Strategic Vision
2020-2030
Toronto Metropolitan University HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN INNOVATOR
From day one, Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU’s) mission has been unique – to serve societal need and to prepare students for careers.
Over more than 70 years, TMU’s commitment to groundbreaking thinking has grown steadily stronger.
We have pioneered experiential learning approaches, launched programs in innovation and entrepreneurship, enhanced our scholarly, research and creative (SRC) capacity and introduced our deliberately disruptive law school. And TMU’s values are equally progressive – we are a world leader in equity, diversity and inclusion.
All of this, along with our place in the heart of Canada’s busiest city, has encouraged TMU to embrace a new role as city builder. We now partner with like-minded organizations and bring together highly skilled, creative thinkers to work on the increasingly complex challenges faced by Toronto and urban centres around the world.
The demand for a TMU education has never been greater, and in the last decade, we dramatically increased the size of our campus.
The most successful organizations are always in motion. Today, TMU is building on the momentum of the last ten years and planning what comes next.
This website outlines TMU’s priorities for 2020 through 2030.
Strategic plans prepared by leaders across the university will help us fulfil this vision and confidently meet the challenges of the fast-changing social, cultural and economic landscape in which we operate, so that our students and graduates, faculty and staff, partners and communities will continue to thrive.
Our Journey to 2030 Starts Here
Rooted in excellence and driven by curiosity, TMU understands the power of education to transform lives, communities, cities and societies. Together, TMU students, faculty, staff and alumni are creating a bright, just and caring future. On our journey to 2030, TMU will be unapologetically bold, intentionally inclusive and strategically nimble. By tackling real-world problems, forging strong partnerships and fostering innovative solutions, we can help create a sustainable and prosperous future for all. In every way, we will deliver.
Our Values
Unapologetically Bold
Intentionally Diverse & Inclusive
Dedicated to Excellence
Respectfully Collaborative
Champions of Sustainability
TMU’s values have long defined who we are and will always guide where we are going. They are the basis upon which we have built our uniquely vibrant, diverse and inclusive culture. Each value is important in its own right; together, they ensure that TMU students, staff, faculty and alumni will continue to break down barriers, build alliances and challenge the status quo.
TMU Is Creating a Bright, Bold Future
Join Us on the Journey
Challenging conventional approaches to education and SRC activity, empowering our students, staff and faculty to be agents of positive change for our university, our communities and our society – this is who we are.
Between now and 2030, TMU will tackle the complex real-life problems of our rapidly changing environment. We will develop new ways to nurture innovators and entrepreneurs, we will take more calculated risks to confront society's most pressing challenges and we will intentionally advance equity, diversity, inclusion and access in all that we do. By sharing and applying our expertise and engaging with partners, we will create new opportunities to improve lives on our campus, in our neighbourhoods, across the country and around the world.
Our Commitments
Our distinctly urban character and location in the heart of Canada’s greatest city, along with our commitment to engage respectfully and meaningfully with partners near and far, puts TMU in a unique position to expand and enable connections across communities and around the world. By advancing conversations on culture, technology, social innovation, health, justice, democracy and the environment, we will help to create safe, diverse, resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities one neighbourhood, one city, one region at a time.
We embrace the significant relationships among individual wellbeing, institutional wellbeing and our core mission as a university. Wellbeing weaves through our relationships with each other, our teaching, learning and SRC activities. By embedding a culture of wellbeing, we are creating a safe, secure, healthy and inclusive community that puts people first. Through purpose-driven research, innovation, policies and practice, we will advance a model of wellbeing that is just, equitable and promotes a caring society for all.
Guided by the broader Indigenous community and in the spirit of right relations, we will continue to work together to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods, ideas, experiences and expertise across the university. By increasing Indigenous faculty, staff and student enrolment, by expanding Indigenous curriculum, cultivating Indigenous-led SRC growth and by transforming the space we share, TMU will become a national leader in Indigenous education and a space where students can develop intercultural understanding and mutual respect for one another.
The TMU community is strengthened by the diversity of our people, ideas and experiences. Welcoming and intentionally inclusive, we create the conditions in which innovation and entrepreneurship thrive. We are dedicated to creating and maintaining a culture that echoes our values and demonstrates a commitment to the whole person. Between now and 2030, we will seek out new ideas, we will remain curious about perspectives we do not yet know and we will be respectful of differing viewpoints. Our workplace and learning and research culture will empower our diverse community of students, faculty, staff and alumni to continue pushing boundaries and removing barriers.
At TMU, innovation is embedded in our DNA. It influences the way we think about the world and our place in it. Whether enriching lives through art and creative expression or exploring ways to improve our technological and industrial ecosystems, we are always striving to forge opportunities for researchers, students and staff to think critically and actively about creative solutions to our challenges. We will continue to drive innovation in design, culture and creative thinking to cross boundaries and to create positive change.
We strive to be globally relevant and locally impactful. We believe taking a global view stimulates big-picture thinking, ideas and positive action. We share a commitment to welcoming and learning from people from other communities and addressing cultural, environmental and social issues affecting people around the world. An increasingly integral part of the educational experience involves ensuring students can apply a global lens to their learning and develop global competencies as tomorrow’s leaders. By 2030, we will greatly broaden our societal impact by developing ever-stronger regional and global ties.
As we enrich and broaden the career-focused education, skills and experiences we offer, we must ensure they continue to reflect the demands of these fast-moving times and contribute to the economic and social wellbeing of all. Experiential learning is a hallmark of TMU’s model of education that emphasizes the relevance and integration of theory and practice. We will continue to empower our students to take control of their education, and to develop the competencies, mindsets and resilience they will need to forge their unique paths, whether in a classroom or in the field. By being nimble, embracing technology and taking calculated risks, we will attract, educate and work with the changemakers, big thinkers and creators who will help advance prosperity and understanding of local, national and global economies.
The Future TMU is Building Needs You
The pace of change is accelerating, and no one can predict what lies ahead. But it is safe to say that Toronto will be a very different place by 2030.
TMU will be different, too.
Some things will remain constant – our mission and values, and our place in the heart of this remarkable city. And it’s clear that a quality education will continue to be the best route to social mobility, economic prosperity and cultural advancement.
But by 2030, TMU will have delivered on our vision and be even more capable of preparing young people for their lives.
And, because the more everyone participates in building our common future the better off we all will be, TMU will continue to convene the most interesting and innovative people.
We hope you’ll join us.
