NEWSWIRE

Osgoode faculty council adopts new strategic plan

Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan speaks at the official opening of Osgoode's renovated Moot Court in January, 2005

Osgoode Hall Law School's Faculty Council has unanimously approved a new strategic plan to guide the development of the law school over the next five years.

The plan, which was the product of an in-depth, year-long consultation process involving faculty, students, staff and alumni, sets out initiatives that resonate on many levels with the strategic priorities articulated in York's new Academic Plan. It also addresses the need, expressed in both the Ontario Postsecondary Review (the "Rae Review") and the 2005 Ontario Budget, for greater emphasis on accountability, planning and measurable educational outcomes.

"The consultation process that led to the creation of the plan represents one of the most comprehensive and inclusive planning exercises in the school's history," said Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan. "Successful implementation of this plan will be a truly transformative and historic exercise for Osgoode and will enable the law school to move to the forefront of global education and chart a course for others to follow."

The Plan for the Law School 2006-2010: Making a Difference identifies three top priorities for the school:

• Building a more engaged learning community. Greater emphasis will be placed on active rather than passive forms of learning as well as the promotion of professional skills and an ethical understanding of the role of lawyers in society. In addition, Osgoode's graduate program, which is already the largest graduate law program in Canada, will be expanded.
• Promoting the law school's engagement with and connection to the broader community. Aspiring to make a difference in the world, Osgoode will deepen its socially-grounded commitment by requiring all LLB students to complete a public interest service requirement as a condition of their graduation, and will also explore new partnerships with public agencies, community legal clinics, social action and community groups, and legal organizations.
• Continuing efforts to situate Osgoode as a global law school. Osgoode will redouble its efforts to participate in student exchanges and in joint degree programs; recruit faculty who will deliver globally oriented graduate and undergraduate education; and increase opportunities for Osgoode graduate students to be part of a global educational network.

A copy of the Plan for the Law School 2006-2010: Making a Difference is available online or by contacting Mya Bulwa, executive assistant to the dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, at mbulwa@osgoode.yorku.ca.