Vancouver School of Economics Undergraduate

VSEUS Strategic Plan

VSEUS Strategic
Vision | Mission | Future
April 2016
Prepared by: Viet Vu, on behalf of
VSEUS Strategic Plan Committee

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VSEUS Strategic Plan

Table of Content:

I. Purpose 3
II. Membership 3
III. Vision 4
IV. Mission 4
V. Key Stakeholders 5
VI. Engagement Strategy 6
VII. Future 7

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I. Purpose
The Vancouver School of Economics Undergraduate Society was granted a Constituency status
on February 25th, 2014. That means that for the first time, Economics students have an
undergraduate society that directly represent their interest on AMS Council.

This change was also accompanied by significant change in the structure of the Vancouver
School of Economics (formally known as the Department of Economics), with the introduction of
the Bachelor of International Economics, the move to the iconic Iona building, as well as the
establishment of a new Innovative Data Research Centre.

The VSEUS Council recognized the need to form a strategic plan for the society, identifying the
organizations objectives as well as key stakeholder groups to ensure we shape VSEUS into an
effective organization. Therefore, it made the decision to create a committee to formulate a
strategic plan for VSEUS, guiding its operations for the next decade or more.

II. Membership
The Committee was comprised of VSE students, some of whom represent students on the AMS
Council. The Committee represented diverse viewpoints across campus and participated in 4
workshops, each lasting an hour to two hours, formulating different parts of this proposal.

Name Year Level Program Professional Role

Viet Vu 5th BA Hons. VSEUS AMS Representative

Daniel Gao 3rd BIE VSEUS President
Ian Sapollnik 2nd Arts AUS AMS Representative
Forest Kong 4th BA VSEUS BA Representative
Margaret Jamieson 3rd BIE BIE Student
Ryan Fikser 2nd BIE VSEUS BIE Representative
Tina Hashemnia 4th BA VSEUS Graduating Representative
Terralynn Forsyth 4th BA Editor-in-chief IONA Journal of Economics

Specifically, the workshops were structured using Outcome Mapping.

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III. Vision
The Committee recommends that VSEUS Council adopts the following as VSEUSs vision
statement:

The Vancouver School of Economics Undergraduate Society will ensure all members are
continually engaged and feel a tangible sense of belonging and pride with the Economics
community and the wider UBC community. Students will be exposed to the diverse fields within
Economics to be informed about their future paths and feel empowered and prepared for life
after graduation. We will strive to work with the students, faculty, and staf to improve
accessibility at VSE and UBC while continually assessing and reviewing student needs.

We believe that this vision statement incorporates the nature of VSEUS (Student government)
while making it clear who we represent and to whom we represent our students to. The Vision
also outlines the type of environment and community VSEUS would like to foster at UBC.

IV. Mission
The Committee recommends that VSEUS Council adopts the following as VSEUSs mission
statement:

The Vancouver School of Economics Undergraduate Society will create and facilitate spaces
where members are comfortable interacting with each other, share their stories and foster
relationships to contribute in building an Economics community. It will establish a clear feedback
channel between VSEUS Council and the members, improving transparency and holding
frequent consultations to identify issues that matter to them. Further, the VSEUS will create
external relationships to learn the best practice from other groups with the same vision, and
foster internal opportunities for our members to volunteer within the organization. Finally, the
VSEUS will establish strong traditions in the Economics community, so students feel proud to be
a member of this community.

We believe that this mission statement outlines the specific avenues in which VSEUS will
contribute to realizing the identified vision stated above.

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V. Key Stakeholders
The Committee identified the following stakeholder groups within VSEUS, and the
accompanying desired ways in which theyll behave if VSEUS is successful in realizing its vision:
Stakeholder Group
VSEUS Students
VSE Faculty Members
AMS
Desired Behavior
If VSEUS is successful in realizing its vision, students will be
curious about VSEUS initiatives and are motivated to get
involved. Further, they have a good understanding of
initiatives VSEUS partake in and are able to identify ways to
provide VSEUS with feedback.
Once accepted into a VSE program, students feel welcomed
and well informed and are able to create personal
relationships with their executives and council. Finally and
most crucially, students feel connected with VSEUS and a
sense of pride to be in Economics.
If VSEUS is successful in realizing its vision, there will be a
broad range of Faculty engagement with students (from
academic talks to dinner socials) and Faculty members are
able to see the purpose of their involvement and feel
motivated to do so. Further, faculty will be willing to discuss
their research with students.
If VSEUS if successful in realizing its vision, the AMS will be
recognizing VSEUS as a significant constituency at UBC.
Further, other constituencies within the AMS will feel the wish
to partner with VSEUS on initiatives, from joint political
campaign (for significant international tuition increase) to
social events (graduation boat cruise)
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VI. Engagement Strategy

We recommend the following engagement strategy for the identified stakeholder groups:

Stakeholder Group Engagement Strategy

VSEUS Students 1. Close the existing gap with students in the BA programs.
VSEUS can accomplish this by introducing class
representatives (ECON101/102 reps) and address
outstanding issues with the general elections, ensuring
students in the BA program have adequate chance to get
involved with VSEUS.
2. Work with other groups on Campus. From other
undergraduate societies to student services, there are
many groups within UBC striving to improve the life of
students at UBC. VSEUS should identify these groups and
work with them in bettering the student experience.
3. Continue and expand upon the Faces of Economics project
and explore the possibility of creating and publishing a
physical book highlighting individuals from this community.
4. Continue to develop the Clothing and Coffee shop area,
soliciting feedback to ensure the space serve student
needs.
5. Drastically increase volunteer opportunities for general
membership, taking the volunteer model introduced during
ECON week of 2016.

VSE Faculty Members 1. Ensure high student attendance for research talks
(Talkonomics) to make sure Professors feel like their
presence is appreciated.
2. Introduce VSEUS Faculty Awards, honoring professors who
have gone beyond and above in supporting students at
VSEUS
3. Introduce a Featured Professor of the Month, highlighting
faculty research and stories, using the Faces of Economics
model.
4. In addition to create high attendance event, develop
models for intimate discussions of research topics,
allowing Faculty to discuss (not lecture) their ideas to
students.

AMS 1. Ensure AMS Representative of VSEUS remains active and

participate in AMS Council activities
2. VP External & Academic Affairs to contact other Vice
Presidents of other constituencies to develop partnerships
and potential collaborations

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VII. Future
After VSEUS Council ratifies this strategic plan, an individual should be devoted to create how
VSEUS will track the progress towards these goals and establish regular reviews of the strategic
plan to make sure it reflect student wishes.