Over the past few months, a new strategic concept is emerging
within the university community. This is the concept of the theme
as a large scale interdisciplinary framework. The chosen theme
areas would distinguish UB’s academic strategy in the
originality of this concept, the integration of the teaching,
research and service effort, the creation of new pedagogical
innovations and in the signaling to the larger academic world where
UB intends to be global around the world in these areas. The theme
concept, properly advertised, supported and embraced will
differentiate UB from other universities and will attract good
students intrigued by our emphasis in these areas. We are
suggesting that the university organize around four theme
areas:
The theme concept is one of two core elements of the academic
strategy. The second is the definition of the characteristics we
hope to instill in every UB student. UB will train tomorrow’s
leaders, a new kind of leader who thinks for themselves, who can
formulate new directions for a country, a corporation, a college or
a community; leaders who have vision. These students can focus
rather than let themselves be dispersed everywhere into a cloud of
electronic and social input.
In the larger document, the proposed elements of the academic
strategy are contained in a matrix that defines potential
objectives framed as questions, the specific initiatives and
actions that the university would undertake to achieve the
objective and questions for the university community to discuss
about each strategy element. What we share in this summary are the
objectives framed as questions contained in the strategy. Later in
February, these potential objectives will be framed as questions
will be written as statements of action the university will pursue
as a community together.
