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University of Victoria

President's Listening Tour

President Kevin Hall wants to learn everything he can about UVic in his first year in office, and he wants to hear from you.

In a series of public events and focused meetings for students, faculty, staff and alumni over the coming months, Kevin will learn about our university from our campus and wider communities. We’ll share details of these upcoming events and recordings of past public engagements here when they’re available.

May 27: Wrap-up Town Hall

Kevin spoke about what he learned during his Listening Tour and how future priorities for the university have been shaped by what he heard. 

Mar. 11: Undergraduate Student Town Hall

Kevin joined held a virtual town hall event for undergraduate students on March 11. After some brief introductory remarks, Kevin polled the students in attendance to learn more about their priorities and responded to video questions collected by the UVSS. 

Mar. 8: Graduate Student Town Hall

Kevin joined Drake Rushford, chair of the Graduate Students Society for a virtual town hall event on March 8. After some brief introductory remarks, Kevin polled the students in attendance to learn more about their priorities and responded to video questions collected by the GSS. 

Feb. 17: Virtual Campus Update

Kevin joined Valerie Kuehne (Vice-President Academic and Provost) and Kristi Simpson (Acting Vice-President Finance and Operations) in a virtual Campus Update on February 17. An interview-style presentation covered our COVID-19 response and future plans, as well as our institutional budgeting process and proposed areas of priority.

A video of the session is available.

Jan. 18: Alumni town hall

Kevin met with a group of UVic alumni on January 18 during a virtual town hall organized by Alumni Relations and the UVic Alumni Association. After some brief introductory remarks, Kevin polled the alumni in attendance to learn more about their priorities and responded to questions submitted in advance by the alumni in attendance.

Kevin's reflections

“Our alumni are an extremely important asset for UVic, and I am really pleased to have had the opportunity to engage with them so early in my term as UVic’s president. I appreciated hearing about their thoughtful questions and enjoyed the opportunity to respond.

My listening tour is about learning about the culture of UVic and where we as an institution want to see UVic go over the next five years. Our alumni are important members of our community and some of our best ambassadors. Understanding their priorities and where we can improve how UVic connects with our wider communities will help us develop a stronger vision for the university.

Alumni who attended the town hall identified access to education; equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism; and research impact as areas they would like the university to prioritize—all areas that I am deeply committed to. In response to questions submitted by alumni, Brian Cant (president of the UVic Alumni Association) and I had a great discussion about:

  • advancing truth, respect and reconciliation at UVic;
  • the unique needs of the new cohort of students during COVID-19;
  • augmenting UVic’s reputation for experiential learning;
  • promoting the growth of women in science;
  • the changing role of universities in supporting communities;
  • what alumni engagement looked like at universities where I have previously worked; and
  • what UVic is doing to address equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism.

I look forward to continuing to engage with our alumni in the months and years to come.”

Dec. 7: Faculty & staff town hall

Over 700 staff and faculty members attended this virtual town hall—the first of President Hall's Listening Tour. Kevin shared a little bit about himself, what brought him to UVic and some of his emerging priorities. Kevin asked the audience for their thoughts on a range of topics and answered questions submitted by staff and faculty members. 

Kevin's reflections

"Thanks to everyone who participated in the first virtual town hall of my Listening Tour. You've given me a lot to think about!

We discussed many things, but a few themes rose to the top. I heard strong support for action on climate and sustainability; equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism; and truth, respect and reconciliation—all things that I am committed to. We also spoke about how we will address UVic’s global ranking and reputation, the impact of our teaching and research, and our connections with community and government.

A major topic throughout the Q&A section was UVic’s response to COVID-19. We talked about:

  • how it may affect the ways we teach and work in the future
  • the extension of the winter break
  • when we will announce the plans for summer session (stay tuned for more information in the new year)
  • how we respond to possible cases of COVID-19 on campus

Though the interactive polling revealed that many of us are tired (“In one word, how are you feeling today?”), I was pleased to see that we are feeling a strong sense of community at the end of this long year (“What is one word that comes to mind when someone says UVic?”).

I’m looking forward to more opportunities to engage with you over the next months."

Make a suggestion

 Share your thoughts with Kevin using our suggestion box.