2023 IEP Designee – Lakehead University

Lakehead is a comprehensive teaching and research institution with a strategic commitment to fostering transformative discovery and innovation. As the only university in Northwestern Ontario, with campuses on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabeg in Simcoe County and on the Treaty Territory of Fort William First Nation in Thunder Bay, we play a unique regional role.

We serve a vast, diverse, and sparsely populated area. Our two campuses are 1,300 km apart with a student catchment zone equal to the size of France. Local industries, both resource- and agriculture-based, are vital to regional socioeconomic prosperity but face new challenges with shifting markets, global competition, and a move towards digital and knowledge economies.

Lakehead’s partnerships with industry, government, Indigenous groups, community organizations and other research users are critical for ensuring a sustainable future with culturally appropriate economic growth, a skilled workforce and job creation, and a high quality of life across the region.

Advancing our economic engagement enterprise

Guided by our 2018–2025 Strategic Plan, Lakehead defines economic development by the impact we have on our communities: the opportunities and prosperity available to our students, faculty and staff, and the people and businesses we serve. Our economic engagement enterprise responds to the needs and diversity of our region and closely aligns with the social, cultural, and economic realities and aspirations of our communities.

In 2017, Lakehead began seeking out resources to support continued development of our economic engagement enterprise. With no Canadian counterpart, we discovered APLU and its resources for creating a clear pathway to define and achieve our goals.

Our self-study process

We began our Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) designation application by visually mapping our impacts and gaps in talent, innovation and place and then embarking on our self-study. Based on the APLU Institutional Self-Study Survey for Economic Engagement, we gathered input from more than 500 internal and external stakeholders through two surveys, each designed with layered, generative questions and individual sub-rankings. We applied mixed-method analyses to both the quantitative and qualitative data received and open-ended coding was used to create themes and categories across our reported areas of strength and weakness in economic engagement.

We were then able to broadly identify our areas of strength as successful growth and partnerships, research and development, human capital and employment development, resource allocation, and image. For example, for 65 years, we have succeeded in establishing strong partnerships that translate into innovative learning experiences for our students and strong employment outcomes for our graduates. Likewise, Lakehead is known for its deep commitment to excellent, community-engaged research that tackles essential issues for people, communities, and the planet.

Fieldwork and hands-on learning are also valued, integral components of our academic and research programs, taking advantage of the vibrant, natural laboratories of Canadian shield forests and geology.

At the same time, three bold, but attainable goals and a detailed plan for growth and improvement emerged from our self-study: increasing internal and external communications about our economic engagement efforts, enhancing support for entrepreneurship and talent development, and expanding our sector/industry engagement.

Looking ahead as an IEP-designated institution

Throughout the IEP application process, our campuses benefited from connecting with a wider network of institutions while gaining a clearer snapshot of our strengths, challenges, and opportunities. To date, we’re only the second Canadian university to receive a designation, and our experience was enriched by learning from our American peers while also sharing our uniquely regional, publicly funded perspective.

As an IEP designee, we are grateful to be recognized as a regional economic development engine and to have tangible new APLU credentials to strive for on behalf of the communities we serve. As we implement our growth and improvement plan, we are appointing a communications officer to develop new strategies for publicizing our economic development, research, and innovation initiatives.

We are also offering new micro-credential topics and entrepreneurial programs as part of our talent development goals as well as developing a comprehensive industry engagement strategy focusing on the major sectors in our region. Our broader understanding of economic engagement models and planning tools, and our self-study insights and goals, will also be reflected in our next strategic plan and our next research plan.

Lakehead has always believed in the power of higher education to help individuals, communities, and businesses realize their highest potential. Our greatest accomplishments arise when our communities have the knowledge, skills, technologies, resources, and partnerships to succeed.

We are thrilled to be a part of a group of more than 85 IEP-designated institutions that similarly demonstrate a deep commitment to advancing regional economic prosperity.

Authors:

Dr. Andrew Dean – Vice-President of Research and Innovation, Lakehead University

Ellen McKay, M.Ed, RTTP – Director, Innovation Development, Lakehead University