-centric approach; and
  • research intensification.

Institutional-level working groups are being established to support the planning and implementation of initiatives in five of these areas. Participation of a range of stakeholders from across the community – faculty, staff and students – in these critical discussions is of key importance. We are therefore pleased to issue a call for participation as members of the working groups. [Note that a working group on research intensification has already been formed on the basis of an earlier call for participation.] Interested community members are encouraged to access further information about the working groups on the IIRP website. Students can access further information on the working groups through the IIRP website on the student portal. Expressions of interest in participating on these working groups may be submitted via an online form by 4:30pm on Tuesday, Oct. 20, for the following institutional working groups:

  • enhancing the quality of teaching and learning;
  • institutional supports for enhancing program quality;
  • enriching the student experience – advising;
  • enriching the student experience – the campus experience;
  • high-quality and affordable services to support academic priorities; and
  • envisioning the role of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Two other groups have brought together Faculty leads over the past few years to advance the White Paper benchmarks in the areas of experiential education and technology-enhanced learning. Colleagues interested in participating in these existing working groups may indicate so on the online form. The working groups are expected to get underway in November. We encourage wide participation in the IIRP working groups as we, as a community, consider how best to advance our academic priorities.