A NEW VISION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN CANADA

Explore A Resilience Framework for Canadian Higher Education - a bold, collaborative strategy created by and for academic leaders ready to transform the sector.

 
 
 
 
 
 

WHY THIS MATTERS

Why does Higher Education Need a New Kind of Leadership?

Higher education in Canada is at a crossroads. Institutions are facing declining public trust, rising political pressure, financial precarity, and sector-wide fragmentation. In response, a group of deans from across the country convened at the University of Toronto to co-create a new vision for the future.

Led by Victoria-based social innovation firm Tidal Equality, the Dean’s Resilience Summit marked the beginning of a national movement toward renewal.

This framework is not just a document. It’s a call to action for academic leaders who are ready to lead with clarity, courage, and care.

 
 
 

WHAT’S INSIDE THE FRAMEWORK

  • Strategic Opportunities to transform faculty culture, institutional trust, and sector-wide legitimacy

  • The Resilience Dean Archetype: a bold new model of leadership for this moment

  • A Shared Vision & Mission for a renewed Canadian higher ed system

  • Core Values to guide resilient, equity-driven leadership

  • A Call to Action for innovators ready to shape what's next

 
 
 
 
 
 

WHO IT’S FOR

This is for you if…

You are a dean, provost, or postsecondary leader who:

  • Feels the strain of doing more with less

  • Wants to lead meaningful change but needs a starting point

  • Believes in collaboration, courage, and care as strategic advantages

  • Knows it’s time to rethink how we build trust, relevance, and resilience in our institutions

Join the innovative leaders choosing to act now.

 
 
 

TIDAL EQUALITY’S ROLE

A Canadian Capacity-Building firm Supporting Bold Academic Leadership

Tidal Equality is a Canadian capacity-building firm with deep experience working alongside universities across the U.S. and the U.K. After years of helping U.S. institutions respond to fractures in trust, governance, and public legitimacy, we brought this work home.

We believe Canadian higher education can lead the way—but only if its leaders are equipped, supported, and connected. This framework is just the beginning.

 
 

BONUS RESOURCES

The Resilience Toolkit for Progressive Higher Ed Leaders

To help you take the first step, we’re offering a free set of practical tools for academic leadership:

  • Get a panoramic view of your institution’s strategic landscape. This self-guided diagnostic helps you identify blind spots, leverage points, and the competing priorities pulling your team in different directions.

  • This guided reflection helps you assess your institution’s resilience across five key domains. Discover where your systems, people, and culture are already strong—and where you might be vulnerable.

  • Designed for Deans seeking to nurture belonging, trust, and connection, this guided journal helps you reflect on your leadership practices, your campus culture, and the ripple effects of your decisions.