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McMaster University

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WELCOME!

Welcome to McMaster and to the Office of the President. The University's website provides a wealth of information about the mission and vision of the University, its innovative educational programs, cutting-edge research, and the students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and supporters who make up the McMaster community. I was privileged to become a member of this community in July 2010, when I began my term as President and Vice-Chancellor. More

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Principle 1

We are an institution devoted to the cultivation of human potential, which we believe cannot be realized by individuals in isolation from one another, from their history or their imagined future, from the society which surrounds them, or from the physical universe which sustains them. Our programs and activities will reflect this comprehensive view.

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Principle 2

It follows that in defining our strengths and seeking to build on them, we will adopt a multidisciplinary perspective, recognizing that even the most specialized problem requires an appropriately broad-based approach.

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Principle 3

Our future shall be continuous and consistent with our past, expanding upon and fulfilling the historic character of McMaster as an institution. We will foster the distinct identity of this university, while at the same time continuing to recognize the importance of collaboration and dialogue with sister institutions in Ontario, Canada, and abroad.

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Principle 4

Notwithstanding that commitment to continuity with the past and to coordination with practices elsewhere, we will place the highest value on original thought and on innovation.

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Principle 5

To that end, we will not only reaffirm the importance of radical questioning at the heart of the academic enterprise, but we will ensure the integrity of our work by bringing a critical view to all of our practices-those which bear directly upon education and research as well as those less directly related to it.

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Principle 6

Wherever possible, we will reduce or eliminate obstacles to cooperation.

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Principle 7

We will acknowledge, and seek to integrate in all our work and in ways appropriate to our specific fields, an obligation to serve the greater good of our community-locally, nationally, and globally.

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NEXT STEPS

All units within the University, especially the academic faculties, have been asked to consider the priorities outlined in Forward with Integrity and assess where changes and enhancements might be made, where challenges might lie and how they could be overcome, and the benefits that might be expected.

In addition to the internal discussions that are already underway within academic departments, administrative units, and the student-body, a formal process to consider and advance the various priorities has been established. Dr. Susan Denburg has been appointed Strategic Advisor to the President and will oversee the operationalization of Forward with Integrity. She has been leading an Advisory Group and four time-limited task forces to advance the internal dialogue, provide guidance to the faculties, and oversee the strategy for implementation. In addition, Laura Harrington has been appointed as the Project Director to provide communication and administrative support to the initiative.