Message from the President
We have the right foundation to forge new paths that will allow us to break through and lead the way forward.
Our environment
The world has been rocked. The global pandemic, crises of climate and social justice, and the acceleration of digital adoption have all created uncertainty and discomfort with the status quo. With widening economic and social divides, acute skills shortages in all sectors and social unrest within our communities, there is no shortage of variables challenging an organization’s ability to plan for the future.
Our opportunity
The glass, however, is half full. The world, after a massive reset, is ripe for innovation and collective, positive change. If we were waiting on the ideal moment for NSCC to rise and solidify our leadership role within the province of Nova Scotia, that time is now. Our province needs NSCC to fire on all cylinders. We understand, accept and embrace this call to action.
Ray Ivany, during his tenure as President of NSCC a quarter of a century ago, posed the question, “What kind of college does Nova Scotia need?” At the time, Ray was able to work with our partners to imagine and build a structure that not only was able to address the challenges and opportunities of the day, but allow for us to be nimble enough to adapt for the future.
So, what kind of college does Nova Scotia need?
I believe the answer is in our very name: Nova Scotia Community College – a College for our communities, in our communities, about our communities. One that is poised to serve as the province’s not-so-secret weapon to resurge into a fast-approaching and exciting future.
A College that provides accessible, equitable, high-quality education and skills to each of our students, so that in turn, they can go on to ignite economic and social prosperity within their communities. A College that works with the employers, sectors and non-profits who help keep communities vibrant and strong.
Our job is not just to educate and support the next generation of trailblazers of Nova Scotia – but to help shape the rapidly changing communities in which they will lead.
Stability and agility
This strategic plan outlines our quest to achieve the quintessential balance of exhibiting stability to execute necessary agility. The notion of seeing stability and agility as complementary, and not oppositional attributes must continue to be embraced in the days, months and years ahead.
Our future
We have the right foundation to build on. Our values are sound. Our mission and vision remain clear. They have provided a guiding light in these past few years of uncertainty, and they will continue to support us as we adapt and grow. Our institution is strong and resilient.
We have expertise, processes, structures and ways of working that have allowed us, time and again, to respond to the needs of our province. But keeping up is no longer enough; we must forge new paths that will allow us to break through and lead the way forward.
Our track record is proof positive that NSCC can get things done. We can transform lives and communities, one learner at a time.
NSCC has firmly solidified ourselves as a strong, credible and trusted community partner that can be counted on to deliver high-quality programming that helps to build the skills and expertise needed to meet the changing requirements of industries and sectors within our communities. That work must continue to be leveraged, but our role in building stronger and more resilient communities must expand for Nova Scotia to thrive as we meet the 4th Industrial Revolution head-on.
This will include redefining human capital on Nova Scotia’s terms – where the value we place on our people goes beyond their ability to contribute to the economy. Professional skills are essential but are all for naught if we are not also nurturing and fostering the aptitude and abilities necessary for our people to be civic-minded in a global environment increasingly fraught with volatility and uncertainty.
For if we have learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that the health and wellness of Nova Scotians requires a collective response from all of society and all of our systems, and that our individual success is our collective success. We are simply stronger together.
With the sacred trust given to us by Nova Scotians, and the integrity they expect from us – we are ready to harness the opportunities to catapult Nova Scotia forward. In short, our time is now.
Don Bureaux, President, NSCC