St. Jerome’s University Renewal | ?m | ?m| 7 fl | 2 fl | U/C

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A renewed Vision
Dec 2, 2011 | RON KIELSTRA | UWimprint.ca | LINK

St. Jerome’s University has some big plans to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2015, including the construction of a new dormitory, expanded student spaces, and a renewed commitment to the Catholic and local communities.
But while a new strategic vision, titled “Strategic Vision 2015 and Beyond,” was approved by St. Jerome’s board of governors in January 2011, President David Perrin played down the idea that the document marks a radical change for the institution, saying that the new development is simply an extension of the university’s guiding principles.“We’re always looking for new ways to engage students and educate the whole person,” said Perrin. “The principles that guided us and continue to guide us are the principles of social justice; the principle of student education that involves the student at all levels, intellectual and spiritual; and engagement in community outreach.”And in the plan approved by the board, St. Jerome’s has re-articulated these principles in a modern way, producing a coherent, multi-tiered vision to address many of the ideas raised during a three year consultation process. Five strategic directions have been identified, beginning with a commitment to offering a top quality education and to consolidating their place within the Catholic community — areas where Perrin believes the school is already making gains.“The Catholic identity has been enhanced through the master’s in Catholic thought program, and the outreach to our diocesan partners has enhanced and grown our Catholic identity with the Catholic schools in the area and the parishes in the diocese,” Perrin said, noting that these efforts to engage the community have been helped by the school’s strong academic reputation.“We do hire faculty who are quite excellent; this past year, for example, two got excellent teaching awards,” Perrin pointed out. “It’s pretty significant: only four are given and St. Jerome’s got two of them.”The university has also taken steps to ensure that they are able to meet their goals of enhancing and improving their relationships with their own alumni and with the non-Catholic community.

To that end, a 14 member alumni advisory committee was formed this year, and representatives from each of the past five decades have been invited to participate in efforts like an alumni-student mixer, which are aimed at further engaging current students. The event, which is set to take place in February, will give students a chance to talk to successful St. Jerome’s graduates and build connections with alumni.

Faculty and staff are also getting in on the act by volunteering to provide their services to the larger community. Project ploughshares, a prominent Waterloo-based NGO with a focus on disarmament and peace building, recently named St. Jerome’s Prof. Scott Kline the chair of their board of directors. And Kline, who is also the acting chair of the department of religious studies, is just one example of many St. Jerome’s staffers who have made time to be involved in academic outreach and volunteer agencies.

It’s the fifth and final area of development that the St. Jerome’s board of directors approved in their strategic vision that will have the most visible impact on campus life, though. A new residence will be constructed and the current residences will be re-developed to accommodate the institution’s growing needs for administrative and teaching spaces. The school’s library will also be expanded, and a large amount of space will be dedicated to creating a student hub with support services, clubs, and lounge areas.

In fact, enhancing the student experience is one of the central aims of the entire project, and creating social gathering spaces is part of the school’s ongoing efforts to keep current with the demands of student life. Perrin believes that St. Jerome’s has a strong record of being proactive when it comes to ensuring that there are adequate social and study spaces for students — in large part because, in his view, the two are one and the same.“Students study together and socialize together at the same time,” Perrin noted. “Frequently, for example, I go down to our coffee shop ... and see students gathered together, having their coffee with their laptops, and they’re working. We’re already addressing that need for our students and we want to do more of that.”Perrin was quick to point out, though, that there is still quite a bit of work to be done before these dreams can become a reality. There are some financial hurdles to clear before the first phase of the project, the construction of the new residence, can begin, and unlike the University of Waterloo, the public purse is not available to help mitigate the costs involved.“The University of Waterloo has access to infrastructure funding from the Government of Ontario,” said Perrin, “and as a federated, faith-based university, we don’t have access to that funding. New buildings that are put up on our campus need to be funded through other means.”Funding challenges aside, Perrin also recognized that logistical challenges stemming from St. Jerome’s small campus size will need to be dealt with, and that any potential impacts on the student body — the need for alternative walking routes or the amount of noise generated by construction, for example — will require attention. Even so, it appears that everyone involved with St. Jerome’s strategic plan is anxious to get started.“The students are very excited about what we’re doing we’ve had lots of positive feedback,” Perrin said, noting that St. Jerome’s has also enjoyed a constructive relationship with University of Waterloo officials. “It has been quite affirming, I have to say — we’re committed to the same goals, objectives, and ideals.”And as St. Jerome’s University approaches its sesquicentennial, this commitment is as strong as ever.“150 years is a very remarkable milestone,” Perrin noted. “What began here began a long time ago, and we’re building upon that foundation and ensuring the next 150 years of success.”