The following are several achievements between April 2020 and April 2022, listed by priority, stemming from the HEC Montréal 2020-2023 Strategic Plan.
PRIORITY: Enrich and highlight the learning experience we offer, to properly meet the current and future needs of our students, the business community and society
Examples of achievements
- Adoption of a policy and guidelines for distance education during the pandemic
- Creation of a reflection group on the future of post-pandemic teaching at HEC Montréal, submission of a report and creation of a steering committee on remote learning
- Creation of several new programs (particularly at the DESS level and for certificates)
- Offering Master’s-level and short-program courses online on the edX platform
- Holding several activities to support student entrepreneurs
- Creation of a set of new Executive Education programs adapted to conditions prevailing during the pandemic
- Creation of a university competitions department (SCU)
- Deployment of learning resources on the eduZone platform
- In-depth reworking of certain DESS and MSc programs
- Deployment of a large number of hybrid courses in certificate and DESS programs
- Establishment of comodal classrooms in our existing and future rooms in the Hélène Desmarais building
- Creation of content to promote programs to specific audiences
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PRIORITY: Boost the impact and influence of our research activities, especially in fields relating to social issues and where HEC Montréal has the potential to stand out
Examples of achievements
- Creation of two new HEC Montréal research chairs (Global Innovation Networks; Innovation and Regional Development)
- Creation of two Canada Research Chairs (Enterprise Social Media and Digital Collaboration; Humanitarian Supply Chains Analytics)
- Creation of a Canada-CIFAR Artificial Intelligence Chair
- Creation of a Scale AI Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence for Urban Mobility and Logistics
- Creation of 14 new research professorships
- Creation of the Top Executives and Strategic Management Hub
- Creation of the Arpège Research Hub on Management Education
- Creation of the Réflexion institutional repository, offering open access to publications
- Call for research projects supporting the start-up or re-launch of research during the pandemic
- Grant of close to $1 M for the new Tech3lab downtown branch (from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, private-sector partners and the Quebec Ministère de l’économie et de l’innovation)
- Management and distribution of the Canadian Research Continuity Emergency Fund ($1.4M)
- Implementation of a communications campaign promoting our research (e.g., as partner content in La Presse Xtra, promotional content in various mass media, social media outreach strategy, media relations strategy)
- Partnership with The Conversation allowing faculty to publish simplified expertise and reach local and international audiences
- Integration of a conversion grid for Francophone journals in the research excellence recognition policy
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PRIORITY: Rely on committed faculty who excel in teaching and research
Examples of achievements
- Implementation of a professional development plan (professors and lecturers)
- Training for faculty members to master techno-educational methods
- New resources for correcting assistance
- Financing for assistance with re-submitting grant applications, to support professor-researchers in efforts to obtain external funding
- Extension of the maximum period for tenure-track professors to obtain tenure
- Creation of a new award for faculty engagement (the Jean-Marie Toulouse award)
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PRIORITY: Offer a convivial campus and studying, working and living environments for the student community and all employees
Examples of achievements
- Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI):
- Adoption of an EDI policy
- Diversity census at HEC Montréal
- Awareness and mobilization activities from an equity, diversity and inclusion perspective
- Revision of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research action plan
- Development of rules and a guide for inclusive communications
- Upgrade of information technology to ensure accessibility
- Adoption of a policy to prevent and combat sexual violence at HEC Montréal
- Adoption of a policy to ensure a respectful and harassment-free study, work and living environment
- Measures to support the student community:
- Significant increase in the Emergency Fund for members of the student community facing financial challenges
- Rearrangement of the library and creation of a writing retreat space in the library (Master of Management and PhD)
- Enrolment in the Wellness Program (24/7 multilingual psychological support by phone) for the entire student community
- Establishment of a Student Wellness Committee with the EDI team and representatives of the student community
- Innovations and improvements in welcoming international students and newcomers
- Measures to support staff members:
- Adoption of guidelines and measures relating to remote working during the pandemic, to be integrated with instructions on organizing work time that will continue after the pandemic
- Awareness training for managers and staff to cope with changes and understand work time organization measures
- Complete reworking of instructions on talent acquisition to integrate internal talent management and staffing concepts, through individual development plans
- Introduction of a new recruitment system (ATS) named TALÉO, integrating an up-to-date and more representative image of the School’s dynamic nature
- Implementation of an improved internal communication strategy aligned with staff needs (message from the director, newsletter to staff members, web section, etc.)
