1.4 ALIGNMENT WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN

The Campus Master Plan is aligned with other key Northwestern Polytechnic plans, including the new Strategic Plan. NWP’s strategic plan sets goals for 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10- years.

Strategic Plan Vision: To become the most entrepreneurial Polytechnic in Canada by 2034.

2 Top Employer CEE: Create a Centre of Entrepreneurial Excellence

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One of the strategic plan outcomes is to become one of the top 75 employers in Alberta. Stakeholders identified a desire to collaborate and interact both within and across units. Collaboration and hang out space for faculty and staff provide opportunities for cross-pollination and informal conversations and connections to occur. Co-locating units improves long term flexibility as groups grow and shrink and provides further opportunities for interaction and collaboration.

The Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence

(CEE) is envisioned as a campus hub, bringing the community and industry to NWP. The CEE space has not been defined. Stakeholders identified potential space types that would support connections to industry and entrepreneurs.

3 Entrepreneurial Education

Integrate entrepreneurial education into existing programs through space for experiential learning, high flex and better access between industry and students. A goal of the Master Plan is to allow NWP students and staff to “show their work.”

4 5 6 Enrollment Student Life Physical Infrastructure Utilization

Increasing enrollment overall will drive delivering polytechnic education to the maximum number. Adding 500-600international students to NWP is key solution defined in the strategic plan. By considering the kinds of spaces required to support international students, who often live on campus, both the unique characteristics of that student population are addressed as well as the needs of students overall.

Improve student life opportunities for a growing number of domestic and international students. By consolidating activities and services, a critical mass of people adds energy to campus life. With students and programs moving to the hospital, there are less people using the campus amenities.

Increasing the utilization rate of existing classroom and laboratory space, targeting up to 80% utilization in the long term, improves the use and allocation of space. Consolidating use allows for underutilized space to be repurposed or removed from the inventory. Divesting from space that requires a high degree of maintenance or repair, or is ill-suited to current or future needs, provides an opportunity to invest in spaces that are better suited (by quality, size, or location) to the future needs of NWP.

Exploring new technology and delivery methods support improved classroom flexibility and utilization. At a campus level, prioritizing spaces for collaboration and group work and study reinforces the polytechnic mandate.