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Strategic Plan & Priorities

Since 2023, SFU Graduate Studies has been seeking input on its future. We reached out to key SFU community members to identify essential priorities, strategies and actions for 2025-2030, while also aligning this work with What’s Next: The SFU Strategy, SFU's Strategic Research Plan and SFU's Academic Plan.

The result of this collaboration is our Strategic Plan and Priorities. We look forward to undertaking this work and to continuing to engage with SFU community members and partners to achieve our goals. We also look forward to posting progress on how we're meeting our goals below.

Graduate Studies oversees the lifecycle of graduate students from initial inquiries to application, admission, registration and convocation. Key functions of GS include the following:

  • admissions and recruitment support for applicants and academic units;
  • oversight and development of scholarships, awards, and Graduate General Regulations;
  • academic supports for students and supervisors;
  • maintenance of student records;
  • curricular supports including new program development;
  • professional development and student experience support; and
  • interdisciplinary graduate programming.

Graduate Studies is a highly collaborative unit that responds quickly to concerns. We provide training and resources and advocate for students, supervisors and academic units as they navigate the funding, research and curricular landscapes.

Graduate Studies Mission, Vision and Values

Graduate Studies Vision, Mission and Values guide the work we do as we set a shared path for the future.

Vision

To be the hub of support for inclusive excellence and equity in graduate education and research.  

Mission

We support and connect the SFU graduate community. Using an equitable approach to enhancing the graduate student journey, we honour each person's unique gifts as they pursue and share new skills and knowledge.   

Values

  • Resourceful: We are a proactive and supportive unit. By using creative solutions, we adapt to the ever-changing graduate landscape.
  • Community-minded: We identify and bridge the diversity of our graduate community toward shared goals.
  • Collaborative: We engage with partners to find common ground and develop balanced outcomes.
  • Transparent: We are open and honest in the work we do, building trust and accountability to create a positive work environment.
  • Respectful: Embracing a people-first approach, we work hard to support everyone with dignity and understanding.

Faculty of Graduate Studies' Definition of Inclusive Excellence
Inclusive excellence integrates principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) to create environments where all individuals thrive and contribute effectively. Graduate Studies supports a culture dedicated to academic integrity and quality while also enacting, supporting, and encouraging proactive measures to identify and eliminate systemic barriers so that all members of the SFU community feel welcomed, respected, and valued, and have the opportunity to fully and authentically participate. Inclusive excellence also means fostering environments where diverse research methodologies and perspectives are not only acknowledged but are also recognized and valued. Graduate Studies appreciates that excellence looks different across disciplines and in the context of individual opportunities and circumstances. By fostering a culture of belonging and accountability and nurturing diverse perspectives, especially those from historically marginalized groups, inclusive excellence enhances community engagement, boosts academic success, and prepares individuals for global challenges, ultimately driving innovation and societal impact.

Progress & Updates

We're pleased to share our activities and the progress we're making on our meeting our Strategic Priorities. Check back to watch us update this page as we continue forward.

