The first Academic Plan: Framing Our Future, published in March 2011, set the direction for VIU as a university and began to further define the structures and activities of the university. The plan built upon our strengths as an open access institution with multiple pathways for students; a reputation for relevant experiential learning; and an emphasis on faculty/student interactions. It defined VIU as a special purpose teaching university and committed to being an institution that “supports the well-being of the people of Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia by promoting a high quality of life for their communities through commitment to student success, community engagement and associated scholarship” (pg. 9).
The renewal of the Academic Plan in 2016: Promoting and Celebrating Access to Excellence further defined the VIU commitment “[A]s a teaching university with a complementary research agenda, … that enables all learners to pursue rewarding careers and fulfilling lives. VIU is structured to offer a compelling approach to university learning by integrating teaching excellence, internship and co-op work experiences, civic engagement, open access and laddered educational pathways in vibrant scholarly environments intimately connected to the communities VIU serves” (pg. 8). The Indigenous Commitment was added as an objective and recognized our history and reputation for Indigenous programming and partnership with communities.
With the arrival of a new President: Dr. Deborah Saucier, in 2019, work began on a Strategic Plan. The What We Heard report, a preamble to the Strategic Plan, summarizes the cumulative pride in the accomplishments of previous academic plans and notes the changes in the early years of VIU as a university