Campus celebrates Eyes High successes

More than 800 University of Calgary students, faculty and staff and more than 300 online viewers came together at the 2017 Community Report Sept. 28 to celebrate the university’s progress on its Eyes High journey. This is the final report against the original Eyes High strategy that was released in 2011.

“As we wrap up our original five-year Eyes High strategy, it is clear that we have fundamentally transformed the University of Calgary and set a path towards continued excellence,” said President Elizabeth Cannon. “As of September 2017, we’re ranked in the top five in the country in two-thirds of our Eyes Highmetrics and we have achieved many major milestones during the past year.

The University of Calgary is one of 15 research universities in Canada. The university tracks its Eyes High progress using 42 metrics, measuring a range of areas from graduate employment to research funding to financial health. Of the 42 metrics, 36 incorporate comparative data from peer institutions. This year, the university achieved top-five status in 25 comparable metrics. Detailed information on the university’s performance against these metrics is published in the Community Report publication.

During the 2017 Community Report, Cannon highlighted major milestones from the past year that focus on research, teaching, community and philanthropy:

• Completing our 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2017 meant making a transition from being considered one of the world’s top young (under 50) universities to being ranked as one of the world’s top 200 best universities overall by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (September 2016). 
• Undergraduate student retention rates and graduate student satisfaction levels are the highest they have been in more than five years.
• In November 2016, UCalgary opened the newly expanded Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) Engineering Complex, which created 18,300 square metres of new space to accommodate 400 additional students.
• In spring 2017, UCalgary became the first university in Western Canada to offer combined engineering and business undergraduate degrees in as little as five years of study.
• Thanks to a $40-million gift from Calgary's Hunter Family Foundation to Energize: The Campaign for Eyes High in May 2017, UCalgary is poised to weave entrepreneurial thinking into programming, research and campus culture, across all faculties and disciplines.
• Over 2016-17, UCalgary was recognized as a Canadian leader in diversity, sustainability, internationalization, workplace engagement and safety, and as one of Alberta’s top employers for the third year running.
  • Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2017 (March 2017)
  • Future 40 Responsible Corporate Leaders in Canada (for sustainability performance)
  • Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE) Board of Directors’ Award for Comprehensive Internationalization
  • WorldatWork Alliance for WorkLife Progress Seal of Distinction (January 2017)
  • Alberta’s Top Employers (March 2017)

In 2016-17, the University of Calgary’s original Eyes High strategic direction, published in 2011, was refreshed and the university is now working toward its Eyes High Strategy 2017-2022.  Following the release of the strategy, the university is now in consultation for the updated Academic and Research plans, which have served as roadmaps to the Eyes High vision. The process to develop these documents are jointly led by the provost and vice-president (academic) and the vice-president (research), and is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.