Legend for Icons

In-Progress
Complete

2026 - 2027

Priority Area 1: Meaningfully support all graduate students

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Enhance supports for graduate students Offer regular PD workshops in collaboration with other units on campus  Deliver new events, programs and workshops. Scheduled or already completed include: collaborative career workshops/panels for research-based graduate students(SFU-UBC-UVIC)  - with VPRI. Collborate to revamp Career Compass/Wayfinder programming
Enhance supports for Indigenous graduate students Explore funding supports for Indigenous graduate students; improve IGES competition process  Increase the donor scholarship support provided to Indigenous graduate students
Support pedagogical development of graduate students Offer pedagogical supports (e.g., workshops, pedagogy courses)  Bring GRAD 701 "Foundations in University Teaching and Learning" to SGSC for approval and reach out to partners (e.g. CEE) for supporting workshops
Explore and encourage more opportunities for graduate students to teach in their areas of expertise  Conduct review of teaching opportunities available at SFU
Support professional graduate students Review and update policies and procedures with the goal of supporting professional graduate programs   
Explore and support opportunities for increasing accessibility of professional graduate credentials   
Support research graduate students   Establish and offer regular workshops to support high quality research; share external workshop opportunities with students  Collaborate with Research Commons
Support the decolonization and Indigenization of research practices and presentations, supervision and defenses (e.g., workshops, symposia, explore integration of ceremony)   
Explore additional funding opportunities to support graduate student research  
Explore common milestones for graduate
students		 Begin discussions around shared coursework
Explore and support alternative thesis models  Develop a website to support the development of alternative thesis models
Enhance support for the retention of graduate students Provide additional supports for the Graduate Progress Report (GPR) Implement a new GPR ssystem
Create and implement a follow-up orientation program for graduate students in years 2+  Sept/Oct 2026 - work with GSEC/GSS to host year 2 orientation utilizing learnings from 2024, 2025
Provide opportunities for graduate students to better connect with SFU services and professional development opportunities  Launch of newly designed Wayfinder for 2026; share GSEC learnings to inform student progress
Build stronger connections with units across SFU  Build stronger connections through regular visits to academic units at all 3 campuses  Establish a schedule for Graduate Studies to have a presence at each campus at least once a month
Support decolonization and integration of inclusive excellence into the work of Graduate Studies  Provide regular opportunities for professional development for staff  Provide and discuss Case Study scenarios during staff meetings to learn how to address various issues
Create and connect faculty and staff to the knowledge, funding and tools needed to successfully support graduate student enterprise Improve and actively collaborate to ensure clarity in Faculty & Staff Resources (communication, webpages and training opportunities)  Update Faculty and Staff pages on our website
Collaborate with units to investigate possible changes to Base Allocation Student Support (BASS) funding model, to ensure an equitable approach to funding  
Streamline and clarify Graduate Studies processes Review data collection and retention procedures from application to convocation, ensuring that appropriate data are collected and stored effectively Ensure compliance with the retention schedule. Establish a workflow for handling requests to remove personal data
Improve graduate data collection, reporting and storage  Work with IT teams to obtain and store accurate, meaningful, and impactful data from sources within SFU  Request changes and updates with ITS to make existing processes more efficient. Improve data collection at the source for more accurate reporting.

Priority Area 2: Strengthening graduate mentorship and supervision

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Establish standards for high-quality supervision Collaborate on the development of supervisory regulations that empower programs to create program-specific policies within a broader framework Submit to senate for approval of GGR 1.6
Empower academic units to develop program-specific supervisory policies  Share templates with units
Provide supports for high-quality supervision Develop and implement student-supervisor agreement  Share agreements with the units
Develop and deliver supervisory workshops for supervisors at all stages of supervision and students at all points in their graduate career Offer supervisory workshops for supervisors
Support the mentorship of graduate students Provide training and workshops on supervision that align with BC commitments to UNDRIP to Indigenous students and their supervisors  Conduct a landscape analysis of other BC institions in comparison to SFU
Provide training workshops on supervision that promote inclusive excellence  Deliver workshops
Enhance support for the retention of graduate students Create and implement a peer-to-peer mentorship program with graduate students as well as alumni Conduct a landscape analysis of other Western Canadian institutions. Draft plan on operationalizing based on analysis

Priority Area 3: Promoting high-quality graduate academics and research

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Improve Graduate Studies and academic unit collaboration on recruitment  Collaborate with academic units and communicators to improve recruitment strategies  Continue SFU Wide recruitment events; identify gaps and areas to improve the website for potential applicants; utilize existing tools for better engagement with prospective students
Enhance strategies and tools for recruitment and retention of graduate students from diverse backgrounds  Complete communication strategic plan and offer enhanced recruiting tools to academic units
Collaborate with the VPRI office to publicize which supervisors are looking for graduate students  Promote the VPRI tool to increase awareness
Increase awareness, understanding, and success of various pathways to graduate admission and research  Promote the Accelerated Master's and other pathways into graduate education Explore barriers to accelerated master's
Increase student success in obtaining external awards  Improve, promote and support external funding (award) resources and applications (e.g., through workshops and mentorship)  Continue to offer workshops
Differentiate amoung master's pathways Simplify fee structures for master’s programs  Recommendations from the tuition working group on the model for graduate tuition and student on modified pace. 
Ensure alignment with best practices for promoting high-quality academics and research  Support the safe and equitable adoption of new research tools and research dissemination  Publish general guidelines and program level completion options
 Increase accessibility of graduate student funding  Re-platform the existing scholarship system with an easy-to-use alternative  Launch new scholarship system
Review all scholarship processes and eligibility to support inclusive excellence  Apply recommendations to scholarship processes 
Policy Review Ensure that policies are in alignment with principles of Truth and Reconciliation Undertake policy revision
Ensure that policies support inclusive excellence and equitable outcomes Undertake policy review and apply recommendations for revisions
Differentiate among policies as they apply to different types of student programs Revision of GGR 1.8

Priority Area 4: Establish a principled approach to curricular change and development

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Improve clarity around processes and develop stronger supports for academic units working on pathways into graduate programs, curricular changes and development  Ensure common terminology and encourage a university-wide approach to course units and program learning outcomes  Working Group formation and recommendations
Clarify policies and procedures and training around the Accelerated Master's pathway, the development of laddered pathways, and qualifying versus conditional admission Finalize laddering processes and implementation. Update internal processes to address removal of qualifying and options for conditional admission. 
Update and streamline the tools and resources available to support and clarify
curriculum processes (e.g., web resources)		 Finalize web updates
Migrate to the new SharePoint and leverage technology to support the process of curriculum review and approval  Explore options and provide recommendations on how to leverage SharePoint for curriculum review and approval. 

