Our Vision

Our value proposition

Our desire is to ensure that all who work, learn or visit USask feel an affinity to our university through:

• embracing diversity
• fostering inclusivity
• living university values
• contributing to safe work and learning physical and virtual environments

To enable this goal, our strategic objectives are to:

CREATE AN EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE

We offer programs and lead or partner on initiatives and projects that contribute to an exceptional experience at USask for our stakeholders, with a particular focus on students, faculty and staff.

PROTECT PEOPLE AND DATA

Programs and solutions that empower faculty, staff and students to ensure work and learning environments are safe, engaging and inclusive.

WE ARE SUCCESSFUL WHEN:

1. We all feel part of an institution that places priority around equity, diversity and inclusion.
2. We are part of an environment where all place priority on safety in physical, mental, social, and digital environments
3. We see measurable improvements in our level of student and staff engagement and satisfaction at the unit and institutional levels
4. Systems and structures increasingly contribute to building the culture of trust essential to collaboration
5. An increased spirit of holistic wellness, mutual respect and inclusive diversity imbues all our engagement efforts
6. We intentionally seek out and resolve processes that cause unintentional harm and establish an environment that promotes the health and well being of all who study at our campuses regardless of location

We partner and collaborate with the university community in developing and providing solutions that support the university’s plan. We strive for excellence in providing accessible and value-added programs, solutions and services to our university community, ultimately helping the university and individuals achieve goals.

To enable this goal, our strategic objectives are to:

SUPPORT THE UNIVERSITY PLAN

Partner and collaborate to offer solutions and change-related supports that shift our university towards achieving our aspirations. Specifically, we offer our professional capacities to contribute to the efforts that advance the university's goals of courageous curiosity, boundless collaboration and inspired communities. We will develop plans focused on each of people, technology, and spaces and places that will define pivotal areas of focus for supporting the achievement of the university's overarching plan.

DELIVER THE BEST STAKEHOLDER VALUE

Deliver programs, solutions and services that provide value to stakeholders, enabling them to focus on and achieve their goals. To support this, we will clarify the services and supports we offer so people know what to expect from us and we build and maintain our relationships so we can ensure focus on solutions with and for our stakeholders. We do this through delivering a consistent, high-level of customer service, placing our customers first when providing both day-to-day support and strategies that enable growth and advancement within their organizations.

ACHIEVE OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

We focus on effective administration, strategic investments in time and resources, and improvements to the effective delivery of policies, programs and practices that add current and future value. This includes processes that produce and deliver products and services, enhance customer value, create new products and services, and improve the environment and communities.

WE ARE SUCCESSFUL WHEN:

1. We prioritize our stakeholder experience when partnering with and delivering services across our university
2. We are sought-after by our campus community for our professional expertise and guidance
3. Our business initiatives, operating plan and resources are aligned with the University's plan
4. There is transparency and accountability in service delivery and programs offered across the Administration portfolio.

Our university requires long-term, forward-thinking, institutional-level strategies for its employees, as well as the university's financial, technical and capital resources. As leaders and professional specialists in the areas of human resources, finance, procurement and physical and technological infrastructure planning, we are best positioned to lead the strategy development for our university. These strategies must evolve and adapt to our changing environment and consider opportunities that are best for the university today and in years to come, and be aligned with the vision to be the university the world needs. This goal focuses on setting direction with and for our university community that enables decision-making to sustain the university's operations in the future.

To enable this goal, our strategic objectives are to:

ENABLE INSTITUTIONAL STEWARDSHIP

Collaboratively developed, forward-thinking, creative strategies that guide university leaders to make the best use of resources over the long term and optimize the use of our assets. 

IMPLEMENT ALTERNATE REVENUE STREAMS

Efforts to grow university revenues in a mission-consistent way to sustain institutional programs and support Finance & Resources operations. These efforts are focused on the opportunities within the Administration mandate.

WE ARE SUCCESSFUL WHEN:

1. We have ensured long-term financial sustainability 
2. We have ensured long-term, integrated sustainability of the university's land and physical and technological infrastructure

To achieve the Administration vision and goals on a long-term basis, we must ensure, as Administration employees, that we are motivated to review the work we do; to identify, develop and launch innovative programs and services that bring cutting-edge ideas or practices to serve unmet institutional needs. Key learning and growth strategies for our leaders and employees will ensure that our work is aligned, and that people leaders and employees seek out and bridge any knowledge, skill or ability gaps that could potentially impede our execution of key internal processes and projects.

These strategies will support Administration in delivering on our vision and goals:

ENGAGE AND DEVELOP EMPLOYEES

We provide the supports and tools employees need to do their jobs, from ensuring access to career development plans and appropriate equipment, to relevant advances in technology.

RECRUIT EXCELLENT STAFF

We focus on promoting and recruiting diverse employees who are best suited to our roles and desired culture.

LIVE OUR UNIVERSITY VALUES AND PRINCIPLES THROUGH OUR SHARED BELIEFS

We expect an organizational culture that aligns with university’s plan, mission and values; in Administration, this includes additional focus on courage, collaboration, accountability, innovation and agility, inclusion and safety to create the environment that allows us to work together to serve our customers, as defined in Administration shared beliefs.

BUILD AND GROW LEADERS

We support our employees in their growth as strong, responsible and adaptive leaders who help instill the desired culture, celebrate accomplishments and learn from failures, and constructively and positively engage with employees and stakeholders. We want our leaders to have the right mix of functional, professional and leadership capabilities to enable the right level of customer centricity and service orientation expected across the Administration portfolio.

WE ARE SUCCESSFUL WHEN:

1. We have a culture that embraces continuous process improvements
2. We have employee engagement results that reflect our desired outcomes
3. We have a culture in Administration that is aligned to our shared beliefs, and the university's values, mission and plan