- Launch of Toujours à l’écoute de vos besoins et de vos préoccupations (Always attentive to your needs and concerns) surveys, dissemination of results and action plans developed within each department
- Engagement in Health and Wellness Week and increased promotion of the EAP
- Creation of a web page offering support resources, and virtual medical services
- Campaigns to mark back-to-school time in 2020 and 2021
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PRIORITY: Bolster our internal and external collaboration and our alumni relations
Examples of achievements
- Internal collaboration:
- Establishment of 5 crisis management cells (COVID-19).
- Widespread deployment of Teams and numerous training sessions on the use of collaborative tools
- Creation of exchange and feedback groups (Managers’ Corner and A Remote Community)
- Creation of an interdepartmental support service
- Collaborative repositioning for the Records Management and Archives Department
- Regular meetings between the Department of Communications and Governmental Relations with several other departments
- Regular meetings with student association representatives (presidents)
- Collaboration with our alumni:
- Launch of the new website of the HEC Montréal Foundation and Alumni Relations Office
- Merge of the social media platforms and LinkedIn page of the HEC Montréal Foundation and Alumni Relations Office
- Creation of a web platform, HEC Montréal Connexion, for networking and managing alumni relations
- The 1st Gala Luminescence (6 awards and tributes)
- External collaboration:
- Moving the BIE and collaboration with the Université de Montréal to develop new territories
- Creation of new programs with several partners:
- DESS and MSc – private and public sectors, in collaboration with ÉNAP
- Certification in ethics and compliance, in collaboration with the CDPQ and Hydro-Québec
- Bachelor’s degree in management by cumulative credits, in collaboration with the Université de Montréal
- Introduction of a common library system
- Launch of First Nations Executive Education
- Fundraising campaigns for Centraide and support by the student community for the fundraising campaign for Fondation CHU Sainte-Justine
- Participation as a partner in three major grant applications to the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, in the areas of artificial intelligence, health and sustainable development
- Participation in updating the Plan directeur d’aménagement (PDA) with all partners concerned
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PRIORITY: Look to the international scene as a vector of development, cultural wealth and renown
Examples of achievements
- Renewal of EQUIS accreditation
- Signing of new dual-degree and international-pathway agreements
- Creation of overseas programs
- Development of several specialized immersive programs (Learning Expeditions)
- Signing of numerous agreements on international training conducted with partners, and international customized training agreements
- Creation of a Francization stream for MSc in English students
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PRIORITY: Promote and emphasize corporate social responsibility, sustainable development and ethics in everything we do
Examples of achievements
- Submission of HEC Montréal’s first sustainable development report
- Participation in the Living Planet @ Campus program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Canada)
- Collaboration by the IDEOS Hub on the Pacte pour l’inclusion au travail des personnes immigrantes (Pact to Encourage Inclusion at Work for Immigrants) (City of Montreal)
- Participation in the Building Energy Challenge of BOMA Québec, an association of building owners
- Entry of the MBA program in the 2020 Better World MBA Rankings of Corporate Knights
- Creation of a network, in partnership with Desjardins International Development, to promote the impact of entrepreneurship in developing countries (SEED Network)
- Deployment of energy management courses on edX
- Creation of the Sustainable Development certificate program
- Introduction of ethical evaluation of research projects in courses by the Research Ethics Committee (CER)
- Review of governance rules for student groups
- Creation of the Réseau québécois de recherche en économie circulaire (Quebec circular economy research network), with Université Laval, ÉTS and Polytechnique Montréal
- Obtaining STARS Gold certification
- Obtaining LEED Gold certification for the Hélène Desmarais building (in progress, to be confirmed in 2023)
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PRIORITY: Efficiently manage resources and risks
Examples of achievements
- Preparation and submission of the 2021-2024 action plan for the Information Technologies Department, as well as the 2021-2024 information security action plan
- Preparation and submission of a 3-year information security action plan
- Acquisition of a solution for combating phishing, and information security awareness activities
- Creation and staffing of a position of information security director
- Implementation of the new rules on the protection of personal information
- Preparation and adoption of the risk management policy; creation of a risk management grid and formation of a risk management committee
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Specific indicators will let us closely monitor our progress in implementing the Plan and report back to our community annually.