Priority Area 5: evaluate the structure and role of Graduate Studies within SFU and beyond

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Propose a meaningful structural and governance model for Graduate Studies Explore and understand how the work of Graduate Studies interacts with other units in SFU and beyond  Survey partners or what they think FGS does well and how we could improve
Digitize and modernize workflows and an IT solution to better support students, supervisors and academic units  Create microsoft forms with online work flow
Support graduate programs   Develop handbooks for Graduate Program Chairs (GPCs) and Graduate Program Assistants (GPAs)  Create GPA guide 
Establish and deliver workshops for Graduate Program Chairs (GPCs) and Graduate Program Assistants (GPAs) 1. Determine what gaps exist, and 2. Provide a workshops based on those gaps.
e.g. Accessibility workshop for GPCs

2025 - 2026

Priority Area 1: Meaningfully support all graduate students

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Enhance supports for graduate students Offer regular PD workshops in collaboration with other units on campus  Deliver new events, programs and workshops. Scheduled or already completed include: an industry mixer, "How to Fail", "Supporting Graduate Student Grant Applications", "How to write a Research Proposal
Enhance supports for Indigenous graduate students Explore funding supports for Indigenous graduate students; improve IGES competition process  Update the website to include new information.
Improve IGES competition process for applicants, programs, administrators.
Establish and implement Welcoming Procedure for Indigenous graduate students Implement pilot for incoming Indigenous graduate students
Support pedagogical development of graduate students Offer pedagogical supports (e.g., workshops, pedagogy courses)  Bring GRAD 701 "Foundations in University Teaching and Learning" to SGSC for approval and reach out to partners (e.g. CEE) for supporting workshops
Explore and encourage more opportunities for graduate students to teach in their areas of expertise  Conduct review of teaching opportunities available at SFU
Support professional graduate students Review and update policies and procedures with the goal of supporting professional graduate programs  Create and establish a working group
Explore and support opportunities for increasing accessibility of professional graduate credentials  Undertake a review of the Graduate General Regulations (GGRs) with respect to professional programs
Support research graduate students   Establish and offer regular workshops to support high quality research; share external workshop opportunities with students  Collaborate with Research Commons
Explore additional funding opportunities to support graduate student research Create and advertise a separate webpage for promotions
Explore and support alternative thesis models Review GGRs associated with theses and develop a website to support the development of alternative thesis models
Enhance support for the retention of graduate students Provide additional supports for the Graduate Progress Report (GPR) Explore the development of a new GPR model
Create and implement a follow-up orientation program for graduate students in years 2+  Started October 2024 with first in-person session. Moving to virtual with possible GSS collaboration on an in-person social for Sept/Oct 2025
Provide opportunities for graduate students to better connect with SFU services and professional development opportunities  Enhance Graduate Student Engagement Committee (GSEC) and Wayfinder website and supports
Build stronger connections with units across SFU  Build stronger connections through regular visits to academic units at all 3 campuses  Establish a schedule for Graduate Studies to have a presence at each campus at least once a month
Support decolonization and integration of inclusive excellence into the work of Graduate Studies  Provide regular opportunities for professional development for staff  Provide and discuss Case Study scenarios during staff meetings to learn how to address various issues
Create and connect faculty and staff to the knowledge, funding and tools needed to successfully support graduate student enterprise Improve and actively collaborate to ensure clarity in Faculty & Staff Resources (communication, webpages and training opportunities)  Launch a How to Library and updated Faculty and Staff pages on our website
Collaborate with units to investigate possible changes to Base Allocation Student Support (BASS) funding model, to ensure an equitable approach to funding Consult with units on possible alternatives, finalize model and implement new BASS formula
Streamline and clarify Graduate Studies processes Review data collection and retention procedures from application to convocation, ensuring that appropriate data are collected and stored effectively Update wording on application or forms to inform and reassure users that their personal information is secure and safe. Ensure compliance with the retention schedule. Establish a workflow for handling requests to remove personal data
Improve graduate data collection, reporting and storage  Work with IT teams to obtain and store accurate, meaningful, and impactful data from sources within SFU  Request changes and updates with ITS to make existing processes more efficient. Improve data collection at the source for more accurate reporting.

