In 2023, CACUSS marked its 50th anniversary, a milestone celebrated alongside our return to an in-person conference after a four-year hiatus. This year of celebration and introspection provided our leadership with a unique opportunity to envision a transformative future through a new five-year strategic plan.

Impacted by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous Strategic Plan (2017-2021) saw the Board navigating uncertainties from 2021-2023. CACUSS emerged resilient, positioned to align its vision, mission, values, and strategic priorities with the evolving needs and aspirations of its members.

This document unveils an updated Mission, a Vision projecting a decade ahead, and reaffirmed Values shaping our long-term commitments. The Goals and Tactics chart a course for the Board, Executive Director, staff team, and volunteers over the next five years, deliberately outlined at a high level to allow continual refinement for maximum impact.

PLANNING PROCESS

The 2022-23 and 2023-24 Boards engaged members across the Canadian Student Affairs & Services landscape in crafting our new Strategic Plan. This 16-month journey, filled with meaningful conversations and insights, lays the foundation for an exciting future for CACUSS.

The timeline unfolded as follows:

• October 2022: The Board met for an in-person SWOT analysis, guided by a facilitator from Robin Fern & Co, informed by inputs like the 2022 CACUSS Census and Benchmarking Study.

• February 2023: The Board drafted Vision, Mission, and Values for member consultation.

• March 2023: Four online sessions, including CoP Chairs, Senior Student Affairs Officers, former Board members, and an open session, refined Vision, Mission, and Values. Close to 80 members participated. 

• June 2023: The Board hosted an in-person town hall session at the annual conference, supported by a facilitator, gathering member input on key priorities. Approximately 120 members participated. 

• July to September 2023: Draft goals were developed based on extensive consultations.

• October 2023: The 2023-24 Board finalized goals and identified tactics in an in-person meeting.

• December 2023 and January 2024: Tactics were prioritized with input from the staff team, and the 2024 budget included a strategic initiatives fund.

• February 2024: The Board approved the Strategic Plan and discussed the 2024 operational plan. Funding was allocated for a key 2024 priority—an Equity audit.
  
  Committed to openness and transparency, the Board aligns with our Values as we implement this new Strategic Plan. Members can anticipate continuous communication about annual priorities and an AGM report tracking progress toward our Goals. 

STRATEGIC PLAN

Mission

CACUSS advances the Student Affairs and Services profession in Canada by co-creating knowledge, tools, and networks with Student Affairs and Services practitioners and scholars.

Vision

CACUSS is an inclusive and interdisciplinary organization fostering a space of belonging for all Student Affairs and Services professionals in Canada to transform the post-secondary student experience.

Values

Collaboration: We work together to include diverse perspectives in decision-making and strategies. We engage our members and partner with stakeholder groups and related organizations to achieve our goals.

Community and Belonging: We prioritize including diverse individuals, across all identities, abilities, lived experiences, and disciplines in Student Affairs and Services. We work to remove barriers for individual participation; embracing reciprocity and relationality through community building.

Decolonization and Indigenization: We challenge and dismantle the historical and ongoing effects of colonization nationwide while prioritizing reconciliation and promoting Indigenous cultures, knowledge systems, and practices within Canadian Student Affairs and Services.

Equity and Accessibility: We prioritize equity. We ensure that the voices and participation of equity-deserving groups that have been systemically excluded are involved and included in our decision-making and programming.

Integrity: We are transparent in our operations. We are committed to upholding and demonstrating our values. We prioritize the trust and credibility among our membership and the broader community. We are committed to acting ethically, sincerely, and consistently.

Learning and Knowledge: We facilitate learning and knowledge exchange within the profession. By embracing diverse knowledge systems we contribute to broadening the body of knowledge that informs the work of Students Affairs and Services practitioners and scholars in Canada.

Student-centered: We ensure students are centered within the work of Student Affairs and Services practitioners and scholars and encourage our members to include students in meaningful ways in their work.

Well-being: We promote the multidimensional aspects of wellness for student affairs practitioners and scholars. We are committed to prioritizing elements of individual and communal wellness within all events and activities.

Goals

Decolonization and Equity 

CACUSS will acknowledge and address the effects of inequities and colonization in Student Affairs.

Organizational and Financial Sustainability

Advancing the Profession 

CACUSS will develop the resources and people to strengthen the Student Affairs profession in Canada.

Community Wellbeing 

CACUSS will cultivate a collaborative, inclusive, interdisciplinary, and holistic community of student affairs professionals.

Tactics

• Advance equity-deserving groups in CACUSS leadership and across the organization

• Build a Membership Engagement Plan

• Develop and execute an intentional communications strategy

• Enhance knowledge mobilization efforts

• Execute a Professional Development Plan

• Prioritize operational enhancements

• Review and refresh the CoP Model

• Strengthen relationships with external stakeholders

The full tactics document with deliverables for the current year can be found on our website. Reports will be presented to the membership at the Annual General Meeting. If you have questions about the CACUSS Strategic Plan, please contact the CACUSS Executive Director at cacuss-ed@cacuss.ca

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Patty Hambler, CACUSS President, for her stewardship of this process. We are indebted to the entire CACUSS Board of Directors in both 2022-23 and 2023-24 for their thoughtfulness and time in considering our envisioned future as an organization and your dedication to ensuring that we got it right. We appreciate the time and contributions of members who participated in the engagement sessions; your input helped shape our conversations in a meaningful way. Thank you to the CACUSS staff for your input on our realized and potential capacity as an organization. We would also like to thank Darran Fernandez from Robin Fern & Co for your excellent work in facilitating our discussions as a Board, our member Town Hall in Niagara in June 2023 and for your ongoing support of CACUSS.

CACUSS Board of Directors 2022-2024

Patty Hambler, Douglas College, President, 2022-2024

Angie Clarke, Marine Institute of Memorial University, CACUSS President-Elect 2023-2024

Dale Mullings, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Finance Director, 2022-2024

Sean Fast, McMaster University, 2022-2024

Adrian Leckie, University of Toronto Scarborough, 2022-2023

Dan Cantiller, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2021-2023

Carmen Law, St. Lawrence College, 2021-2025

Dinuka Gunaratne, Northeastern University, 2021-2024

Noah Arney, Thompson Rivers University, 2021-2023

Tim Fricker, 2023-2025

Rachel Barreca, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2023-2025

Chantal Musial, University of Alberta, 2023-2024

CACUSS Staff

Jennifer Hamilton, Executive Director

Lara Hof, Coordinator of Professional Development & Learning

Ruth Nakalyowa, Coordinator of Engagement & Inclusion

Kate Foster/Meaghan Williams/Natalie Wallace, Redstone Agency