Recruiting and Retaining
Western's objective to be a university of choice for outstanding faculty, staff and students will inevitably confront the severe resource limitations shared by all Ontario universities, whose budgetary revenues per student are generally below those in the rest of Canada and in the United States. Competitive student aid, and competitive salary and benefit packages, should be complemented by aggressive recruitment strategies featuring the advantages of studying, working and building a career at Western. We need to be creative and bold in finding ways to attract to Western outstanding people who will have many alternative choices and to support them within our community when they do choose Western as their academic home.
Recruitment and retention are the greatest challenges to our aspiration to continue to be a leading scholarly institution, and we consider that challenge in the sections which follow concerning faculty, staff, and students. Indispensable partners in meeting that challenge will be our 170,000 alumni. The distinguished careers of our alumni, and their feelings for Western, make them particularly effective in student recruitment. Their support of the University will be vital in securing the public and private resources necessary for faculty and staff recruitment and retention. We must actively invest in securing an effective partnership with all members of a steadily growing number of Western alumni.
The University must also engage in an active partnership with the City of London and with local businesses, organizations and agencies to work jointly in our recruitment efforts. Since our founding over a century ago, The University of Western Ontario has benefited enormously from the support of the City of London and the London community. Our positive relations with the City and its citizens is one of the defining characteristics of our institution. The economic, social and cultural advantages, the educational and health care resources, and the supportive community relations which characterize Western's interaction with the people of London are all very positive factors in shaping an effective recruitment strategy.
