FIMS Strategic Plan 2023-2028
OUR MISSION
At FIMS, we understand information, media, technology and culture as essential resources in a democratic life, a life guided by principles of access, participation, justice, and possibility. FIMS approaches these ideas through teaching, scholarly research, and community connection, blending an interdisciplinary approach with theory and practice. FIMS provides an academic environment inspired by curiosity, collaboration, creative inquiry, and critical thinking.
OUR RESEARCH, TEACHING, AND LEARNING
FIMS faculty, staff and students understand how information and media shape our everyday world—from how we express ourselves and join in expression with others, to our data doubles, our libraries, our media and economic systems, our governance, our health information, and our cultural inclusion, reconciliation, and accountability. Media and information shape who we are in the present and future.
We believe in the pleasures of media participation and the role of media and information in building communities and lives, while also recognizing the anti-democratic effects of propaganda, disinformation, post-truth politics and the consolidation of power and resources.
We believe in inquiry and creative capacity for all our undergraduate and graduate students. These strengths help us to understand contemporary life, to engage, to intervene, and to change our minds and worlds.
These principles are at the root of how FIMS is moving into the future as we
raise our profile in Canada and beyond, becoming a top-tier choice for students, scholars and makers interested in media and communication studies, library and information science, journalism, health information science and creative arts and production
ensure that our commitments to inclusion reach every member of the community regardless of the program they’re in, the courses they’re taking, their role, or where they’ve arrived from
deepen our research and scholarly impact
respond to ongoing social and cultural shifts with adaptability, curiosity, and engagement
OUR PLAN
Our plan through 2028 reflects our goals across four themes and a range of research, curricular, co-curricular and institutional initiatives. These goals build on cornerstones first laid by the Faculty’s founders in the late 1990’s and updated many times since. Our themes are
Theme One: Growing through inclusion
Expanding, diversifying and supporting our community of faculty, staff, students, collaborators and alumni in London, Canada and the world.
Theme Two: Advancing a more just world through original research
Expanding our scholarship and research capacity through new resources, new profile, and new community and international partners.
Theme Three: Preparing graduates to address challenges through critical engagement, discovery, and creativity
Bringing our programs into sharper dialogue with principles of inclusion, reconciliation, accountability and “multi-modality” – the use of many expressive systems, from classical academic writing to sounds and images, to form new knowledge.
Theme Four: Broadening our scope through interdisciplinary dialogue at FIMS, at Western, in Canada and around the world
Deepening FIMS’ interdisciplinary life and expanding our opportunities to connect at Western and beyond, in place and virtually.