Priority Area 2: Strengthening graduate mentorship and supervision

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Establish standards for high-quality supervision Collaborate on the development of supervisory regulations that empower programs to create program-specific policies within a broader framework Review and recommend changes to GGR 1.6
Empower academic units to develop program-specific supervisory policies  Create templates that units can adapt
Provide supports for high-quality supervision Develop and implement student-supervisor agreement  Develop and implement a student-supervisor agreement 
Develop and deliver supervisory workshops for supervisors at all stages of supervision and students at all points in their graduate career Offer supervisory workshops for supervisors
Support the mentorship of graduate students Provide training and workshops on supervision that align with BC commitments to UNDRIP to Indigenous students and their supervisors  Conduct a landscape analysis of other BC institions in comparison to SFU
Provide training workshops on supervision that promote inclusive excellence  Complete literature review on supporting students with accessibility needs

Priority Area 3: Promoting high-quality graduate academics and research

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Improve Graduate Studies and academic unit collaboration on recruitment  Collaborate with academic units and communicators to improve recruitment strategies  Establish a Faculty of Graduate Studies communication strategic plan; SFU Wide recruitment events; improve website for prospective students
Enhance strategies and tools for recruitment and retention of graduate students from diverse backgrounds  Complete communication strategic plan and offer enhanced recruiting tools to academic units
Collaborate with the VPRI office to publicize which supervisors are looking for graduate students  Promote the VPRI tool to increase awareness
Increase awareness, understanding, and success of various pathways to graduate admission and research  Promote the Accelerated Master's and other pathways into graduate education Create an Accelerated Master's Infographic and offer an information session
Increase student success in obtaining external awards  Improve, promote and support external funding (award) resources and applications (e.g., through workshops and mentorship)  Create promotional materials and offer workshops
Differentiate among master's pathways Explore options for clearer delineation among master’s program types  Survey academic units on completion options and differentiation among completion options; meet with working group to prioritize next steps
Simplify fee structures for master’s programs  Explore tuition types (unit- vs. term-based) as part of the master's delimitation working group. Develop guidance for fees for new programs.
Explore funding options for master's students  Prepare a report of master's student funding and initiate consultations.
Ensure alignment with best practices for promoting high-quality academics and research  Regularly consult with and obtain feedback from advisory bodies  Launch the Faculty of Graduate Studies Assembly
Increase recruitment of high-quality graduate students  Improve online tools for streamlined admission funding offers  Develop business requirements
Increase accessibility of graduate student funding Implement a funding portal  Provide UAT training and roll-out to implement the graduate student funding portal
Re-platform the existing scholarship system with an easy-to-use alternative  Complete RFP and initiate implementation
Review all scholarship processes and eligibility to support inclusive excellence  Establish an Inclusive Excellence graduatestudent working group  

Priority Area 4: Establish a principled approach to curricular change and development

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Improve clarity around processes and develop stronger supports for academic units working on pathways into graduate programs, curricular changes and development  Ensure common terminology and encourage a university-wide approach to course units and program learning outcomes  Develop best practicies to share with units.
Clarify policies and procedures and training around the Accelerated Master's pathway, the development of laddered pathways, and qualifying versus conditional admission Create an acceleratated master's infographic, update how-tos, and develop processes for laddered pathways.
Revise program proposal templates to include program outcomes and to enable supports for inclusive excellence and Truth and Reconciliation as outlined in SFU’s Academic Plan  Revise program proposal templates to include program outcomes.
Migrate to the new SharePoint and leverage technology to support the process of curriculum review and approval  Confirm business requirements in collaboration with GS Communications and IT Services

Priority Area 5: evaluate the structure and role of Graduate Studies within SFU and beyond

Strategy Action Activity Progress
Propose a meaningful structural and governance model for Graduate Studies Explore the establishment of a Faculty of Graduate Studies  Approved March 2025 by SFU's Board of Governors
Explore and establish a collegial governance model for Graduate Studies that ensures greater participation in decision making  Set up the first FGSA meeting for May 2025 and explore opportunities for strucutre in summer 2025
Explore and understand how the work of Graduate Studies interacts with other units in SFU and beyond  Increase brand awareness when we become a faculty
Digitize and modernize workflows and an IT solution to better support students, supervisors and academic units  Create microsoft forms with online work flow
Support graduate programs   Develop handbooks for Graduate Program Chairs (GPCs) and Graduate Program Assistants (GPAs)  Create GPA guide and update GPC handbook
Establish and deliver workshops for Graduate Program Chairs (GPCs) and Graduate Program Assistants (GPAs) Establish more robust training for new and continuing GPCs (i.e., orientation + regular training at FGSA)
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